This chapter is a bit shorter, but still important. Thank you all! :)

Chapter 12

Mrs. Hughes had settled into her chair for lunch, when John slid into the chair next to her, looking quite pleased with himself. He wore a smile upon his lips. It was something that Mrs. Hughes had noticed more and more since Anna's arrival. John always seemed happy. She was used to him being a brooder, always quiet, not much of a talker. But now, he spoke about Declan's learning and how Anna had made something new for the house nearly every day. It was a very different Mr. Bates than they all were used to.

"What's got you in such a good mood today, Mr. Bates?" Mrs. Hughes asked him. His smile grew.

"I found a chalk board for Declan while I was out and about running errands for Lord Grantham this morning. Anna has been teaching Declan his ABCs. I thought it might help. And I also found this," John said, pulling out a small stuffed bear from the inside pocket of his jacket. "For the baby." His eyes were shining brightly. If Mrs. Hughes hadn't known any better, she would have sworn the baby was his.

"That's lovely," she simply stated, her heart growing heavy.

"Anna is sure it's a boy, but I'm quite certain it's a little girl. One who will look just like her," he was grinning now, like a proud father. Mrs. Hughes' lips twitched and she let out a low sigh.

"You'll miss them when they're gone," she simply stated. Those few words wiped the grin off John's lips.

"Yes," came his somber reply. "But," he cleared his throat. "This is only temporary, of course. Anna has family in America." She was the only one who knew of the plan. John had confided it to her early on. At the time, it had made sense. But now that she saw how much John cared for Anna and the upcoming baby, she worried what it would do to his heart and to Declan who now loved Anna like his own mother.

"You could always ask her to stay," Mrs. Hughes offered up as a suggestion. "She may want to, but is afraid to ask."

At that, John scoffed. "Mrs. Hughes, Declan and I will be alright. This is the deal we made. I plan to be a man of honor and hold up my end of the bargain."

"But Mr. Bates…"

John waved off her words and he was helped by Mr. Carson demanding the attention of the staff. They were given strict instructions to leave Lady Mary alone. Apparently one of the footmen dared to speak to her that morning in the hallway. Mrs. Hughes wondered who would have been so naive to do so, but she was sure Mr. Carson was handling it. The girl was heartbroken and while one shouldn't speak to her on a normal day, now was definitely not the time to press against those boundaries.

It seemed there was so much heartbreak lately.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Anna hummed along with Declan's singing, as she straightened up the kitchen. They had just finished their lunch and it was almost time for their afternoon rest. During that time, she would sit at the settee and put up her feet to read or work on a small project. Declan often played in his room quietly, but sometimes he would sit by her and quietly play with his toys.

Their schedule had changed a bit recently. Anna hadn't needed a daily nap anymore and Declan was getting older and able to do more things.

Her back was starting to ache and her belly continued to grow. The baby enjoyed kicking her side whenever she was humming or singing. It made her smile and remember Lou. He had always asked her to sing to him.

"Mama?" Declan asked, coming over and tugging on the edge of her skirt. Anna's breath hitched in her throat. He had always called her Nana. Her hand rested on his head and she gave him a shaky smile.

"What…what did you just call me?"

"Mama!" Declan now said with a smile. "You are my mama, right? Rudy said that we call our mothers Mama, not Nana." He chuckled, as if calling her the nickname was hilarious.

Anna slightly frowned, not sure what to say to him. Did she tell him to stick to calling her Nana or allow him to continue calling her Mama? She wished John was here. It really should be up to him.

Slowly, she bent down to his level, steadying herself by holding onto the countertop.

"You can call me whatever you want to call me," she finally said, her eyes watering. She did love this little boy, so much. He grinned and wrapped his arms around her neck, before pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"I love you, Mama," he whispered into her ear. Anna's heart skipped a beat. Then she brought her free hand around him.

"I love you, Declan."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

That evening when John came home, he found that Anna was reading a story to Declan. It was almost his bedtime and John was sad that he had to miss out on dinner with them. But it was his job and he was glad to be home in order to see him before he went to bed. It was better than not seeing him at all.

Stepping inside, he bent over to kiss the top of Declan's head, just as Anna was finishing up the chapter for the night.

"Why don't I put you to bed?" John offered his son. Declan just shook his head.

"I want Mama to do it," Declan answered. John's brows furrowed slightly and he saw a blush rise up Anna's cheeks.

"Go on upstairs," Anna told Declan. "I'll be up in a moment." Declan ran up the stairs and Anna stood from the settee, resting her hands over her growing belly. "I…I'm sorry. He started calling me that today. I didn't know if I should tell him…but I…."

John's face softened, though deep down he realized how much his son loved Anna and how that would affect him when this was all over. He nodded though and gave her a gentle smile.

"It's alright. He can call you whatever he wants to call you, as long as you are alright with it."

"I am," Anna answered quickly. His heart skipped a beat. Then she was quick to add, "If it makes him happy, I am fine with it."

"You make him very happy, Anna. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you." Their eyes met and John could feel this intense connection.

"Mama!" Declan called from upstairs, making their eyes break apart.

"I should put him to bed," Anna then said. She turned away from John and he watched, as she walked up the stairs to put Declan to bed.

He began Anna's tea for her and tried to push back his feelings about Anna. It wasn't fair to her to have these types of feelings for her. She was a grieving widow. She was not his, no matter what a piece of paper said. He sighed.

Moment later, Anna was back downstairs. Her hands were back on her belly. He noticed that she did this more often now. The skin beside his eyes crinkled, as an automatic smile grew upon his lips. Anna was glowing.

"What?" Anna playfully asked him, pushing him slightly away so that she could finish up her tea.

"Pregnancy looks good on you," he stated back. The blush rose again to Anna's cheeks and she just shook her head.

"I'm afraid I just keep getting bigger and bigger."

"It's a good thing, means your baby is growing."

At that thought, Anna also smiled. Her free hand rested over her belly and she closed her eyes.

"I dream of him often at night, holding our baby," she quietly confessed. "But then, he disappears. However, I'm not sad, anymore, in my dreams. I'm just glad he got to be there." She shook her head, as though what she was saying was ridiculous and picked up her tea.

"Shall I read us a chapter of our book?"

Her head shook and he immediately grew disappointed.

"I'm positively knackered tonight," she said. "I'm afraid I'd fall asleep mid chapter and I really want to hear all of it."

He nodded in understanding, but he hated that their nightly tradition wouldn't happen tonight. It was his favorite part of his day, one he looked forward to all day long.

"But I'd be up for a bit of a chat," Anna added, taking a sip of the hot liquid. "I do need to finish this before bed, if I don't, this little one will keep me up all night."

John couldn't help but smile.

"Alright."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

When Anna finished her tea, she stood from her chair. Without much thought to it, she ran her hand over John's shoulders, walking past him to put her tea into the sink. It made her pause as she set the cup down. Her breath hitched in her throat. Slowly she turned and tried to play it off, as though it hadn't just happened.

"I should go to bed. Another long day tomorrow."

"Yes," John agreed. "Mrs. Hughes should be coming by after lunch. Perhaps, you could grab a nap while she's here."

"That could be lovely," Anna stated, though she would also want to speak with Mrs. Hughes. The two had become rather close over the past months.

"Goodnight, John."

"Goodnight, Anna."

TBC...