August 1913
As soon as Mr. Carson was out of the room, Miss O'Brien and Thomas had turned on Mr. Bates, making it clear who they thought it was who had taken the snuffbox. As if he'd steal, Anna thought indignantly. The gong rang, and everyone's chairs scraped across the floor as they got up and hurried out. Mr. Bates stayed seated, and Anna looked at him with concern. He wouldn't meet her eyes. Did he think she agreed with Thomas and Miss O'Brien? Did he think all the servants were against him?
"I hate this kind of thing. I hope to God they find it," he said, his face tense. He did look at her now, and Anna tried to put all her concern for him, all her faith in his honesty, into her eyes. He didn't seem to have seen it, though, because he turned away, his expression closing off. She couldn't bear that look. "You'd better get a move on." His voice was rough.
Anna couldn't move. She hated to see him like this.
Mr. Bates got up instead, leaving the room. Reluctantly, Anna followed.
Bates moved as fast as he could, eager to get away from all the other servants for a time. He knew how this would go. The atmosphere of suspicion would thicken, they would all look at him with distrust, and eventually he would have to leave. Or, just as bad, he'd have to confess to his past.
Even Anna. That was what hurt the most, that she hadn't known what to say. Oh, she'd spoken up for him against Thomas, but Bates had seen the pity in her eyes. He wouldn't have her pity; he would not. He pounded the cane against the floor particularly firmly to emphasize his determination. If Anna thought he was a thief—if he ever saw suspicion in her eyes—he couldn't bear that. Hard as he had tried to keep her from learning to care for him, he had come to depend on her warmth and her support.
Well. There was nothing to be done for it at the moment. He'd have to wait and see, and keep a weather eye out for the missing item.
"I hope they find that snuffbox," William was saying earnestly as he carried a tray into the kitchen. "What happens if they don't?"
"They'll organize a search, won't they?" Thomas said as Anna came in after him, carrying a tray full of serving dishes. "I wouldn't be Mr. Bates. Not for all the tea in China."
There was something smug in his voice that Anna didn't like. But Thomas was always smug, and she never did like it. "Wouldn't you, Thomas? I daresay he feels just the same about you." Putting the tray down, she turned around to catch a long, smirking look between Thomas and Miss O'Brien. "What's the matter with you?" she asked Miss O'Brien.
"Nothing."
Nothing, my eye, thought Anna. She walked out of the kitchen, wondering about them. A missing snuffbox, Mr. Bates all but accused by Thomas, and Miss O'Brien looking entirely too pleased with herself. Those couldn't be coincidence.
Mrs. Patmore buried her face in her handkerchief. "I don't see how it happened!"
Poor woman, Bates thought. Clearly there was something wrong in the kitchen—Daisy wasn't nearly as clumsy as Mrs. Patmore seemed to think she was—but salt and sugar were easily confused for each other. And nothing would be accomplished by all the staff standing around and staring at the weeping cook. "Come on everyone, let's give Mrs. Patmore some room to breathe." Passing by Anna, who had her hands on the cook's shoulder, he said, "You, too."
"I don't think I should leave her," Anna said.
"Yes, you should. Mr. Carson knows what he's doing." He had faith in Mr. Carson; he only hoped whatever was wrong with Mrs. Patmore was something that could be mended.
"Mr. Bates, wait," Anna said, catching him up as he was passing Mrs. Hughes' sitting room. She looked around to be sure none of the others were nearby. "I think I know where that snuffbox is."
"Where?"
"Hidden in your room."
It cut him even more deeply than he had imagined it would. Surely, she couldn't suspect him so easily. Not Anna. "You don't think that—"
"'Course I don't!" She shook her head, a little smile crossing her face. "Silly beggar."
"Then, why—"
"I bet Thomas would like it if they took you for a thief."
Realization dawned. Of course. He was an idiot for not thinking of it earlier. And trust Anna to put the pieces together. "Yes, I expect he would."
"Go upstairs now and find it." A devilish twinkle came into her eyes. Bates found it captivating. "And when you have, you can choose whether to put it in Thomas's room, or give it to me, and I'll slip it into Miss O'Brien's."
"You naughty girl." Naughty, and utterly delightful.
"Fight fire with fire. That's what my mum says." She hurried off, leaving Bates looking after her. Not only was she devious and clever, she had kept her head and come up with the answer while he was lost in a fog of fear and doubt. What an amazing woman.
He shook himself. This was no time to moon about—he needed to find that snuffbox, and damned quickly.
Everyone was seated in the servants' hall as Anna hurried in. Mr. Bates looked up at her as she took the chair next to him, and she let her eyes twinkle at him.
"Mr. Carson," she called. "We were wondering about that snuffbox. Has it turned up yet?"
"I'm afraid not."
"Well, I think we should have a search," Mr. Bates said.
Both Thomas and Miss O'Brien froze, slowly lifting their heads to stare at him. "What?" Thomas asked.
"Doesn't do to leave these things too long," Mr. Bates said as the two men's eyes held across the table, the challenge plain, at least to Anna.
"Mr. Carson can search the men's rooms, Mrs. Hughes the women's," Anna said. "And it should be right away, now we've talked of it, so no one has a chance to hide the box. Don't you agree, Mr. Carson?"
The butler clearly had no idea what was going on. "Perhaps it's for the best," he said, a little reluctantly. "Although I'm sure I won't find anything. I'll fetch Mrs. Hughes." He turned away, walking down the hall.
No sooner had he done so than Thomas and Miss O'Brien were on their feet, hurrying out of the room.
Anna glanced at Mr. Bates, who was holding in his smile with some difficulty. She felt quite proud of herself. She had foiled the plot, cleared Mr. Bates, and proven to him that the other servants had faith in him.