Mrs Hughes curls into Mr. Carson's arms very naturally as they dance at the Servants' Ball. "I'm so glad we got a chance to dance together before the end of the night. You dance very well, Mr. Carson."

"You are very light on your feet, Mrs Hughes. It's nice to see you a little happier after Mr. Bates' trial. You look lovely, Mrs Hughes. I know I don't tell you that often enough." Mr. Carson whispers in Mrs Hughes' ear.

"You are a true romantic, Mr. Carson." Mrs Hughes smiles up at Mr. Carson.

"Look, it's starting to snow. Shall we slip out of here and go for a walk outside before we turn in?" Mr. Carson asks as the music continues.

"That sounds like a lovely idea, but it's cold outside. Should we collect our coats first?" Mrs Hughes asks cheekily.

"I'll keep you warm." Mr. Carson whispers softly. He's being so complimentary.

"Alright, is there anyone we should say good night to before we leave?" Mrs Hughes asks with a smirk.

"Doesn't that rather defeat the purpose of attempting to sneak out?" Mr. Carson asks cheekily.

"I suppose it does, yes. Shall we go then?" Mrs Hughes asks quietly.

Mr. Carson puts his hand on Mrs Hughes' lower back and steers her towards the front door. "Let's hope we don't get caught by Lady Mary."

"That's the last person I want to catch us trying to sneak out." Mrs Hughes teases. "I can't believe you're allowing me to use the front door. I never get to use the front door."

"I'll make an exception this once. You get to be privileged once a year." Mr. Carson smiles at Mrs Hughes. He glances behind him before he puts his arm around Mrs Hughes' shoulders as they step out into the cool air. "You know I used to be able to dance the night away in there and drink and still be able to get up the next morning and do my job properly." Mr. Carson says wistfully.

"You don't really miss that time in your life though, do you?" Mrs Hughes asks looking up at Mr. Carson. Her accent is more prominent since she's been drinking.

"Not when I'm standing here, with you, like this. Sometimes I wish we'd gotten together earlier though, Elsie." Charles admits quietly.

"We all have wishes, Charles. We don't get to make all of them come true. The important thing is that we're together now." Elsie stretches up to kiss Charles' cheek.