Virtue is its own reward
It was a rather slow Wednesday afternoon in the servant's hall. That was the day the game started.
No one would confess to bringing the game downstairs, although Mr. Carson blustered and browbeat everyone he caught playing it. It would be removed from the servant's hall unceremoniously, only to mysteriously re-appear again.
Secretly, Mr. Carson blamed Mrs. Carson. But he wasn't about to accuse her without proof. And her obvious amusement when the staff began playing wasn't proof. Quite.
Once Miss Sybbie and Mr. Branson had left for America, a certain sadness had descended upon tea time upstairs. His Lordship was bothered by the continued presence of the game in the library, and ordered it off to the nursery - to be kept until Mr. George or Miss Marigold was old enough to try their luck at beating Donk.
It never made it all the way to the nursery, however. And that is how "Snakes and Ladders" made an appearance in the servant's hall on that slow Wednesday.
At first, only the younger maids and hall boys played. Spirits were high as they cheered and jeered each other's rises and falls in behavior and deportment. Some of the more senior staff began to tire of watching the fun and joined in eventually.
Mr. Barrow was determined to be a shameless cheat, and no one wanted to play with him. Mr. Molesley played with a serious frown, as if the rise and fall of the whole British Empire hung on his luck and behavior. Had that actually been the case, the Empire likely would have been lost a generation prior to when it began to break apart. As soon as Miss Baxter would sit down to play, and she only ever played when Mr. Molesely did, he seemed to loose all concentration, would miss his turn and forget how to count.
"It's all in the arms," she would tease him as she climbed yet another ladder to certain victory. He didn't seem to mind.
Anna and Mr. Bates would watch the others play - Anna with a somewhat wistful smile on her face and John with an amused smirk. No matter how often they were invited to play, Anna would decline graciously and John would refuse, citing work.
"Why don't you play?" he asked her one day, as they watched Madge pout prettily when Andy dodged a long snake with a lucky spin.
"Why would I want to play a silly game like that, Mr. Bates?" she replied with a smile.
"Would you play it someday? When we have children?" The wistful smile was back again, and he leaned closer to her at the table to press his hand on hers for a moment. "Or will the Bates children not spend their time on such frivolous activities?"
She looked over at the teasing twinkle in his eye. "It wouldn't be just a silly game then, Mr. Bates. It would help them learn the benefits of obedience and proper behavior." She arched her brow at him in the spirit of their conversation. "After all, I don't see them learning from their father's example." She nodded at his hand, which had traveled slightly up her arm and was gently caressing the bend of her elbow.
He smiled until his eyes crinkled and Anna decided to turn the tables a bit on him.
"And why don't you play, Mr. Bates?"
"Haven't you heard that you can't teach an old dog new tricks?" he replied, squeezing her bicep lightly and pressing his thigh against hers under the table.
"You don't know how," she said suddenly. "You've never played it before?"
"I've played it," he protested. "I just didn't take much of a lesson from it."
"Clearly," she said with a roll of her eyes as she felt the toe of his shoe rub the stocking at the back of her ankle.
"John Bates," she hissed quietly, "Don't you dare tear my stocking."
The rumble and roll of Mr. Carson's voice signaled that it was time to stash the game away. Anna was sewing furiously on a seam and John was working innocently on a brass button when the rest of the staff began shifting things around to get the servant's hall ready for tea. They packed their things away, not without a few glances at each other.
"Is it torn?" he whispered as they brushed past each other to put their tasks away.
"It is not, no thanks to you," she replied. "That sort of thing would definitely send you down a snake, Mr. Bates."
He bit his lip before the comment that sprung to his mind
about snakes and games could escape. But the twinkle in his eyes was enough for Anna to send a warning look his way.
They were far too busy to think about a game the rest of that night. Besides, Mr. Carson had found it again and ordered it up to the nursery with an exasperated roar. John felt a bit disappointed when he saw one of the maids carrying it glumly away.
And yet, when he finished caring for His Lordship's needs and returned to the servant's hall to wait for his wife, he found the game tucked away on the top of the china cabinet. Looking around quickly to ensure that he was alone, he fetched it over to the table and set it up. When Anna came down form seeing to Lady Mary, he was sitting at the table, idly flicking the spinner.
"What's this?" she teased, sitting next to him. "Have you decided to play after all."
"Perhaps it not too late for me to develop better habits," he replied, offering her a game piece.
"I quite like most of your habits, Mr. Bates," she said with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "But..why not? You go first."
"The lady should go first," he objected.
"Well, I'm not a lady, and I don't pretend to be." He smiled broadly at her and she grinned back. "Go on, then."
He gave in and flicked the spinner, holding it in the middle of his big hand. Then Anna took her turn. They moved their pieces slowly along the bottom row of spaces until John landed on a ladder that took him up two rows for saving his pennies.
"Nicely done," Anna said as he slid his piece ahead and smiled a trifle smugly. "But don't let it go to your head. Anything could happen on the next roll."
They played on for a few more minutes. Anna had made it to the second row, but had the misfortune to land on a snake, the penalty for carelessly ripping off her buttons. John chuckled as she slid her piece back down with a disgruntled look.
A few more rolls, and John was lucky enough to land on another ladder, taking him up two more rows.
"I seem to be pretty good at this game," he said with a grin as he pushed his piece ahead even further. Anna gave the spinner in his hand a suspicious look.
"We'll see," she said, her eyes lighting up as she noticed him perilously close to the longest snake of all.
"You wouldn't be so far behind if you hadn't torn your buttons," he said in a low voice. Anna glared at him and spun, but miscounted her spaces and just missed landing on a significant ladder.
John declined to point out her mistake and spun. His luck held and he missed the threatening snake. Anna huffed in frustration as her small spins left her even further behind. Her subsequent joy at landing on a ladder that took her up two rows was tempered when she landed on a snake four spins later that dropped her back three.
"You're quite the naughty girl," John teased her. "Perhaps you'll take a lesson from my virtuous behavior," he added when he landed on yet still another ladder and was able to advance two rows by rescuing a baby bird.
Anna gritted her teeth and glared at him. "Your luck will run out soon enough, Mr. Bates."
"Not if you keep tearing your buttons," he said cheekily. She gaped at him before dissolving into a fit of giggles.
The game continued with John's luck holding until he was on the top row. Anna was four rows behind him and desperate to avoid the biggest snake. She flicked the spinner and her eyes widened when she saw it land at exactly the wrong number. Quickly, she jerked her wrist a little, making the spinner settle on a different number.
"I saw that," John said in her ear as she leaned over to make her slightly modified move.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Mr. Bates," she replied cooly as she skipped over the snake, safe by two squares.
"It won't do you any good, you know. Cheaters never prosper."
Anna ignored him except for throwing him a glare. His grin was becoming insufferable.
"I'm about to win anyway," he added. "Would you like to make a wager on how long it takes me to get to the end?"
"I would not," she said firmly. "And you've got a snake to get past first, Mr. Bates."
"I'm not worried," he replied. As he spun, Anna's attention was caught by the way his finger was tucked into his palm behind the spinner.
As he hit just the right number to advance to the end, Anna gasped and snatched the spinner out of his hand.
"You've been pressing on it to make it stop where you wanted! You cheated!" She threw the spinner at his chest as he began to laugh.
"Don't be a sore loser, Mrs. Bates," he said between chuckles.
"I can't believe you, John Bates!" she scolded with her hands on her hips. He shushed her when she raised her voice and pulled her to him.
"Catch me ever playing with you again," she muttered as his arms went around her.
"I can't help it if I'm more virtuous than you are tonight, Mrs. Bates."
"Is that so? Well, Mr. Bates…I hope you weren't holding any hopes of sliding down any snakes or climbing any ladders when we get home." She grinned into his shocked face. "But take heart, Mr. Bates. Virtue is its own reward."
She pushed him away lightly and went to retrieve their coats while he stood with his mouth hanging open at her words.
I suppose the only thing I've got to look forward to is your buttons ripping off, then" he finally replied as he followed her out the door.
"Oh I wouldn't count on that, Mr. Bates. I've learned my lesson, after all."