Early March 1922
Edna Braithwaite was happy to be back at Downton Abbey, close to him again. Tom Branson, the handsome ex-chauffeur turned estate agent. Sure she hadn't seen much of him, instead she was busy taking care of Lord Grantham's rather high maintenance wife, Lady Grantham. She left the Servant's Hall after mending a few of Lady Grantham's nightgowns. Somehow they always managed to get ripped. Edna had her suspicions, but she'd never voice them, except to Barrow. She knew that his Lordship went to bed with his wife every night and rarely was he gone before she came in the next morning. Barrow usually made no comment when she told him this, she assumed that he knew. She walked up the servant's staircase and headed for the Mercia bedroom.
Upon entering the bedroom, she noticed that no one was in there. Well, she just rang for me, Edna thought. She looked about the room for a moment, noticing that the dividing door was open slightly. She heard her Ladyship's giggle float through from the other side and his Lordship's chuckle. "Cora, darling, you don't need to dress me, Bates will feel bad," he said.
"The poor man is sick Robert, you were right to send him home, I can manage," she replied. "Now, turn around, I need to fix your tie."
"I usually do this bit myself," his Lordship said.
"I certainly hope so," her Ladyship replied with a laugh. "Personally, I don't like the thought of Bates touching you like this, especially when I helped you with your trousers. I don't think Bates would touch you like that. Anna would get jealous."
"Barrow might, but not Bates." The couple burst into laughter for a few moments. "Now, you've rung for Braithwaite, and she'll be getting upstairs, you ought to go back to bed."
"I want a kiss first. Bates gets paid to dress you, I just want a kiss," she replied, snorting lightly. "Again, I think Bates would rather take the money than kiss you. I wouldn't want to cross Anna. She's sweet, but I bet she'd rip a grown man apart if she wanted to, if he really made her angry."
"Good point Cora," his Lordship said. "Now, that kiss."
Her Ladyship let out a small giggle as Edna approached the door. She barely saw his Lordship pull his wife into his arms and press a soft kiss to her lips. Edna felt she was seeing something she shouldn't, so she backed away and the last thing she saw was her Ladyship wrapping her arms around her husband. If that nightgown is ripped, Edna thought. I won't be all that surprised. But honestly, at their age, they should take it easy. She left the room and only returned when she heard the dividing door between the bedroom and the dressing room close.
Author's Note: I didn't want Edna to really catch them in the act because I just hate her. Alright? So that's all she saw. But I'm writing a Thomas internal thought stream and I may post it somewhere.