Hi folks, so sorry I left you at the lowest of the story for quite a long time! So, now things are getting a little brighter. Enjoy!
January 1920
My dearest love,
His Lordship just called me to the drawing-room to let me know about Mr Murray's telegram announcing that you'd been reprieved! I can't stop crying with joy and relief. My God, to which lows have we fallen, to think that the news of a life imprisonment sentence would make me so happy… But as his Lordship wisely said, it's life, not death, the time is to rejoice over that now, and we'll deal with proving your innocence later. I telephoned the prison a few minutes ago, asking if I could come visit you right now to celebrate, but they wouldn't let me. They say that as the visiting day is the day after tomorrow, I can wait that long. But I don't know that I can… I can't wait those forty-eight hours until we meet again, when I thought we wouldn't ever again. I thank the Lord that He decided to spare your life. Everyone at the House is very much relieved. His Lordship of course, but the whole family too. Mr Carson and Mrs Hughes, too. Mrs Hughes was feeling so bad that her testimony made you look guilty when she knew you weren't. She took me into her sitting-room yesterday, telling me that both of us were highly valued in that house. I cried on her shoulder, and it did feel good to find some welcoming arms to let it go for a moment. What an emotional high and low those few days have been… I'm rather high on excitement right now, but I feel that exhaustion is not quite far behind. The nights with Johnny are a bit chaotic, and Leslie and I don't get much sleep. He's sleeping right now though, so I might try to take a little nap. They have rescheduled the servants' Ball tonight, since receiving the news of your reprieve. I don't know if I'm going to be able to stand on my feet much.
Before I try and get a little sleep, I need to tell you the other big news of the day: Lady Mary has finally decided to break up her engagement to Sir Carlysle! Apparently his Lordship managed to talk her out of it, and I'm very glad he did. I didn't fancy thinking of her going away with that man. It turned quite ugly though, I heard there was a fight in the drawing room between him and Mr Matthew! Anyway, he's gone. But since the threats he's made to Lady Mary's reputation, she's planning to go to America to her Ladyship's mother's to wait for the scandal to wind down. I'll miss her for sure, and I hope she won't be gone too long.
Anyway, I long to see you the day after tomorrow, and I send you all my love. I am so relieved and happy. I am not to be a widow, and my son will get to know his father. One day we'll be back together, I know it in my heart. I love you.
Anna
x x x x
Her smile shone bright as she entered the prison visiting room. It was a different one this time, since John had been moved to the convicted inmates quarter. He smiled back at her as she sat down:
- You look tired my love, he said.
- Well. I do have a one-week-old baby. And I just spent those very few days thinking that my husband was going to hang, so no, I didn't get much sleep…
- I hope you can rest a bit now. I hate to think of you that exhausted. I wish you'd take care of yourself now.
- I will. For a few days, she smiled crookedly. After that we have some work to do. His Lordship means to work with Mr Murray, and there may be some way I can help them to overturn the conviction. I don't know what I can do, but there may be something.
- I don't deserve you.
- Because we will overturn it. I won't rest, until we have you out. I want my son to grow up with his father around.
- But it may take years. That's if you ever manage it.
- I don't care. From now on this is my life goal. I'll move Heaven and Earth if I have too, but I'll have you back with us.
- But please, don't forget yourself, and the baby in all of this. I want you to stay healthy and happy. I can't have you grey-faced, exhausted and in perpetual mourning. Promise me, that you'll make friends, have fun, live life.
She looked intently at him for a few seconds, and nodded:
- I'll try. I promise.
- What about Johnny, will you be able to bring him back here sometimes?
- Unfortunately, they told me they don't allow children under six years old. Last time was special treatment, since he had just been born and you were supposed to… well, it was just this one time.
- Oh.
He looked very downcast at that news. He had been looking forward to seeing his son every two weeks.
- But see? This is why I have to get you out of here as soon as possible. But in the meantime…
She fumbled into her coat pocket, and handed him a new picture.
- Here's a photograph of us. I will have some taken regularly, so that you can see how he grows.
A sad smile appeared on his face.
- Thank you. I guess it is better than nothing. And you'll tell me everything about him in our letters, will you? Every little thing I want to know.
- Of course I will.
John studied the photograph for a moment, and commented:
- You are both so beautiful. I am so proud to call you my family.
- I'm proud of him too, agreed Anna.
There was a short silence, before Anna exclaimed:
- Oh, and I didn't tell you the latest news from the family!
- That Lady Mary broke up with Sir Carlysle? Yes, you told me in your letter.
- No, but even better! Mr Matthew proposed at the servants' Ball! They're engaged!
- Oh really? Well I'm glad for them. And for his Lordship, he must be over the moon!
- I do think he is indeed, she laughed. This has been such a long time coming, and he had hoped for it since Mr Patrick's death! It's been almost eight years…
- Has it? Oh God, yes it has. Since the day we met, in fact.
- Oh yes, you're right. God has it been that long.
- So, I guess she's not going to America now?
- Of course not. They don't care now about any scandal, since she's secured a husband, who doesn't care himself about that scandal.
- Well that's good for him, and her.
- I think he loves her very much, so he doesn't really care what happened in the past.
- Well that's good news. I'll write to his Lordship to offer my congratulations and best wishes. Have they set up a date yet?
- No, but I think they won't want to wait much. I guess they'll do it soon.
- That makes me happy for them. They deserve some good news. And it's good that Lady Mary won't be driven out of her own home. It's a shame she couldn't be the rightful heir.
- Yes, I thought that too. On another topic, his Lordship has decided to take Thomas as acting valet. He didn't want to at first, then a few days ago Isis went missing, and Thomas somehow found her and brought her back, so now apparently his Lordship trusts him…
- Oh. Well, he had to get someone to replace me at some point. Mr Carson couldn't keep on doing the job forever.
- Yes, of course. But I don't know, I feel there's something dodgy about that Isis story. I don't know that Thomas went to search for her out of the goodness of his heart.
- What do you mean?
- I'm not sure, but I have suspicions. This incident surely served his purpose wonderfully. To gain his Lordship's trust and gratitude I mean.
- You think he could have planned it? Hidden Isis?
- I don't know. But it did seem very convenient to him. I guess we'll never know.
x x x x
My dear Anna,
I was so very happy to see you again yesterday. Being next to you is all the more enjoyable when I'd thought that I'd lost you forever. I must thank you for your determination to go on working on my case to try and set me free. I'm so very proud and grateful to you, but as a concerned husband, I must ask you not to forget yourself. You just gave birth, and have a newborn to care for, and even if you have Leslie's help, I'm worried about you. Please allow yourself to rest and sleep. I will not have you making yourself ill on my behalf. You and our son will always come first to me.
I think we should think about what we will be doing with the London house. I don't even know in what state it is since the police inquiry left. Maybe some time in a few weeks or months you could go down there and see for yourself, so that we can discuss it. Should we sell it? Or put it on the renting market? That could give you a steady income, and maybe help sustain Leslie too. I guess you'll soon be caught up in Lady Mary's wedding preparations, so there's no hurry. You can deal with that later. It won't go away.
I wrote to his Lordship to give him my congratulations on Lady Mary's engagement. I'm truly very happy that things turned out well for them. I think no one in the family will regret Sir Carlysle…
I'm still alone in my cell for the time being, but I've come across Julian again, since now we're in the same quarters. He was happy to see me again, although a bit downcast that I got a life sentence, but relieved when he learnt that I closely escaped hanging. But since we're not allowed to talk during promenade or working hours or meals, it is rather difficult to keep up to date. I managed to tell him about Johnny's birth though, and he was thrilled for us. His niece, little Polly, is doing alright too apparently. I'm missing you and my son terribly. I would love to be there and be an involved father, help you take care of him, bathe him, change him, walk him to sleep, cuddle him. I know it's not something many fathers do, but I would have loved to do it. I'm very disappointed that they don't allow you to bring him back to me. This is so unfair to all three of us. I'm keeping the photograph you brought me yesterday in my breast pocket at all time, and I pretend it's like you two were with me always. Every time I look at it, I feel I love you both a little bit more. I wouldn't have thought it possible, but apparently it is. The heart can always grow larger and fonder.
I'm looking forward to your next letter and our next meeting. Please give my best wishes to Lady Mary and Mr Matthew, and to Leslie too, and thank her for me for everything she's doing for us.
With all my love,
John Bates.
x x x x
My dear husband,
I thank you kindly for your sweet words of concern. Yes, I am doing my best to rest and focus on our son. He's thriving, by the way. I feel like he's getting bigger and heavier by the day. He's so greedy, I'm almost spending my whole days feeding him, and a fair part of the nights too. He's got good lungs too, if I can judge by the loudness of his cries when I'm not quick enough to put him to my breast. I'm lucky that Mrs Hughes is allowing me some time off work, because I don't know what kind of work I could manage right now. Of course Leslie is helping a lot, but she can't do anything about the feeding, and it's the part that's taking the most time. Moreover, she's not complaining or telling me anything, but I think it's hard for her to take care of my baby, when she lost hers a few months ago. I found her crying herself to sleep a few times. She has a lot of nightmares too. I'm a bit worried about her. I feel like asking her to care for Johnny is like rubbing some salt in her wounds. Despite that, she's wonderful with him. She'ssweet and caring and never lets her struggles show when she's with him.
I can't tell you how much the atmosphere has changed in the house since Sir Carlysle's hasty departure and the announcement of Lady Mary's and Mr Matthew's engagement. Lady Mary is so much brighter. Yesterday she asked me to be her personal Lady's maid when she gets married. That would mean letting go completely of the Head Housemaid duties, and Lady Edith's service too. And I would get a raise. That's a marvellous opportunity for me. It would mean a rather less tiring work, and better pay altogether. I'm so lucky Lady Mary wants to keep me and even promote me even though I now have a child. Of course as you mentioned in your last letter, we will be kept rather busy in weeks to come with the wedding preparations. They set up the date for late March, so we have only a little bit more than two months ahead of us to plan it all. We are going to start working in the next days with a seamstress in York for her wedding dress. Mrs Hughes and Mrs Patmore are working with her Ladyship over the reception and the menus. This event will surely keep everyone busy until the day comes, but I must say I'm rather glad because it puts everyone in a good mood. No one believed it would happen anymore, so everyone is happily surprised.
I feel like I'm breathing a little more freely since I've seen you last Monday, knowing you've been reprieved. I have less of that permanent weight on my chest. But don't mistake me, I still miss you every hour of every day. And yes I'm going to do everything in my power to get you out of that wretched prison where you don't belong. I think in about a month, when things have settled down a bit with Johnny, I'll try and plan a trip to London to check on the house as you suggested, and have it ready to let. I think it is wiser to have it let, and to save the rents. Then when you're back we can plan whatever we want to do with it, and our future as a family. I know we will be reunited as a family one day, hopefully soon, and we will make our plans then. This time is but a hurdle on our path, one more, but one we will once more overcome. I'm confident about that. A few days ago I thought all was lost, but now I know it isn't. Please, do keep the faith with me. I love you, and I need you, and so does our son. Until we see each other again, you'll be in my every thoughts.
Your devoted wife, for all eternity,
Anna Bates