Chapter 3: Tired

Arthur adjusted his coat in the backseat of the car as the driver settled behind the wheel. "To the office—" He paused when he saw the unfamiliar brown hair instead of the usual ginger. "Who are you?"

Gwaine turned around with a smile. He reached over the seat offering his hand. "The name's Gwaine, m'lord. I'm the new driver."

Arthur shook Gwaine's hand with a confused look on his face. "What happened to Duncan?"

Gwaine turned back around and started the car. "Merlin said he went back to Scotland. His brother died and had to go back home to take over the farm."

Arthur had no idea. He's been out of touch with the happenings of the downstairs. Part of him tried listening to Gwaine as he spoke about how he found the estate and the staff, but another part of Arthur tried toning the driver out while thinking about the pile of work that awaits him.

The car came to a stop for a woman pushing a baby carriage across the street. Gwaine glanced at Arthur through the rearview mirror. "And that governess is quite the woman. She sure runs a tight—"

Arthur glared. "Are you going to talk the entire way?"

When he entered the office, he suppressed a grumble when Sophia, his secretary, bounded up to him. She passed him stack of files and rambled on about messages while following him to his office door. Before he could turn the knob she said:

"And Mr. de Bois is waiting inside."

Arthur closed his eyes, inhaled, and turned the knob slowly. He saw his uncle, Agravaine de Bois, sitting in front of his desk and looking impatient.

"Uncle," Arthur greeted. "How can I help you?"

"I don't have much time, Arthur, so I'll make this quick." Agravaine started. "Have you set a date for your wedding yet?"

"Uncle—"

"You can't keep putting this off, Arthur. The Nemeth family has been patient, but soon they are going to take their money and leave."

Arthur sighed. "Well, forgive me for not rushing to marry a woman for her money. We're well off already, uncle, and I'm more concerned for my father's health at the moment."

Agravaine's lips drew into a thin line as he clenched his jaw. "It's to keep Camelot Estate and the business financially secure," he said slowly.

The look his uncle gave him was reminiscent of the scolding glares he received as a child. His mother's brother was a dark contrast to her. When his mother lectured him, her ice blue eyes remained warm, whereas Agravaine's were a cold brown. He shifted under his uncle's gaze, and then relaxed when his face softened.

"And think about it lifting your father's spirits. The household could use more joy."

"I didn't know you were such a fan of weddings, uncle. Were you this excited when mother married father?" Arthur grinned and began going through the memos Sophia left.

Agravaine stood and dismissed himself. "Think about it, Arthur."

Gwen found Sefa taking her break in her room. Sefa was oblivious to her presence as she sat on the edge of her bed with a tissue in hand. Gwen knocked on the partially opened door and Sefa's head shot up. Before she could stand, Gwen walked over and sat next to her.

Sefa's eyes welled. "Eira's right. I'm such an idiot."

Gwen shook her head. "Don't you ever think that!"

"Is Lord Arthur going to fire me?"

She couldn't help but lightly chuckle at the younger girl's question. She took Sefa into her arms and said, "Of course not. Everyone has their moments, especially when they're new. On Merlin's first breakfast duty, he spilled hot tea in Lord Arthur's lap."

Sefa tried to hide her laugh and Gwen nudged her, smiling. "It's okay to laugh. I did. So did Arthur…after he shouted." She gave Sefa's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "He's a kind and just lord. You have nothing to worry about."

"He was on the floor picking up the pieces. He shouldn't—he's a lord. It wasn't proper. Why did he do that, Miss?" Sefa asked, shaking her head.

The site of Arthur assisting the servants had actually warmed her heart. "Lord Arthur is very much like his mother. Her ladyship would always come downstairs and bring Arthur with her. She's where he gets his good manners from. He gets his impatience from his father. That's another reason why he probably helped if he thought the clean up would go quicker if he did it. The faster the job gets done, the faster you get your reward. It's that sort of mentality."

One Sunday during her time as a maid, the house was practically empty. The servants were enjoying their day off in town, and Uther and Morgana were out riding. Gwen remained in the servant's hall to tidy up. She was sweeping when arms wrapped around her waist, stilling her movement. She looked down at the pristine white sleeves covering the strong arms around her.

"I can't get any work done if I can't move, Arthur," she chided. Her face was in a mock frown that instantly curved into a smile when Arthur's lips brushed her cheek.

His hold tightened. "I can think of something a lot more fun you could be doing on your day off."

She resisted the urge to giggle when his lips moved to her neck, tickling her. "Is there something you want?" She asked, trying to sound serious. A tiny yelp escaped her when Arthur nipped her skin, and she gripped the broom handle.

"You," he whispered in her ear.

Gwen felt like liquid in his arms. With her last ounce of self control she turned out of his hold to face him. "Well, you're just going to have to work for me, then," she said with a teasing and victorious smile, and she thrust the broom into his hands.

Arthur gave her a boyish smile and leaned forward, supporting his weight on the broom until the tip of his nose brushed hers. "And then?"

She met him the rest of the way giving him a soft kiss she ended before he could respond. "And then you get me."

She watched as Arthur swept the floor hastily yet carefully. She expected him to breeze through it comically fast to get it over with, but the job was well done. He did it for her.

The memory faded as Sefa pulled herself away and wiped her eyes a final time. "Thank you, governess."

Gwen smiled. "Please, just call me Gwen."

Sefa smiled back. "Thank you, Gwen."

First at the Pendragon building and now in his home, Arthur had spent his entire day sitting behind a desk. Hardwood, leather chairs, and numbers were beginning to make his stomach churn. Merlin was taking his barely eaten dinner away when Gwen came in. She held the door open for Merlin as he carried the tray out.

And she left it open.

He noticed the paper in her hand as she sat down in the chair opposite of him. "What's that?"

Gwen opened the paper and handed it to him. "I've made some adjustments to the staff's wages, if you don't mind."

He smirked at the small modification made to Eira's pay. "How is Sefa?"

"She's better. She was afraid you were going to sack her."

Arthur leaned back in his chair and laughed. "If I was to fire her for Eira bumping into her, then I should've fired Merlin years ago for just being Merlin." He stretched before getting up to retrieve the staff records from a filing cabinet. As he made and recorded the change, he noticed something wrong and let out a curse.

Gwen leaned forward, concerned. "Is something wrong?"

Arthur pulled out more papers and ran his hands through his hair in aggravation. He passed one to her that had the old wages on it. "You were paid more than that, right?"

Gwen looked at the list with wide eyes. "When did you cut their wages?"

"I didn't! That's my uncle's handwriting." Agravaine didn't even consult him. He saw Gwen look over another list.

"Do you need this much for…" she trailed off. He took the paper and scanned it. He put his elbows one the desk and buried his face in his hands.

"You're uncle's handwriting is horrible, by the way," Gwen commented.

They spent the time going over the files and fixing the accounts. Arthur was really growing sick of numbers. He put down his pen and flexed his fingers.

"How's your hand?" Gwen asked.

"It's fine." He thought about his hand in hers again. "Guinevere, about the ki—"

She stopped him. "Don't," she said and tilted her head towards the open door.

He sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. "Why didn't you hire a new housekeeper?" he asked out of the blue. He hoped her answer would be something along the lines of wanting to stay and take over the job.

What Gwen said was: "I was so focused on the maids, I'm sorry. I'll find one soon."

"No!" Arthur said before he realized it. He tried to sort out his thoughts. He didn't want her to leave, but he couldn't hold her here, either. She was only doing this as a favor, and she'll leave again whether it's a week from now or a year. "There's no—there's no rush, I mean."

Gwen took it upon herself to put away the files. She locked the cabinet door and returned the key to him. "You look exhausted. Get some rest," she said gently. "Goodnight, Arthur."

She was out of the room before he could say anything. He looked down at the key in his hand. It was slightly warm from her body heat. He closed his fist around it.

"Goodnight, Guinevere."

A/N: Not much happened in this chapter, sorry. And sorry if you find the chapters too short (especially if you're comparing it to Undying Love). This was originally a one-shot I had no intention of expanding so I'm making it up as I go along (but I do have some ideas for what I want to happen).

lailastar asked if it was the Victorian era, and it's actually late Edwardian (like Downton Abbey).

Thanks for all the lovely reviews and follows!