I absolutely love Mrs. Patmore and believe that she would have been a huge supporter of Anna after Mr. Bates' departure. She's also the kind of character that puts up with no BS, so, I thought her perfect as Anna's unlikely defender. I hope you like this chapter.

Thank you for all the reviews and alerts.

Daisy was setting everybody's tea that afternoon. Besides the early morning sighting of Anna, breakfast had already come and gone and it was now tea time and she had not been seen since. Daisy hadn't been out of the kitchen much that morning, so, she had not been part of the hushed gossip that had ensued throughout the downstairs world of Downton Abbey. She had heard from Mrs. Patmore that Mr. Bates was gone and that had left her shocked, sad and confused. He had always been very kind to her and never made her feel like she was nobody. She knew he was being polite all the time, but he always asked for her opinion on matters and with his absence, there were less truly good people in the house. After the news, she felt more comfortable in the kitchen, dedicated to her chores. At tea time, she knew she had to venture out and did her duty.

Miss O'Brien, the hall boys, the maids including Ethel and Lily were there. William was gone, attending to some issues with Mr. Carson. Mrs. Hughes and Mrs. Patmore was busy working on other things. They had no time for tea today.

"Why isn't Anna here? Is she not well?" asked Daisy.

O'Brien snickered at the question and how the clueless kitchen maid had not come to the conclusion for Anna's absence herself. "Of course she's not well."

"What do you mean?" The others in the servant's hall also chuckled at Daisy's question. Daisy stopped and looked at all of them, the confusion clearly written on her face.

"Mr. Bates has left. She's off crying in a corner for sure."

Daisy looked really confused. She was sad regarding Mr. Bates departure and would understand if Anna was sad too, but she didn't understand why everybody assumed she would be crying, so she asked for an explanation. "Why would she be crying?"

Miss O'Brien looked at her in disbelief and let out a sigh of exasperation. "…. Because she's gone and tangled herself with Mr. Bates and he left with his wife today. He abandoned her. Have you been living under a rock?"

Miss O'Brien knew full well what had gone on, as she had heard part of their conversation this morning. She had recently received news concerning her brother and spent many sleepless nights thinking about him. Occasionally, she would need a smoke break and would head to the stairwell, lest the smoke travel from her bedroom to that of Mrs. Hughes and she be discovered smoking in her room. She'd not heard the entire conversation, as she had needed to move herself to not be found by them, but what she heard was enough. It was now completely clear to her what type of relationship they shared.

"Anna and Mr. Bates together? I wouldn't believe it. They are just friends aren't they?

Daisy couldn't believe what she had heard. Anna tangled with Mr. Bates? Could it really be? Well, maybe it could be, she reasoned slowly… they did, after all, spend a lot of time together. But, it seemed impossible to her. Both Mr. Bates and Anna were highly respectable senior members of the household and so proper. They sat together all the time, talked and confided with each other, but, she had never seen anything that could confirm that their relationship was anything other than a strong friendship.

Ethel chimed in to solidify Ms. O'Brien's story. "I may have just gotten here, but, I've seen them talking very closely. Too close to just be friends…. and Anna has come to bed very late every night since he came back from his mother's funeral. I don't know him, but I would say that they were more than just friends."

Ms. O'Brien kept talking. "They've probably been together if they are out late at night. She always seems like she can do no wrong, but, she has. He's a lame bastard and I don't know what she saw in him. She probably didn't know that he's married. Or maybe she did and didn't care. We all know that now. You saw his wife yesterday."

"You should have seen her this morning, added Lily. She was mad and couldn't stop pounding the settee with the cushions until Mrs. Hughes stopped her. We had to sweep the floors of the mess she made. Mrs. Hughes dragged her out of there and I suppose she was sent to bed. Nobody has seen her since.

O'Brien was surprised about the settee incident. She hadn't heard of that yet. It all made sense that perfect Anna was being overcome with grief.

"Yes, she's asleep, added Ethel. I went upstairs to change my apron and she was in bed. She didn't hear me at all and she didn't stir."

Daisy was still confused. "I sometimes stay and talk with William. That doesn't mean we're together. Why are you so sure?" She was now directly asking Ms. O'Brien.

"Besides what Lily just said, I heard them talking very late last night – almost daybreak. He must have just told her, because she was begging him not to leave."

Everybody in the room gasped at that confirmation.

Ms. O'Brien had heard Anna offer to run away with him. She almost mentioned it to the group, but in a second she realized that her anger was against him, not her. She would likely suffer enough with this gossip and his departure. The others did not know the level of despair Anna had reached. At least, not yet. Perhaps this information could be useful later. She wouldn't waste it with this group. She still continued…

"The truth is, she's a fool for letting him use her. God knows what pretty words he used to convince her. She's damaged. No man will take her now, that's for sure."

Mrs. Patmore had been too busy in the kitchen to partake of tea with the others this afternoon and she had already helped herself to a cup at her planning desk. She sensed Daisy was shirking her responsibilities by disappearing longer than she ought, and crept up slowly down the hall, hoping to catch her in some mischief. Thus, as she crept quietly, she had heard the entire animated conversation, but did not know who it was about. She was visually challenged, but her hearing was excellent and she could hear perfectly that somebody's life was on public display. Who could be considered so damaged so that no other man would take her? Were they talking about some maid at one of the neighboring estates? News of fallen women among the great houses was shared by the employees quite quickly. It really didn't take long for the entire county to be made aware.

Daisy seemed almost convinced. "I would have never believed it. What will we say to Anna when we see her?"

They are talking about Anna? - thought Mrs. Patmore to herself. How dare they talk about such a lovely girl that way? There could be no basis for their slander. Sure, she had seen their quiet and devoted companionship these last four years. She knew they often stayed behind and shared intimate conversations. As portly as she was, it was a surprise that she should be quite light footed and at night, but she was. With her culinary reputation at stake, she would often make her way to the kitchen to check on something she had baked, or brined or slaughtered earlier. She would see them, or at least make out their figures, sitting together in virtual darkness, talking or laughing. They were so focused on each other that they never noticed her. She didn't spy on them, her eyesight wouldn't really let her, but she could listen very keenly and she often did just that to ascertain whether there was something to be concerned about. There never was. She could tell the two of them were in love, she heard it in their hushed and flirty voices, but they never spoke of love, at least not that she ever heard. They often recollected on the day's events, or spoke of current affairs. More often than not, Mr. Bates would be reading a book to her. She never mentioned it to Anna or anyone, because she liked both of then immensely, and neither had given her a reason to be concerned. Oddly, she also liked the idea of them together and hoped that someday she would hear good news about them. It had been a surprise that he was married and to find out that he had left with his surprise wife. Still, even with his leaving, she could only surmise that everything she had seen had been proper and she would not allow herself to think ill of him.

She immediately recalled how incredibly supportive Anna had been to her two years prior when her eyes were at their worst and she had been discovered during the salty dessert incident. Anna accompanied her to London and provided such comfort and care. Anna was like that with everyone. If she saw somebody with a need, regardless of her feelings for them, she always had a kind word, a warm hand to put on your shoulder, a beautiful smile to help you get through it. She could not bear to hear anybody speak ill of the kindest soul amongst them all. If Anna needed support, it was now and she would gladly give it. What those servants were talking about and inferring to was preposterous. In all the times she had encountered Anna and Bates, they never once crossed the line. Hearing them say she was damaged made her truly angry. She stepped into the servant's hall at that moment with a red face and an iron will.

"How dare you talk about Anna this way? All of you should be ashamed!"

Daisy cowered in the corner, Ms. O'Brien's face soured and the others just shrugged.

"Why are you so bothered? scoffed Ms. O'Brien. It's the truth. What's it to you?"

"What is it to me? Anna is the sweetest, kindest girl on this staff. I have personally seen her help every single one of you in your difficult times."

Mrs. Patmore pointed her finger directly at Ms. O'Brien.

"Did she not offer to help you with her Ladyship's mending and work when you were so affected by her miscarriage? Did she not make it easier for you to care for her Ladyship by taking on your work? What about when you received the letter from your mother concerning your brother? She quietly helped you didn't she?"

Ms. O'Brien didn't say anything.

"What about you Lily? When your mother was ill, did Anna not help you and convince Mrs. Hughes to let you go on leave, postponing hers because you had a more pressing reason to go?"

Lily bowed her head.

"What about you Daisy?"

"I didn't believe it Mrs. Patmore. Honest…"

"Anna's covered for you more than once, I am sure. So, don't you forget that."

"No, Mrs. Patmore." Daisy felt relieved that somebody was defending Anna.

Mrs. Patmore turned to look at the remaining maids and hall boys in attendance. "We can stay here for as long as you'd like and I will find a situation where Anna has helped every single one of you."

Ms. O'Brien, ever the devil's advocate, added. "Yes, she has helped us all, but, she tangled herself with Mr. Bates and now he is gone. There is no denying that."

"The way I see it", added the still enraged cook, "Anna is guilty of forming an emotional attachment to a very worthy man. Let me repeat that. - EMOTIONAL- She is guilty of finding the joy in life of loving another. She is guilty of seeing the good in this world and wanting to be a part of it. She is guilty of loving blindly, perhaps irrationally and maybe setting her eyes on a man she could never have. Have any of you ever loved someone that wasn't really your beau or girl? Fancied them completely, but never seen those feelings come to anything? That is what she is guilty of. She is not what you have supposed or inferred by this despicable conversation I have overheard. She is the most responsible and proper girl I have ever met. She does everything with so much care and concern, that she could not be improper if she tried… so, I ask you now, 'Has anyone here ever once seen anything indecorous between Anna and Mr. Bates?"

Everybody looked at each other staring blankly. Even Ethel, who had barged into their intimate conversation a few days ago, could say nothing, as she had seen nothing improper. It looked cozier than it should have been, but they weren't even touching. She had to agree with Mrs. Patmore.

MS. O'Brien thought about what she'd heard. Anna offered to go with him and she was almost begging him to tell her he loved her. It amounted to desperate tactics. She had not talked of his taking advantage of her, or of any physicality between them. There had been no evidence in that illicitly overheard conversation that their relationship had escalated beyond conversation. Ms. O'Brien was not convinced that Mrs. Patmore was right, but there was no proof… and she really didn't care. Mr. Bates was gone anyway and that made her happy. She didn't care much about Anna and it didn't matter that Mrs. Patmore was putting herself into a state defending the housemaid, as most of the employees would have made up their minds already and this tirade was almost unnecessary.

Daisy couldn't recall anything at all. She had not believed it when O'Brien was discussing the issue, so, she was happy that it seemed that O'Brien had been wrong. She really liked Anna and wanted it to not be true.

Mrs. Patmore was not finished and continued. "I have seen them together, side by side. TALKING. Let me spell that for you. T - A - L - K - I - N - G. There is nothing improper in that."

She pointed to each and every servant and asked them, "Speak up. Tell me what you have seen. Anything improper? "

Nobody spoke up. Everybody nodded negatively, admitting to the Cook that they had never seen anything.

The noise coming from the servant's hall brought Mrs. Hughes in that direction. She was coming down the stairs, having just visited Anna. They had just had a conversation and it had been determined that Anna would come down to work in a little while. As she made it to the last flight of steps, she could hear everything Mrs. Patmore was saying.

"Good. I will not have you speak of Anna as damaged. Mr. Bates has left, but even in his absence, I will defend his honorability. I cannot imagine that he would have tricked her in any way, or that he would have taken advantage of her feelings for him. Mr. Bates is a decent, hard working, proper gentleman, in all ways. You should all learn from him. He got his work done and didn't look for problems with anybody. He was a fine man to have around and I'm certainly sad that he's gone, so, surely, this will make Anna sad and she will grieve for a while. This does not mean that she is any less of a woman and I will not have any of you besmirch her character."

She paused to take a breath.

"Listen to me carefully so that we fully understand each other. If I hear anybody speak ill of Anna or Mr. Bates, or if you mistreat her in any way, you will all pay. I don't want to see a cynical smile, or hear a bad joke or encounter a raised eyebrow. I want to see empathy and kind gestures, from all of you. Further, you will make sure that those servants, who are currently missing at this table, abide by the same standards. You will all pay back now every good deed she has ever done for you. If this girl finds herself tormented by any of you in any way, your meals will be considerably worse than you think they currently are. You may not see a lot of variety, but I assure you that I can make you all miserable. I am sure I will make Mrs. Hughes very happy by making Haggis with neeps every day. With Mrs. Hughes being Scottish, I'm sure she will love it, but I know how much you all hate it. I'm feeling very industrious right now and will head straight away into the kitchen to start preparing it."

There was a collective sigh and groan from those in the hall.

By now, Mrs. Hughes had made it into the entrance and laughed inwardly when she heard the threat. Her relationship with Mrs. Patmore had always been peculiar, as they were always at odds with one another. At this particular moment, though, she couldn't love her more. It was a relief to have an ally in the defense of Anna. She hadn't heard the servant's conversation, but to have Mrs. Patmore react t hat way meant that she had heard things that weren't right.

"Oh, Mrs. Patmore. I love Haggis. My grandmum used to make it all the time for me. I would love to eat it every day if you were willing to make it." Mrs. Hughes provided the cook with a warm, knowing and appreciative smile.

Mrs. Patmore smiled, sensing that Mrs. Hughes had overheard part of her diatribe and was playing along with her.

Mrs. Hughes wanted to leave immediately, as she felt that what Mrs. Patmore was doing was good enough to diffuse the situation, but, she added quickly before she left – "You'll all be happy to hear that I have just checked in on Anna. She was ill this morning, but the sickness is abating, so, she will be down any moment now. She was dressing when I left. If you'll excuse me, I must go and so should you all. Tea is over."

She turned and left in search of Mr. Carson. They had a lot to talk about regarding this situation. She was sure he was upset about Mr. Bates' departure and decided that he would let him know the truth about it.

As she made her way down the hall to the pantry, she heard everybody get up out of their chairs and also heard Mrs. Patmore one last time.

"You heard Mrs. Hughes, she will love it. On with the lot of you and mind my words… I will be watching."

A/N: I absolutely do not want to offend anybody from Scotland with the haggis comment. I am pretty sure that if I tried haggis, I would probably like it. I am one of those people who will eat almost everything and like everything I try. Beguilingirl suggested it to me as a dish because I really needed a dish that might put people off and she didn't know too many in England that really liked it. I googled extensively and I read that it was an acquired taste and in some food forums there were equal amount of yeahs and nays. Ultimately, it was the most talked about dish I read about and thought I might make it fit in with Mrs. Hughes part of the story. So sorry and please forgive!

I am extremely behind in all my stories, reading and reviewing other fanfiction, acknowledging reviews, etc. but business travel and a vacation where my hubby demanded I pay attention to him and not the fandom, has led me away for the last couple of weeks. I am trying to make my way back and will catch up this weekend. I can only boast that for the first time ever, I had business in London and was able to watch S3x1 on Sunday, in my hotel, and not through the generosity of other's streaming. That was awesome. I would have waited further to post this chapter until I caught up with everybody else's stories, but Chancher on TUMBLR demanded more Anna/Bates fiction and I decided to post today.