Housemaid's Holiday
Summary: Lady Mary sends Anna on an errand to Ripon and she is pleased when Mr. Bates asks to walk with her.
Disclaimers: If you didn't catch it on one of my first 50 stories, I don't own Downton Abbey. Big surprise there. I also don't typically use a beta reader but instead review and edit my own stories, for various reasons. If that offends you or you feel my writing is sub-standard as a result, I'm sorry to hear that.
A/N: This is just a "day in the life" sort of piece following Anna in early S1.
Reviews are greatly appreciated. No seriously, they are really appreciated at the moment. :)
Working as a servant was just that - work. Hard work with plenty of it coupled with too few breaks and little respite. As head housemaid, Anna was beneath Mrs. Hughes but above the other housemaids, the one to monitor their work but not take corrective action for mistakes. Most of the time, she tried to help them learn their duties rather than report them to the housekeeper for errors, but that often left her doing far more than her fair share.
Anna actually enjoyed the work, although it left her exhausted and with never enough hours in the night to sleep. The most enjoyable parts of her day were gossiping with Gwen while they made up the upstairs beds and fixing the girls' hair before dinner in the evening.
"Anna," said Lady Mary, glancing through her looking glass at the maid standing over her shoulder. Her eyes were discerning as she took in Anna's demeanor. "I'm almost out of this. Can you fetch some from Ripon tomorrow?"
She held up a small bottle of perfume which Anna recognized, having gone to that particular shop many times before on a similar errand.
"Of course, milady," she said with a smile. As it was not yet her half day, the trip into town would mean another maid would have to cover some of her duties, turning the walk into a small holiday. Anna never minded going to Ripon.
"And you might ask Lady Sybil if she needs anything while you're out," Lady Mary went on casually. "It looked like she was low on powder when last I was in her room."
Anna knew quite well that the powder in the youngest Crawley daughter's room was nearly untouched as the girl disliked the scent of it, but Lady Sybil often begged Anna to bring back a new book when she traveled into Ripon. Romantic plots were popular with the young woman but not the type of title she felt comfortable purchasing herself or through her parents.
"Also, anything that you're lacking," Lady Mary went on. She spoke offhandedly as she inspected her nails. "I don't expect you get many excursions under Mrs. Hughes' iron rule."
They both knew that the Earl's oldest daughter was well acquainted with the servants' limited free time, and she usually did her best not to infringe on it. But Anna said anyway, "Just my half day, milady."
"Half a day once a fortnight," Lady Mary stated softly, as though reminding herself of the restriction. With a cock of her head, she said, "Well you can tell Mrs. Hughes that I expect you to be gone for several hours given the extensive list of items I need. I'm sure that she will understand and make accommodations."
Mrs. Hughes understood all too well.
"Well of course she'd send you out when we're expecting company," the housekeeper growled in annoyance. The small desk in her sitting room was piled with receipts and books for the household and the woman looked all too harried. Thinking for a moment, she said, "Well the least you can do while you're out is to stop by the grocer and butcher with our orders for this coming week. And don't let Mrs. Patmore add anything. We've already discussed matters and she will have quite enough provisions to maintain even her standards."
Mrs. Hughes might have been a prophet as she perfectly predicted what the cook would attempt not a half an hour later. As Anna passed the kitchen on her way to the servant's hall, Mrs. Patmore called her in.
"Here," she said, pouring the housemaid a cup of tea, "you must be dead on your feet after such a long day."
"Thank you," Anna said, gratefully accepting the cup.
She noticed Mr. Bates standing on the other side of the kitchen, his cane hung on the counter as he leaned against it himself, one hand holding his own steaming cup and the other a saucer. Anna afforded him a smile even as the cook once again got her attention.
"So I hear you're to deliver orders tomorrow in Ripon," Mrs. Patmore said, as though the information was just a stray piece of gossip and not intelligence she found vital to the running of her kitchen.
Pausing, Anna said slowly, "I am, but Mrs. Hughes has said-"
"Oh, I'm not asking you to change the order. I'd just like to see it."
She hesitated. Over Mrs. Patmore's shoulder, she saw Mr. Bates try and fail to suppress a grin as he saw through the cook's intentions as readily as Anna herself did. But she could not refuse the request, so she handed over the papers she'd stowed away in her apron pocket.
Mrs. Patmore was quick to squint at them and then call Daisy over to confirm for her. "Oh, this is fine, fine," she said after a moment, "but there's just one thing I need to correct."
She took the list to her table and pulled out a pencil to change a few figures. Anna said nothing but watched over her shoulder as she increased the amount of several items.
"There, that should do it," the cook declared, handing back the paper to Anna. "Easier this way, rather than bothering Mrs. Hughes about it. Although why we don't have a standing order for me to just increase or decrease each week, I'll never know..."
As Mrs. Patmore returned to the final clean up of her kitchen for the evening, Mr. Bates set his teacup aside and made his way across to Anna, who stood looking with bemusement at the orders in her hand, now containing the cook's added notations.
"So you'll be running errands tomorrow, I take it?" he asked, his deep voice sending a vibration through the air to meet with her already elevated heartbeat.
There was something about the new valet, a kindness in his eyes. He offered no explanations of himself, but he was eager to please others and help whenever he could. Despite having gotten on the bad side of Thomas and Miss O'Brien, the rest of the staff found him unoffending and quiet, the sort of person no one minded having around as he usually kept himself to himself.
"For Lady Mary and Lady Sybil," Anna answered, "although while I'm there, Mrs. Hughes asked me to deliver the orders."
She smirked as she stowed said orders back into her apron, and Mr. Bates mirrored her expression.
He ventured quietly, "Tomorrow is my half-day. I might walk into town with you, if you wouldn't mind the company."
Her cheeks felt unusually hot and a tingle began at the back of her neck and ran down her spine into her extremities as Anna told him, "I wouldn't mind at all."
That night as she lay in bed waiting for exhaustion to take her, she thought very seriously about Mr. Bates and the butterfly flutterings in her belly every time they spoke. She had noticed it right at the start, the feelings he produced in her. Never had she felt the same before, not with any of the previous footmen or valets or chauffeurs or even farmers she'd met.
And he seemed... safe. Anna had no other way to describe the premonition that Mr. Bates would never harm her, a consideration which had dwelled in the back of her mind since childhood. The valet did not look at her with shrewd eyes or an expression of predatory intent. Rather, he seemed completely earnest and kind, as though her friendship and company were the only things he could possibly want from her.
The next morning was full to the brim with work and extra duties so she could make her trip to Ripon. She scarcely had time to breath let alone think much more on Mr. Bates' offer to walk with her into town. But once she changed out of her uniform and affixed her hat and gloves, Anna found him standing near the back door.
"Sorry," she said with a smile, "I hope I didn't keep you waiting."
"Not at all."
They set off at a slow walk, and Anna found that the man's gentle pace suited her after such a rushed morning. He spoke little at first, mostly posing questions in order to hear her speak. But as they neared their destination, he began to come out of his shell more. He mentioned his mother living in London, an Irish woman who supported herself as a seamstress.
"What about you?" he inquired, before Anna could ask more about his past. "Do you have family?"
She shrugged a shoulder. "My mother, but I don't have much occasion to see her. And my sister and I haven't spoken in quite some time."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
His comment seemed quite genuine, although she waited for him to push further for details. Having told no one about the break in her family when she'd first gone north to work, Anna had no idea what she would say if he did ask. But Mr. Bates remained silent on the topic, giving her both time and space to say what she liked. Anna sensed that the man walking beside her would keep any secret she cared to divulge, but he was still very much a stranger to her, so she maintained her own counsel.
Some secrets were better left buried anyhow.
Forcing herself into a more upbeat mood, Anna said, "Well, I never asked you what was bringing you to Ripon today, Mister Bates. Are you on a quest for anything in particular?"
He nodded sagely and answered, "A few things, but most particularly, a book. I quite enjoy his Lordship's library, but his selection of poetry is rather lacking."
The comment earned a smile from Anna and quickly guided them into a discussion about books and their favorite writers. She found him to be well and widely read, although he showed as much interest in her likes as he did in exhibiting his own expertise. When she remarked on the depth of his knowledge, he said only that several times in his life he'd been left with reading books as his only occupation.
She tried not to let her eyes stray to his cane after that, although her mind took her to an imagined battlefield in South Africa. While Anna might wonder about what had happened to him there, she could never ask about it, not even if they were the best of friends who had known each other for years. It just did not seem right.
By the time they reached Ripon, it was time for them to part. Mister Bates had need of some shoe polish from the boot store and her first stop was an upscale shop which had a very small selection of imported French perfumes, mostly maintained for the ladies of the county.
Anna told him, "Perhaps we'll meet later at the bookshop."
While she would have liked for her words to be prophetic, she was delayed at the grocer's and even more so with the butcher as they struggled to discern the scribbled changes to the order Mrs. Patmore had made. By the time she reached the bookshop, Mr. Bates was not there, and she imagined that he'd walked back to the Abbey without her.
They had made no plans to return together, so she could not blame him, but her disappointment settled like a stone within her, ruining her usually enthusiastic perusal of the volumes in search of some new favorite. She looked for one Mr. Bates had recommended, but could not find it in on the shelves. Instead, she sought out a copy of one of her old favorites so she could lend it to him and then read it again herself. And upon the shopkeeper's recommendation, she bought one for Lady Sybil as well. She settled the books in her basket before setting off back to the house.
She caught up with him on the road.
As she rounded a curve, Anna noticed the familiar lines of his shoulders first, and then his telltale cane. Quickening her step, she closed the distance between them until she was only a few feet behind. He turned at the sound of her approach.
"I had given up hope of meeting you again," he explained, slightly embarrassed that he'd left the town without her. "I thought you might have already gone back."
Shaking her head, Anna apologized, "It took longer than expected."
They fell into step together, and she sighed at the peace she felt with the sedate pace. When walking on her own, she always felt so rushed to get to where she was going. But walking with him was a pleasant excuse to slow down and enjoy the scenery.
"I have something for you," he said after a moment. She raised an eyebrow and he held out a parcel she had not noticed he had tucked under his arm.
A book.
It was the book he had recommended to her before, the one she had looked for without success. And no wonder she had not found it as he had already purchased it. With a smile of thanks, she placed the book in her basket and retrieved the one she'd bought for him. He accepted it with surprise.
"You shouldn't have done..."
"Fair's fair, Mister Bates," she responded triumphantly.
His wide, closed lipped grin deepened the wrinkles around his eyes as he looked down at the book, and Anna was struck not for the first time how attractive the man was. The flutterings in her stomach had returned, and she suddenly wished they could walk even more slowly so as to prolong their time together.
But all too soon they arrived back at the house. Anna offered Mr. Bates a shy thanks for walking with her, and he responded how the honor had been all his. He paused in the courtyard, perhaps to smoke a cigarette, although Anna suspected it was so they were not seen returning together. Rumors in a place the size of Downton could be very ugly and even threaten one's position. But a piece of her would not have minded if people thought Mr. Bates fancied her.
Possibly because that same piece wanted it to be true, she realized.
She reported to Mrs. Hughes before going up to change back into her uniform, and the housekeeper asked her about the orders.
"Mrs. Patmore added more sugar and beef to the lists," she stated with a sigh, "just like last time."
"I expected as much," the other woman stated with a nod. "But that's alright. I deliberately ordered less because I knew she would. Thank you, Anna."
Slipping up to the room she shared with Gwen, Anna found the other housemaid there also changing for the evening.
"How was your trip to Ripon?" the red-haired woman asked with a teasing smirk.
"It was fine, thank you. Anything happen while I was gone?"
"Nothing interesting. Mrs. Hughes came to supervise while we were making up the beds, so there wasn't much room for talking about anything."
Having changed into her black uniform, Anna took a moment to touch up her hair and affix her white cap. She'd taken the book Mr. Bates had given her out of her basket and set it to the side, but Gwen was quick to pick it up.
"And what's this then?" she asked.
"Just something I saw at the shop."
Not much of a reader, Gwen flipped through a few pages before returning it. She looked at Anna with a curious expression. "I heard Mister Bates walked in with you to Ripon."
Holding herself steady so as not to awaken the butterflies in her stomach once again, Anna answered casually, "He did. It was very kind of him."
Before Gwen could press for more details, Anna collected the items she'd been sent to Ripon to buy and made her way to the family rooms. She first dropped the book and powder into Lady Sybil's room and took a quarter of an hour helping her arrange her hair. The youngest Crawley sister usually preferred economy and comfort over grand styles, but she also enjoyed chatting with Anna. On this evening, she was more engaged with her new novel.
Next, Anna took her time with Lady Edith, who seemed more lackluster than normal. Her hair not only defied the Crawley norm with a lighter color, but it had a natural tendency to curl so Anna embraced the trait by showcasing her curls as much as possible. Still, doing Lady Edith's hair always took twice as long as either Sybil's or Mary's because she fretted over every iteration that Anna suggested.
This time, she also had a few words to say about the housemaid's trip to Ripon.
"You should have told me you were going. There were things I needed as well."
"I'm sorry, milady. Lady Mary asked me late last evening. But I can go back for you tomorrow, if you like."
But the woman shook her head, obviously not about to disrupt Mrs. Hughes' staff by sending Anna all the way to Ripon for a second day in a row. "You can just drop by the shops next time you're there. When is your next half day?"
Pausing, Anna said carefully, "Friday next."
"That will be fine. I'll give you a list the day before. But Anna, don't forget that you aren't Lady Mary's maid exclusively. You belong to all three of us."
"Of course, milady."
Annoyed at the woman's presumption and the necessity of making another trip to Ripon on her half day, Anna took several deep breaths as she put the finishing touches on her hair. She quietly slipped out after Edith had pronounced it acceptable and thanked her for the effort.
And finally, she knocked before entering Lady Mary's bedroom. Earlier in the day, she'd laid out two dresses from which the oldest daughter could choose, and Anna found her admiring the first of those - an emerald green one of a darker shade than Mary generally preferred. But it was acceptable for half mourning and prettier than the gray alternative.
After setting the perfume on Lady Mary's dressing table, Anna assisted her into the frock and did up the array of buttons along the back. Not unusually, Mary was in a talkative mood and asked Anna about her trip into Ripon as the housemaid began arranging her hair.
"It went well, milady. I was able to get everything needed."
She noticed Lady Mary barely glanced at the full bottle of perfume, as though it had been an afterthought from the outset. "I'm sure Lady Edith had a grumble when she found out you'd gone."
Suppressing a smile, Anna noted, "I couldn't say, milady."
"Well, I could. And don't let her make you go on your half-day if you aren't going already. I can invent something else to send you for next week if need be."
Anna twisted the other woman's hair up into an intricate bun, placing pins in as she went. "I'm sure things will work themselves out. And I don't mind walking into Ripon."
She especially did not mind if Mr. Bates found a way to accompany her again. Anna smiled at the thought and then quickly schooled her features. But Lady Mary had obviously seen the slip.
"And what has you so happy?" she asked.
"Nothing, milady."
Lady Mary eyed her shrewdly but did not pursue the matter. They were quiet together for a while as Anna worked her magic with the woman's long tresses. With so much hair to deal with, it was always a challenge to do it up without overburdening Mary's delicate features. But Anna managed it. By the time she was satisfied with her work, Lady Mary seemed to be as well.
"Well done," she said evenly, turning her head to the side, and Anna smiled. Such words were likely to be the highest praise she'd ever received from this particular daughter, but at least she meant them. "Tomorrow I plan to go out riding, so be sure to find my riding clothes and boots."
With a nod, Anna answered, "Very good, milady."
She gathered up the extra dress and the woman's day clothes before exiting the room. And once again, Anna was back to walking quickly, her feet ready to take her to the laundry and then to the boot room so she could shine up the shoes from the day and inspect Lady Mary's riding boots. Her riding clothes were already clean and ready from her last day out, but Anna intended to inspect them later before retiring for the evening. Plus she needed to lay out the girls' night gowns while they were at dinner...
In the corridor, she paused as she saw Mr. Bates about to enter the servants' stairwell. He carried his Lordship's laundry under his left arm, using his shoulder to push open the door. Anna quickly hurried to help him, but he had already managed it by the time she reached him. His motion turned him so that he saw her approaching quickly, and Anna blushed as he smiled at her.
"Hello," he said.
Not wanting to admit that she'd been hurrying to assist him, she merely smiled back, "Hello."
He gestured for her to go down before him, and she did so, although she lightened her step so that she would not outstrip his slower pace down the stairs. He mentioned that he'd begun reading the book she had lent him, the first few pages at least, and it seemed an interesting story.
"I hope you like it," she told him sincerely. "I'll probably read it again after you're done as I haven't read it in some time."
"Then we can discuss our points of view?" he asked with a touch of humor in his voice.
"That would be nice."
Anna could not ignore the butterfly flutterings within her belly at that moment, they were so strong as to make her feel suddenly dizzy. But there was too much to do for her to stand about so long mooning at Mr. Bates as he waited to get on with his work. So she continued down the stairs knowing as she did so that he would still be around tomorrow. Tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that.
She realized that she looked forward to more conversations with Mr. Bates with even greater anticipation than her next unplanned holiday into Ripon.
fin