Not my characters etc etc, but I do believe that the other stories I have written fit in well with the canon of the show. This one doesn't quite, solely because of three words Anna utters in series three episode one, when advising John to be careful with his new cellmate. "Just remember what my mum used to say," she says, "Never make an enemy by accident."
I think the only other time Anna references her mother is in series one episode five: "Fight fire with fire. That's why my mum says." The switch from present to past tense clearly implies that Anna's mother has died between series one and series three, and yet we were never shown this. I think this is very sad and very silly – I think it would be of great benefit to character depth to explore the personal lives and families of the servants more often. Apart from Mr Bates' mother, who died right after she had been introduced and with tragically little acknowledgement, the only other servant's family member we have been introduced to is William's dad, who then became Daisy's only family, offered her his farm and left her to think about it, only to disappear and the issue not be brought up ever again (hopefully it will be in series four!)
I think it would be great if they explored the servants' families more, especially Anna's, because she is such a fascinating character and it would be interesting to know where she gets her values from. So, I have stepped into the AU by assuming that Anna's mother is still living in series 3, as well as her father and surviving siblings. (Anna has never mentioned them in the show, but I created them myself in Of Love and War).
Chronology-wise, this story fits in between 2x08 and the 2011 Christmas Special. Therefore, it could quite easily be slotted into the canon storyline with the deletion of those three simple words, "used to say", from Anna's line in series three episode one.
...
Anna was tired. She hadn't been sleeping. Every night, she would lie down in bed and her eyes would remain open, staring at the ceiling. After an hour or so of doing this, she would roll over and close her eyes, but the sleep wouldn't come.
She would always roll to her right side, and her hand would extend just slightly across the pillow beside her, reaching towards the space where her husband had lain on the most perfect night of her life. He wasn't there anymore. She was in a single bed, after all – beside her was just air. But that didn't stop her thinking of him, day after day, night after night.
On this particular day, Marge, the new maid, had been talking ten to the dozen all morning about the upcoming Downton fair, and asking Anna all manner of questions about what was likely to happen there.
"Will there be a dance?"
Anna sighed as she fluffed yet another pillow. "There used to be, before the war."
"When was the last one?"
"1914, I believe." Anna frowned, trying not to remember. She had had a great time, spinning around the dance floor with Mr Branson and William, and then she had caught Mr Bates watching her. She went over to talk to him, and stayed there for the rest of the night. She had a wonderful time.
It was so long ago, and things had changed so much.
Anna watched as Marge patted down Lady Edith's bed, smoothing out all the creases.
"Are we done?" the young maid asked.
"Yes, I think so," Anna replied. "For now."
...
After luncheon, Mrs Hughes sent Marge off with Daisy to dust all the chandeliers, and Anna was allowed some peace. She had things to do, though - it was Wednesday. She always went into the village on a Wednesday, to post letters and collect any errant items needed by Mrs Patmore, Mrs Hughes, and anyone else who requested it.
She visited the post office first. Mrs Patmore had given her a small package she wanted sent to her sister, and Thomas a thin letter with snaky writing addressed to a post office box in London, which gave no clue as to who or what it was actually meant for. Anna usually found that with Thomas, it was best not to wonder.
And she, of course, had a letter for Mr Bates, in reply to the latest one she had received from him on Monday. She'd also received another letter from her mother the previous week, but she couldn't bring herself to reply. She just didn't know what to say. When she'd got married, she'd written to her sister, in a moment of ecstatic unthinkingness, to tell her all about how happy she was. She had said that she was seeking to break the news to their parents more gently at a later date, but the later date had, of course, never come, and Anna, not wishing to worry her parents with the news that their daughter was married to a man due to be tried for murder, did not tell them she was married. Her sister, on a visit to the family farm two months later with her husband and children, casually asked her mother if she'd met Anna's husband, assuming that Anna would have told their parents by then. The can of worms was opened, giving rise to a barrage of letters from Anna's mother, sister, one of her brothers and the other brother's wife, asking her what on earth was going on. And she couldn't tell them. She just didn't know how to explain. So she ignored the letters.
...
Mrs Hughes was, as usual, quite busy, although, by her own reckoning, she felt that she was not that busy – it was an ordinary day, and ordinary days always had their fair amount of busyness in them, but she was not overrun.
"Mrs Hughes!" came a slightly panicked voice from along the corridor. Mr Carson was always busy.
"Yes, Mr Carson?" said the housekeeper, walking towards his voice. She could hear foraging noises coming from the crockery store.
"Have you seen the china teapot?"
"Which one?"
"What do you mean, which one? The good one, the one his lordship and her ladyship received for a wedding present, the one with a peacock on the side!"
"Oh." Mrs Hughes recalled the teapot in question, but reflected that Daisy was far more likely to know of its current location than she was. "Why do you need that, we've not got any posh guests today, have we?"
"No, of course not, I'm preparing for Lord and Lady Flintshire's visit next week!"
"I see. Well why don't you ask Daisy, she'll be the one making the – oh, there she is!"
Looking back into the corridor, Mrs Hughes saw the kitchen maid at the end of it, by the back door. "I think she's in the village," she was saying to someone in the doorway. "Hold on, I'll just go and check." The girl turned and started moving toward Mrs Hughes.
"Have you seen the peacock teapot, Daisy?" asked the housekeeper. "The one that's used only for important guests?"
"No, we haven't used that one for ages," Daisy replied, as a muffled gasp of "What? Where is it, then?" was heard from the butler inside the crockery store.
"Have you seen Anna?" Daisy asked Mrs Hughes.
"She's in the village," the housekeeper replied.
"That's what I thought. Do you know when she'll be back? There's a woman at the door asking for her."
"I'll deal with it, thankyou Daisy," said Mrs Hughes, sweeping back down the corridor.
"Daisy!" Mr Carson's face appeared around the crockery store doorframe. "Kindly cast your mind back to when we last used the teapot?"
"Hello!" said Mrs Hughes to the grey-haired woman standing at the back door. "I'm Mrs Hughes, the housekeeper. I'm afraid Anna isn't here at the moment, but she should be back soon, if you'd like to wait." She smiled.
"Thankyou, I will wait," said the woman. "I'm her mother and I've come a long way to see her!"
"Oh, of course you are!" A look of realisation spread across Mrs Hughes' face. "I'm sorry, Mrs Smith, I do recognise you, I think we met when Anna first started working here! You won't remember me though, I wasn't housekeeper then."
"I feel I know you very well, Mrs Hughes - Anna often mentions you in her letters!"
"Does she now? Come in." Mrs Hughes stepped aside and guided Mrs Smith through to her sitting room. "I do hope she says nice things – but knowing Anna, I'm sure she does."
"Oh, very nice things, Mrs Hughes. I'm ever so grateful to you for looking after her."
Mrs Hughes' smile fell. "My pleasure," she said solemnly. "Would you like some tea? You can wait in here until Anna arrives."
"Oh, thankyou very much. I could murder a good cup of tea right now, and I very much appreciate the chance to sit down as well."
Mrs Hughes stepped back along to corridor to ask Daisy to make tea for Mrs Smith, and to ask Mr Carson if he could spare her for a few minutes.
"I'm fine, thankyou, Mrs Hughes," said the butler, proudly holding a peacock china teapot aloft. "I found it!"
The housekeeper slipped back into her sitting room. "Anna left about an hour ago," she explained, "but I asked her to fetch me a couple of cleaning items, so she might take a little bit longer than she usually does. Not too long, though, I'm sure. She's never away too long. Do you mind waiting here?"
"Oh, not at all, thankyou very much!" said Mrs Smith. "But I wonder, can I ask you…is Anna alright?"
"Alright is not a word I would use, no." Looking at her visitor curiously, Mrs Hughes shut the door and sat down at her desk. "She didn't mention that you were coming."
"No." Mrs Smith shook her head. "No, she doesn't know."
"I see."
"I'm so sorry to disturb your working day, but I had to come, you see, because I'm so worried – we haven't heard from Anna for four months! She used to write to me almost every fortnight, right from when she first came here, but now… I did get one letter about six weeks ago, in response to one I'd written her, but it was so…vague. Something wasn't right. And I've written to her three times since then, and got nothing back."
"How much do you know, Mrs Smith?"
"Nothing at all, I've got nothing from her – my other daughter, Elise, said that she'd received a letter from Anna in April saying that she was married and really happy, but she never told us, and if it is true… Well, it can't be true, can it, she can't be happy, because if she was happy, she'd tell me! I've never known her to cut herself off like this before!"
Mrs Hughes nodded. "I've only seen her like this once before. Well, erm, I'll explain to you what I can, and when Anna gets back, she can tell you the rest, I suppose. I'm sorry, I didn't know she hadn't told you. I expect she probably wanted to, but…didn't know how."
"I expect she probably didn't want to worry us."
"Yes."
"But she doesn't realise that parents will always worry, whenever and whatever, and only moreso when they're not told what's happening!"
There was a knock at the door, and Daisy entered with the tea.
"Oh, thankyou so much, dear, I'm parched!" declared Mrs Smith, smiling at the young maid.
"You're welcome," said Daisy, smiling as she left the room.
Mrs Hughes poured Mrs Smith and herself cup of tea, and leant back in her chair. "Has Anna mentioned Mr Bates to you?" she asked.
Mrs Smith nodded. "Many times. As kindly as she mentions you."
"Did you know that she was engaged to him?"
Surprise flashed across Mrs Smith's eyes, but she kept it hidden. "No."
"She was engaged to him for a long time. I watched it happen, and it was beautiful to see, they – they dote on each other. I've never seen two people more in love. But the length of their engagement and also, I suspect, the reason why Anna didn't tell you about it was that he was married to somebody else. Somebody from whom he had been separated for many years, but who was reluctant to give him a divorce."
"And Anna knew this?"
"Yes. He would not have kept it from her – I assure you, he is a very honourable man. He didn't mean to compromise her honour in any way, he simply thought that he could get a divorce, but it turned out he couldn't."
Mrs Smith frowned. "Was she compromised?"
"She might have been. But his wife died suddenly, last November. Finally, they were free to get married, but, because the former Mrs Bates had died in…unexplainable circumstances, suspicion fell on him. It seems he was the only one who had anything to gain from her death, but… I'm sure he didn't do it, he is one of the most gentle men I've ever known. But, the police disagree, and he's currently being held in York Prison awaiting trial."
Mrs Smith's mouth fell open. "That's where he is now?"
"Yes. And Anna, she… she goes about her days, she gets her job done, but… she doesn't smile any more, not to reach her eyes anyway. I haven't seen her eyes twinkle once since it happened. I'm telling you this to warn you – when you see her, you will notice the difference."
"Did they get married?"
Mrs Hughes nodded. "Three days before he was arrested. I didn't know, they snuck off to a registry office, didn't tell anyone, and then he was arrested in the servants' hall down there and led away; I pulled Anna in here, her lip quivering, and she pulled a necklace out of her dress, on which was hanging a gold ring. She took it off the necklace and shoved it proudly onto her finger."
There was silence for a few moments as Mrs Smith digested this. Mrs Hughes quietly sipped her tea and tried to read the woman's worried face.
"Are you sure he… He's an honourable man, you say, and he…?"
Mrs Hughes nodded vehemently. "He is an honourable man, he's a very good man, Mrs Smith. I'm sure he didn't kill anyone, and I'm sure he wouldn't deliberately do anything that would hurt Anna. But unfortunately, at the moment, things are out of his control."
"You know him well?"
"I do."
"Good." Mrs Smith drained her cup of tea and placed it back on the table. "Thankyou," she smiled. "That hit the spot."
Mrs Hughes began clearing away the tea things, still watching her companion closely, as she more than once appeared on the verge of saying something, before suddenly stopping.
The housekeeper gave what she hoped was an encouraging smile. "Is there anything else you'd like to know, Mrs Smith?"
"Well, yes." Mrs Smith nodded. "The thing I don't understand is, why is -"
There was a sudden rap at the door, and it opened to reveal Anna, in her hat and coat, holding an overflowing basket. "They were out of borax, Mrs Hughes, but there's a new order due in on…" Suddenly realising who else was in the room, Anna's voice trailed off as she stared at her mother in ill-concealed shock. Realising that her mouth was hanging open, Anna attempted to recover herself with a shaky, "Hello."
"Hello, dear," said Mrs Smith, getting up and sweeping her daughter into a hug. Mrs Hughes only just managed to rescue the basket before it tipped over.
"What's wrong? What's happened?" Anna looked very worried.
"With me? Oh no, nothing's wrong with me!"
"Is Dad alright?"
"Yes, yes, we're all fine, I just wanted to see you, that's all!" Ida Smith looked into her daughter's face for the first time, and she saw fear and deep, deep worry. "Oh, I'm sorry, dear, I didn't mean to worry you! It's alright!" She swept her daughter into a hug again.
Anna looked over her mother's shoulder at Mrs Hughes, a look of intense confusion on her face.
"She came because she's worried about you, Anna," explained the housekeeper.
"Why?"
"Just a moment, Mrs Smith, we'll just take these things through to the store rooms. Then, you and Anna can take a walk."
Grabbing the speechless Anna's arm, Mrs Hughes pulled her back into the corridor. Both were silent until they reached the privacy of the store rooms. Anna didn't know what to say, anyway.
"I didn't realise you hadn't told your family about what's been happening, Anna."
"It's not that I was keeping it from them, I just didn't know what to say, I mean how do you say that, how do you explain…"
"Well, I've filled your mother in on the basics. You can go with her now and have a good long talk about it, and don't you hide anything."
Anna was cradling her arms close to her chest, nervous, and embarrassed. She wasn't used to her life being under a magnifying glass like this. "What did you say?" she asked.
"I explained the basics of your situation with Mr Bates."
"The basics of…all parts of it, or…?"
"Well, you can't really explain one part without explaining all the other parts."
"She doesn't know, I mean, I didn't even tell them that I was engaged!"
"And I can understand why you didn't at the time, but now is the time for truth. It'll do you good to get it off your chest as well."
"But Dad wouldn't -"
"She's not your dad, she's your mum. She's been very understanding so far."
Anna kept her arms wrapped around her body as they walked back along the corridor to Mrs Hughes' sitting room.
"You can have the rest of the afternoon off, Anna. Take your time."
"Thankyou so much, Mrs Hughes," said Mrs Smith warmly.
"My pleasure. Off with you, then!" the housekeeper smiled encouragingly at Anna, but Anna didn't return it.
As the back door shut behind them, Mr Carson poked his head out of his office, a half-polished sugar bowl in his hands. "What was that?" he asked.