Chapter I

''A room for one, please,'' John Bates said wearily, stepping into a little B&B in some obscure little village in the middle of the Yorkshire. His plane had landed at Manchester Airport about 6 hours ago, and despite a huge misunderstanding in the car hire office there, he had thought that he would still be able to reach his friend's estate in time for an early dinner. How wrong he had been. The car had broken down after only about 30 miles, and the only thing he'd been able to do was to leave the damn thing by the side of the road and hitchhike to the nearest village, which luckily was home to a small B&B hotel.

''We don't have any single rooms left. Only one room for two, I'm afraid,'' the older woman behind the counter said. ''And you'll have to pay the full price, even though you are on your own.''

Him and his luck! ''OK, I'll take it.'' This was the only accommodation the tiny village had to offer, and he was too tired to argue over a few pounds.

''Perfect! Name, please.''

''John Bates,'' he answered a bit testily, well aware that his current situation wasn't her fault, but he still couldn't help feeling peeved. He was so excited to see Robert and his family after so much time had passed, and now he was stuck in the middle of nowhere. He had spent the last depressing 8 years in Ireland with his now - thank god - former wife, Vera, and since the long, drawn-out, and very ugly divorce proceedings were finally over, his best friend had invited him to spend a few weeks with them at their large estate, Downton Abbey. John had been a little reluctant at first but Robert, being Robert, wouldn't stop nagging him until he had said yes.

''Here you go,'' the woman said, handing him the key after having checked him in. ''You're in room 5. I hope you'll enjoy your short stay with us. I'm Mrs. Patmore, if you need anything or have any questions, Mr. Bates,'' she smiled.

''Thank you,'' he mumbled under his breath, took the key, and just as he was about to climb the stairs, he turned around. ''Is there by any chance a car repair shop in the village?''

''There is.'' She happily gave him the answer that he was hoping to hear.

Thank god, John thought to himself. With any luck, he would be back on the road by tomorrow afternoon. He asked for the number of the shop, and feeling a little luckier with that information safely tucked in his pocket, he went upstairs to his room. Closing and locking the door behind him, he placed his bag by the desk and threw himself onto the bed, exhaling in relief. The last three months had completely exhausted him. Vera had refused to sign the divorce papers until he had given her his London flat. He loved the place - it had been his mother's - but he had really needed to get away from his greedy ex-wife, so had felt forced to give in to her demands.

Unbuttoning his jacket, he took his mobile from his inner pocket and dialled the mechanic's number. After a few rings, a young man voice's greeted him. The shop was already closed for the day, but after John explained to him what had happened and where the car was, the man promised he'd tow it to the shop first thing the next morning to have a look.

Feeling a bit better about the whole situation, John decided to ring Robert next, to let him know that he'd be arriving at Downton Abbey some time the next day.

''John, my good fellow! Where are you?'' Robert greeted him cheerfully. ''The girls can't wait to see you after so long. I do hope you're not calling to tell me that your flight has been delayed...''

''Robert…"

His friend talked on and on, not giving John a chance to answer any of his questions.

"...Robert!'' John raised his voice, hoping to interrupt his babbling.

''What?''

''My car broke down on the way from the airport…''

''Where are you? Should I come and pick you up?'' Robert asked immediately.

''No, don't bother. The mechanic will take a look first thing tomorrow and with any luck I'll be there before dinner,'' John reassured his friend. It was already almost 6 in the evening, and he knew that it wouldn't make any sense for Robert to come and pick him up, only to have to drive him back in the morning to get the car.

''Are you sure? I can easily…''

''No, Robert, it's OK. Enjoy your dinner and say hello to the family. I'll see you tomorrow,'' John replied. He hadn't see Robert in 6 months, and was looking forward to spending some time with him and the family. He and Robert had met in the army years earlier, and had quickly become best friends who knew they could always count on each other. The only reason that they hadn't seen each other on a regular basis in recent years was Vera, who was now, thankfully, part of John's past.

''All right then, we'll see you tomorrow. Bye,'' Robert said, ending the call.

Tossing the phone onto the nightstand, John sat himself up and thought about what to do next. It was still early and he didn't want to spend the evening locked inside. To tell the truth, he did feel a little hungry. Standing up, he decided to change his clothes and walk around the village, in hopes of finding a proper pub to have a dinner. He lifted his bag onto the bed and unzipped it.

''What the fu-…?'' he said under his breath, when he opened it. The bag was full of clothes that were not at all like anything of his. Jeans, colourful tops, a silky nightgown…a number of pairs of lacy lingerie, and a blue garter, John noted to himself as he surveyed the contents. Whoever these things belonged to, she was anticipating a busy weekend. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable at looking through a stranger's things, he let go of the garter he had picked up. Wondering how he could have ended up with the wrong piece of luggage, he noticed that this bag looked very much like his - small, brown, and the same brand. When he'd claimed the bag at the airport, he hadn't bothered to check it, since it was the last one on the carousel.

''Nice job, John, you have managed to take the wrong bag and hire the worst car in the whole of Britain, all in the space of one day,'' he berated himself, closing it again and sitting back down on the bed. Turning the bag around, he hoped that the owner's contact information was written on the tag.

'''A. Smith,''' he read aloud, tracing the name with his finger. What a very unremarkable name, he thought briefly. There was a London address and, luckily, a phone number. Without losing any time, he dialled the number and waited for the voice mail. After leaving a brief message, he walked downstairs to ask Mrs. Patmore where he could find a pub. He was almost at the bottom of the stairs when he heard an unfamiliar voice.

''You have to be kidding me! Are you sure you have no more rooms available?'' a soft voice asked.

''I'm sorry, miss, but I just filled the last one a few minutes ago.''

''Does the pub have any rooms?'' the woman persisted, in hopes that she might locate some kind of accommodation for the night.

''I'm afraid not.''

''Any private homes with rooms or couch surfers? Please - I'll take anything I can get. I have had a long, shitty day and now I have nowhere to stay.''

''I'm sorry, but I can't help y-…''

''Oh, come on!'' Her voice rose in frustration. ''My hired car broke down, my phone is dead, and I've walked 2 miles in the rain, in high heels, to get here, so I'm begging you, please get me some kind of bed. I'll take anything!''

''Miss, I'll have to ask you to calm down,'' the older woman said, staring at her.

''I'm sorry, I'm sorry.'' She exhaled, trying to calm herself down. ''It's just...it's been a really long day, and all I need is a hot shower and a bed. Is that too much to ask?''

''No, it's not, but I don't have any more rooms left to offer you, so…'' John coughed, causing both of the women to stop talking and turn to him. ''Mr. Bates, can I help you? Is there a problem with your room?''

''No, no,'' John smiled. ''My room is perfect, thank you, Mrs. Patmore.'' My god, she was beautiful, he thought to himself, gazing at the young woman. Her long blonde hair was wet, and he could see that her jeans and heels were caked with mud. But regardless of her outward appearance, she was absolutely breathtaking.

''Mr. Bates?''

''Umm...yes?' He slowly pulled his attention away from the blonde and turned to look at the older woman.

''Are you feeling alright?''

''Yes, yes. I'm OK, thank you. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I overheard your dilemma about rooms, and I might have a solution for you.''

''Really? I'll take it!''

''What? You don't even know what I'm going to…'' John began, chuckling, when she interrupted him and took a step toward him.

''Please - I don't care, I'll take anything.'' She took another step closer and her blue eyes stared back at him. Even though he didn't know a thing about the woman, he could feel his knees getting weak, just having her so close to him.

''OK.'' He smiled. ''Mrs. Patmore, can you please put Miss…'' He turned back to the young woman with questioning look.

''...Smith, Miss Anna Smith.'' She smiled, impatient to hear his offer.

''…put Miss Smith in my room. I can sleep on the couch in your sitting room.''

''What?'' the older woman said. "I'm sorry, Mr. Bates, but I couldn't allow that. The sitting room is a common area for all the guests."

"Mr. Bates, it's very kind of you to offer me your room, but I couldn't accept if it meant that you wouldn't have a place to sleep yourself."

"I don't mind, really...perhaps I could find some other..." John pondered, but Miss Smith interrupted.

"There are two of us and just one room that sleeps two," she said. "I have a rather unorthodox solution - we could share the room."

John rubbed the back of his neck uneasily, but truthfully he could see no other solution, either, given the circumstances. "Well...if you would really be OK with that, maybe we could make it work..."

''But you've just met the lass, Mr. Bates," interjected Mrs. Patmore, "...and you are not married. I don't think I can…''

''Mrs. Patmore...'' John walked past Anna and leaned on the counter. ''I'm a much older man, and you and I both know that I'd never have a chance with this lovely young woman here. So believe me when I say that you don't need to worry about anything improper,'' he reassured her with a warm smile.

''I don't know...'' she said, worriedly. The B&B she and her husband had owned for years was old, but they were both respected people in the village. Heaven knows she did not want to take any chance of their fellow villagers thinking that they were running a...a brothel...or some other unsavoury establishment!

''Please, Mrs. Patmore...'' Anna quickly joined John at the counter. ''I promise you, nothing untoward will happen. I just want to shower and get some rest.''

The older woman's eyes narrowed, moving from Anna's face to John's, then back again. Was she really considering this? They didn't even know each other; they were strangers who had met just a few minutes ago. The last thing she needed was for her hotel to become known as...well...as a house of ill repute! But looking at the desperate young woman, something inside told her that maybe she should bend the rules this time. ''All right, just this once, but…''

''Thank you!'' Anna squeaked, so relieved that she wasn't going to have to spend the night outside in the rain.

''BUT...'' Mrs Patmore said. ''If I hear anything going on, anything at all, I'll throw you out on your ear...both of you...in the middle of the night, if I have to. Understood?''

''Understood!'' Anna and John said simultaneously, like children promising to be on their best behaviour.

''Good. Come on, now get upstairs before anyone sees you...or before I change my mind!'' she scolded them and nodded toward the staircase.

''May I?'' John asked, extending his hand toward Anna's bag.

''Thank you,'' she replied, and as she handed it to him, their hands touched lightly. It was quick, but they could both feel a slight tingle go through their bodies. Somewhere in the recesses of his brain it registered that the bag looked surprisingly similar to his own, but Anna's presence was making it hard for him to think about anything but her.

''And tha- thank you,'' she stuttered at Mrs Patmore, whose face showed that she was still a little sceptical about the whole arrangement.

''Miss Smith, are you coming?'' John's voice called from the stairs.

''Yes, I'm coming,'' she replied, giving the woman one last smile before disappearing after him.

They quietly made their way down the hall and as John was about to unlock the room, he turned to her. ''Umm…''

''Yes?'' she stared back.

''Are you sure you're OK with this? I mean, are you comfortable staying in a room with a complete stranger?''

''It's Mr. Bates, right?''

''Yes.''

''Look, I know this whole thing is a little strange. I can assure you that I would never do it if I had another option, but as you can see I'm soaked from head to toe, and all I need is a quick shower and a good night's sleep. Besides, you look safe enough to me.'' She grinned and bit her lower lip.

Was she flirting with him, John thought to himself, but quickly quashed that thought and smiled back. ''OK, if you are sure.'' He pushed the key into the keyhole. ''And for your information, yes, I'm safe,'' he joked, unlocking the door and pushing it open.

Entering the room, he placed her bag next to the door and moved out of the way so she could walk in. ''Ohh...'' he heard her say, and he turned to face her, asking, ''Is there a problem?''

''Umm…'' She stopped just inside the doorway, and chuckled nervously at the sight of the big double bed in the middle of the room. ''It's nothing, it's just that...I thought…''

''Yes?''

''...I assumed...that this would be a room with two twin beds, that's all.'' She felt kind of silly saying this, considering that she had just said she was OK sharing a room with a complete stranger.

''Oh, right...'' He smiled shakily. ''Well, I was thinking that I could sleep on the floor. It's not a prob-…''

''Mr. Bates…'' The way she said his name warmed him in the most pleasant way. ''…don't be ridiculous. You were here first, and I could never let you spend the night on the floor.''

''So what are we going to do?''

''Nothing,'' she grinned. ''I'll take the chance of being a little racy tonight, and we can share the bed. All you have to do is to act like a gentleman.'' She nudged him playfully, making John's temperature rise for just a little bit.

''May I?'' She nodded toward the open bathroom door.

''Sure,'' he responded, and silently observed her taking her bag into the bathroom and locking the door. This is going to be one interesting night, John thought to himself, and sat down on the bed.

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