Anna rushed about the nursery, gathering clothes and other items in a basket to take to the hospital. Her heart pounded with excitement for Lady Mary, her head was fuzzy from the elevation change of returning from Scotland just hours before and she ached a little deep in her chest from missing her husband. As she was finishing up Mr. Carson put his head in the doorway.
"Anna, the rest are back. Her Ladyship wants to see you immediately. She is in her room,"
"Thank you, Mr. Carson,"
As Anna approached Her Ladyship's room she heard O'Brien's voice.
"I am sorry, so sorry Your Ladyship. But I thank you for remembering my years of service to you,"
Anna waited for a moment, events falling together in her memory from Scotland. The sudden rancor between O'Brien and Wilkins, O'Brien's whispered conversations with Lady MacClare. The words John had gotten from Thomas, "Her Ladyship's soap". And O'Brien had been jittery on the train, even more snappish than usual. Anna was letting these pieces of information settle in her mind, then she stepped into the room as Her Ladyship finished signing a paper, folding it and handing it to O'Brien.
"It is on that basis that I give you that reference, O'Brien. This is the very worst time you could have let me down in this way,"
O'Brien bowed her head and turned, nearly running into Anna on her way out of the room.
"Anna, it seems you overheard?"
"Uh-yes, Your Ladyship,"
"O'Brien is leaving me, and I've no time to find a replacement. I hope you will not mind helping out?''
"Of course not, Your Ladyship, I'm happy to,"
"Thank you, Anna. O'Brien will fill out a work sheet for you before she goes. And now," she adjusted her hat in the mirror and pulled on her gloves, "We are headed to the hospital. Oh, and Anna, please make sure O'Brien brings me her letters of reference from other lady's maids. I believe she still has a few leads,"
Anna went back down the hall. She had slept a bit on the train, but not much, and then it had been straight to hospital, then straight back for baby items, and now it was back to hospital. She took a deep breath and walked into O'Brien's room.
"I understand you gave notice," said Anna, "So I will be filling in for you,"
"I'm sure Her Ladyship will weather it well," said O'Brien, sourly.
"She's asking for letters and references from the other lady's maids you have, to look them over,"
"Oh, yes..." O'Brien wrestled with two boxes full of letters, pulling out a stack. "I'll take these to her myself,"
"Fine," said Anna. O'Brien breezed past her, and a small packet fell to the floor behind her.
Anna stared at the thin bunch of letters, wrapped in a ribbon that struck her memory.
It was her own lost ribbon.
Years ago Anna's mother had sent her a bundle of ribbons for Christmas, and Anna had opened them at the table in the servant's hall, delighted at the colors, even if she could only wear them on days off. Anna had since graduated to hats, but this particular ribbon had been special: a rare, robin's egg blue velvet ribbon. It had been her very favorite, and had disappeared that night.
It was wrapped around three letters.
Anna picked up the packet and went quickly downstairs. She was grateful to see Mrs. Hughes in the hallway.
"Mrs. Hughes," she said, "Might I have your sitting room for a moment? I'd like to look at something in private,"
"Will you have time? I thought you were going directly back to hospital," said Mrs. Hughes. She looked more closely at Anna. "Is everything quite alright?"
"I-I would just like a moment in private,"
"Well, yes, of course,"
Anna closed the door and unwrapped the ribbon. Inside was a letter with a seal from a household with an Army crest, one posted from the estate of Flincher and one letter from Vera Bates. Anna's hands shook as she unfolded them and read.
She stood for a moment choking back nausea. She folded the letters and put them between the pages of a book from Mrs. Hughes' shelf, replacing the book carefully. She wrapped the ribbon around her wrist and headed up the stairs.
O'Brien was frantically sorting packets of letters on her bed. Anna waited in the doorway until she turned. O'Brien jumped.
"Sneaking up on a person-" she began. Then she saw the ribbon around Anna's wrist.
"Where did you get that?"
"My mother. Years ago. Surely you remember,"
"Of course I don't remember any such thing!" snapped O'Brien. "It's mine, I found it-"
"You stole it,"
"I-my letters..." she said. "Give me back my letters,"
"You won't find them now. But I did. I found them, Miss O'Brien,"
"They are my property and you will give them back to me,"
"It was you. All of it was you,"
There was a dark silence. O'Brien stuck her nose in the air.
"If he hadn't kept secrets to begin with-"
Anna pushed the door shut and closed in on O'Brien.
"You had better stop there. Because you are not stronger than I am, Miss O'Brien,"
O'Brien tried to keep her calm, but the tremble in her voice betrayed her. "What do you want?"
"My husband..." Anna pushed the tears out of her voice and pushed the rage back in. "My husband is bound by honor. I am not. I've seen the horrible things you've done. And now I know more of what you've done. And I have proof,"
"Well, I've given notice. I've gotten my reference. And It's not a crime to expose a criminal, "
"What is the legal penalty for false accusation? For besmirching of character? For malicious intent, Miss O'Brien? Because I've been looking over some legal volumes I borrowed from Mr. Crawley during my husband's year in prison, and I've found some very interesting laws that apply to malicious intent-"
"I'm leaving," O'Brien attempted to get past her. Anna stepped in front of her.
"You soon will be. But for now you are sitting," O'Brien sat on the bed, watching Anna like a caged rat watching a cat. "I should write a letter of my own," said Anna, "A very enlightening letter to, perhaps, the Marquess of Flintshire? Describing your...character,"
"If you-"
"If I, you will what?" Anna interrupted her, "You will what? You will leave here and never come back, is what, and if I hear of any trouble in the house of your new employer, if I hear of anyone being lied about or exposed or any scandals in the very town you reside in, I will write that letter that you are so terrified I will write,"
Anna stood over O'Brien, fixed on her.
"Do you understand?"
"Yes,"
"Leave quietly, at dawn. You won't stay for any celebration of all your years of service here. You will not be celebrated in this house. If you stay for even that I will bring up the subject of Her Ladyship's soap, and since Thomas is no friend to you now, we will see what kind of conversations we will have at the table,"
O'Brien had turned a pale green. She stood. "I must pack. Get out of my room,"
Anna nodded. "And you will get out of this house. At dawn,"
She seized the basket of baby items, stalking from the women's quarters into the main hallway and headlong into John, nearly knocking him against the wall.
"Are you alright?" he took her by the arm.
"Yes," said Anna between her teeth, then she took a deep breath, "You're back, of course. Are you and His Lordship settled? He'll be going to hospital-"
"What is it?" His eyes darted into hers.
"We'll talk about it later,"
"Are you sure?"
Anna looked both ways down the hallway, then cupped her husband's cheek and gazed up at him.
"I am sure," she said.
He followed her downstairs.
"Anna. As you have now been informed," said Mr Carson, "Miss O'Brien has given notice. The timing, of course, couldn't be worse, but we know we can count on you. After things have settled with the new heir we will give her a proper sending off-"
"There won't be need of that, Mr. Carson," interrupted Anna. Staff at the table in the servant's hall, Mrs. Patmore, Ivy and Daisy in the kitchen and Mrs. Hughes froze in their activities, listening.
"And why not?"
"I've spoken to her," said Anna, "And her next employer is quite specific that she is to start immediately. She'll be going quite a distance away. I ought not to say more than that,"
"I see. Well, we shall have to give her a sending off at breakfast,"
"She's leaving at dawn, Mr. Carson. I'm afraid there won't be time,"
There was a silence. Thomas, who had stood from the table and strolled into the hall, looked at her. At first, especially with all of his facial wounds, Anna wasn't sure what the look signified. Then she realized that she hadn't seen it on Thomas often. He was looking at her with respect. He cocked an eyebrow, nodded, and turned away.
Anna began making lists in her head as John helped her into her coat.
"I want you to tell me-"
"What?" said Anna, who was thinking of baby clothes, the pram, and Her Ladyship's morning tray.
"With O'Brien leaving so suddenly-"
Anna swallowed. "I can't, not now,"
"Is there anything I can do?"
Anna bit her lip. She took John by his sleeve and led him out the back door, ducking behind a rose trellis. She couldn't stop laughing. Then, she was crying little hot angry tears, but only a few.
"Anna, please, what is it?"
"John," Anna looked hard at him, "It's this: we can't both be as honorable as you are. Do you understand me?"
His eyes flashed into hers for a moment. He said, very carefully, "No,"
"I love you," she said. "I love you as I love my very life. I would do anything to keep you safe,"
"Yes," he nodded strongly, "I know that. And I would-"
"I know you would," said Anna, "But there are times in life when good decisions can't involve honor,"
"Of course I know that,"
"You know that from war," sighed Anna, "Well, I know that from life as well. I'm the reason Miss O'Brien is leaving at dawn. I'm the reason, I hope, that no harm comes to the people who will work with her in the future. And there was no other way to do it, John. Fire with fire,"
He held her hands in his.
"Tell me when you're ready," he said. "But know this. I stand with you. No matter what it is,"
Anna looked at her beautiful husband. "I know. I love you," she sighed, "Now I hope things can get settled. There's been enough excitement for one day,"