Joy Comes in the Morning
Anna Bates smiled broadly as an excited squeal rang out in the sitting room. Unable to resist, she kept half an eye on the porridge and sidled over to the doorway so she could peer around it.
The brilliant sunlight blazed through the sheers on the small window and illuminated the waves of blond hair on her daughter's head as John lifted her up so that she could chase the dust motes. She squealed again as she swiped through the air with her chubby fist, only to stare comically at her empty hand. Not discouraged, she made another attempt as her father swept her up through the sunlight.
Anna could have cheerfully watched them all morning, but the smell of the porridge beginning to scald called her back to the stove. John caught her movement out of the corner of his eye and pulled his daughter back down to his chest.
"Let's go and see what Mummy has for our breakfast, my hungry little Maggie May," he said, soothing her squawk of outrage that her wonderful game had been interrupted.
"You're lucky to have any at all," Anna said, her eyes twinkling as they came into the kitchen. "I very nearly burned the porridge watching you play."
"Well, we're glad you didn't," her husband replied with a cheeky grin as he began the difficult task of strapping a squirming toddler into the high chair, "because we've built up quite an appetite playing, haven't we love?"
Maggie stopped moving long enough to return her father's smile, then began pounding on the tray with her tiny spoon.
"Alright…alright…that'll be enough of that," Anna said, smiling as she placed the bowls on the table. "Oh no, John! Don't put the bowl on her tray this morning."
"I thought she's been doing well feeding herself," he replied in confusion, holding the little bowl with Maggie's breakfast in it just out of her reach.
Maggie gave an impatient yowl and began smacking her tray with the spoon again. Anna calmly took the spoon from her hand and slipped a piece of bread into it so fast the little girl just blinked in surprise, then began gnawing on the bread with enthusiasm.
"Oh she's doing as well as can be expected for a little one not quite two," Anna explained as she gently took the small bowl form John's hands and sat next to the high chair. "But more of her food winds up on the outside of her tummy than manages to get in yet. And I've got her nice and clean for church…"
"I'll do it," John said, taking the small bowl and spoon from her hands. "You go ahead and eat, love. I'll get some breakfast down this young lady." At Anna's skeptical look, he added: "And I won't spoil her curls."
"Mind you don't get any on yourself either," Anna said as she began to eat.
John smirked at her and carefully scooped a heaping bite of porridge towards Maggie's mouth. She turned her head to the side to decline and offered John a bite of what was left of her bread. He eyed the gummy, sticky mass in her hand with little enthusiasm.
"No thank you, Maggie," he declined and tried again to shovel a bite of porridge into her mouth. With great skill, Maggie avoided yet another bite.
Anna giggled through a mouthful of porridge and watched the battle of wits with shining eyes. Maggie seemed to be ahead on points. John grunted in frustration and looked at Anna's amused grin with irritation. After a third try failed to result in any porridge getting into his little girls mouth, and he'd barely managed to prevent the bit that dribbled off the end of the spoon from splattering his trousers, he put the spoon back into the bowl and looked at his daughter thoughtfully. She smiled and offered him the bread again. It looked even more unappetizing than before.
"I'm almost done," Anna informed him a trifle smugly, "if you'd like me to take over so that you can eat."
"I'm not beat yet," he growled. Maggie laughed and began kicking her feet.
"If you say so…"
"Maggie," he began in a wheedling tone, "aren't you hungry, little lass?" Maggie murmured at him and held out the handful of bread with a serious expression. "For me?" he asked. Ignoring Anna's snickers, he gingerly nipped off a tiny bite of the bread he was offered. Maggie clapped her hands, mashing the bread still further, and laughed. John saw his chance and popped a loaded spoon of porridge into her mouth. She blinked in surprise and swallowed.
John looked over at Anna in triumph as she poured a cup of tea for herself and settled back down to watch them. It took longer than he would have liked, but he managed to get a generous portion of breakfast into his stubborn little girl, so long as he took his turn with the breakfast she was determined to feed to him. Anna watched with sparkling eyes.
"She's probably had enough," John said as the last bite he fed Maggie promptly came right back out. He hastened to catch the dribble with a napkin as Anna laughed and agreed.
"Quite right, Mr. Bates. It's important to know when enough is enough," she said as she efficiently unstrapped her daughter and lifted her out of the high chair. "Now eat your own breakfast quick as you can, or we'll be late for church. I'll just put little miss into her pretty new frock…"
John watched as Anna carried their happy little girl out of the kitchen and listened with an adoring smile on his face as Maggie chattered away at her mummy like she was holding a conversation. Then he shook himself and addressed the matter at hand - a steaming cup of tea, a bowl of warmish porridge, and a few flecks of mashed up bread on his waistcoat.
He was still scrubbing with a damp cloth when his girls came back down. Anna sat Maggie down at the foot of the stairs so that she could pin on her hat. Maggie wobbled uncertainly for a moment, then caught sight of her father holding out his arms to her. Placing her feet, encased in shiny new shoes, gingerly one in front of the other, she made her way over to John.
"Are you ready, John?" Anna asked, not turning from the mirror as she made sure her hat was pinned at the right angle.
"Almost," he replied, shrugging into his suit jacket and trying not to stumble as Maggie clung to his trousers and grinned up at him. "I'll never look fine enough compared to the likes of you, though. How did I get so lucky as to escort the two loveliest ladies in the whole north of England to church on this bright and happy Easter morn?"
Anna turned to smile at him as he scooped Maggie up in his arms, and speculated that it was a miracle the girl was walking at all, as much as her father lived to carry her from place to place.
"Then we'd best be off," she said, admiring the picture they made - John in his smartest grey suit and Maggie in her crisp new white Easter dress with hand laced smocking made by her attentive and loving Godmother, the recently retired Mrs. Carson.
John grasped his cane in one hand and handed Maggie over to Anna. Anna placed her arm through John's and propped Maggie on her other hip. They began the walk to the church in the village.
Easter services were long and tiresome to a little girl not quite two. But there was a great deal of music, the pipe organ boomed gloriously, and if she fussed a bit during the interminable sermon…well, there were many old enough to know better fussing and squirming on the inside as their minds traveled to dinners and such waiting at home.
Rather than going straight home, the Bates family followed the servants from the Abbey who had attended divine services that morning, chatting about the events to follow. Her Ladyship had planned a grand easter egg hunt on the sprawling lawn of the Abbey for the children of the tenants, and of course Maggie was invited as well. John wasn't sure who was more excited about the prospect - Maggie or Anna.
Anna fussed over Maggie's dress, straightening the collar which was damp from where the little girl had chewed vigorously on it during the collect. She had very little time to correct anything before the Carsons bore down upon them and snatched up the little girl. Maggie shrieked with delight as Mr. Carson swung her around in a twirling dance, promising her a very large piece of cake, and Mrs. Carson scolded him half heartedly for being silly.
John watched from behind Anna, resting his hands on her shoulders and pulling her back towards him. She relaxed into his hold and he slid his hands down her arms to grasp her hand in his.
"We won't get her back for hours, you know," he murmured into her ear.
"I'm sure," she agreed, squeezing his hands.
They stood together for a precious quiet moment before Anna's name was called excitedly by Master George. John followed as his wife was drawn into the crowd of Downton's residents, upstairs and down, to linger at the buffet table under the marquee and catch up on all the goings on. He watched Maggie toddle off, guarded by Mr. Carson as thoroughly as any bull mastiff might have, towards where all the children were excitedly thronging, getting ready to run out into the lawn. His heart skipped a beat when she tripped over her own unsteady feet and tumbled headfirst into the thick grass, but she didn't even wait for Mr. Carson to help her to her feet.
Anna caught sight of it as well and winced as she saw the green streak down the front of Maggie's dress. John smiled at her expression.
"You must have known she'd only get to wear it once, my dear," he murmured to her.
"I didn't think she'd ruin it in the first ten minutes we were here," she replied with a roll of her eyes.
The bass rumble of Mr. Carson could be heard, chivvying the children to line up by ages. There was some shuffling about and a silence fell over the crowd as they strained to hear Lord Grantham count down the start.
Suddenly the air was rent with cries of joy and excitement as the children burst out into the lawn, looking around for the surprises hidden in the deep grass. Adults shouted encouragement.
John was torn between watching his little girl toddle determinedly across the lawn, followed closely by Mrs. Carson, and watching his wife clap her hands and beam at the spectacle. It struck him that he was luckier than he'd ever deserved to be to have both choices. He was sure there wasn't a broader smile than his at that moment.
Anna laughed delightedly and turned to see John beaming at her. She went to his side and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they watched Maggie stoop, topple over, and pop back up, clutching a spun sugar egg in her hands.
"Well done, Maggie!" Anna called. Maggie heard her mother's voice and began walking as fast as she could towards it, ignoring Mrs. Carson's encouragement to keep looking for more eggs. John took a few steps forward to catch her up in his arms.
Maggie babbled and crowed as she showed off her prize. She showed no interest in returning to the hunt, content to be held by her father as everyone from Lord Grantham to Mrs. Patmore's newest scullery maid congratulated her.
Lord Grantham expressed genuine regret at taking John away from his family, but John had been granted a rare morning off to spend with his family on Easter, and he wasn't about to complain. As the tenant families expressed their appreciation to the family for the treats and festivities and began to disperse to their homes and farms, John kissed his daughter's head and reluctantly handed her to Anna. He took a quick look around, then briefly kissed his wife as well.
"You can do better than that, Mr. Bates," she teased as she hugged him, knowing he wasn't comfortable with public displays of affection.
"And I shall, as soon as I get you alone," he whispered in her ear before stepping away to proceed with the rest of the servants back to the house.
Maggie laid her head on Anna's shoulder and blinked drowsily as she walked with the Carsons, chatting about the wonderful day, until their paths diverged. Maggie offered her egg to Mr. Carson, who solemnly declined, tweaking her nose until she giggled. The Carson watched as Anna went down the track that led to their cottage and Maggie waved over her shoulder at them.
No sooner than they were back in the cottage did Anna strip a filthy, grass stained easter dress of of her exhausted baby and put it to soak. She knew quite well it wasn't likely to be salvagable, but she simply couldn't let the beautiful dress go to dusters without trying.
Maggie took a wonderful nap that day, and was somewhat subdued after all the excitement of the morning. Content to sit on a blanket in the sunlight, she pulled vigorously at the arms and legs of her bear, making Anna glad she'd double stitched it at its last repair. Anna puttered around the cottage, keeping half an eye on Maggie as she tended to some long put off household tasks. John's absence was a larger hole than usual as the afternoon dragged on.
John walked wearily through the door, glad for the lamp Anna always left burning in the sitting room. He hung up his coat and hat in the dim recesses of the entryway and walked down into the sitting room. Anna looked up at him from the rocking chair where she was sitting and assessing the damage to Maggie's dress and smiled.
"She's asleep, I suppose," he whispered.
"Of course she is," Anna replied in a normal tone of voice. "And she's not likely to wake up for an earthquake, tired as she was after today."
John chuckled and walked over to take a look at the little frock in Anna's hands. She frowned at it in the dim light and shook her head.
"It's properly ruined," she said sadly. "Between the grass and dirt and cake, it'll never be fit to wear again."
"It served its purpose," he said, bending down to kiss her forehead. "I'll never forget how beautiful she looked in it today." He looked at her eyes sparkling in the light of the lamp. "And I'll never forget how beautiful you looked today either."
"No? I didn't even wear a new frock…"
"Ah, but you look more beautiful every day," he said as he grasped her hands and pulled her from the chair. "I only wish I had nothing to do all day but gaze at you and Maggie."
"And we wish that as well," she said, pressing close to him as he drew her to his chest. "Maggie had a wonderful time with her Daddy today. If only we could—"
"I know," he interrupted. "And someday we will, and I won't miss a moment of her growing up if I can. And maybe there will be others as well."
"Well, there won't be if we just stand around down here all night," she said tartly, pulling his head down to hers for a kiss. He smiled against her lips before parting them with his and kissing her with all his heart.
"You're right" he said, when they parted for air. "Morning comes soon enough, Mrs. Bates. We'd better go up."
Anna was about to place the little dress into the ragbag when John stopped her.
"Don't. Let's keep it."
"But John, she'll never wear it again…"
"Keep it for the joy that it brought today."
She looked at hm curiously, knowing that there would be many frocks and Easter's in Maggie's future. He reached out to stroke her cheek gently.
"I never want to forget how happy I was today, watching her ruin that frock and you fretting over it."
Anna folded the little dress neatly and gave it to John. He took it and together they went upstairs to their bed.
And later, in the darkest depths of the night, as Anna snored lightly next to him, John drifted off to the lovely thought that tomorrow he would once again be surrounded by the joy that comes in the morning, no matter how dark or long the night.
For him, every morning with his family was Easter.