"Tom," she breathed out his name as soon as she saw him. Mary was clearly exasperated and Tom privately found it a little endearing. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, somewhat desperately.

"This is my office, same as yours," he responded calmly. His even temper seemed to somehow upset Mary more.

"You want to work on the estate?" she said, crossing the room, "Be my guest." She headed towards the door.

"Mary," he caught her arm. "You don't need to leave whenever I enter a room." She didn't answer and didn't meet his eyes. "Please stay," he said.

Reluctantly she turned and went back to her desk.

To Mary's own astonishment they did work on the estate. They went over the new piglets at Yewtree, the new fences leading to the village, and all sorts of everyday occurrences. After five hours of straight work Tom finally stood up and stretched.

"Well, that's a good day's worth, I'd say," he said, with a smile. "I'll see you back at the house for dinner," he threw a smile towards her and then left.

Mary stared after him in amazement. They had put in a full day's work, and he had not pressed her once about his proposal. On the contrary, they were carrying on the same as always. She was beyond perplexed.

For his part, Tom enjoyed his walk back to the house after a full day's work behind him. He entered the house about an hour before everyone was due to change, and he decided to spend his extra time in the library. Once he entered, he was surprised to find his father-in-law there, nursing a sherry.

"Ah, Tom," Robert welcomed him with a warm smile.

"Lord Grantham," Tom acknowledged, his surprise adamant.

"Please join me," Robert welcomed him. Tom accepted the glass that was offered.

After a few preliminary inquiries about the pigs and the general status of the estate, both men did seem to relax.

"I am very happy to have a moment alone with you," Robert admitted, sitting down across from Tom.

"Actually, I am as well," Tom acknowledged. "There are some things that I think I should discuss with you before too long."

Robert let a moment pass and sipped his drink.

"Would I be very far off the mark if I guessed that Mary had something to do with this conversation?"

Tom nearly smiled, despite his obvious uneasiness. "You're very perceptive," he complimented his father-in-law.

"No, not so perceptive," Robert admitted. "I suppose it's only fair to tell you that she confided in me and her mother certain aspects of your relationship the other night."

Tom didn't speak for a moment; he was clearly taken aback. "I see," he swallowed his sherry thoughtfully.

"My dear chap, I hope you know how greatly you are respected in this family. I do hope that there would be nothing you would be uncomfortable speaking to me about."

"Thank you for that," Tom said with genuine gratitude. "But if you think that I was about to apply to you for her hand, you'd be mistaken."

Lord Grantham turned in surprise. "You are not?"

"No," Tom finished his drink, "I am not."

"Oh." Robert was actually at a loss for words.

"I'm sure apart from everything else that happened, Mary told you that she did not accept me," Tom said, with such a calmness that Robert was impressed.

"She did say that, yes," Robert confirmed. He studied his son-in-law carefully.

"I will not press her," Tom declared. He turned towards Robert. "And the last thing in the world that I'd want is for you and the rest of the family to be thrust into a difficult situation."

All of a sudden Robert had a terrible thought occur. "Please tell me you are not thinking of taking that little girl across the ocean again," Robert blurted out suddenly. "You only just brought her back!"

Despite himself Tom smiled. "To be honest, I haven't made any long-term decisions. There's still so much undecided. But no, I do not intend to take Sybbie back to America."

"Well hallelujah and amen to that!" Robert raised his glass in a toast. The gesture was completely impulsive on Robert's end, but greatly appreciated by Tom, who returned it. Without realizing it, Tom noted that he had somehow (perhaps even unconsciously) gained his father-in-law's approval.