Chapter 2

They both shared the same thought but it went unspoken; the weather had worsened considerably. Mrs Hughes didn't say it out loud because she dreaded hearing 'I told you so' from the Butler. Mr Carson didn't say it out loud because the cold and frost had virtually frozen his mouth shut. How on earth wasn't Mrs Hughes shivering like him? He wondered.

They continued to walk through the woods, still a mile or so away from the old woman's cottage. The snow was now falling heavily, a blanket of white enveloping them; they could barely see three feet ahead. Their steps were becoming more and more laboured as the snow deepened, making it more difficult to navigate through the heavy banks of snow, coupled with the fact they had no clue as to what was under the snow and the ground was uneven and treacherous.

As they were traversing their way down a particularly perilous slope, Mrs Hughes slipped and tumbled to the ground, falling with a thud onto the soft snow. She giggled happily at herself. Mr Carson had reached out to grasp her but it all happened so quickly that he was unable to stop her fall.

"Mrs Hughes are you ok?" he gasped worriedly, as he reached for her hand.

"I am fine Mr Carson, the snow cushioned my fall," she cheered, as she reached to take his hand.

However, as the Butler made to pull Mrs Hughes upwards, he took a step forward and his foot landed on an icy patch. The stoic and strong body of Mr Carson, almost in slow motion, then came tumbling down to the ground, arms and legs flailing, and landed in a heap beside Mrs Hughes.

The Housekeeper's shrieks of laughter could be heard echoing through the woods, as the two Heads of Household lay flat out on their backs, side by side in the snow. Mrs Hughes could not stop laughing, as she giggled uncontrollably at the thought of what the two must look like.

"Mrs Hughes this is not funny! It is far from funny in fact!" Mr Carson bellowed, with all of the authority he normally saved for scolding the footmen. This was despite the fact that he was lying in a mound of snow, with a shower of fresh flakes fluttering down on him, covering his clothes and face.

"Oh my Mr Carson … don't be such a grouch … of course it is funny! Look at the state of us … covered in snowflakes, flat on our backs and unable to get up without slipping … if the staff could see us now!" she chuckled, as she held her gloved hands to her rosy red cheeks.

He turned on his side in order to face Mrs Hughes.

"We shouldn't even be out here. If you had listened to me we would both be safely ensconced in a warm house rather than in the middle of the woods sitting in a pile of snow!" he responded tetchily, still unable to see the humour of the situation, his pride was too dented by the fact he had fallen onto his bottom as well.

"No one asked you to come with me … I would have been perfectly fine on my own!" she responded crossly, as she sat upwards on the snow.

"Oh yes … you look just fine I must say … soaked through with snow … half way to hypothermia by all accounts … goodness knows how far we are from Mrs Barrass's cottage … the snow still coming down in torrents … quite fine indeed," he stated irritably, as he pushed himself upwards as well, bending his knees for a bit of purchase against the icy floor beneath them. Neither had attempted to get up yet.

As they both sat facing each other, their legs still resting in the deep snow, they glared at each other, neither saying a word.

Mrs Hughes was furious with him; why did he always have to be so overdramatic? They had fallen in the snow for heaven's sake; it was hardly the end of the world.

Mr Carson was equally annoyed, he felt embarrassed and disconcerted as he sat so close to Mrs Hughes. Why did she never listen to him and why did she always make him feel so unbalanced?

Just as he had that thought, Mrs Hughes dragged her fingers through the snow, balling the snowflakes in her hand, and launched a huge snowball at Mr Carson. It splatted across his chest, with flakes covering his torso and face. The Housekeeper bit her lip to hold back her giggles, as the Butler's jaw dropped open. She starred at him defiantly as she waited for his reaction, expecting some kind of explosion of words. She could only just manage to withhold her amusement as she noted his staggered expression. She watched as, in the most serious manner, Mr Carson wiped the snow from his face. He looked at Mrs Hughes with an incredulous shake of the head, staring at her as if she was a naughty young maid. She continued to bite her lip.

Mr Carson then reached down to the snow himself, his demeanour suddenly a little smug. Now it was the Housekeeper's turn to look amazed.

"No Mr Carson … you wouldn't!" she shrieked, in delighted apprehension.

He continued to gather the snow in his hands without a word. Mrs Hughes scrambled to her feet, slipping several times but managing to balance herself as she laughed blissfully. She looked at Mr Carson, whose face now wore a mischievous expression, as he too fumbled to his feet.

"You wouldn't!" she repeated, with a disbelieving grin. She began to scurry away from him as she realised his intent.

"What's good for the goose is good for the gander Mrs Hughes," he chuckled, as he threw the snowball at her.

It glanced off her back as she squealed with joy. She turned to face him as they both stood under the flurry of snow, with breathless smiles.

A/N: Thank you for your wonderful reviews- please do continue to let me know what you think x