Thank you to those who have reviewed! I love getting reviews. This is chapter 2, hope you enjoy!

Anna Bates hummed as she scrubbed the floor of the sitting area, she had moved the furniture so she could get as much of the floor cleaned as possible. She was nearly done, only a few more spots before she moved onto the bedroom. She smiled as she remembered the night before and John's actions this morning. She had thought that this was simply a business transaction for him but the way he'd treated her the night before and reacted the way he had this morning, maybe he loved her, or could at least learn to love her.

Anna turned as the door to her house opened, she wasn't expecting John home for another few hours or so, had he gotten off work early?

But it was a woman who can through the door.

"Excuse me." The sudden sound of Anna's voice made the woman turn, she had blue eyes and brown hair, she was also about half a foot taller then Anna was. Anna was too surprised to say anything else and the woman spoke.

"Oh, John got himself a little housekeeper, but Mr. Bates must have told you about me." The woman said, "I'm Vera." She looked Anna up and down, her look critical.

"No, he hasn't told me about you. How do you know my husband?"

To say the woman was surprised would have been an understatement. "Your husband?" the words were spit out like they were disgusting swear words.

"Yes, we married yesterday."

"Yesterday?"

"Yes." Anna said quietly, looking up at the woman. "How do you know John?"

"We were engaged." Vera said, raising an eyebrow at Anna and casting a critical glance at the house. Anna tried not to feel like she was being judged. She had made good progress in the time she had been there. But engaged? How long had Vera and John been engaged?

"Well, John and I are married now, would you like to wait for John to come home?" Anna asked. "I've got some tea on..."

"No thank you, just tell him that Vera came by." The woman turned and left closing the door behind her sharply.

Anna turned back to cleaning, confused. She scrubbed the floor for another few moments before deciding the sitting area was clean enough. She dropped the rag into the laundry pile and made a mental note to do the laundry the next day.

Suddenly weary, she sagged into a chair at the table. How long had John and Vera been engaged? Why had they called off the engagement? Anna's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door, hoping it wasn't Vera again, Anna opened the door only to find Phyllis, her next door neighbor there.

"I saw Vera leaving." She said by way of explanation. She had a what looked like a pastry in her hands. "Thought you could use some cheering up."

"Who is she?" Anna asked, letting her new friend in.

"Vera, she and John used to be engaged." Phyllis said.

"What happened?"

Phyllis looked at Anna for a long moment before speaking carefully. "He and Vera were engaged for a long time but never got married."

"What happened then?"

"You came." Phyllis looked as surprised as Anna felt.

"I'll talk with John about her." Anna decided.

"I thought he would have already told you about her." Phyllis said, it was clear that she was trying not to sound too judgmental. Anna changed the subject then and the two new friends talked for another little while before Phyllis said she had to get back to cook dinner.

Anna finished putting a pot of soup on, and puttered around the house, making sure everything was clean for when her husband came home. John came in on time, Anna turned from where she was at the sink to watch her husband come in. He hung his coat up and turned to Anna. He looked happy to be home, and he smiled at Anna. "How was your day?"

"It was nice, except for when Vera came by." Anna got right to the point.

John actually looked scared for a moment, looking into the sitting area to see if Vera was there.

"She's not here but I was very interested to hear that the two of you had been engaged." Anna said, she lay the spoon to the side and took a few steps towards John. "If you were engaged to her, why didn't you marry her?" She took in a breath and asked the question that had been nagging at her since Vera had left. "Why me?"

John took in a breath "Because I knew that Vera would waste my money and that if I was not married to anyone she would find a way to get the money."

"So you needed a legal reason not to marry Vera." Anna tried not to feel too hurt. He hadn't even asked to meet her until a week before the wedding, nearly a month after getting permission from her father. Clearly he wasn't marrying for love. But after the night before and this morning, she had hoped that he could learn to love her.

John sighed and sat down at the table, Anna sat down across from him, trying not to judge him. "I got orders to go to war last month, I join a regiment in Africa next week. Because I'm fighting, I get a little extra money in my paycheck." Anna nodded quietly, She stood though, unable to keep from sitting still. John hesitated as she walked to the stove.

"I'm listening, but I'll be preparing tea and dinner, would you like some tea?"

"Yes, what kind?"

"Mint." Anna said.

John looked surprised for a moment, "That's my favorite." he said, smiling quietly at her.

"It's one of my favorites." Anna said, she busied herself at the stove, "now, you get money in your paycheck because you're fighting..." she gently guided him back to the subject at hand.

"If Vera and I were to get married, she would waste the money I got, she would buy things and leave the house to rot, basically."

Anna nodded and quietly 'uh-huhed'.

"And when you get married, you get another raise, simply because you are providing for another person as well."

"Why not just cancel the engagement?" Anna asked.

"Because she would find a way to get the money even if we weren't married. It happened the last time I was out fighting. If I'm married to someone that's not her, then she wouldn't be able to get the money at all."

John and Anna were silent for a few moments, Anna bustled around the kitchen. Once her eyes were clear of tears Anna spoke again.

"Why don't we live on base?"

"Because I want out of the army." John said quietly. "I'm proud to serve my country and I'll go and fight as long as I'm in, but I do want out sometime."

"That's understandable," Anna said, "Is there anything you want to do after you get out of the army?"

"Not sure." John shrugged, he seemed grateful at the change in subject. "I'm unable to get get out for another four years at the earliest." John said, "so we've got a while to make a decision about that."

Anna finished with the tea and set a cup in front of John.

"You leave in a week?"

"Yes, Tuesday." John said, "I'll ask the boy next door to look in on you and see if there's anything that needs doing around the house when I'm gone. Mrs. Baxter next door is an army wife as well." John said.

Anna smiled at that. "Phyllis and I have gotten to know each other quite well, I think we'll get along just fine."

"Good, you should have friends here." John said, he smiled as Anna sat across from him, "Your father said you enjoy reading."

"Yes, although I have been unable to go to school for the past few years because of how much work there is at the farm but I enjoy reading when I have the chance." Anna said.

"There's a library near here, I'll show you where it is so that you can check out the books you wish to read."

"That would be lovely." Anna said, "it will help with the long hours."

"My mother may wish for you to visit as well." John said.

Anna was surprised, this was the first she'd heard about John having a mother. "Your mother is still alive?"

"Yes, she lives about a mile from here." John said, "I usually go and have Sunday dinner with her, but she'll understand if I choose to spend it with you..."

"I would love to meet your mother." Anna said.

"I'll stop by on my way to work tomorrow and tell her to expect us."

Anna smiled, "sounds wonderful."

John smiled again, making her heart skip a beat. "Now, what do you have planned for the house?"

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