Allen awoke by someone kicking his bed. Out of instinct he punched in the direction of the kicking, but hit air. He sat upright then turned on the lamp next to his bed, peering around the room. Allen looked down to see Darrel crouching by the side of the bed. She wore a farm dress, had a suitcase next to her, and put a finger against her lips.
     "I need your help," Darrel whispered.
     "What is it your highness?" Allen asked, in a hushed tone. "Are you alright?"
     "I have to go to Downton, but I don't want the others to know."
     "Why not ma'am?"
     "I don't want any other guards coming, and...and I don't want the prince to come with me."
     Allen gave her an understanding nod. He didn't know the details, but everyone heard that Darrel went looking for Sebastian at a bar.
     "I don't know ma'am...I could lose my job over this," Allen reminded.
     "I'll tell Their Majesties that it was my fault, and that I forced you to come with me," Darrel assured. "Besides, this way you can see Thomas."
     Allen did his best not to glare at her (if it were anyone else besides the Princess of Wales, he would have). But he let out a heavy sigh as he got out of bed then headed to his wardrobe to change.
     "Don't wear your uniform," Darrel ordered.
     "I figured," Allen nodded. "How many days are we going?"
     "I'm not sure. Bring a small bag just in case."
     "Will do."
     "Hurry up. We're going to catch the milk train."
     Allen forced himself to not roll his eyes at the princess' absurd plan. He grabbed a change of clothes and headed into his adjoining bathroom to get ready. Darrel let out a heavy sigh and went to sit on the bed, burying her head in her hands.
     A few minutes later, the guard walked out of the bathroom to find the princess weeping. He took a deep breath before approaching her.
     "Your Highness?" Allen asked. "Are you okay?"
     "I'm fine," Darrel assured, wiping away her tears. "Come on, let's go."
     "Yes ma'am."
     "Once we leave this room, you cannot use any formalities. I don't want to draw any attention to us."
      "I understand."
      Darrel wiped away the last of her tears, stood up and headed towards the door, followed by her bodyguard.

      About an hour later, Darrel and Allen sat in a train cabin on the milk train. They were able to sneak out through the servants' entrance, with the help of oversized jackets. Darrel stared out the window, tears still streaming down her face. Not knowing what to say, Allen kept his eyes fixed to the ground as he fidgeted with his hands.
     "Thank you for doing this," Darrel nodded.
     "You're welcome," Allen replied.
     "I am sorry if I put you in an awkward position. I appreciate you coming with me."
     "Well, it's better that you came to me instead of sneaking off on your own. It wouldn't be safe for you."
     "See? I'm learning."
     Allen cracked a smile.
     "Can I ask why you feel the need to sneak off to Downton?" Allen asked.
     "I need some space," Darrel explained. "And going to Downton buys me more time than if I went to my aunt's."
     "They will call Downton as soon as they know that you left."
     "I left a note saying that I went for an early walk. Besides, I don't intend on staying at the house."
     "Where will you stay?"
     Darrel opened her suitcase and pulled out an envelope, then handed it to her guard.
     "Once we get to Downton I want you to go up to the house and place this on the servants' doorsteps," Darrel informed.
     "And what will you do?" Allen inquired.
     "I'll come with you, but stay far away from the entrances in case someone comes to the door."
     "This seems risky."
     "It's hard to explain, but I know what I'm doing. I need you to trust me."
     "I do."
     Darrel gave him a tight smile, then remained silent for the rest of the journey.

     Later that morning, the servants of Downton Abbey were in the servants' hall for breakfast. Andy entered the room and handed Thomas an envelope.
     "What is this?" Thomas asked.
     "I'm not sure," Andy shrugged. "I found it with the newspapers."
     Thomas nodded as he opened the letter. He had to bite his lip to stop himself from gasping at its contents: Come to our spot as soon as you read this.
     "Molesley, I need you to take care of breakfast," Thomas ordered, as he stood up.
     "And where are you off to?" Mrs. Hughes inquired.
     "I have urgent business to attend to."
     "Is everything alright?"
     But Thomas didn't answer, since he already left.
     "What was that all about?" Daisy wondered. "What was in the envelope?"
     "I'm not sure," Andy replied. "There was no return address."
     "What urgent business could Mr. Barrow have to attend to?" Molesley asked. "He doesn't have a life outside of Downton."
     "Don't be mean," Anna requested.
     Molesley didn't reply and kept eating.

     "What is going on?" Thomas demanded, as he entered the wooden shed.
     "No idea," Allen groaned from his spot on the floor. "But it's way too early for this."
     "What are you doing here?"
     "He's my guard," Darrel reminded. "And people keep telling me that the Princess of Wales can't be wandering around on her own."
     "There's only one guard," Thomas observed. "So I'm assuming nobody else knows that you're here."
     "You're correct Thomas. I needed to talk to you in private."
     "That's why we're here?" Allen exclaimed. "Then why did we have to sneak out of Buckingham Palace at an ungodly hour? I thought you were planning to do something illegal."
     "How little you think of me," Darrel replied, rolling her eyes. "Sit down Tommy."
     Thomas and Allen shared a look which was a mixture of exasperation and concern. The butler took a seat next to the bodyguard as Darrel sat across from them.
     "Please tell me what's happening," Thomas requested.
     "I need advice, and you're the only person I can talk to," Darrel replied.
     "Advice on what?"
     "Sebastian wants to abdicate and move to England. Which is against our agreement because I proposed to him so that I could abdicate."
     "What?!" The men exclaimed.
     "How could His Highness do such a thing?" Thomas asked.
     "Your engagement is part of a master plan to abdicate?" Allen added.
     "Allen, you are here as my guard. Please don't interrupt, and never tell anyone about anything you are going to hear," Darrel ordered.
     Allen let out a defeated sigh but nodded.
     "So, what do I do?" Darrel inquired, turning back to Thomas.
     "Talk to him instead of me," the butler suggested.
     "Thomas!"
     "I'm sorry, but that's the truth. He's your fiancé, and you need to talk to him."
     "I will talk to him, but I need to get someone else's opinion first."
     "I don't know what to tell you."
     "Yes you do. You always have your own ideas. Please Thomas, I want to hear your perspective."
     Thomas didn't reply and instead lit a cigarette. As he thought about what to say, Allen reached over, grabbed the pack of cigarettes and lit one for himself.
     "Oy!" Thomas cried. "I didn't say you could have one."
     "I thought at this point in our relationship I didn't have to ask," Allen snapped.
     "You have to ask, but we're at the point that I would never say no."
     "So what's the point of asking then?"
     Thomas shrugged, which caused Allen to smirk while the princess rolled her eyes.
     "You two are incredible together," Darrel observed. "Now can you please help me save my relationship?"
     "Fine," Thomas sighed. "You need to decide what's more important to you. Your love for His Highness, or not becoming Queen."
     "It's more complicated than that. I need to convince Sebastian to become the King of Spain because I promised his mother."
     "What do you mean?"
     "At my ball Queen Sofía told me to not ask Sebastian for anything that goes against his morals or his duties to Spain. She said he would do anything for me."
     "But he's doing the exact opposite. His Highness is doing something you don't want him to do, which goes against his duties."
     "Yes, I know. But she won't care about that. If Sebastian abdicates, it will be my fault and who knows what will happen with our relation with Spain."
     "Worry about politics later," Thomas advised. "Focus on your relationship for now."
     "My relationship is political," Darrel reminded. "That's the problem with being the Princess of Wales. I don't know what to do. I love Sebastian, but I would never forgive myself if he abdicated."
     "Then you do know what to do."
     "I suppose so."
      Darrel let out a heavy sigh as a tear rolled down her cheek.
     "I wish everything could go back to the way it used to be," Darrel said.
     "There's no point in thinking like that," Allen warned. "You can't change the past, so you need to figure out how to deal with the future."
     "That's quite wise Allen. You can knock some smarts into Thomas."
     "Oy!" He exclaimed, causing the others to laugh.
     "Alright, is that all?" Thomas inquired.
     "Are you trying to get rid of us?" Darrel asked, pretending that he hurt her feelings.
     "Yes. I have work, and I'm sure people know you're gone by now."
     "I'm not ready to go back yet. As soon as I return, I'll have to talk to Sebastian, and I'm not ready."
     "So what are you going to do?"
     "Stay here for at least a day to collect my thoughts."
     "What?" Allen cried. "I did not sign up for this!"
     "Well, how are you going to stop me?" Darrel challenged.
     "I could call Buckingham Palace and tell them where you are."
     "Then when we return to London you won't have a job anymore."
     "If they find us, then I won't have a job."
     "I told you that I'll take the blame. Please Allen, I can't go back yet."
     Allen looked between Darrel and Thomas. He never imagined that he would ever be in such a position. Part of him knew that the right thing to do was to call the Royal Family to make sure the princess returned. Although at the same time, he began to see Darrel as the victim of an unfortunate situation and needed to be alone. Plus he had a suspicion that if he betrayed the princess, his relationship with Thomas would end.
     "Alright fine," Allen sighed. "We can stay here for one night. But afterwards we need to go back to London."
     "Fine. But I can stay all day tomorrow as long as we're back by nighttime," Darrel countered.
     "Deal."
     Darrel stuck out her hand and Allen shook it, as he forced himself not to laugh.
     "This might be the worst idea you've ever had," Thomas declared.
     "Are you sure Thomas?" Darrel asked, as she raised an eyebrow. "This is my worst idea? I once wrote letters to Mary's suitors declaring her love from them. All three of them. That was hard to explain..."
     "You're right. I take it back."
     At that point, Allen could no longer hold in his amusement and he burst out laughing. The others turned away from their conversation and looked at the guard.
     "Are you alright?" Thomas inquired, putting a hand on his shoulder.
     "I'm fine," Allen assured, as he wiped tears of laughter away.
     "I've never seen a bodyguard laugh like that," Darrel commented.
     "We're not supposed to. It's not in our job description."
     "And what is in your job description? Act like a statue at all times?" Thomas joked.
     "Exactly. But in professional wording," Allen nodded.
     This time, all three of them began to laugh. For a few moments the outside world disappeared. A bodyguard and a butler were no longer helping a princess hide in a shed. They were three acquaintances (or a pair of friends, and his gentleman caller) having a good time. When the laughter died away, Thomas got to his feet and brushed the dirt off his livery.
     "I should go," Thomas announced. "I'll be back later. Don't do anything stupid."
     "Bring us some food," Allen ordered.
     "I will."
     Thomas gave Allen a quick kiss on the cheek then left the hiding spot. Allen felt himself blush as Darrel smirked at his discomfort.
     "With all due respect, wipe that look off your face," he requested.
     "Sorry," Darrel smiled. "It's nice to see Thomas so happy for a change. I'm glad he met you."
     "So am I."
     Darrel nodded as she grabbed the deck of cards off the shelf and began to shuffle them.
     "Do you know how to play Vingt-Un?" Darrel inquired.
     Allen nodded as she kept shuffling the deck. He could hardly believe what his life had come to. He would not have guessed his job including hiding in an abandoned shed with the Princess. On top of which, he was in a romantic relationship with her former butler, who so happened to be her best friend.
     "What are you thinking about?" Darrel asked once she noticed that he wasn't paying attention.
     "This isn't how I ever imagined my life to be," Allen admitted.
     "I know. Life is rather interesting, don't you think?"  
     "That is an understatement."
     Darrel gave him a weak smile then looked down at her cards.

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Author's Note:

This story is now at 14 thousand reads! That is incredible.
I want to thank everyone. I appreciate you sticking with this story after all these years and its inconsistent updates. ❤️
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Until the next update!
- Writographer