This was going to be a short scene included with my other collection, but it occurred to me that as Matthew's valet, Mr. Molesley was probably in Paris as well. So, I decided to explore how Anna would cope with tagging along on Mary and Matthew's honeymoon.
Go to Paris...make us some memories. Her husband's words echoed through her head as Anna Bates packed for her month long trip to Paris. Try as she might to be excited about the trip, going to a place she'd never been before, Anna just couldn't manage to get the knot in her stomach to untie. She clung to the little time that she was allowed with her husband and for the next four weeks, she wouldn't even have that. A tear trickled down her cheek at the thought of not seeing his face for so long.
Closing her traveling bag, Anna sat down to pen a final letter to Mr. Bates before her departure.
My dear John,
We are getting prepared to leave Downton, but I wanted you to have some final words from me to tide you over until I see you again. Of course, I will write while I am there, but I do not know how successfully my letters will travel from there to you. For this reason, I have asked Mrs. Hughes not to forward any letters from you. I would rather wait to read them than to miss even a single word from you. If you need to get in touch with me, write to Mrs. Hughes and she will know how to contact me.
So, if these are the last words you hear from me for a while, I want them to be good ones. I love you. More than that, I adore you. You have brought to me some of the greatest happiness of my life. I wouldn't trade a single second of the time we have spent together. One day, I am determined, we will go to Paris together and I will kiss you beneath the Eiffel tower. On this trip, I will visit the place and imagine you with me.
I will think of you every day. I love you my dear, and I am counting the days until I see you again.
Forever yours,
Anna
Sealing the envelope, Anna picked up her traveling bag and headed downstairs, where she knew the others would be waiting for her. Dropping her letter to be posted, Anna saw the car in the drive. Mr. Molesley, as Mr. Crawley's valet, was loading bags onto the rear of the car. He looked up at her and smiled as she handed him her own small bag.
Anna shook her head. She was going to one of the most romantic places on Earth, with Mr. Molesley, on someone else's honeymoon. How strange her life had become.
