After an enjoyable morning playing with the children outside, Thomas had spent the rest of the day going about running Downton like he would any other day, so he was busy but not usually so. The wedding preparations were still going on though and going mostly smoothly apart from an incident with a jar of mixed fruit for the wedding cake that was smashed on the floor, sending Mrs Patmore into a frenzy. The situation was thankfully calmed when Richard offered to go and buy some more for her, as everyone else was too busy juggling daily chores with wedding preparation. By the evening though, Thomas was thankful that the day was almost over and he could soon relax and go to sleep, hopefully with Richard beside him. Entertainment for their evening meal had fallen to Richard who was enjoying telling those around him about goings on at Buckingham Palace, a subject that fascinated some more than others. Thomas didn't think it a coincidence that Mr Mosely had chosen this evening to come up to Downton for dinner, he was after all, the royal family's biggest admirer. He had hardly touched the food in front of him as he was too engrossed in every detail Richard was saying. Richard had told them some of these stories before on a previous visit, but no one seemed to mind hearing them again. "Everything sounds perfect there. I can't imagine anyone ever making any mistakes," Mr Mosely said.

Richard laughed, "No I'm afraid there have been several of those, I can assure you." Thomas saw him smile to himself at a memory, and caught Richard's eye long enough to ask him to tell them whatever he was privately thinking. "There was the time that a monkey escaped and hid itself somewhere within the palace," Richard began.

"My goodness, whatever was a monkey doing in the palace?" Anna Bates asked, shocked.

"Well a few years ago , a duke who had recently returned from a visit to India, paid a visit to his majesty, who had heard about the duke's explorations and was keen to see some of it himself. So the duke brought a monkey with him right into the drawing room! I suspect this monkey was trained as it sat perfectly happily on the duke's arm for a while. Unfortunately, the clatter of a serving platter startled the creature and it jumped off his arm, knocking over glasses of wine in the process and ran out of the room, through the door that had sadly just been opened by the footman who was coming in at the time. Every servant, no matter the rank, spent the whole day looking for the creature. The monkey was eventually found in the pantry, munching quite happily on vegetables," Richard said, leaning back in his chair folding his hands behind his head.

"I don't think we have had anything quite like that here Richard," Thomas said, after laughing at the story. "Though I think we can all say that some guests have been more 'memorable' than others, often for the wrong reasons."

"That must have been quite a day," Mrs Hughes said.

"Yes, that was certainly an interesting day. Mr Wilson was mortified at some of the scratches on the table and silverware. Oh! That reminds me," Richard exclaimed sitting upright again, "I have a wedding gift for you Daisy and Andy. I know the custom is to present them at the wedding reception, but I feel it may be better to give this to you both now, you'll understand when you see it. Excuse me," Richard said, getting up from the table and heading out the room and up the stairs.

"I wonder what is so special that it can't wait until later tomorrow?" Andy said. "Any idea Mr Barrow?"

"Nope, he's not said anything to me, though take it from me, Richard is great at choosing gifts," Thomas said, fiddling with his pocket watch. Richard returned only a couple of minutes later, a package in his hand, which he handed to Daisy.

"It's delicate," Richard said. Daisy carefully opened the paper covering the box, after which she took the lid off, looked inside and gasped.

"Its beautiful," Daisy said. Andy looked just as shocked as everyone else, when she took the gift out of the box and placed it on the table. Immaculately polished and glinting in the lamp light, was a delicate silver butter dish. Complete with a rounded lid and small silver handles.

"How did you afford this?" Andy said, "Didn't steal it I hope? I mean it looks like it belongs in a palace."

Richard laughed, "Well, you are correct that I didn't pay for it, but I didn't steal it. And yes, it is from a palace. It hopefully doesn't look like it, but this one is actually slightly damaged. But I mean very slightly, only someone who had a keen eye for detail, or who is extremely fussy, would even notice. However, such a person is my superior. Mr Wilson, decided that this item, because of a small scratch, cannot possibly be used at breakfast again. He decided to replace it. I asked him if I could have it, to give as a wedding gift. I really did expect him to say no and to tell me not to be so stupid, but to my surprise he said that I could."

"So are you saying that the king has used this himself?" Mr Mosely asked.

"Yes he has," Richard said. A look of awe came over Mr Mosely, like he had just found the holy grail. Thomas smiled at Richard and rolled his eyes at Mr Mosely's reaction. He would have to make sure that the man didn't try and walk off with this gift.

"I see why you didn't want to give it to us tomorrow," Daisy said. "Not sure I know how to thank you."

"My invitation to your wedding is thank you enough," Richard said. "And yes I thought it best to give it to you both here, I wouldn't want anyone to steal it. Not that I'm saying any of your guests would do such a thing." Richard quickly added.

"No, I think we can all be trusted. There are no thieves here," Mr Bates said. "Well apart from him." He added, looking towards Thomas.

Thomas went a little red, "Oh him," Richard said looking at Thomas. "I think I can trust him." He said, winking at Thomas, causing THomas to go a deeper shade of red.

...

Later on in the evening and everyone had gone home or turned in for the night. Richard, was lying on his bed waiting for everything to go silent outside in the corridor, and then waiting a little longer to make sure for certain, before he quietly opened his door and shut it behind him, and crept along the darkened hallway to Thomas' room. He gave three quick knocks, followed by a pause and a further single knock, trying to knock as quietly as he could but loud enough so that Thomas would actually hear him. He waited but there was no answer. He decided to enter anyway, shutting the door behind him. Richard looked towards the bed and smiled. Thomas was lying there still in his uniform, minus his shoes, fast asleep on top of the sheets, a clipboard underneath part of his face. He must have been working late, Richard thought. Despite desperately wanting to spend the night with Thomas again, Richard decided it would be unkind to wake him, so instead he carefully removed the clipboard from underneath Thomas, and placed it on the table next to the bed. He found a spare blanket and draped it over Thomas, before smoothing a few strands of hair that had fallen over Thomas' forehead, away from his eyes, and then kissing him gently on that same spot. Thomas smiled in his sleep. Richard turned off the lamp, before creeping out of the room again.