Lady Mary didn't have to wait long for her first opportunity to observe Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes. Upon descending the main staircase on her way to meet Mr. Branson, she heard the voices of both butler and housekeeper coming from the library.
"I was not about to fall."
"You most certainly were. Had I not grabbed you, we would be sending for Dr. Clarkson to attend your broken neck!'
"Please lower your voice, Mrs. Hughes."
"Please come down off that ladder, Mr. Carson."
Lady Mary stepped into the library doorway just in time to see Mr. Carson take the final step down from a polished wooden ladder was leaning against the book shelves of the library . Her presence went unnoticed.
"Now, we only have to move the ladder over a foot and you can easily reach the far side of the shelf."
Mr. Carson maintained a steely glare on Mrs. Hughes as he moved the ladder over the foot she suggested. "Happy?" he asked through gritted teeth.
"Ecstatic." She answered back cheekily.
He gave her an exasperated look and began to make his ascent.
Mrs. Hughes quickly took hold of the right side of the ladder and held it in place. Certain that Mr. Carson wasn't looking; she stuck her tongue out at him. She quickly reverted to a sweet smile as he turned to hand her the book he had just plucked from the shelf. As Mrs. Hughes turned to set the book on the nearby table, Mr. Carson took advantage of her turned back and stuck his tongue out at her.
Quite certain she would be unable to stifle a giggle any longer; Lady Mary ducked back out of the doorway and into the foyer. She had never seen these two pinnacles of propriety behave this way before. She wasn't sure how much of a demonstration of their secret love she had witnessed, but it had been quite entertaining. She raised her eyes to the ceiling, "Oh, Matthew…"
