Chapter 7
Back at Downton, Charles and Elsie became Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes again the minute they stepped through the door of the wine cellar. It was nearing lunch time, and their activities below stairs (how ironic, thought Mr. Hughes) had left them hungry. As Mrs. Hughes went into the kitchens, Carson checked for messages at the back door. There were two. He brought them to the table and opened them as Mrs. Hughes set about placing sandwiches and lemonade before them.
"It seems as if Lady Grantham will be stopping the night in York with the Hamptons." Mr. Carson said. "And William has sent a message as well, asking for permission to stay for the dance."
"Will you let him?" asked Mrs. Hughes, pouring him a glass of lemonade.
"I don't see why not. They are young, let them enjoy, this time. He probably has little enough of it left."
The thought saddened both of them, with war looming, William would almost certainly be called up.
"Well, I'm afraid that I shall have to put Anna to work for a bit when she comes back." Mrs. Hughes said. "With her ladyship staying over, and the girls all being gone, we can use this time to change out the wardrobes and get the fall clothing out."
"I thought we were giving them the day off?" Mr. Hughes asked.
"We are," replied Mrs. Hughes, "but just in case things went badly for them this afternoon, I want to give Anna a chance to have some breathing room."
"And if things did not go badly?"
"Then, a bit of time apart will only serve to make things more interesting for them later on."
"Why, Mrs. Hughes, you naughty girl." Mr. Carson chuckled at the blush that crept up her cheeks.
Back on the path towards Downton, Bates, with his suit jacket discretely in front of him, watched Anna as she walked at his side. What an amazing woman, he thought. Do I dare take what she is offering me? Do I dare refuse? Do I strip her of that gift that belongs to her future husband and make her mine, with our futures so unsettled? What if…what if her future were mine? What if?
Anna was aware of his gaze on her, but she refused to acknowledge it. She knew that her words had pulled him across a line. Am I truly ready to cross it? And if we do, what then? A lifetime of sneaking, of hiding, of stolen kisses, at fumbling in the dark? She felt her surety of earlier deserting her in the face of the reality they were facing. Downton lay ahead of them with it's unshakeable duty and the conformity that went with it.
Lost in her thoughts, Anna was unaware that Bates had stopped some steps back. "Anna?"
She turned, "Sorry, I was thinking." He smiled at her then.
"Would you hold my cane while I put my jacket back on?" It was her turn to smile. His eyes, twinkling, were full of mirth. She walked back to him, took his cane, and watched while he slipped his jacket back on. He took her hand firmly in his own as they set out once again.
"You are quite an extraordinary woman, my darling Anna." John said. Anna looked up at him, surprised.
"I am? I don't feel extraordinary. I feel…" she paused unsure of whether to give voice to the emotions warring in her mind.
"What? What do you feel?" His voice was tender.
She sighed and stopped, turning to face him. "I feel as if I have put us both in an uncomfortable position." She tugged at the lapel of his coat.
"Because of what you said?" he asked.
Because of what I want, she thought, but remained silent, her eyes still on his lapel.
John regarded her silently for a moment. "Do you trust me?" he asked finally.
Confused, she looked up at him. "How could I not, after…after what just happened, how could I not?" Trust was the last issue on her mind. Trust him? With every fiber in her being she trusted him.
"Then all is well. There are no lines to cross with us," he said, unaware of how his thoughts mirrored her own. "Never apologize to me for being who you are, for who you are, has made me what I am." He bent to kiss her, chastely, softly. "And I am so much the better because of it." Her eyes welled with tears again.
"And later?" she whispered.
He pulled her to him, "We shall see."
They reached the gates that led to the main grounds, Anna calmed by his words, Bates at peace with himself. His day with her had been joyous and full of discovery, and he dreaded walking through the portal that would force them back into their roles. With a sigh, he unhooked the latch, and looked down at Anna.
"Back to reality." he said.
"Not yet," she said pulling him over to the brickwork that held the iron in place. She kissed him then, her mouth hungry for a last taste of him, her tongue coaxing him to her. Bates caught off guard raised his free hand up to the bricks beside her head to steady himself, drowning in her. He once again dropped his cane and took her in his arms, letting her mouth ravage him. "Oh God, Anna," he breathed against her lips. "We have to stop, or I'm going to have to take my jacket off again." He felt her smile at this, her lips turning up against his. He kissed her again, then backed up. "You have no idea what you do to me." He said as she handed him his cane.
"Oh yes, I think I do." she said in reply. Because it's the same thing you do to me. She led him towards the open gate. "Come on, back to reality." She entered the grounds, John beside her, her hands clasped in front of her, a proper distance between them.
As they entered the kitchen, they found Mrs. Hughes busy putting up the dishes she and Mr. Carson had used for lunch.
"Ah, there you are," she said, "I've only just taken our plates away, but the sandwiches and lemonade are still on the table. Are you hungry?"
Anna said, "Yes, I am. Are you, Mr. Bates?"
"I think I could eat something, yes."
"You go and sit down, I'll bring it in." Anna said smiling at him. Bates nodded and moved toward the dining room. Once he had gone, Mrs. Hughes busied herself with drying the last of the dishes while Anna got the plates out of the cupboard.
"Did you have a nice walk?" Mrs. Hughes asked.
"Oh, yes, it was lovely. The weather is very fine for this time of year." Anna replied, busying herself with cutlery. "Did you get your inventory done?"
"Yes, it took rather longer than we planned, but we have it finished now." Mrs. Hughes turned towards the pantry. Was Anna imagining it, or did she just see Mrs. Hughes blush. Her thoughts were interrupted as Mrs. Hughes came back, all business.
"I'm sorry to have to say this to you, Anna…" Mrs. Hughes began, and Anna's heart stopped. Did she know something? "but I'm afraid that you and I are going to have to clear out the wardrobes today, change out the the fall clothes."
Anna breathed a silent sigh of relief before realizing that her free day now seemed to be cut short. "I understand, it makes sense to do it now." She groaned inwardly, it would take hours to shift all the clothes, hours away from her time with John.
"If we get started right after you eat, I'm sure we can be done before dinner." Mrs. Hughes said.
"Yes, Mrs. Hughes," Anna replied. She picked up the plates, set the cutlery on top, and carried them into the dining room. Mr. Bates was seated in his usual chair, and Mr. Carson was telling him that the ladies were staying in York, and William and Daisy were going to the village dance.
"I'm glad Daisy seems to have outgrown Thomas." Mr. Bates said.
"Yes, I too am glad she saw the truth of the matter." Mr. Carson stood up, "Well, I'm off to do the books, Anna I understand you and Mrs. Hughes are going to be handling the switching of the clothes, Mr. Bates…"
"I have a few things to see to as well, Mr. Carson." Bates said, pointedly not looking at Anna.
"Right, I'll leave you to it." He turned to go, "Mrs. Hughes, could you bring me the inventory list for the store cupboard?"
"Yes, Mr. Carson." She stood up, "I'll just go and fetch it."
The both left, leaving Bates and Anna alone at the table. Anna passed him the sandwich platter, and poured herself a glass of lemonade. "I don't fancy an afternoon of moving those clothes." she said sighing, "But Mrs. Hughes is right, it makes sense to do it now." She took a sip of lemonade. "What are you going to do?"
Bates smiled cryptically, "Oh, just as I said, I have a few things to see to." He picked up a sandwich. "We'd better eat, the sooner we get done, the better."
This is soooo much harder than I thought! Please review - I am honestly looking for opinions here.
