I have a lot more written, so I might upload a few chapters tonight. Enjoy!
"Yes, Mrs Hughes?"
Mrs. Hughes had asked Anna to join her in her sitting room. A not unusual request.
"It seems that at Timothy's previous employer, footmen were not expected to do any mending. He confessed to me this morning that he does not know how to sew. A bit of information that would have been helpful before we took him on, but here we are." She added the last comment with a slight roll of her eyes.
Anna waited, unsure where this was going.
"In any event, I was hoping you could show him."
Mrs. Hughes had spent some time considering this request. Timothy had only been with them for a few weeks, but Mrs, Hughes had already noticed the younger maids eying him and it was certainly not with derision. She'd even noticed Thomas casting him a look here and there. Timothy did not seem to mind the attention. Not in the least. Anna seemed to be the only one immune to his charms, and was a skilled seamstress in her own right, so she seemed the safest choice. Also, of course, she was married. Hopefully it would be enough to deter Timothy from any untoward conduct.
Mr. Bates walked into the servant's hall with a book in hand. He had completed his day's work with Lord Grantham and thought he would read while he waited for Anna. As he entered the room he looked up to see Anna and Timothy huddled together at one end of the table, bent over something. "Wonderful" he thought to himself sarcastically. He heard Anna laugh. Frowning, he cleared his throat. "What's this then?"
Anna was slightly surprised with Mrs. Hughes's request. It was unexpected but not entirely out of the ordinary. Mrs. Hughes explained that Timothy had worked at a much larger house where there were enough maids to handle all the sewing and he wasn't particularly keen in the first place, so he never had the opportunity to learn. She raised her eyebrows at Anna and Anna understood her meaning. There were plenty of maids. Not particularly keen. Most likely handsome Timothy was always able to charm some poor young maid into doing his work for him.
Anna decided to start with something simple. Mending hems. She and Timothy sat down at the end of the servant's table and she showed him the pattern of the stitching and how to thread it properly so the hem would not show. As they worked they chatted. Why had he left his previous employer? His mother lived in Ripon and had fallen ill. He left to take care of her. When she died, she left him a little money but that had run out and service was all he knew, so he came to Downton.
Anna found that, despite giving off a bit of an ego, he actually seemed sweet. They chatted easily. She explained to him the general ins and outs of working at Downton and even found herself gossiping with him a bit about the other staff members. She told him Carson seemed stuffy but was really a softie inside. Mrs. Hughes was kind and reliable. Predictable. A good leader for the maids. All were hard workers and the house generally ran smoothly.
When he pricked himself with the needle he grabbed his finger and started to curse. Remembering that he was in woman's company, he tried to hold it back, getting only as far as "Dam...arn it." Anna reached for a napkin to dab the blood and laughed at his attempt at courtesy. She was about to tell him that she certainly shouldn't report him for a single swear word, particularly while bleeding, when John walked in.
Gods she was actually holding his hand. What on earth was going on? He cleared his throat and they both looked up, surprised.
"John" she smiled at him, even though she was still holding that blasted man's hand.
"Mrs. Bates" he said pointedly. Timothy processed for a moment and then said "oh, I didn't..." He withdrew his hand from Anna's and smiled casually at John. "I didn't know."
John forced himself to smile back. Anna seemed oblivious to the entire thing. "Are you finished with Lord Grantham? We have a few more hems to mend but Timothy is learning quickly. Shouldn't take but a minute."
"I'll wait." He started to sit down.
"Don't be silly. I'll only be a moment. I'm sure you're exhausted. Go down and I'll be along shortly. Mrs. Patmore said we could take some of the stew down for dinner. I'll bring it with me." She smiled at him.
John stared at her for a moment. Was this some sort of deception? That didn't seem like Anna. He looked into her eyes and saw only kindness. There was nothing to worry about. Sighing quietly, he smiled. "Of course. I'll put the kettle on. Don't be long."
He turned to go out the back door. As he exited, he glanced back over his shoulder. Anna was showing Timothy how to fold the fabric properly. He closed his eyes for a moment and told himself to relax.