A few months later, 2 days before the wedding...
It was only nine in the morning, but Thomas had already decided that any work that required his attention could wait a few hours. Mr Carson would call this slacking, laziness, disloyalty to Downton or whatever. But Thomas had been working pretty much since 6am and he wanted a break. Was it really such a crime to have a little time to yourself every so often? Especially when most of the time he never had a moment to even think. And on a day like this, mid-May, the beginning of summer when the sun had already been up for around four hours, it was too good to miss. So he had found himself wondering down the main driveway, after telling Mrs Hughes he was gonna be busy for the next few hours 'running an errand or two'. Skiving off work- old habits die hard, he thought to himself, smiling as he stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets. He found a nice spot in the dappled shade of a tree, not too far from the main gates. The grass was still a little damp from the morning dew so, he took off his jacket and sat on that, his back leaning up against the base of the tree. Relaxing and getting comfortable, he loosened his tie, and undid a few buttons of his shirt, meaning if anyone saw him now, they would not expect him to be Downton's butler. He knew it was not by accident that he found himself here. From where he was sitting he would be able to see Richard arrive perfectly. He wasn't due to arrive at Downton until after lunch so didn't expect to see him during the next few hours, but the thought was nice. It was very peaceful where he was sitting, not doing anything particular, just taking in the surroundings. The smell of fresh grass, lightly scented by the morning dew on the lawns, the pollen from the shrubs and neatly cut hedges of one of the many ornamental garden mazes, the crisp blue sky that went of for thousands of miles above him, the cooing of two courting pigeons in the tree opposite him. This was rather pleasant, Thomas thought. Perhaps if I was born into the upper class, I would do this every morning. In fact it was so pleasant, that he soon found himself shutting his eyes and dozing off with the gentle breeze coming through the leaves above him brushing his cheek, like a gentle kiss...
Thomas was vaguely aware of the sound of footsteps coming towards him, crunching on the gravel driveway, before going more silent as they hit the grass. "Wow Thomas I didn't expect to find you here, you look very dashing all relaxed like that," Richard had waited a moment before saying anything, giving him a chance to take in the sight before him. Thomas, who like any butler was always impeccably dressed, was sitting down lazily leaning up against a tree trunk, eyes closed, tie lying undone and loose around his neck, a few of the buttons on his shirt undone, hair a little ruffled by the gentle breeze. He really was a sight to behold.
Thomas' eyes flew open at the sound of his voice, "Richard! What are you doing here?" Thomas said, getting up and immediately, without a thought of who might be watching, pulled Richard into a hug, his excuse in his mind for his carelessness being it had been over six months since he last saw him. "You're early! I wasn't expecting you for a few hours yet."
"My train that I originally planned on getting was cancelled, I had a choice of an earlier one or one later in the afternoon. I didn't want to arrive late and miss out on any time with you, so here I am." Richard stood back from Thomas, "What are you doing out here anyway? I would have thought you would have been busy at this time in the morning."
"I had been stuck inside for several hours on end. I needed to get out for a while. I'm supposed to be running a few errands in the village that's what I told Mrs Hughes I was doing anyway."
Richard raised an eyebrow, "Were you waiting here for me?"
"No! I mean- maybe" Thomas sighed, "Yes."
"And you fell asleep?"
Thomas looked bashful, "I may have shut my eyes for a while."
Richard laughed softly, "You're adorable Thomas. Dream about anything good?"
Thomas did, but he wasn't sure if he should tell him. "I did actually. Though I'm afraid it was all a lot of wishful thinking." Thomas picked up his jacket and the two of them walked slowly off towards the hedges that marked out the maze on the other side of the lawn. "I dreamt that the wedding in a few days, wasn't Andy and Daisy's. That it was ours." They stopped in the dappled shade of the hedge, just inside the entrance of the maze. Richard didn't know what to say, what exactly was Thomas saying?, he thought. The hedge was lower in height than the two of them, so he sat down on the ground, placing his case next to him and then offering a hand to Thomas, pulling him down next to him. "You must think me silly," Thomas said, sitting down next to Richard, but not making eye contact with him. "Totally unrealistic thoughts that will never have any chance of actually happening."
"But you thought them," Richard said, taking Thomas' hand.
"I did."
"If they were silly thoughts, then I am silly as well." Richard said. Thomas looked at Richard at that sentence. "Something happened one evening a few months ago that made me realise something that to be honest, is rather obvious. That there can never be anyone else- only you." Thomas blinked rapidly, looked down then looked back at Richard again. "I was in a bar in London a few months ago, and this man came and sat next to me." A flash of jealousy crossed over Thomas' face. "Don't get mad, Thomas. Nothing happened I promise you. I have to talk about him as he's part of the story. He offered to buy me a drink, he was flirting with me like there was no tomorrow. He asked me if I wanted to go somewhere with him for the evening and when I said no and that I wasn't interested, he got offended and angrily asked me why I was in this type of bar if I wasn't interested. I told him that I was the correct type of man to be at a place like this, but that I didn't want to go with him, or any other man, because I was spoken for. I was merely there for some like minded company. He calmed down a bit after that and joked that you must be a very special person for me to turn down his charms. The man was ridiculously full of himself." Richard rolled his eyes as he said that last sentence. "There were all these good looking and eager men in the same room as me and I didn't want any of them. Because none of them were you Thomas, and no one else will do. And at the end of the day, isn't marriage a promise that there will never be anyone else?"
Thomas, was doing all he could to stop his heart from beating so hard that it might burst out of his chest. He could think of no words to say other than to kiss Richard with more passion and meaning than he had ever done before. After they broke apart for air Thomas said, "You really mean that?"
"Of course. I choose you. It's why this relationship of ours has worked, despite the distance and the troubles. This is meant. I know it." Richard said, pulling Thomas down towards him. They couldn't let each other go, so they wouldn't make it back to Downton for a while yet.