Challenge: There's a haunted room at the Abbey, probably several actually, but Anna & Mr. Bates stumble into this one. So tell us a ghost story. Scary, funny, fluffy or erotic, your choice

- A Tale of Secret Lovers

The world had been at war for three days…

Anna lay in her bed trying to read herself to sleep, but mostly thinking of all she had learned from her visit with his mother. She knew more about him than she ever had before and she loved him more than ever. She knew about his wife, Vera. She knew that Mr. Bates had been in prison for a crime she had committed. A crime he had plead guilty to and had served two years in prison for.

His mother had been kind enough to tell her the whole story, but as she already suspected would happen, Mr Bates hadn't been as kind to himself, only stating, 'But you see you don't know the whole truth, not even now. You know my mother's truth.'

He was indeed mysterious, in the most annoying ways possible sometimes, but her love for him never wavered. His nobility and moral fortitude marked within his body as much as the scar he carried from the Boers. He had told her that only his part of the story had been told and that his wife's was yet to be shared...but he wouldn't share it himself. Anna saw such pain in his eyes whenever his wife was mentioned that maybe it was for the best.

And as the war began, so did their battle for love. She knew he loved her, or at least he was keen on her, and obviously Anna loved him more than anything else in her world, so, she would fight. Fight for them until her last breath if need be. He lacked life in the faded light in his eyes and she was determined to bring it back.. She would make him happy...at least she hoped he allowed her to try.

She turned to look at Gwen who was sound asleep in the bed beside hers. In less than a week, her best friend would leave Downton to work as a secretary and the feeling of losing her companionship forever made her sad.

Anna sighed, placed her book on the bed and got up slowly. She wrapped her shawl around her shoulders before opening the door ever so softly and leaving the room. Taking her time, she descended the stairs that lead to the kitchens with the intention of preparing some hot milk with cinnamon to help her sleep, but as she stepped her foot on the first landing, out of the corner of her eye she saw a shadow running down the servants corridor.

She stopped and asked if someone was there, but only the silence of the great house answered her back. Gulping nervously she made her way to the kitchen, a bit unsure if she should go back to her room and forget the milk.

By the time she had poured it into the pot and stirred in a big spoonful of cinnamon she forgotten all about it.

Anna drank it eagerly and gave a satisfied sigh when she finished it, but before she could place the mug into the sink to wash it she heard a loud sound. Remembering the previous occurrence in the servants corridor, she grew frightened this time and daren't to turn to see the reason for the sound. She heard the steps approaching her and her breath caught in her throat as she began to pray for it to be nothing but a stupid bad dream.

'Hello.'

His voice made her jump and turn quite abruptly. 'Mr Bates! You gave me a fright!' she scolded rather nervously.

'I'm sorry,' he said with a playful smile on his lips. 'I thought I couldn't scare anyone with this...' he motioned to his cane. 'I can be heard from miles away.'

Anna smiled then, at ease and relieved. 'Of course...I should have known it was you. It was very irrational of me.' Of course it was, she knew the sound of his half-step anywhere, but this time, fear won over reason and indeed, the sound she heard must have been him. But still...

'Why are you so nervous after a good cup of warm milk?' he asked.

'It's stupid, don't mind me.'

'No, please tell me,' he encouraged.

'Well...before coming to the kitchen I...I thought I saw someone running down the servants hall corridor but when I looked and called there was no one.'

He frowned pensively.

'Nevermind.' She looked at him with a smile, but he had a strange expression on his face, like maybe he didn't quite believe her. Slightly embarrassed, she tried to move the conversation on, away from her. 'What are you doing awake at such ungodly hour...couldn't sleep either?'

'I could but...I woke up and...' He stopped, unsure whether to go on with a slightly puzzled expression on his face.

'And what? Come on tell me...can't be as bad as me "seeing" people running in the corridor.'

'I...I woke up and then I went to the washroom and...well...' he giggled nervously. 'It'll sound mad I know but, I saw someone running...down the corridor. I called, no one answered and then I heard whispers...'

'Whispers?'

'Whispers. I don't know what was said but I followed the whispers here.'

Anna looked around as she felt a shiver across her shoulders. His eyes were on her, kind and gentle and he reached for her shawl that was falling down her back. 'I'm sure it was you who I heard.' He took each edge in his hands and tighten it around her shoulders, bringing her closer to him as he did so. 'You are so cold,' he said. 'You should go to bed.'

She gazed at him with such love in her eyes. 'Why would I want to go to bed now...when I'm perfectly content here, with you.'

'Anna,' he begged. Why was it so hard to resist her? 'You know we...'

And then they both heard it. The sound of whispers and a throaty giggle coming from the corridor.

'Who's there?' John called while Anna composed her shawl.

'Do you think someone saw us?' she asked.

He looked down at her and back again. 'Maybe...' He walked as fast as he could towards the corridor only to see no one there. 'Who's there?' But the whispers returned and they came from one of the service stairs. 'What on earth…?'

'Wait! I'm going with you.' She joined him in his quest and they both climbed the service stairs that lead to the storing attic, following the whispers and shadows. In the back of Anna's mind a thought occurred to her that maybe this wasn't the right course of action but something was drawing them to the attic and neither could to turn back now.

Strangely, upon reaching the attic door the sounds stopped. 'The door is locked,' he said, looking over his shoulder at Anna, who was pressed against his back, her hands gripping his jacket. 'But how…?'

'What if it's...'

'What? What if it's what?'

'You know...ghosts...' Anna whispered, with a tiny quiver in her voice.

'Anna.' he gave a small laugh but she remained serious. 'Well...I don't believe in wandering souls.'

'Then where did they go?'

John thought for a moment. 'Well...maybe we were wrong in the...' Suddenly the door creaked open to them...wide open, making both take a step backwards as their eyes widen at the sight.

'Wasn't it locked?' Anna asked.

'Yes, I checked...'

'Well then, how...' Before she could finish John closed the door abruptly.

'Alright then, that's it. Let's go. It's late and we should be sleeping.'

'Yes, you are right,' she nodded unsure, as he passed by her touching her shoulder to encourage her to go with him.

Minutes later they were in their rooms. Anna tried not to make a sound while Gwen slept but when she picked up the book that she had left on the bed she noticed it wasn't the book she had been reading. 'What?'

'A Tale of Secret Lovers?' she whispered the title. Looking around she tried to understand what was happening and where her book was but it was nowhere to be found. She sat down on the bed in shock and opened the mysterious book and before she knew it the sun was rising and she had been reading all night.

xxxxxx

'And your book?' he asked with a serious look on his face.

'I looked for it this morning but I can't find it. It's as if never existed. Only this book was on my bed,' she said as they sat together in the courtyard the next morning.

'Now that is odd.'

'Odd? After last night I think…' she stopped to look at him and he was looking at her with a raised brow and a curious look on his face. '..that someone is trying to tell us something.'

With a slight shake of his head he smiled at her. 'Anna, you know I don't believe...'

'I know you don't but,' she interrupted, 'but can you explain it?'

'I cannot but that doesn't mean you're right. But, if you want to think so then...tell me, what's the book about?'

'It's written by three women, Amelia Jackson, Sophia Peterson and Laura Gibson.'

'I've never heard of such writers.' John said.

'They aren't writers, they were servants right here, at Downton. Listen…

For those who love with all their heart and soul. For those who would give everything for the one they love, you, who love fully and plain with all your heart's passion and will, deserve more than heartbreak and broken promises, more than an uncertain future, more than right and proper. You deserve your beloved and in this room you shall find the all time you need to be together.'

'Well...it's a romance, I suppose.'

She shook her head. 'It's more than that. It's a diary. A journal, written by these women.'

He nodded curious. 'What does it say then.'

'Albert Mayer was a butler who fell in love with one of the maids, Elisabeth Manning. They had a passionate romance within Downton's wall's but they were never able to make it public. The family would never have approved and he never had enough money to give them a proper life together anyway. One day, she fell ill and made him promise that if she survived they would find a way, a place, to be together, and he kept his promise. As she got better, all he could think about was finding a somewhere for their encounters and one day he found it in a most unexpected way. He was up in the attics putting winter clothing into the large storage trunks.

When the job was finished he leaned against the wall and pulled his flask out to have a quick nip. Albert could have sworn he heard a quiet laugh in the split second before the wall gave way behind him, landing him on the other side on a pile of soft pillows.'

'Now this sounds fantastic, I know, Mr. Bates,' Anna went on. 'but when Albert got his wits about him and stood up, he found himself in a room with no doors or windows and the wall through which he had fallen had miraculously healed itself. This would be the perfect place to bring Elizabeth he thought, but how was he to get out? And as soon as her name entered his mind the wall re-opened!

Well, Albert and Elizabeth...um...enjoyed that room often over the next few months until very early one fateful morning a spiteful footman caught them creeping down the attic stairs. When the Master had been informed they were both sacked. Albert died not long after with tuberculosis and Elisabeth disappeared never to be found again.'

'That's tragic...' John said.

'There's more. The room lay long-forgotten when, Amelia Jackson, the first writer in the journal, found it, again in a most extraordinary way.'

'What way?' he looked at her and nodded wanting to know the rest. She smiled at his eagerness before continuing.

'She was a lady's maid and one day she was in the attics with Richard Lewis, the man she loved. He was a valet as well, and they had snuck up there to...well...after many...heated kisses they fell into that room.'

'Fell?'

'Yes, they fell. Just like Albert. They simply fell through the wall and into the room. It was a love nest with all the comforts necessary for lovers to be together. Pillows, carpets and a crystal vase of red roses.' Anna placed her hand on his arm to hold his attention. 'The book claims only those who love truly are allowed to find it and they'll find their way out at the right time, so they are never caught like poor Albert and Elizabeth.'

John thought for a moment. 'Anna...that's a silly book about paranormal rooms and romances.'

'Why does it have Downton's attic's plan then? And why was it written by servants.'

'I don't know why but...maybe they were mad women?'

'Mr Bates!' she managed to giggle.

'Well, maybe they wanted some romance in their lives and made that all up… I need to go now,' he said, hefting himself up off the bench and looking at his pocketwatch. 'His Lordship must be about to ring, but we'll talk later.' He smiled a crooked, understanding smile at her before going in.

Anna found him later that night, after dressing their people for bed.

'Early bed for all of them I see,' he said.

'Yes, Lady Mary says she's terribly tired.'

John gave a long sigh and clapped his palm to his forehead. 'I have to go up to the attics, I totally forgot His Lordship wants his dress uniform brought out of storage to wear tomorrow. It will need to hang overnight to get the wrinkles out. And here I thought I was done for the day...'.

'I might just walk up with you. To keep you company.' Anna said with a shrug of her shoulders.

'So you aren't scared?'

'Scared?'

'Yes, after all those ghosts last night?' He laughed at her and she smacked his arm.

'You are terrible, Mr Bates! Let's go before I change my mind.'

xxxxxx

Bates pulled a rickety stool up to some floor to ceiling shelves and was just about to climb up on it. When Anna realised what he was intending to do she stopped him by grabbing his arm. 'Mr. Bates! You can't do that. Wait, let me up there.'

'Anna, I need that box and it's too heavy for you.' But she jumped up on the stool before he could stop her.

'Now, be careful! You're going to fall,' and as soon as he said it the stool started teetering. John only had time to catch her in his arms before they fell back against the wall in an effort to avoid being hit by the heavy box Anna was reaching for.

'Oh my! How clumsy of me,' she said. 'Are you alright?'

'I'm alright, are you?' he asked tightening his grip around her waist.

'I'm...yeah...I'm good.'

They eyes locked and like a man possessed John said the first thing that came to his mind. Something that he wanted to say for far too long.

'I love you,' he said with his softest voice. 'I love you so much, Anna.'

And then he kissed her. At first it was slow and shy but as soon as she relaxed in his arms he let his passionate side free to do as it wished. He teased her lips with his tongue and she opened to him, allowing her tongue to dance with his own. Still very inexperienced but an eager learner she let herself fall under his spell, hands and taste as he trained her mouth with his own.

He couldn't explain what was happening but he couldn't stop either. Or better he didn't want to. It was as if suddenly his reason had left him and his heart was doing all of the deciding. And all his heart desired was her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and his hands tighten their grasp on her, bringing her as close as possible to him. As hands and mouths explored John pushed her firmly with his body against the wall trying to find the support he needed to touch her further. She smiled when she felt the cool, hard wall against her back and for one moment longer she let herself loose in his arms, but before they could realise what was happening and how improper this was, suddenly the wall that was supporting them was not there anymore and they both fell into a pile of soft pillows.

They looked around in shock as they took in the room that in all their combined years at the Abbey neither had seen before. And as they tried to understand what had happened they also realised that there was no way out. They were surrounded by walls with no doors nor windows. They were trapped.

Astonishingly, the room was lit by a many candles in all sizes and shapes, casting a magic spell over all their surroundings. The floor was covered in luxurious carpets and pillows and in one of the corners there was a table with hot tea and a crystal vase of red roses.

'Where are we?' she asked. 'How did we got in here?'

'I have no idea but we have to get out.' John began touching the walls and pushing on them. There were pillows everywhere and he tried to do his best not to step on them. 'Who did all this?'

'It looks like...it's made for...lovers. Mr. Bates! It's the room from the book!' she whispered in awe and he looked at her, stunned.

A place for lovers to meet in secret and love each other safely and peacefully knowing that no one would pry. The room those women wrote about. A secret lover's nest. John eyes widen as he looked around. He couldn't believe it. 'It was real...'

'Yes!' she said enthusiastically. 'It was all real.' Anna walked towards the little table. The tea was hot, she saw the steam coming from the pot, and two beautifully ornate cups on matching saucers. She smelled deeply of the red roses and they were as fresh as they could be, as if they hadn't be there for more than an hour, but how?

'Everything is so romantic and beautiful,' she said a moment later.

'Yes.' He was behind her all of a sudden and the raw sound of his voice made her shiver from inside out. 'You were right, about everything. I'm sorry I didn't believe.'

'It's fine. I think I can forgive you,' she said turning to face him, meeting his gentle eyes and kind smile.

'I just wonder how we will get out of here.' He took her hand in his and caressed her knuckles gently. 'Not that I really want to but...'

'Well, if we're to believe the book, and I think we do now, you only get out when it's the right time.'

'And when do we know it's the right time.'

'I don't know Mr. Bates, but when the time comes, we will...'

Anna poured tea in the two cups. 'What are you doing?' he asked.

'Well...we'll have to wait won't we? We shall wait with a cup of tea.'

'But...' she gave him a pointed look and he smiled nodding as he sat down in the middle of the pillows. She handed him one cup and sat beside him.

'It's very nice in here, even though...'

'Even though we are trapped? I wonder how long will we have to wait?' he asked her.

'It's a lovers room so...how long does it take, Mr Bates?'

'What take?'

'For lovers to...love?' she blushed and looked down shyly.

'Well, it depends...I would love you for hours if I could.' He sipped at his tea.

Anna gasped looking up at him with wide eyes and red cheeks. 'Mr Bates!'

'What? It's a lover's room isn't it? I can say such things...and then you asked.'

She shook her head and sipped at the tea. 'We should meet here, every night, like the others before us.' As soon as she said that she regretted it. He would never agree with her, he was too stubborn to let anything happen between them while he was still married…

'We should.'

At first she thought she was dreaming but when she looked at him and saw the honesty and love in his eyes she knew it was real. He turned slowly, so he was closer to her and placed his cup on the floor in a safe spot. When she saw him reaching for her, her breath caught on her throat and as soon as she felt his hands cupping her cheeks she closed her eyes and allowed herself to take in the moment. His lips were soft and wet and he tasted of the sweet tea, and as his tongue danced with hers she thought of the others that had been in that same room, and so deeply in love, and she ached at becoming part of that story as well.

Before she knew it, he was leaning them over the sea of pillows and gently, he began to run his hands up and down her sides.

'I've loved you since the day we met. The first time I saw you I knew I was lost,' he said. 'I wish we could stay here forever, Anna. I truly do.'

'Then...lets make this moment unforgettable, Mr Bates. This and all the moments to come.'

xxxxxx

They found their way out hours later. How many, they weren't sure. When they saw a mysterious door open that hadn't existed before, they left the room. John looked at his pocket watch before they headed downstairs... no time had passed. It was midnight again, and for a moment they thought that maybe all that they shared had been just the fruit of their imagination. But it hadn't…

They met in the room almost nightly after that, and it certainly played it's part during the first week after his prison homecoming. They loved each other for hours and they always came back to the same time they left.

xxxxxx

Years later, before leaving for their so longed for hotel, Anna added their story in the same book and signed her name as one of the writers, hoping that one day the room would be as glorious for other secret lovers as it had been for them. She placed the book on the little table beside the tea and the roses, as it was commanded to do so by the other writers, and hand in hand, with a smile they both left and that was the last time the room existed for them.

...and the room sighed...