Author's Note: Thank you all so much for coming back, and I hope that you like this little chapter! x
John couldn't help but smile as he held his daughter in his lap, ran his fingers through the soft red curls that hung down her back and watched her turn the page in the photo-album. He loved knowing that looking at childhood photographs of both him and her mother brought her such happiness. She found it fascinating, and the smiles that would light up her face when she saw a photograph of Anna with Alice or him with his tin trains just warmed his heart. Her curious nature was one of the things he loved the most about her, and he prayed that she never lost that.
'Daddy, who's the pretty lady in this picture? I've never seen her before.' He smiled at Adelaide and pulled her closer when she tilted her head back on his chest, and he felt his heart swell a little when he looked at the little photograph that she had been mentioning in the photo-album.
It was a photograph of his mother sitting on a chair in his grandmother's kitchen with him – somewhere around one-and-a-half - in her lap.
Her soft brown hair was hanging over her shoulders in loose curls as she held him close to her, and he could tell that the smile on her lips was a genuine one. His father mustn't have been present at the time, then. His mother had been terrified of him, and her smiles in the photographs that included him were never genuine. He had treated her like dirt and made her feel worthless, and it had infuriated him more and more the older he had gotten. He would never dream of calling Anna such names or treating her and their girls like he and his mother had been treated.
'Daddy?' The feeling of Adelaide patting his chest brought him back to the present.
'I'm so sorry, princess, what were you saying?' He shook his head to clear the negative thoughts from his mind.
'The pretty lady,' She pointed to the photograph once again. 'Who is she?'
He smiled. 'She's your grandmother and my mummy, but she died a little over two years before I married your mummy.'
'I'm sorry that your mummy died, daddy,' She looked into his eyes with slight sadness in hers. 'Do you miss her?'
'I do, sweetheart, very much,' He nodded. 'She would have loved you and Evie to pieces and spoiled you absolutely rotten.'
She laughed. 'Where did she live?'
'She lived in the cottage that we stayed in when we went up to London to take mummy to doctor Ryder, Addie, can you remember?' He asked.
She thought for a moment before nodding with a gasp.
'If that's your mummy, daddy, does that mean that you're the little boy?' She inquired when she looked at the photograph once again.
'It does,' He gave her a squeeze. 'I was around one-and-a-half when this photograph was taken, and we were in my grandmother's kitchen.'
He watched her lips curl into the little smile that he loved so much. 'Am I in the album?'
'You are, darling, mummy and I had a photograph taken with you on an outing to Ripon one time,' He told her. 'Shall I show you where it is?'
Once she had allowed him to take the photo-album from her, he turned to the back of the large book and flipped through several pages before finding the photograph that he had been searching for. Then, as if on cue, the sound of bare feet patting against the sitting room floor reached his ears and he glanced over his shoulder to see Anna entering the room with Evelyn whimpering in her arms. There were slight circles under her eyes and her hair was rather tangled from all of the turning over she had done through the night, but she still looked gorgeous in his eyes.
'Morning.' She smiled.
'Morning, sweetheart,' He kept his voice soft. 'Someone decided that she wanted to get up earlier this morning and look at some photographs.'
She laughed as she came to stand beside his chair before she put an arm around his shoulders, kissed the crown of his head and took a look at the photograph that he had just turned to in the album. 'I remember that afternoon,' She released a sigh of happiness. 'The poor photographer had to take that photograph four times because a certain little miss found it impossible to sit still for more than three seconds!' She brushed a soft kiss against Adelaide's forehead when she looked up at her, and the love that she had for her little girl deepened when she beamed at her.
'In her defence, we should have waited until afterwards to take her to that sweet-shop.' John chuckled.
Anna smirked and hummed in agreement.
'Come and have a cuddle with us, mummy! Then you can look at photographs with us!' Adelaide told her.
'Is there enough room for me and Evie?' Anna teased while looking at her husband again.
'There's always enough room for you.' He reassured her before patting his unoccupied knee and watching her walk around to the front of him.
Once she had sat down on his knee, he slid an arm around her and pressed his lips to her temple as she cuddled against his chest with a smile. He then watched as Adelaide started to turn back to the page that the photograph of him and his mother was on, and he felt a surge of intense love for all three of his girls course through his veins as he held them close. He'd thought that his life had been perfect when he and Anna had brought Adelaide home from the adoption centre, but life had had one more surprise in store for them and they had been blessed with Evelyn.
Their little family, in his opinion, was now complete.
He had an incredible wife and two beautiful little girls, and he was happier than he had ever been.
As long as he had the three of them in his life, he would need nothing else.
Absolutely nothing.
Once Adelaide had stormed up the staircase, she entered her bedroom before slamming the door and forcing back tears as she walked over to her bed. Her mother had told her that her moodiness was because she was tired and that she needed to come upstairs to rest and calm down, but she wasn't tired in the slightest. She was sad and her heart was aching because she could tell that, for some reason, her parents loved Evie more than her. Evie was little and needed their mummy and daddy to do things for her, she knew that, but it wasn't fair that she was trying to take them from her. She was older than her and had been their baby for longer, and it upset her to know that she wasn't as special as she was.
She sat down on the bed once she had reached it, and after finding Mr. Woof she leaned against the headboard of the bed and looked at him in silence for a second. 'You still love me, don't you?' She asked him before the slightest smile spread across her lips when she made him nod his response. That smile vanished when memories of when her mummy bought him for her came flooding back. She had been brave at one of her doctor's appointments, and so her mummy had taken her to the shop in the village and told her that she could have whatever she wanted. Mr. Woof had been the last dog sitting on the shelf and she had thought that he'd seemed a bit sad, so she had decided to take him home with her.
She had been so special to her mother back then.
Before Evie had come along and changed everything.
She adored her little sister, of course she did, but she just wished that she would stop stealing their parents and let them spend time with her.
She felt a tear fall down her cheek as she held Mr. Woof close, and she heard a knock on the door to her room after using the palm of her hand to brush the tear off of her skin. 'Is it all right if I come in, my lovely?' Her mother asked after opening the door and peeking into the bedroom.
She gave her a mute nod before watching her enter the room and shut the door behind her, and she followed her with her eyes as she padded over to the bed. Once she had sat down on the edge of the bed, her mother smoothed a hand over her curls and the action made a gentle smile form on her lips. 'I think we need to have a little chat about what that tantrum was all about…' Her mother admitted. 'Do you want to tell me?'
'Um…' She blinked back the tears that were brimming in her eyes. 'My heart hurts.'
Anna's brow creased a little as she shifted closer to her daughter. 'Your heart hurts? What do you mean?'
'I'm not special like Evie is…' Adelaide almost whispered. 'That makes me sad, and my heart hurts when I feel sad.'
'Why in the world would you think that you're not special?' Anna's voice trembled with emotion as she felt her heart sink.
Adelaide looked down at her lap. 'Because I'm not as little as Evie is, and you and daddy love her more than me because she's your own baby.'
'Adelaide Bates, listen to me,' Anna hooked her finger underneath her little girl's chin and lifted her head so that she could look her in the eye. 'I might have carried Evelyn around in my belly for the last couple of months. I might have given birth to her and she might look more like me and daddy than you do, but that does not mean that she's our baby any more than you are. You're still our little girl, my love, and even though you came to us in a different way than Evie did, we don't love you a fraction less. I'm the luckiest mummy in the world to have you, you know.'
Adelaide's bottom lip quivered for just a moment before she burst into tears and allowed her mother to lift her off of the bed and into her lap. She buried her head beneath her chin and hid her face in her throat as she cried, and she could feel her mother stroking her back through her blouse in an attempt to sooth her while she held her near. 'I'm sorry for being moody, mummy…' She managed to choke out through her tears when she pulled back a little to look at her mother, and she took a deep breath when she stroked her flushed cheek with the back of her hand.
'You have nothing to apologize for,' Anna reassured her as tears of her own danced down her cheeks. 'So much has changed for you since Evie came along, and I should have seen that you were overwhelmed and finding it hard to accept those changes. Can you forgive me, sweetheart?'
Adelaide nodded before yawning while using her hands to wipe the tears from her mother's cheeks.
'Is someone getting tired?' Anna eased her daughter's curls back behind her ear.
'I think I need a nap now, mummy,' Adelaide giggled. 'Will you lie with me?'
Anna didn't answer her with words, choosing instead to pull back the covers and wait for her little girl to crawl out of her lap and lie down on the bed. She then laid the covers over her once again, moved so that she was behind her, and laid herself down before winding an arm around her and nuzzling her nose into the curls at the back of her head. 'I never want you to think that daddy and I don't love you again, Addie, is that clear?' She murmured while stroking her thumb against her stomach through the covers. 'We love you more than you could possibly imagine.'
'I know,' Adelaide hummed as she drifted off to sleep in her arms. 'I love you too.'
It didn't take long for her to fall asleep after that, and once Anna was positive that she was comfortable and at peace, she sat herself up before brushing a kiss against her cheek and stroking her hair. She felt so awful for making her think that she had more affection for Evelyn than she had for her. She had been home from the hospital for a fortnight now, so she couldn't bear to think about how long Adelaide had been hurting like this. How could she not have realised that her little girl was feeling ignored and unloved? The mere thought of that made her heart break.
She was going to make it up to her when she was feeling better.
She would ask John to watch Evelyn so that she could have some one-on-one time with Adelaide and take her somewhere special.
Her little girl meant the world to her and so much more, and she was going to help her to see that if it was the last thing she ever did.
'I can't believe I missed the signs…' Anna sniffled once she had finished crying in her husband's arms on the settee that night, her head resting on his shoulder as his arm was around her and she was stroking Bella's ears while she slept in his lap. 'She was heartbroken, John, and I mean heartbroken when I went upstairs to talk to her earlier. I think she was reluctant to talk to me about how she was feeling at the start, too, and that was one of the things that hurt me the most. For some reason, some small part of her felt as though she was unable to talk to me about it.'
'You can't blame yourself for this,' John soothed as he ran his fingers along the outside of her arm. 'It doesn't surprise me that she's emotional and overwhelmed, sweetheart, because she's at rather a confusing stage in her life. She's not a baby anymore, as much as it pains me to say it. She's trying to become independent and figure out who she is as an individual, and I think that the responsibilities that come with being a big sister on top of that have just exhausted her. No-one's at fault for how she's feeling, Anna, and I promise you that this won't last much longer.'
She tilted her head back on his shoulder and laid her hand on the side of his neck when he turned his head in her direction, a soft sigh leaving her as she smoothed her thumb over his skin and looked at him. 'You make me feel like the happiest woman living, and I hope you know that.'
'I'm glad,' He smiled. 'You have such a beautiful smile and you deserve nothing but happiness.'
She let her hand slide around to the back of his neck before she pulled him into a kiss, her lips curling upwards into a smile of their own when she ended it and pulled back from him after a time. 'Have you realised that this is one of the first times we've been alone since Evie joined us?'
'You're right.' He realised.
'How do you feel about making the most of it and going for a long soak in the bath before bed?' She moved her hand from his neck to his chest.
He chuckled and pressed a kiss to her forehead before looking into her eyes once again. 'You know; I think we might have earned it.'
'I quite agree,' She replied. 'I'll pop upstairs and start running it. Could you make us some tea and then I'll come down and help to carry it up?'
'Of course.' He nodded.
Once she had left one last kiss to his lips, he removed his arm from around her and let her get up from the settee before she walked out of the sitting room and he looked down at Bella. He had to admit that, even though she had a bad habit of traumatising Adelaide by bringing in little mice that she had hunted in the garden, she was beginning to grow on him. She was such a laid-back little thing and constantly wanted a fuss, and he thought that it was sweet that she wiggled herself into the gap between his thigh and his armchair after eating her dinner most nights.
Anna teased him about it on occasion, telling him that he was going soft in his old age, but he didn't mind.
'Come on, misses,' He gave Bella a slight nudge so that she would get off of his lap, and once she was standing on the settee he stroked her fur. 'Don't look at me like that, it was your mother's idea.' He chuckled before rising from the settee and leaving the sitting room to walk down the hall to the kitchen. It didn't take him long to find two teacups and start the kettle boiling on the stove, and a smile spread across his lips when he felt a pair of arms slide around his middle from behind. 'Are the girls still sound?' He asked his wife as she kissed his back through his vest.
'They are, thank goodness.' She pressed her cheek to his back and let her eyes fall closed.
She felt him turn around in her arms a couple of moments later, though, and sighed with contentment when he brought her close and allowed her to rest her head on his chest. 'Sweetheart, you're worn out,' He sighed after resting his chin atop her head. 'Are you sure you want a bath?'
She nodded. 'I'm still having those cramps, so I'm hoping that the warmth will ease them and I'll be able to sleep.'
'Well, tell me if they're still intense when we get into bed and I'll come down and get you a hot water bottle.' He ran his hands along her spine.
'Thank you.' She turned her head and kissed his chest through his vest, a soft sigh escaping her when the kettle whistled and she left his arms.
It took him minutes to finish making their tea and put the teacups on a tray, and once she had taken the tray in her hands she carried it out of the kitchen and walked to the staircase with John behind her. He had been right in saying that she was exhausted. Her muscles ached and she felt as though she could go to sleep standing up, but it had been far too long since she and John had spent some time alone together and she'd missed it. Besides, she was certain that taking a hot bath just before bed would make it far simpler for her to settle and fall asleep afterwards.
Once the two of them had reached the bathroom at the top of the stairs, she placed the tray down on the cabinet beside the bath and hummed happily when her husband put his arms around her waist from behind and kissed the back of her neck. 'I love you so much.' He told her softly.
'I love you too…' She covered her hands with his on her still-deflating stomach and slid her fingers through the gaps in his own.
As she stood in John's arms and watched the water and bubbles fill the bath, Anna was positive that there was nowhere else she would rather be. She loved him with all her heart, just like she did their daughters who were fast asleep nearby, and she was determined to make the most of every precious moment she was able to spend with him.
Every single moment.
Author's Note: Thank you all for reading this chapter and I hope that you enjoyed it! I apologise that it wasn't as long as the last one and that it ended rather abruptly, but I promise that the next chapter will be better and I think Anna and John will be taking Evelyn up to Downton to meet everyone! Thank you all for your support up to now, it truly is appreciated, and I would be so grateful if you would let me know what you thought of this chapter with a review. I'll see you all soon!
