Thank you to all of you who reviewed the last chapter :) I couldn't stop grinning! I never thought that you would all like it so much! You have certainly encouraged me to keep writing :)

He could hear her start to clean the dishes in the kitchen. There was the distant sound of plates clinking together and the sound of running water.

Looking back down at his plate he shuffled the food around for the thousandth time willing himself to at least attempt to eat a mouthful more. But he could not. He set his knife and fork down on the plate in frustration. He'd been looking forward to their meal together. A chance for both of them to get away from the house for a while. Just the two of them, in their own cottage. His heart swelled at that thought as it was their cottage, both of theirs, and they owned it together. Something he found himself still struggling to believe.

But his thoughts were brought back to the present moment when his stomach made a gurgle of dissatisfaction. Alerting him to the fact that he was still very hungry.

He so wished this evening had gone differently. Maybe he should have assisted her in the kitchen? But he didn't want to get in her way or imply she was not capable. Perhaps he could mention to Mrs Patmore that she could use some guidance when it came to cooking. Yes. That would be best. He wanted to avoid speaking about it to her directly for fear of offending her.

Having come to some sort of conclusion as to how he would resolve the matter, he stood up from the table, picked up his plate and made his way to the kitchen.

Upon entering the kitchen he saw his wife at the sink, her back to him, scrubbing furiously at a rather black, burnt looking pan.

He subtly disposed of the remainder of his meal before turning back and picking up a dishcloth and beginning to dry some of the dishes. She would not look at him. Whenever he drew nearer the sink to dry a new plate or piece of cutlery she would ensure the back of her head was all he could see.

When she left the dining room he had assumed it was out of embarrassment. She hardly touched her food either and he had waited a while to allow her some space before following her to the kitchen. Her speedy departure from the table certainly showed she didn't want to talk about it.

He didn't like the tension in the room. They worked in utter silence. The atmosphere was becoming unbearable.

He cleared his throat. He was unsure how to approach this situation, was she turning away because she didn't want him to see her blush with embarrassment...? Or was he merely imagining it?

Without warning she turned away from the sink dried her hands on her apron and an all but ran from the kitchen in the direction of the sitting room.

He let out a long breath. He was certain now that she was more than embarrassed.

He finished drying up the dishes and with each plate and glass he placed back in their rightful place he promised himself that he would not let this atmosphere linger. He would sort this out tonight whether she wanted to or not.

Hello again :) another update which I hope you will enjoy. Thank you so much to everyone for the amazing reviews, you have all been so lovely! I will try to continue to update regularly as I think this will go on for a few more chapters. Tell me what you think?I can't promise that it will be as regular as everyday as I am rather busy! Love to all xox