Carson entered the library, startled to see Miss Sybbie lying on her stomach, legs sticking up in the air, neatly crossed at her ankles, happily playing Snakes and Ladders by herself.

He bent his creaking joints to go down on one knee next to her. 'Hello, Miss Sybbie. What are you doing in here all by yourself?'

'Hello, Mr Carson.' The child beamed up at him, waving a hand vaguely in the direction of the seating area. 'I'm not by myself. Georgie is over there, and Daddy is asleep on the sofa with Mummy.'

Carson stiffened at her words, rising awkwardly to his feet. He stepped around the little girl and walked closer to the sofa nearest the door, narrowing his eyes at what he saw.

Tom Branson sat in one corner of the sofa, fast asleep, his arm curled around Lady Mary, his cheek resting on top of her hair. For her part, Mary had her head under his chin and her right hand on his chest, her fingers tucked under the edge of his waistcoat next to his heart. She too was soundly asleep. Master George sat on the floor by Branson's legs, contentedly making small chugging noises and running his toy car up and down the long footstool in front of him.

Carson stepped back and returned to the little girl stretched out on the floor. 'Miss Sybbie, that is not your mummy. That is your Aunt Mary.'

Sybbie shrugged, pushing the counter up the ladder. 'She's George's mummy.'

'Yes,' said Carson, patiently. 'But she is not yours.'

Sybbie paid him no attention, cupping the die and shaking it. 'Six!' she crowed in delight.

Carson moved back to regard the tableau in front of him again, a frown creasing his face. He did not care to speculate why Lady Mary and Tom Branson were both so tired at this time of the afternoon.

'There you are, Mr Carson.' He jumped slightly then looked on in concern at the sight of Mrs Hughes bearing down on him.

'I need to speak to you about the timetable for this eve- good heavens!' the housekeeper broke off as she rounded the edge of the sofa and saw what he was looking at.

Carson closed his eyes briefly. He'd warned Lady Mary to be careful and now look. He was only thankful it was Elsie Hughes who'd found them bold as brass on the sofa like this. If it had been anyone else – funny how Thomas Barrow sprang to mind – it would have been all around the servants' hall before you could say soufflé.

'Well, would you look at that,' Mrs Hughes whispered. 'How sweet.'

'Sweet?' Carson was astounded. 'Are you not shocked by this, Mrs Hughes?'

The housekeeper gave him a puzzled look. 'Shocked? Why would I be shocked? They look like a proper wee family with the children around them.'

Carson's eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hairline. 'Well, they are most certainly not that!'

Mrs Hughes tutted at him. 'Don't be such an old stick in the mud. Those two have been through so much together, I think it's nice they're such good friends.'

'Friends!' Carson snorted in an undignified manner. 'If only that's all they-'

He broke off guiltily, suddenly aware that he'd almost inadvertently broken his promise to Lady Mary.

Mrs Hughes cast him a keen glance. 'Do you know something to the contrary, Mr Carson?'

Carson fidgeted with his cuffs, not looking at her. 'I think I should wake them. This is highly improper.'

Mrs Hughes narrowed her eyes at him, speculatively. 'Either you're reading far too much into this or you know something I don't, Charlie Carson.'

When he still wouldn't look at her, she shifted her attention back to the couple on the sofa, taking careful note of the placement of Tom's arm and Lady Mary's hand. They'd obviously fallen asleep in that position rather than gravitating to it.

'Well,' she said, softly. 'If it is what I think it might be, I'm glad of it.'

Carson looked at her now, whipping his head around so quickly she worried he might have strained it. 'You're glad of it?' he hissed incredulously.

'I am. I know no man will ever be good enough for her in your eyes, but in my book, they're well suited. They respect each other and he's more than a match for her. She needs that, someone who will call her on her nonsense every once in a while. And if they've found love together after the tragedies they've suffered, my advice to them would be to grab every little piece of happiness they can while they can.'

'But he is her sister's widower! It is against the nature of things.'

'Oh, pssht. What's past is past, and no-one can change it. We can only move forward.'

Carson glanced down at Sybbie, still on the floor playing her game. Mindful of little ears, he kept his voice low. 'Well, I would prefer that she did not move forward with him.'

Mrs Hughes looked up at him, shaking her head at his intransigence. 'Tom Branson is a good man. And he's good for her. She could do a lot worse.'

'She could do a lot better!' Carson pronounced in a harsh, indignant whisper.

Mrs Hughes returned a thoughtful gaze to the sleeping couple. 'Do you know, I don't think she could.'

Carson harrumphed quietly, making it quite clear he didn't agree. 'I'm going to wake them up before anyone else sees them. You go back downstairs, so they don't know you were here. And I'm sure I don't have to remind you not to breathe a word about this to anyone else.'

Mrs Hughes cast him a reproving look. 'Of course, I won't. You don't have to tell me that.

She took one last look, smiling gently at the sight before her, then glided silently out of the room.

Carson waited until she was gone then cleared his throat noisily. 'Milady.'

Mary stirred, her eyes fluttering open. After a few seconds, she realised where she was and that she was draped all over Tom. She sat up quickly, dislodging Tom's arm and poking him in the side to wake him up too.

'Carson. Yes.'

'Shall I send for some tea, milady?'

'Er, yes, yes, that would be most kind. Thank you,' Mary replied sweetly, patting her hair into place.

The butler flashed her a disapproving look before departing in search of a footman.

Mary swatted Tom's thigh as he rubbed his hand groggily over his face. 'We fell asleep!' she hissed.

'That's what comes of staying up all night,' Tom murmured with a cheeky grin.

Mary swatted his leg again. 'Carson found us cuddled up together on the sofa!'

'Well, at least it was Carson and no-one else,' Tom said reasonably.

'That's hardly the point! Anyone could have come in!'

'But they didn't, so there's no harm done.' Tom leaned down to look at George zooming his car around. 'How are you getting on there, Georgie?'

'Thank God it wasn't Mama or Papa,' Mary continued, her imagination running riot, 'or – God forbid – Granny.'

'Daddy?' Sybbie's voice came floating over the back of the sofa.

'Yes, Sybbie, my love?'

'Have you and Aunt Mary found love?'

Tom and Mary froze, staring at each other in shock.

'What a funny thing to say, darling!' Mary trilled as lightly as she could, even while panic raced through her.

Tom stood up and walked over to crouch next to his daughter, running a hand gently over her hair. 'What on earth makes you ask that, Sybbie?'

She looked up at him, her bright blue eyes, so like his own, wide and innocent. 'Mrs Hughes said so to Mr Carson.'

Tom glanced over Sybbie's head at Mary, who mouthed 'Mrs Hughes?' at him, her eyes like saucers.

He turned his attention back to his daughter. 'When did you hear Mrs Hughes say that?'

'Just now before she left.'

Mary made a small noise in her throat.

'Did Mrs Hughes say anything else, sweetheart?' Tom asked, gently.

Sybbie wrinkled her nose and pursed her lips, thinking hard. 'She said you were a good man.'

'Well, that was very kind of her.'

'Where did you find it, Daddy?'

'I think Mrs Hughes was just having a little joke with Mr Carson.'

'Oh,' said Sybbie, losing interest. 'Will you play Snakes and Ladders with me?'

'Of course, I will. You finish your game and set up a new one. I just need a quick word with Aunt Mary.'

He rose to his feet as Mary hopped off the sofa and scuttled over to the drinks table. 'Mrs Hughes?' she hissed.

'She won't tell anyone. I trust her.'

'I know she's discreet, but still… she knows.'

'No, she doesn't. Not the truth.'

'And thank God for that, but apparently she thinks we're in love!'

Tom looked out of the window, not touching that one. 'What's done is done, Mary. I would trust Mrs Hughes with my life. She's had my back before. She won't give us away.'

'Let's hope not. Although I'm not sure how I'll be able to look her in the eye.'

'If you could manage to look Carson in the eye after what happened with him, you can manage with Mrs Hughes. We'll all just pretend nothing's happened and life will go on as normal.'

Mary hugged her arms to her chest and nodded. 'All right. But what if Sybbie says something to one of the family?'

Tom rubbed his hand comfortingly up and down her arm. 'She won't. I'm sure she'll forget all about it in no time. And if she does say anything, we'll just laugh it off as one of those inexplicable things children say. It'll be fine, Mary, I promise.'

'Daddy, I'm ready!'

'I'll be right there, Sybbie,' Tom called out. He studied Mary's face then reached out and chucked her under the chin. 'Don't fret about this, darlin'. It's a storm in a teacup.'

'I hope so. I really do.'

Tom gave her a reassuring smile then headed off to play Snakes and Ladders with his daughter.

Mary watched him stretch out on the floor with Sybbie, their heads close together as her niece enthusiastically threw the die, and she couldn't help but wonder exactly what Mrs Hughes had said.