A/N: I am finally starting to get used to calling Bates 'John' although it still feels quite weird writing it. Anyway, thank you all so much for showing an interest in this story. I'm overwhelmed with the response, and I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much. Disclaimer is the same as the first chapter, and will be throughout the rest of the story.
A Long and Winding Road
Chapter One
Anna was granted some time off immediately to go and settle matters with her remaining family. The family upstairs had offered their condolences, either individually in the case of Lady Mary and Mr Crawley as Anna carried out her duties and with Lord Grantham, who had come across Anna in the hallway and stopped to offer her his sympathies, or through Mrs Hughes, as was the case with Her Ladyship. Anna had somehow managed to hold back the tears as she had received such kindness, especially when Lady Mary had told her that her niece would be welcome here for as long as Anna and Bates would need.
Anna had tried to argue that the family were being too kind, but it was soon dismissed by an adamant Lady Mary, who reassured her lady's maid that had it not been for her and Mr Bates and their thoughtfulness and discretion towards her situation all those years ago, the family would have been thrown into scandal. And it was true, Anna had mulled over silently, acknowledging that had it not been for that situation and their loyalty towards keeping it under wraps, she and Mr Bates may have been married long before they originally had.
The night before Anna was set to travel to the village where her sister had lived, she sat silently in the servants' hall. All around her, laughter and conversation could be heard as the others partook in a card game of sorts before bed, but all Anna could focus on was her cup of tea that was beginning to become increasingly cool as the minutes passed. Jimmy had asked if Anna had wanted to be a part of the game, but she had politely refused.
It was only when a certain figure entered the room that the slightest sign of a smile swept across her face. He came into the hall and sat beside her instantly, having just finished tending to His Lordship for the night. His foot swept across her own gently, almost reaffirming his presence and his hand dropped to rest upon her thigh, just the added weight there becoming a welcome relief to Anna who had lived so long without it over the past year or so.
Anna turned and smiled at her husband, leaning her right elbow on the table.
Bates instantly studied her face, looking for any signs that would tell him that she was not all right. "How are you feeling?" He could not help but ask. It had become second nature to him now. The ring on her finger and the signed legal document entailed that he could ask after her welfare and it not be deemed inappropriate. Since being released from prison, he and Anna had been careful in their encounters with each other, but little could stop him from taking her hand in the hallway and giving it a gentle squeeze – most of the time to reassure her if she happened to be feeling out of sorts, but also to reassure himself that this was all real.
"Better now that you're here," Anna responded quietly, aware that Thomas would in no doubt roll his eyes at their affectionate displays and make some sarcastic comment.
As it happened, the only response she received was the one she longed for the most. Her husband was now smiling even more, the kind of smile that reached his eyes.
"And how do you feel about tomorrow?"
At this, Anna sighed.
Even the thought of tomorrow was bringing uncomfortable lurches to her insides. But, it was not so much the responsibility that tomorrow entailed. Anna was fairly confident that she could go and arrange everything; that she could go to Lizzy and maintain her usual pillar of strength. The one thing she was unsure of was being able to cope without the support of her husband.
It had been one thing to let Anna go and make the decisions for her late sister, Mrs Hughes had kindly offered to look after Lady Mary for a couple of days since Miss O'Brien still seemed scandalised at the idea of even more work on top of her own. But John had not been afforded the time off to go with Anna. Anna had brushed aside his concerns and told him that it would be unfair to have left the family without both of them for a couple of days, and he had only just returned to carrying out his duties a few days before even when His Lordship had insisted that he could have more time to rest. She had reiterated that it would only be for a couple of days.
Still, he would miss her. It sounded awfully romantic, but he had gone so long without being able to see her face every day – making do with a worn photograph taken in Ripon – that now he had the opportunity to, he never wanted to lose that again. His ears had even been able to fine tune her footsteps on the stone steps of the corridors.
"I'm not too sure," Anna eventually replied, taking another sip of her now cold tea. "I can't say I know what to expect, or if she will even remember me. It has been years…"
She trailed off, and John instantly moved his hand and wrapped it around her own comfortingly.
Anna tried to smile, her lip wobbling a little as her eyes began to cloud over.
"She will," Bates responded before leaning forwards a little more, lowering his voice. "Who could ever forget a face such as perfect as yours?"
Anna giggled a little at his flirting, and whilst Thomas rolled his eyes from across the table, Miss O'Brien muttered under her breath, "Heaven help us all."
Anna shot her head around to look at the other lady's maid, but could only smile wider as she turned back to face her husband. It didn't even matter to them. Nothing anyone could say would spoil their moments now that he was back with her again. They had both waited so long for this time to come.
So instead of retorting, Anna paid more attention to the book her husband had brought with him to the table. However, as soon as she pointed at it and was about to speak, a loud yawn escaped her lips, one which she instantly covered with her hand. Anna looked a little sheepish as her husband widened his eyes in amusement, but they only turned to a tender, affectionate gaze in the space of a few seconds.
"You should head up to bed, you have a busy day tomorrow."
Anna smiled, nodded and immediately admitted defeat. She was tired. She had miscalculated how much she could do in a day that involved tending to Lady Mary, preparing herself for tomorrow and also relaying the necessary information to Mrs Hughes earlier that evening.
"I think I will," Anna conceded. "Good night, Mr Bates."
John smiled. "Good night, Anna." Although he was surprised that she was not going to afford him a good night kiss. His face fell a little when she bid good night to the rest of the room and made her way to the door without looking around at him again. His gaze flickered in that direction a couple of times, and just when he was going to pick up his book and begin some reading, he caught sight of her still hovering by the door.
Subtly looking up, an excited thrill coursed through his body at the suggestive look she was giving him, nodding for him to join her.
He stood up, mumbled something about tea and asking if anyone would want any. He heard a few responses, but was almost out of the hall before he could really take in their replies.
Bates instantly looked around for Anna, only to hear her calling him from the corridor to his left. He looked around, and saw that she was hovering outside one of the rooms used to press dresses and shirts for dinner upstairs, and his grin instantly widened.
"And here was me thinking you might go up without giving me a proper good night kiss," Bates teased her, moving swiftly even with his cane.
Anna backed up against the door and fumbled with the door handle, all the while keeping her eyes on her husband, a wicked grin across her face. When the door was open, she moved her hands and they both gripped the edges of his jacket, pulling him closer to her. "Then it seems you have a lot to learn, husband."
John could take it no longer and instantly pressed their lips together, his hands moving to her waist and hair, stroking them both eagerly. Anna backed them into the room, Bates using one of his hands to close the door behind them.
Anna continued to kiss her husband languidly, her hands moving from his jacket to mess with his hair, only too aware that he would probably go back outside and be seen in such a state of disarray. The thought made her giggle, inadvertently breaking their kiss and causing her husband to look at her curiously.
His curious gaze then turned sceptic, and Anna could not stop herself from blowing into full laughter.
John could hardly say anything, afraid that she would stop when her laughter was such music to his ears, therefore he simply pulled her into his chest, resting his chip atop of her hair. When it died down a little, he asked softly, "Anything I should be made aware of?"
He could feel her shaking her head against his chest, and even this foreign feeling made him smile. They pulled apart a few moments later, and John took a moment to admire his wife before closing the distance between their lips again, all the while running his hands up and down her sides.
Anna moaned her appreciation, her own hands exploring the vast expanse of his shoulders, her nimble fingers underneath his jacket and clawing at the fabric of his shirt.
Eventually, however, their movements ceased, both aware that neither could continue whilst here. John ended their kiss slowly, still caressing her skin softly with his lips as Anna fought to regain control of her breath. "That was some good night kiss," Anna whispered shakily.
"The first of many," John vowed as he kissed her temple lovingly. He wanted nothing more than to remain in her embrace for hours to come, but John knew that she needed as much precious sleep as she could get in order for her to survive the day tomorrow. "You should go up, your train leaves early tomorrow."
Anna sighed, letting her head drop against his chest almost stubbornly. "You're right."
"As usual," John quipped, his eyes narrowing amusedly as Anna snapped her head back up.
She retorted, "Don't be getting too ahead of yourself, Mr Bates."
His lips curved into a smile once more – in the back of his mind he recalled that he had never smiled this much before meeting Anna. They stayed in that position for a little longer before Anna finally left for bed, although not before kissing him once more.
Bates left the room with a bright smile across his face and instantly began walking towards the servants' hall, intent on fetching his book and heading to bed himself. A handful of his colleagues were still immersed in their card game, a few of the hall boys having joined them since John had left, so he rounded the table quickly and picked up his book.
Just as he was about to leave, however, Alfred spoke up and asked about the tea he had supposedly gone to make. Stammering an apology before he turned red with embarrassment, Bates continued out of the hall almost as quickly as he had entered, all the while secretly marvelling at the profound impact his wife had on him.
Bates had insisted that he escort Anna to the train station the next morning. Her train was to leave at nine o'clock so Mr Carson arranged for Thomas to dress His Lordship that morning whilst Mrs Hughes was all ready to take over from Anna's duties for the next couple of days.
Therefore, Mr and Mrs Bates found themselves at Downton train station a little before nine that morning, the former holding onto her bag insistently. Anna being Anna had argued that she could hold her own bag, but he had point blank refused.
"So, this is you," John acknowledged after having placed her bag in the third class compartment and then joining her back on the almost-empty platform.
"It is," Anna murmured, fiddling with her gloved hands, looking down at the ground.
She had been reasonably quiet that morning, understandably, and she had confided to John during their walk to the station (having refused the car) that she was nervous about what awaited her. He had stopped them for a few minutes to embrace her properly, adorning her with loving touches and kisses on the desolate path where no one would come across them.
Now, at the station, John was quite amiss at what to do. There were barely any people here, but taking her in his arms would be deemed highly inappropriate, and even if he could hardly care less about what people thought about him, he did not want people to talk about Anna in any negative way. And being caught kissing and embracing her husband on the station platform would hardly be deemed appropriate amongst village gossip.
Therefore, he did what he could, and reached forward for her hand, caressing it softly and causing her to look up into his eyes. He spoke softly, "I wish I could come with you."
Anna smiled, almost as if to say she wished for that too.
"Try not to miss me," Anna spoke fondly, and they both tenderly remembered a time where he had told her the same all those years ago.
Bates shook his head, as if to confirm that her statement was the most foolish he had ever heard, and of course he would miss her.
John could hear the conductor calling for them to board the train and knew Anna had to go, and after scanning the area promptly and noticing that no one was there but the man at the other end of the platform, he drew Anna quickly into his arms, moving his lips down to her ear, "Be strong, love. I will see you in a couple of days."
Anna closed her eyes, her heart singing at his term of endearment, and nodded silently.
When they drew apart, she smiled faintly. She watched as her husband tilted his head to her carriage, urging her to go before it went without her. Anna nodded and he helped her up just as the conductor came down the platform to secure all the doors.
Bates stepped back, ridding himself of his hat as he smiled at her reassuringly, as the train began to pull away, and his heart searing as he watched her give an identical response. He remained rooted to the same spot as the train began to roll away into the distance, hoping and praying that the strength Anna had carried for all the time he had known her would not leave her now when she probably needed it most.
It took Anna just under an hour to reach the nearest station to Claxton, her late sister's home village, which was York and from there it would be a short bus ride. Anna had been unable to keep still for the entire journey, constantly moving her feet, tapping them against the floor of the carriage. It was a small mercy that no one had shared the carriage with her.
As she stepped off the train at York with her bag in hand, she took a deep breath and gulped in the fresh air. It would not escape her mind that the last time she had been in York had been a momentously beautiful occasion for her husband and she, and a ghost of a smile passed her lips at the thought. The car ride to the prison that morning had been an agonisingly slow one, but to see her husband emerging through those doors had been worth all the waiting. The feel of his arms around her after being deprived of his touch for so long had lifted her heart and given her so much hope for the future.
Thank God.
Anna was brought out of her reverie by the hustle and bustle of York station, an abundance of people cramming past her to get onto the train and complete their own personal errands. Taking another deep breath, Anna determinedly began to walk forward towards the signs for the bus station.
It did not take her long to find, and soon she was sat on a bus, having purchased a ticket, and travelling east of York and towards the small village. Having sat herself in a window seat, she experienced the pleasant sensation of the wind sweeping across her face which helped her stomach greatly. She was nervous, there was no use denying it. She had no idea what the future would bring from hereon in and that frightened her. The one, saving grace was the man at home that she knew would be by her side throughout all of this. Just the thought of him brought a smile to her lips and some colour to her cheeks.
Anna continued to think about John for the rest of the journey, contemplating their course of action over the next few weeks and thinking about the cottage they would soon be moving into. She thought back to the previous night and their encounter in one of the laundry rooms, smirking as she remembered the way he had made her feel with even the slightest of touches – wanting more. She longed for them to spend a night together soon, she was even surprised that she had not snuck through the barrier and into his bedroom at night such was the length of their time apart.
The bus jerked as it came to a stop, and a quick shout from the driver informed Anna that she had arrived.
She made her way off the bus as quickly as possible, clutching onto her bag tightly.
Once the bus had left, Anna looked around her, being accustomed to her surroundings. It was the same as she remembered, even if it had been years since she had visited her sister here. The last time must have been when her brother-in-law had been buried, he having been killed during the war. Whenever she had met her sister since, it had been in York, the two of them finding more to do there, meeting in tea rooms or window-shopping for dresses. It had been nice to spend time in a new place, and in such a beautiful city as York, and Anna adored spending time with her niece whenever she would be brought along too.
Shaking herself, Anna determinedly put one step forward and began to walk in the direction of the little cottage that had belonged to her sister. It became harder and harder the closer she got, but eventually she arrived. The cottage was not too dissimilar from those at Downton that she and John would soon live in, but her sister had spent a lot of her spare time – something that became infrequent after her husband's death when she was in need of some work, even if it was small – planting flowers at the front. The front of the cottage was adorned with red-coloured leaves, weaving over the door and around the windows. It certainly was picturesque.
Anna swallowed hard, summoning the inner courage and strength to step forward and do this.
The cottage had been left open; Anna presumed it had been the neighbour who had written having known Anna would arrive today. Anna pushed the door open, and instantly the smell hit her.
It was the familiar smell she had come to associate with her sister, and here it hung in the air so vividly. Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks instantaneously, and Anna had to swallow hard again to stop them.
But, in the end it became too difficult. The familiarity of the scene urged the tears to fall, and instead of arranging her sister's possessions, Anna was stood in the middle of the room, arms hanging loosely by her side as she cried.
She cried alone, she clutched at her stomach and she shook her head, somewhat hoping she would wake up and this would all be dream.
It wasn't.
John could hardly concentrate at Downton that day. His thoughts were on Anna completely, unequivocally. Mrs Hughes had noticed that he was not focused at all, having witnessed him coming down the stairs earlier and dropping His Lordship's shoes. But instead of reprimanding him for his language and cursing as she probably would have done usually, she beckoned him into her parlour.
"How was Anna this morning?" Mrs Hughes asked softly, insisting that Mr Bates take a seat as she poured him some tea.
"As to be expected," John replied solemnly, graciously taking the cup from Mrs Hughes. "Quiet, nervous, worried…"
"This is going to be a huge change for both of you," Mrs Hughes observed. She watched as Mr Bates nodded silently and could not help but feel sorry for the man. "You know if you ever need to talk about anything, there are people here who care about you – about both of you."
John looked up and smiled kindly at the housekeeper.
"Thank you, Mrs Hughes. Anna and I are very grateful for everything the house is doing."
It was true. Mrs Hughes had allowed for the little girl to stay at the house for the time until a cottage was arranged for the married couple, and Lady Grantham had also previously expressed her delight in helping them. John and Anna were extremely grateful at the generosity of the family and staff, without which they would have been at quite a loss as of what to do.
Mrs Hughes continued to watch Mr Bates, though. "But…"
Bates sucked in his lip subtly, placing his cup and saucer down on a small table. "I worry about her, Mrs Hughes, of course I do," he answered, smiling slightly as if to take the attention from him for a moment, the housekeeper and her intense stare becoming a little disconcerting for a man that had spent the better part of his life trying to keep the attention away from himself.
"Of course you do," she replied, her Scottish brogue prevalent more in this moment than before.
Mr Bates said no more, but Mrs Hughes watched him, the cogs beginning to turn…
Anna had spent most of the day sorting through the possessions of her sister, Rose, after she had finally managed to move from the middle of the room. There was not very much, mostly family heirlooms that had been shared between Rose and Anna after Daniel, their brother, had been killed in the war and before their mother had died. Anna would pass these ones onto Lizzy when she was old enough. Having spoken to John before she had left, he had told her that the furniture could be sold with the cottage when the time was right, therefore she did not have to worry about anything like that. She decided that Rose's clothes could be sent to charity, although she would ensure that Lizzy look through them first in case she wished to keep anything.
Lizzy.
Anna looked at the clock and saw that it was nearing late afternoon, and that she really should go and collect her niece from the neighbour. Her reluctance did not stem from not wanting to see her niece – she longed to – Anna was just frightened that Lizzy would barely recognise her, and if the little girl needed anything right now, it was to feel comfortable and secure.
But there was no delaying it now.
Anna walked to the cottage next door with steely determination, ready to put on the bravest face for her niece. She knocked on the cottage door and waited, hearing voices at the other side.
A lady appeared at the door, Anna assumed it was Mrs Cowden from the letter. She remembered the face from somewhere, so assumed it must have been. The older lady recognised her instantly and greeted her kindly before ushering her inside.
"Can I get you some tea?" the older lady offered. "You must be hungry, too."
Anna was being led through the cottage, the layout of which was similar to that of next door, into what she assumed was the kitchen. Mrs Cowden was right, she had barely eaten today, and her stomach was growling in protest. But she did not wish to impose, and Anna opened her mouth to protest, "Oh no, it's fine, Mrs Cowden. I can put something together later–"
"Nonsense!" Mrs Cowden admonished. "There's nothing in, and it's far too late to be going shopping. I can give you some things later for breakfast tomorrow."
Anna was about to open her mouth again and protest when her stomach let out a large groan.
The older woman, who was probably a good twenty years older than Anna, smiled knowingly when she heard and reached out to affectionately stroke the top of her arm. "Come through, please. Make yourself comfortable, Mrs… Bates now, isn't it?"
Mrs Cowden had obviously been very good friends with her sister, and Anna smiled at the use of her, still relatively new, surname.
"Yes, but please call me Anna, Mrs Cowden."
"Only if you call me June, dear."
Anna obliged and continued to walk behind June, however she stopped when she reached the kitchen door.
Lizzy was sat at the table, her back to the doorway, her head bent over something.
Anna felt and heard her breath hitch as she stood completely still, watching the little girl who had inherited the same looks as her mother – almost identical ones to Anna. Her dark hair flowed all the way down her back, although tied back in a plait. Anna felt a lump form in her throat as she watched her niece affectionately.
"Elizabeth, look who's here to see you."
June had walked around the table and gone back to the pots on the stove, stirring them languidly as she kept one eye on the child.
The little girl at the table stopped what she was doing and instantly turned around.
Anna was holding her breath.
A pair of blue eyes identical to her own latched onto her.
She felt herself being studied.
She felt a large force around her middle.
She looked down.
Suddenly, the breath she had been holding was gone.
Lizzy had wrapped her arms around her middle and buried her face into her skirts, she could already feel moisture against the material and she could hear the sobs. She was murmuring something unintelligible into her skirts and Anna had to strain her ears to hear properly. Eventually, she realised that Lizzy was calling her name over and over again, all the while subconsciously tightening her hold around her aunt.
Anna could feel tears slipping down her cheeks again, and she was instantly knelt down, gathering the child in her arms, kissing her forehead and her cheeks. "Oh, sweetheart," Anna whispered in her ear as she heard Lizzy say something along the lines of I'm glad you came.
Anna promised she would never let go.
A/N (2): Over this and the next chapter, I hope you all warm to Lizzy. That is my intention, so if I'm doing anything wrong please let me know. I also hope I can handle this sensitively. Big thanks again to TestShip!