Note: Sorry for the long gap between new chapters. I had a bit of a mind blank on this one.
It was indeed a couple of hours until they made it back to Downton and Thomas reckoned no one would fall for the excuse that he was only busy running a few errands since now it was approaching midday. He was enjoying the fact that he didn't need to worry too much about what they might think he was doing. It wasn't a complete lie, as he and Richard had been very 'busy' for those few hours where they both lost time in the gardens, and he had come back to Downton with more than he had left with in the morning, albeit a dashingly handsome man instead of more ordinary things one would normally fetch from the village. "Why do I have the feeling of hoping to sneak in unnoticed, when I am the one in charge here?" Thomas said to Richard as they approached the back yard.
"Well who are you hoping to avoid?"
"Mrs Hughes. Honestly, it's like she's my mother or something. We may be the two top staff here, but I still fear displeasing her, because of my excuse for a few hours to myself, and with you. Its stupid." Thomas said.
"I think it's rather lovely that you feel that way, I bet she would too," Richard said before adding, "We could try and sneak in, you could try and smuggle me upstairs and then I can appear when I was supposed to arrive later in the afternoon?" Thomas laughed at that thought, and the look on Richard's face when he suggested it. Thomas could imagine he would enjoy playing that game.
"Richard, we are not fifteen years old anymore," Thomas said, after rolling his eyes at Richard's suggestion. "I am not hiding you."
"Shame it would be fun to try sometime," Richard said as the two men walked inside. Thomas rolled his eyes again, this time when Richard couldn't see him. Why did everything Richard say sound so tempting, even when it was such a silly child-like suggestion? Thomas thought.
"Oh hello Mr Ellis, didn't expect to see you here so soon," Mrs Hughes said, no more than one minute after they had walked inside and shut the door.
"Hello, Mrs Hughes. Yes, I hope it isn't an inconvenience but I had to get an earlier train. I bumped into your butler in the grounds on the way up here." Richard smiled at Thomas, when he said those last few words. Technically not a lie, Thomas thought.
"Well I am in need of a few extra pairs of hands, this afternoon. The barn down at Mr Mason's farm is in the process of being decorated for the wedding reception and we will be moving some tables and chairs down from here, which his lordship has kindly allowed us to borrow for the occasion," Mrs Hughes said. Thomas had noticed that she had seemed to have taken on the role of wedding planner, and was enjoying the role greatly.
"That should be no problem Mrs Hughes, I would be glad to help," Richard said.
"I think we should be ready to go down there in a few minutes," Thomas said. "I will just show Richard upstairs."
"Thanks both of you. You shouldn't need to walk down, you could probably get a lift down with the cart taking the tables soon." Mrs Hughes said, before disappearing into the kitchen, carrying a clipboard carrying, with what Thomas assumed was a well organised list.
...
Richard didn't need Thomas to show him to his room as he knew the way from the last few times, but was perfectly happy to indulge Thomas on this occasion. Richard put his case down on the chair near the wall as he and Thomas entered the room. Thomas closed the door behind him waited a few seconds for Richard to turn and face him before enthusiastically pushing Richard back against the closed door with a thud and giving him a heated kiss on the lips, with Richard wasted no time in returning, his hand around the back of Thomas' neck, pulling him in closer. Thomas took his hand away from pressing on the door behind Richard's head, allowing himself to push his body closer to him. They broke apart after a minute of so, though it seemed a lot longer than that, both of them panting and feeling the rise of temperature in the room. Richard laughed with the pleasure of it all, "What we did earlier in the morning in Lord Grantham's gardens not enough for you?"
"What can I say? I am greedy, I want more of you. Now," Thomas said, kissing Richard again, enjoying the taste of his lips and mouth again. Richard couldn't argue with that.
"You can have all of me later tonight," Richard whispered between deep and quickening breaths, his forehead touching Thomas', their chests briefly touching with each breath they both took. "We don't have much time now, they are expecting us downstairs any moment."
"Damn, I wish I had the hindsight to say that you would need time to rest from your journey before we head down to the farm to help," Thomas said. At that moment the door that they both were pinning up against, tried to open from outside the room. They must have been so engaged in each other that they didn't hear the knock.
"Mr Ellis, Mr Barrow, are you ready to come down to the farm now?" a voice said from behind the door that belonged to Mrs Hughes.
Thomas quickly composed his breathing the best he could before answering her, "Yes, we will be down now," he said, aware he still sounded a bit out of breath.
"We will pick this up later on,"Richard said.
"My thoughts exactly Richard," Thomas said, giving him another quick kiss before they both left the room and headed downstairs and outside.