A/N: This has always (you know, always, for the whole year it has existed) been one of my favorites of their scenes, it sums up their series 1 relationship perfectly, IMHO...
"Sorry, I don't believe it," Anna said as they stood in the hallway, stealing a moment to talk about his latest conversation with Lord Grantham.
"How can you say that," he answered, "when I've confessed to the crime?" Bates wasn't sure that it was the smartest thing in the world to be annoyed that Anna refused to believe the worst of him, especially since she was right, but perversely, her unrelenting faith in him did annoy him. He knew he didn't deserve her loyalty and he shouldn't encourage it, yet a significant part of him reveled in it and that made him angry with himself. He shouldn't allow it. He tried, sometimes, to curb it in her, but he wasn't morally strong enough to completely push her out of his life. If that was even possible, Anna being the person that she was.
Anna appealed to authority. "Well, his lordship obviously doesn't think that's all there is to it, and I don't either." That was another thing that bothered him. Lord Grantham seemed to have something of the same problem as Anna. Bates was bewildered by their unwillingness to just dismiss him as unworthy of their good opinion and kick him out.
It was probably a good thing that Mrs. Hughes interruption lightened the mood and changed the subject to Anna's trip to London. As Mrs. Hughes moved off, he stepped back across the hall to resume their conversation. Neither of them said anything for a second.
Anna broke the silence. "Will you miss me?"
He couldn't help but smile at her ingenuousness. Once again she was trying to get him to admit his feelings aloud. Of course he would miss her. The days seemed interminable whenever she wasn't around as his subconscious anticipation of seeing her was constantly disappointed, but he didn't dare encourage her. It was only a matter of time before Lord Grantham dismissed him.
"Try not to miss me," he said. "It'll be good practice." Her look in reply rebuked his pessimism, and showed that the thought hurt her, but she didn't say anything. Perhaps she recognized that it was pointless trying to cheer him up. He turned to get back to the work he should be doing, while he still had a job.
