Several weeks later...
I know I mentioned this before, but I am definitely free to come and see you a few days before New Year's Day, my dear. December 30th I think. I will travel to Yorkshire the day before and visit my parents before I come to see you. I wanted to give you some warning so that you have more of a chance of having as much free time as possible. I know you will be busy, but I will come to you even if you are working to be honest. It's only been a few weeks, but already my love, it's been too long. I want to spend a few days with you. Maybe there is still some mistletoe hanging up somewhere in the house that we could make good use of? I've never kissed anyone underneath the mistletoe before. I wish I could spend Christmas day with you, but that is pretty much impossible due to the nature of both our jobs. I hope, however, we can make up for it a little. I can see your smile at that, I can see what is going through your mind. That isn't what I was suggesting, although now I think of it, that may not be such a bad idea after all!
Thomas smiled as he put down the letter. It was the first letter he had received from Richard since they met several weeks ago. They had agreed not to write to each other for a while, in case it gave folks at the palace reason to gossip once more. Thomas was a little concerned that it would take a long time for any talk to blow over. However, as the Christmas season approached, thoughts and talk turned to that and the matter of Richard's secret relationship and his blackmailer were forgotten about. "Good news?" Mrs Bates asked Thomas, who was sitting at the table in the servants hall during the mid-afternoon, as she came into the room.
Thomas still had an instinct inside of him, to hide the letter and deny everything, although he was then reminded that these people were on his side. He owes it to them to be truthful. "Letter from Richard," he said, trying to suppress the growing smile on his face and the blush on his cheeks. "He's coming to Yorkshire in December after Christmas to visit his parents...and me."
"Oh lovely!" Mrs Bates said. "Is he able to stay here long?"
"A few days maybe, up until New Year," Thomas said quietly.
"Well make sure he comes here to visit us lot too if he can. I know everyone here likes him. Tell him he's welcome."
"Yes I will. He'd like that," Thomas said, folding the letter over whilst standing up. Despite the chill of winter, Thomas felt comfortably warm.
December 30th
Thomas, wrapped up in what felt like every coat he owned, walked out to the woods to meet Richard in the afternoon. It was freezing. The chilling winter air cooled every part of him. It had snowed that morning, lightly at first, then heavier, the flakes becoming bigger, covering everything that they touched in a thick layer of crisp white snow. The children at the Abbey had been outside playing all morning. It was the perfect ending to the Christmas season for them. Thomas liked the snow too, as long as it didn't stop Richard from visiting. He hoped he'd still be able to get in from York after visiting his parents. Thomas shivered as he stood under the trees, where the thickness of the snow on the ground was less, and started to think maybe they should have met somewhere inside and warm. Richard was a bit late now, but Thomas needn't have worried as not too long after he saw Richard stomping through the snow up the slope towards him.
"Sorry I'm late, I had to walk part of the way. The bus got stuck, wheels skidding but not going anywhere I'm afraid," Richard said, as he approached Thomas, before taking Thomas's face in his hands and kissing him, warming Thomas' lips with his own for a moment. "You're freezing, you haven't been here long have you?"
"Not too long," Thomas said, enjoying the feeling of warmth he felt on his face from Richard. Thomas looked at Richard and chuckled.
"What?" Richard asked, amused.
"That's a very impressive scarf. Never seen a scarf with so many colours, or one so big come to think of it."
"Oh that. Yes, a gift from my mother. She had been kitting it for months apparently, and judging by the length of it, I think she may have gotten carried away a little," Richard said, unwrapping the scarf from around his neck and letting it fall to either side of him to demonstrate. Both ends of the scarf, which was made up of stripes of practically every colour imaginable, almost reached the floor. "She insisted I wear it today to come and see you. It is rather warm though, which can only be a good thing on a day like today."
"Is she going to make you a pair of gloves to match?" Thomas asked.
Richard laughed, "I imagine she is making them as we speak!" The two men laughed for a moment, before kissing again, long and deep, although the grace of the situation was being imparied slightly by Richard's massive scarf.
"What's in the bag?" Thomas asked a few minutes later, looking down to the bag at Richard's feet.
"Oh, a little idea I came up with yesterday for us. I was wondering what we could do out in freezing conditions like this and then it came to me as I was looking through the garden shed at my parents place yesterday. Are there any frozen ponds nearby? One where the ice is a good thickness?"
"Yeah, a few," Thomas answered, with a hint of suspicion and curiosity.
Richard smiled and clapped his hands together, "Perfect!" he exclaimed. "Right, you show me the way to the nearest one." He said with childlike excitement as he grabbed the bag at his feet.
...
"Are you going to tell me what all this is about?" Thomas asked, as the two men stood next to a frozen pond. Richard answered by pulling two pairs of ice skates out of the bag he was carrying, grinning triumphantly. "Are you having a laugh?" Thomas asked, folding his arms, trying to look displeased, but failing to do so.
"Why not? It's a bit of fun and I know I have the shoe size correct. I have picked your shoes up from a bedroom floor enough to know what your shoe size is. I used to skate a little as a child, nothing much but I can stand up without falling over. I bought these a few years ago at a market in London. Only had the opportunity to use them once."
"This is a bad idea," Thomas said. "I mean I've never done that, I'll probably fall over break every bone in my body, and then Downton will be without a butler for months. Or even worse, they'll replace me with Mr Carson again, as he wouldn't be so stupid to try this."
"It will be fine. I'll keep you upright and I bet you, after a while you will enjoy it so much you will be begging for more!" Richard said, putting his ice skates on and handing the other pair to a reluctant Thomas.
"Richard, I never beg for anything."
Richard raised an eyebrow, "Hmm, well I am pretty sure you were begging me for more in our bedroom in London that time."
Thomas' mouth fell open, before he pushed Richard playfully. Richard hadn't flirted with him for a while. Thomas decided he couldn't say no to the man now. "Fine, but you will have to carry me back to Downton if this goes wrong." Richard stepped onto the ice tentatively, checking its strength.
"Hmm, seems good," he said, offering his hand to Thomas.
"What if it breaks?" Thomas asked, as the ice creaked a little beneath them both.
"Can you swim?" Richard asked.
"Yeah, but I don't fancy doing any of that in these conditions."
"That's why I asked for a pond and not a lake, if the worst comes to the worst, it won't be too deep," Richard said, grabbing Thomas with both hands as he saw Thomas wobble a bit too much.
"Right, well that's reassuring," Thomas said sarcastically. Richard moved around behind Thomas, all the time not letting go. He held his hands around Thomas' waist, steadying him.
"See this isn't so bad is it?" Richard asked, his warm breath tickling the back of Thomas' earlobe.
The shudder of pleasure ran down Thomas' back, as he relaxed into this odd embrace on the middle of a pond. "I suppose I would have to agree." Thomas said, turning his head slightly to look back at Richard behind him. The two of them moved forward, Richard guiding Thomas. Thomas slowly felt his confidence building. Richard, sensing this, let's go for a moment, before moving around to face Thomas, taking him by the hands in some sort of ungraceful dance. They both wobbled again, and laughed nervously as they steadied themselves again. They went on like this for ages, until Richard got a little too overconfident and decided to try skating backwards on his own. This he managed just about. Thomas however, realising he was on the ice on his own for a moment, without much of an idea of how to stop moving, panicked and slipped, falling with a thud onto his front, sliding across the ice like a penguin.
Richard laughed, "Oh dear! Are you okay?" he said, coming over to rescue his partner.
"Yeah, just my dignity is broken, but nothing else I don't think. I'm very glad no one else but you saw that. They'd never let me forget it."
"Well, I've never had you fall at my feet before!" Richard said with a wink.
Thomas rolled his eyes at that remark, "Perhaps we should call it a day. It's cold, and I can't feel my feet. Come back to Downton with me. I have been asked to bring you along. They would like to see you."
"That would be lovely yes," Richard said, as the two of them stepped off the surface of the frozen pond, the grey clouds above them once again, bringing the promise of snow.
