diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 80d1b08d..7b27b5f4 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -280,6 +280,7 @@ list (
     except.cpp
     except.hpp
     exe.hpp
+    expected.hpp
     extent.cpp
     extent.hpp
     fixed.cpp
@@ -558,6 +559,7 @@ if (TESTS)
         encode/base
         endian
         exe
+        expected
         extent
         fixed
         float
diff --git a/expected.hpp b/expected.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6f617421
--- /dev/null
+++ b/expected.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+/*
+ * This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+ * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+ * file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
+ *
+ * Copyright 2019 Danny Robson <danny@nerdcruft.net>
+ */
+
+#include <exception>
+
+
+///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+namespace cruft {
+    class bad_expected_access : public std::exception {
+    public:
+        char const* what (void) const noexcept override
+        {
+            return "bad_expected_access";
+        }
+    };
+
+
+    template <typename ValueT, typename ErrorT>
+    struct expected {
+        using value_type = ValueT;
+        using error_type = ErrorT;
+
+        expected (ValueT &&_value)
+        {
+            ::new (&m_store.value) ValueT (std::move (_value));
+            m_valid = true;
+        }
+
+        expected (ErrorT &&_error)
+        {
+            ::new (&m_store.error) ErrorT (std::move (_error));
+        }
+
+        ~expected ()
+        {
+            if (m_valid) {
+                m_store.value.~ValueT ();
+                m_valid = false;
+            } else {
+                m_store.error.~ErrorT ();
+            }
+        }
+
+        ValueT&
+        value (void)&
+        {
+            if (!m_valid)
+                throw bad_expected_access {};
+            return m_store.value;
+        }
+
+        ValueT&&
+        value (void)&&
+        {
+            if (!m_valid)
+                throw bad_expected_access {};
+            return std::move (m_store.value);
+        }
+
+        ErrorT&
+        error (void)&
+        {
+            if (m_valid)
+                throw bad_expected_access {};
+            return m_store.error;
+        }
+
+        ErrorT&&
+        error (void)&&
+        {
+            if (m_valid)
+                throw bad_expected_access {};
+            return std::move (m_store.error);
+        }
+
+        ValueT* operator-> (void)& { return &value (); }
+        ValueT& operator*  (void)& { return  value (); }
+
+        operator bool() const noexcept;
+
+    private:
+        union storage_t {
+             storage_t () {};
+            ~storage_t () {};
+
+            char   defer;
+            ValueT value;
+            ErrorT error;
+        } m_store;
+
+        bool m_valid = false;
+    };
+};
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/expected.cpp b/test/expected.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f45ee40b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/expected.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+#include "../expected.hpp"
+
+#include "../tap.hpp"
+
+
+
+int main ()
+{
+    cruft::TAP::logger tap;
+
+    tap.expect_nothrow ([] () { cruft::expected<std::string,int> { "foo" }; }, "value construction succeeds");
+    tap.expect_nothrow ([] () { cruft::expected<std::string,int> { EPERM }; }, "error construction succeeds");
+
+    tap.expect_eq (cruft::expected<std::string,int> { "foo" }.value (), "foo", "value matches");
+    tap.expect_eq (cruft::expected<std::string,int> { EPERM }.error (), EPERM, "error matches");
+
+    tap.expect_throw<cruft::bad_expected_access> (
+        [] () {
+            cruft::expected<std::string,int> val { EPERM };
+            val.value ();
+        },
+        "value access fails when holding an error"
+    );
+
+    tap.expect_throw<cruft::bad_expected_access> (
+        [] () {
+            cruft::expected<std::string,int> val { "foo" };
+            val.error ();
+        },
+        "error access fails when holding a value"
+    );
+
+    return tap.status ();
+}
\ No newline at end of file