It felt so good to have her in his arms. His heart was breaking for her, he hated to see her like this, but it felt so good to have her in his arms. It felt like what had always been missing from his life, that thing he knew he didn't have but he didn't know what it was, the thing he was searching for without ever knowing how to find it – suddenly, here it was, and it made his heart glow and stiffen at the same time. He knew he couldn't do anything about it. But just for now, to have her in his arms felt absolutely wonderful.

Squeezing her tighter, he leant down and sniffed her hair. She smelled exquisite. He didn't know what it was, just Anna.

He shouldn't be feeling this. He shouldn't be thinking these things. This girl was crying, she needed his help, so what was he doing thinking of her in this way? He had no right. Frowning, he looked away. But he didn't let go of her.

...

"I'll speak to Mr Carson and Mrs Hughes for you," said Mr Bates as they approached the house. "When is the wake?"

"Saturday. I guess I could go down tomorrow evening and come back the following."

"Do you want to stay longer?"

"Not really. I always deal with these things better when I'm working."

"Right. Well, I'll tell them that."

"Thankyou. And thankyou for coming to find me, I'm…I'm really glad it was you."

"Me too."

With a brief, kind but awkward smile, Anna turned and darted up the stairs.

Mr Bates watched her go, and through the corner of his eye he saw Mrs Hughes watching from the end of the hallway.

"Is she alright?" the housekeeper whispered as she stepped towards him.

"I'm afraid her brother has been killed."

Mrs Hughes' face fell. "Oh no. Why do horrible things always happen to the best people."

"I know. Least of all Anna." The emotion was strong in his voice.

"She's three brothers, hasn't she? Which one was it?"

"The youngest. 18 years old."

"Oh my."

"The family are having a wake on Saturday, so Anna would like permission to go tomorrow afternoon and come back Saturday evening. I said I'd speak to you and Mr Carson about it."

"I'm sure that'll be fine, I'll talk to Mr Carson. You'd better be going – he's just rung the dressing gong."

...

"But what do we say to her? When she gets back?" asked Daisy as she poured Mr Carson his cup of tea.

"What do you mean, what do you say to her?" asked Mrs Hughes. "People lose people they love all the time, it doesn't mean you have to treat them any differently!"

"It's going to be happening a lot more from now on," said Mr Carson grimly.

"What do you mean?" asked Daisy.

"Yes, it will," said Mrs Hughes, accepting her cup of tea. "Until we're shot of this war."

Daisy looked down at the teapot, processing this information. She moved around the table to Mr Bates, and suddenly her head popped up again. "You were in a war, Mr Bates!" she said.

The valet nodded.

"Were it really like that? Do people die, just, all the time?"

Mr Bates froze, holding his tea cup in mid-air, his heart beating faster.

"Come now Daisy, don't ask uncomfortable questions," said Mr Carson. "I think we've all heard quite enough of this for now. Anna will be back tomorrow, and I expect you all to treat her kindly."

"Kindly, yeah," said Daisy. "I can do that."

William sipped his tea, looking at Mr Bates in admiration.

...

"I just don't understand," said the earl, frowning as his valet and former comrade held out his jacket. "I've written to them twice now, and got nothing back. No reply."

"I expect they're flooded with such letters, my lord."

"Well I can hardly go down to the local recruiting office."

"I'm sure they will respond in time."

"I thought they'd be dying for help from people like us!"

"Not people like me, my lord."

"I don't mean to go to the front, I mean training, tactics, administration…anything! Or was I not senior enough for that?"

John frowned and busied himself with replacing Lord Grantham's day suit in the wardrobe, desperately hoping that that was the reason, rather than that the earl had been tainted by employing someone who was dishonourably discharged, and the military wanted nothing to do with him as a result. Surely not, he thought. "I'm sure they will respond in time, my lord."

...