A/N: I got inspired by fuzzydream's fics "Beneath Still Waters" (which is awesome and you should check it out). This was outlined before any real S6 spoilers.
Disclaimer: I don't own Downton Abbey.
It was storming outside when they got to the Hallsbury Inn, the wood exterior even darker with the rain. Anna didn't get a good look of the outside, the water coming down in sheets, her and John moving as fast as possible to get under the overhang. That defeated some of the purpose of them being there, to examine the hotel for purchase, but perhaps the weather would be clear tomorrow.
They struggled their way into the lobby, John juggling their suitcases, along with his cane, as he motioned with a tip of his head for her to enter before him. Normally that would make her sigh and roll her eyes when he wouldn't let her carry her own bag, but she was glad of it now, as she what she really wanted to do right now was ring out her dress out and dry herself off.
The front desk was empty as the approached it. Anna reached out and rang the bell on the desk. Having to ring someone both amused and annoyed her, and she gave John a knowing glance. When they return home, they will be the slaves of the Crawleys' bell board, at least for a few more months. After all these years, their time in service was finally coming to an end, and a new chapter was beginning.
But probably not at this hotel. Not that the weather really was a factor; it would rain wherever they chose. Still, this place seemed rather dark and dank, with the low lighting and wood paneling. The lobby was really small, mostly taken up the unattended desk. At least for right now, they just needed to place to spend the night before heading off on the next place, which was closer to Downton, and their last stop on this trip.
Finally a little short man appeared. Anna was glad, not only because of the puddle forming at their feet, but also had their waited any longer, John would have gotten extremely antsy that she was going to catch cold.
The clerk hopped onto a box or something that was behind the desk, giving him more height. Anna smiled, amused at this, although she turned it into general courtesy, as she too was of shorter stature, and knew how frustrating it was never to reach the top shelf without stepping onto a chair, or to call for aid from her much taller husband. The man looked like a relic from when Queen Victoria still reigned, with his high winged collar and dark hair parted down the middle and thick with pomade, rimless glasses perched on his nose. All in all, he was rather peculiar.
"We're here to see Mr and Mrs Harrison, actually," Anna said, "although we are staying the night as well. Mr and Mrs John Bates."
The man peered at the couple, no doubt wondering who will mop up their mess. "The Harrisons are… out."
"Oh," she replied, looking to John, who took over.
"We had an appointment established to meet with owners. Booked it a few weeks ago."
The little man just shook his head. "They are out… indefinitely. But I do have your reservation."
Anna drew her breath in, her eyes signaling to her husband, "well, at least they have that!" with own his look replying, "at least we have a place to stay."
"Here's your room key," the clerk said handing it over, "Room 211."
The Bateses gave their thanks and headed up the stairs. She had attempted to take her own bag but John just shook his head, but gave her a grin.
Up at the top, they were greeted with a row of very plain wooden doors with metal plaques with the room numbers engraved.
"Well," Anna started lowly, "this place would certainly needs sprucing up."
"They also don't apparently see the need to employ a bellhop or someone to help with the bags."
"Well, someone did offer," she teased with a smile. She turned the key in the lock and opened the door, holding it open for John to enter first.
She flicked on the lights. "Good to know that the electricity up here works."
It was rather plain, with a simple bed with simple white linens. The curtains over the rather some window were dark shade of brown.
"Shall we just cross this one off? The Harrisons aren't here to show it off, and it seems like they didn't even prepare for us. They do want to sell the place, don't they?" John grumbled a bit, taking off his hat and coat and trying to shake them off in a corner away from Anna before hanging in the plain brown wardrobe.
She meanwhile was trying to peel off her own layers, the fabric having stuck to her skin. The rain had gotten down even to her underthings, her slip clinging to the swell of her abdomen, highlighting what had been just barely hidden by her looser clothing. At about five months gone, she definitely was showing, but the latest fashions being incredibly less form fitting, the evidence of their love and happiness wasn't as apparent as sometimes she wished that it was. But then again, in earlier times, she'd have been restricted with a maternity corset, and not only would that have been unhealthy (to John's chagrin), but so uncomfortable.
Right now, the source of her discomfort was how damp she felt. She popped her head into the small bathroom. Dank, plain, and dark, with only one bulb above the tub. Hopefully their hot water was working.
She returned back to the luggage to gather her nightclothes, waiting just a warm bath and then to climb into bed next to her husband. The week of visiting all these inns and small hotels meant not sleeping on their own mattress, and made Anna miss the cottage. And beyond that, none of these seemed quite the exact fit for them. Any that demanded a lot of refurbishing John vetoed right away, as he didn't want her taxing herself.
And this one fell into that category. Her nightie and dressing gown draped over her right arm, she absentmindedly rubbed her belly with her free hand. "I'd say so. There's just… perhaps too much I'd want to change about it, and that's even without seeing the whole place. Maybe the Harrisons aren't here because they knew that things were in need of a freshening up."
John took in the sight before him, her glowing silhouette making her even more beautiful than before, if that was in any way possible. The last months had been so good for them, finally being able to come out into the light. There still was the occasional clouds, and they both knew that there would always been a few here and there, lingering, but for now, they were able to keep the shadows at bay.
Expect for maybe in this hotel room.
He was a bit disappointed that none of the places they had checked out seemed right for them. He was hoping to get somewhat settled before the baby came, but that wasn't looking likely. He also wanted Anna to rest has much as possible, so he was torn about how much fervor they should be having on their days off. He knew that they could make anywhere home as long as they were together, but there was so much nostalgia with Downton, that perhaps the best hotel would be the closest, and luckily the next one on their list to visit.
"What are you staring at, Mr Bates?" Anna feigned, knowing the answer. She gave him a little smirk, and he approached her and she stepped forward to close the distance between them. He placed his hand over hers on her bump, and then leaned down, catching her lips with his. Breaking apart after their kiss, she repositioned his hand, guiding it to where she could feel their child fluttering within her. Not full on kicks yet, but she was hoping soon, so that he would be able to feel it too.
"You really ought to get out of these wet clothes, darling." He ran his other hand down her arm.
"Well, same goes for you…. You know, that tub may be big enough for both of us. All of us." She added that last part with a grin.
"Do you think that there will be a enough hot water to actually soak? I'm afraid you'll shiver."
"Not if you're with me. Although your hands actually are a little cold." She chuckled as he scoffed.
The water turned out to be lukewarm, but the greater challenge was that the bathtub proved to be a little too small, both of them in there a tight fit. So they only just freshened up, although with a few stolen kisses here and there.
They got into their nightclothes, and settled into the small bed, Anna afraid that John's feet were going to be hanging off the edge. He pulled her close to him, his hand upon the slope of her abdomen.
She sighed into his arms. "The next one surely will be better," she said, sleepily.
"Not too hard of a feat to accomplish," he murmured with a chuckle into her hair, then lightly kissing the crown of her head. "Good night, darling."
They both drifted off to sleep, something that came easily to them this night. It didn't always in these last few years, although it had been getting better. In part, pregnancy was making Anna too tired to dwell on things and she was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, a welcome side effect.
Unfortunately though, their slumber was disturbed, but by an altogether different reason.
He heard the murmurs first. It wasn't a loud sound, and not enough to fully rouse him. But then there as a swooshing bang that echoed, like a door slamming. That jolted John completely awake, shifting the groggy Anna who was now just opening her eyes, blinking back sleep.
"Wind from the storm, I presume," John assured her in a comforting voice, although he wasn't sure he believed it himself. He ran his hand down his wife's arm reassuringly. "Just a door or window being blow shut."
They settled back in bed, and Anna gave him a small smile. Why would it be anything else? She closed her eyes, but she couldn't drift back off. When she opened them again, she found him gazing back at her. Another slam sounded, louder this time, making them both jump. John brought Anna closer to him, pressing her to him and feeling roundness of her stomach flush against him.
"There goes my good night's rest," she muttered. She smirked a little, but then both of their eyes grew wide as it sounded like there was someone in the hall, talking.
"Perhaps I will go check on things," John said, growing more and more concerned. "It could be more guests have arrived…"
"But at this time of night?" Anna shifted to sit so she could see the clock. "It's two in the morning. I'm going with you." It wasn't a question, and John sighed, knowing that there was no room for argument.
The couple shuffled into their dressing gowns and slippers, John just barley making the outline of Anna silhouette in the dark as she pulled the ties over her growing bump. He then fumbled for his cane, finally locating it propped against the small dresser.
"This probably would have helped," she said, going to flick the lights on. But when she flipped the switch, nothing happened. She tried a few more times for good measure.
John opened the dresser drawer, hoping to yield a candle of some sort, but had no luck.
"Maybe there's still lights on in the hall," Anna commented with a hopeful tone. She couldn't see her husband's doubtful expression.
He rounded the bed and made his way to the door, slowly opening it, and trying to shield Anna behind him. But nothing popped out; the corridor was cloaked in darkness, and no other beings to be heard.
"So the power must but out in the whole building, due to the storm," Anna mused. She pressed into John's side, urging him to move forward.
The two cautiously stepped into the hallway. It was quiet now, sounds of the rain and wind down as well. He looked to her and shrugged.
"Perhaps we should just—" he stopped mid sentence, the murmurs had began again.
"Other guests?" Anna questioned.
John was beginning to doubt his previous reassurances. "Did it seem like were there other guests though when he checked in?"
"Well, perhaps they are worried about the power being off. We should at least alert the clerk."
He supposed she was right, and nodded. They carefully made their way down the stairs, Anna with one hand on the railing, the other on her expanding belly. John helped her off of the last step, and they scanned the small lobby for a clue where the clerk could be, a hard task in the dark.
"There's a gas lamp over there," Anna pointed out.
"Yes, but we'd still need a match…" John wasn't sure if they should start rifling through the lobby desk. Everything was feeling uneasier by the second and he was wishing that they were back in the room.
Anna pursed her lips. She tried to recall the information that they had been given about the hotel as prospective buyers. "There are living quarters for the staff somewhere in here. The Harrisons' residence is connected in the back." That bit she remembered, as she wanted to make sure her family had a home in addition to the hotel itself. "So let's go towards there. We might be able to find him once there, maybe?"
John shrugged. It was better than nothing, with no further ideas to go by.
This hotel didn't have the residence completely separated, so there had to be some sort of door connecting the two. Anna surmised that the also staff might room along that corridor.
"Well, I can tell you, that this one is crossed officially off my list. Probably was off yours when we first got here."
"More or less," John commented, a more light-hearted tone seeping through. He offered his left arm to Anna for her to loop hers through. If they were going to wander down more darkened hallways, he was going to make sure she was as all right as possible.
"Among the dankness of it all, I'm not sure how keen I am on this floor plan."
They made this way to the corridor they had not been down. There didn't seem to be any doors. But surely the clerk was somewhere about, with the Harrisons out.
Then they heard a door slam, followed by murmurs, almost if people were giggling.
"Maybe we should go back to the room," John finally said, his voice low but laced with concern. Someone was obviously there, but who was it, and where were they?
But more importantly, he was worried about his wife and unborn child's safety.
Anna meanwhile, had more than received the confirmation that this was not the small hotel for them. But yet, morbid curiosity had set in, and she knew that she had to find out what that sound was, or she wasn't going to be able to sleep. And she knew that her husband wouldn't be able to either without discovering the truth first.
"Let's figure this out so we can go back to bed," she replied.
He caught her meaning, knowing that she was right, as she almost always was.
They rounded a corner, and there was the connecting door, closed.
"Could he be in their quarters?" she whispered.
John was unsure about how to continue when the door opened. But no one was to be seen opening it.
"It doesn't feel right to go inside, but I do think someone is there…" Anna's mind was now going places John's surely had been as soon as they had left their room. What if it was intruders? Robbers using cover of the storm to loot the absent owner's personal belongings?
And yet, Anna felt compelled to press on and enter through the open door.
The hallway connected through the Harrison's kitchen. Lighting flashed, bathing the room in enough light to slow the counter tops covered in a thick layer of dust.
"This doesn't look like anything in here has been used in years. " John was confused. The letter he had received a few weeks ago clearly was signed Richard Harrison, inviting him and Anna to visit and tour the hotel, and that included the second bedroom, which they hoped to turn into a nursery.
There was another slam, and they realized that it was the connecting door closing behind them.
"Someone is definitely in here," Anna whispered.
John had made up his mind, hoping this was a safe compromise. "We'll carefully check the sitting room and then go back to our room." Perhaps it was just children, given the giggling. But if was it wasn't… well, he wasn't all that sure how a pregnant woman and a cripple was going to stand up against them. He hated himself for getting Anna into this situation.
The sitting room was adjacent to the kitchen. The sound of rain hitting the roof grew louder, accompanied by more thunder and lightning.
And just then, several books fell off of the shelves that lined the walls, as if someone was pulling them off and tossing them to the ground. John protectively pulled Anna behind him, his left arm holding her back.
"Who's there?" he demanded.
He was responded to with giggles.
Anna peered over her husband's shoulder. It certainly seemed like someone was there, but yet she saw no one. She pushed past John and walked over to the shelf, kneeling down to pick the books up.
He had to compress the fear of more books falling down and on top of her (it was bad enough she had to bend over), but she retrieved the books with ease and brought the books over to him.
"I think they mean something," she simply stated. He of course thought that it meant that they needed to get the hell out of there.
But Anna's mind was recalling something else, from many years ago.
The planchette board.
Neither her nor Daisy had been pushing it that night, or so the then kitchen maid claimed. But yet "may they be happy with my love" had been spelled out. Upon learning that Lady Mary and Mr Matthew were betrothed that night, Anna had decided that the message had come from the spirit of Miss Swire, an explanation she never offered Daisy (who still sometimes mentioned her sadness over the Titanic).
Perhaps they were being communicated with in a similar manner now.
"I think maybe the titles spell out something."
John grimaced at this. "Let's just go back to the room."
She quietly shifted the books in her arms, peering at the covers the best she could in the dark.
"'Welcome.' It spells 'welcome.' The authors' last names."
Anna held the books up to John, tilting the spells to him. He strained his eyes in the dark.
The Time Machine by H. G. Wells
A book of poetry by T.S. Eliot.
The White Peacock by D. H. Lawrence
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
The Magician by W. Somerset Maugham
Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
Wells, Eliot, Lawrence, Christie, Orczy, Maugham, Eliot. W-E-L-C-O-M-E.
This just had to be a coincidence. What powers were trying to communicate with them? If that's what this even was.
When it boiled down to it, the only thing that John believed in was Anna herself. And she seemed convinced.
"So the giggling spirits are saying hello to us?"
Anna shrugged. "I guess so. And notice now that they are quiet?"
"You solving the puzzle quieted them," he quipped.
She put the books down on the small table. "Let's head back to the room now. I think it's safe."
John offered her his arm again, and they returned their way back upstairs. He was right though – there was no more giggling sounds from whatever was out there.
The couple snuggled back into bed, but sleep did not come. After a restless night, they were ready to depart bright and early. Anna was starving, John could tell even though she didn't fully admit it, and he was worried. She assured him that she could wait though, and they agreed to go out to eat breakfast, wanting to leave the Hallsbury Inn as soon as possible.
When they went to check out, John was expecting the clerk to be missing, but he was there. As Anna handed him the room key, the small man gave her a letter.
"For later," he said, indicating for her to wait to open its contents.
The two made their way to a small train station café. After ordering a sizable breakfast (Anna decided she needed many pastries to quell her hunger), she removed the envelope from her handbag.
"Time to see what this was all about," her eyebrow raised.
"I'm not sure we'll ever know."
She frowned as she read the letter, and then passed the paper over to her husband.
Dear Mr and Mrs Bates,
Last night, you learned that this is a very special hotel. Unlike the others before you, you took the time to discover its secrets. Thus, we'd like to offer you ownership the Hallsbury Inn. There is no cost; we just ask that you continue to humor us. It has been some time since we're had so much fun.
~The Harrisons
"How do they know what we did last night? Were they in their quarters peeking at us?" John was imagining some scheme with pushing books through the backside of the bookcases.
But Anna had other ideas.
"So. The Harrisons are… ghosts?"
He furrowed his brows. "Or elaborate tricksters. But why would they want us to take on the hotel if they are still around?"
"Well, it's hard for spirits to run an inn, silly," she laughed.
"Explain how they have some more recent book titles then. "
"The Christie book? Maybe the clerk buys them for them. I mean if we were ghosts we'd like to keep up our reading too." She smirked.
"Well, whatever happened last night, I do think we need to turn now their offer, free or not." There was a twinkle now in his eye, the ridiculousness of it all now somehow humorous. Perhaps he was just too tired.
Anna smiled broadly. "That's a given." She patted her rounded stomach and glanced around for the wait staff. "I don't mean to rush them but the little one is getting demanding."
Her grin was infectious and the two begin their own giggling, as their food arrived.
Luckily for the Bateses, the next hotel they visited was the perfect one, and they moved there soon after the birth of their daughter Margaret.
A/N: Not maybe the goofiest thing I have written but pretty close to! Thanks for reading!
(And also, since I realize not everyone else is on Tumblr, and we've talked about this in recent months: the reason I always name their daughter "Margaret" is in honor of grandmother).