Hi, dear readers. Sorry for the delay in updating! I had a bit of an inspiration shortage for a time, and so many things putting themselves in the way of my time to write... Anyway, here we are. This chapter will sort of be the acme of the story, after that things will cool down until the end. Enjoy, and please, review!

John had spent most of the day watching Anna in awe. Since they had arrived at the Abbey that morning, she had spent her time running to and fro with Mary and Thomas, making all the last-minute checks before the concert guests started arriving. She was beaming, lively, and efficient, tackling every issue that came her way in a down-to-earth but good-spirited fashion. John had to admit, she performed very well under pressure. His job today would mainly be to be of assistance to the few non-English-speaking guests, so for the moment he was not too busy, since the guests had not yet arrived. So he was trying to make himself useful in whatever way could help the managing trio. He had just been sent to check that everything was in order with the cloakroom and prep Ivy, who was supposed to be in charge of it, when he heard Anna calling for him:

- John? Would you come with me to welcome the musicians and show them into their room? I think we'll need hands to carry all their things inside. Mary's busy with the sound engineer.

- Alright, I'm coming, he said.

As he was following her outside to the front gate where the musicians' bus had just parked, he noted to himself that she was so engrossed in her big day that she seemed to have forgotten everything about the threats of his delusional wife. All the better, he told himself. He was worrying enough for the two of them. He only wanted her to enjoy herself.

x x x x

A few hours later, John was gradually relaxing, while Anna was still as buoyant as ever. The concert had gone magnificently and had been a great success. Now both musicians and guests were rampaging the very attractive buffet that Mrs Patmore and Daisy had prepared. John spotted Anna, standing alone in a corner of the Great Hall watching over everything, came close behind her, and bent to whisper in her ear:

- You are very beautiful tonight, love.

Anna startled and swiftly turned on her heels, her hand clutching her chest. She was indeed beautiful, in her pretty red dress, with matching heels, her bright and neatly done hair cascading on her shoulders. She was blushing as she chuckled:

- Silly beggar! You scared the hell out of me, coming like that from behind!

Her hand left her chest to come and rest on his as her eyes met his and she added with a naughty smile:

- You're not that bad-looking either.

In truth, the sight of him in his dressed-up tux, complete with bow tie, sent shivers down her spine and tended to make her forget about her party-managing duties. Slowly her hand slid down to his waist and hip, and he started feeling a little hot too. Scratching his throat, he asked:

- Erm, would you like me to fetch you something to eat from the buffet? You must be starving, you've been all over the place all day…

- Oh, no, thanks, she replied. I'm too excited to eat. My stomach is knotted tight. I'll eat later when things have cooled down.

- Oh. OK. Something to drink then?

She shook her head. Squeezing lightly where her hand was resting just above his pants' belt, she eyed him cheekily:

- I'd rather take a bite out of you, if you know what I mean…

- What, now?! Won't you be missed?

- We can be quick, she huffed, dismissing his concern. Can't you be quick?, she asked, with a raised eyebrow.

- Oh, I can. For sure. But what about you?

- Oh I think I can.

John pulled on his bow-tie. He was feeling hotter by the second.

- Where?, he asked.

- Follow me, she whispered, pulling him by the hand.

They felt like sixteen-years-olds as they sneaked away from the Great hall and she led him, full of giggles, up the stairs to the first floor and into one of the bedrooms.

x x x x

Indeed they had been quick, and only a few moments later, they were silently readjusting their clothes and their hair, a look of smug felicity on their faces. Yes, maybe this evening would end up being a good memory after all, thought John. Her hand on the door-knob, before opening, Anna turned around to John and whispered:

- This was amazing, darling.

- At your service, sweetheart. I only hope we won't find Mary waiting for us frowning at the end of the stairs.

Anna chuckled.

- Oh she'd better not. She knows better. I walked in on her and Matthew once, so…

- OK, that's one story I don't need to know!, he replied hastily, laughing. Well, let's go back then.

Anna peeked outside carefully to ensure that no one was walking down that corridor, before opening the door wider and leading John out.

When they came down the stairs though, Mary was indeed looking for them, but with an anxious look on her face rather than a frown.

- Oh, thank God, John, there you are… Where have you been, the two of you?!

Noticing the happy glow on Anna's cheeks, she went on:

- Never mind, I don't want to know.

- What's wrong, Mary?, asked John.

- She's here, that's what's wrong!, hissed Mary through gritted teeth.

- What… Who, Vera?, asked Anna.

- Of course, Vera, who do you think?, barked Mary. She's been making a scandal to William at the welcome booth outside for fifteen minutes! He has managed to keep her outside for now, but I had to promise her I was going to fetch you and bring you to her, or she was going to storm inside…

- Oh no…, sighed John. I knew it! I knew she was going to come and try to wreck things up… I'm so sorry Mary.

Anna squeezed his hand harder.

- We'll handle her, she said. Let's go outside.

But before they could make their way down the stairs, a chorus of shouts and calls exploded, Vera's voice towering above everyone else's.

- Mrs Bates, if you'd just wait outside, please, pleaded William, running after her.

But a large man, who was tailing her, pushed him aside so that poor William crashed on the carpeted floor of the Great Hall.

- Well, well, there they are, the two lovebirds!, sneered Vera in her loudest voice.

A few long strides brought her to the stairs, and she started climbing them until she was level with John and Anna.

- Vera, please, said John, in a warning tone. Let's take this outside.

Ignoring him, Vera faced Anna, spitting her hate in her face:

- So, how's the little blond bitch?! Happy, fucking MY husband?

Anna felt her cheeks glow red as every face in the vicinity turned to them. She'd never felt that ashamed in her whole life. John bent towards Mary and whispered in her ear:

- Please, take Anna out of here, I'll handle Vera.

- Alright, said Mary.

She gently took Anna's arm and tried to drag her away, back upstairs, while John dealt with his wife and her sullen-looking bodyguard of a brother.

- Come, Anna.

- No!, protested Anna. I'm not leaving you alone, John.

- Please Anna, he pleaded. I swear it'll be easier for me to manage her on my own. Really, he insisted.

Reluctantly, Anna walked up a few stairs with Mary. The following events happened very quickly, in the course of less than a minute, but when she thought back over those moments, Mary always recalled them like in slow motion. As she led Anna away, Vera tried to push past John to follow her upstairs, yelling:

- You're not getting away from me that easy, Missy! Ducking out, are we? You don't even have the courage to talk to me face to face!

John grabbed Vera's arm to stop her from following Anna, and said sternly:

- Vera! Stop it! Let's go and talk outside, or we'll have to call the cops. Please, be reasonable.

Vera tried to shake him off, but he kept a firm grip on her arm.

- Let me go!, she barked. Patrick!

Gasps and muffled shrieks of horror could be heard from the surrounding crowd when Patrick took his gun out and pointed it on John.

- You'll let go of my sister if you want to live to see the end of today, he threatened.

There was a split second of stillness, time for every person present to register what was happening, and it was Anna who reacted first. With an almighty roar, she shook Mary's hand off her arm, and threw herself with all her strength on Patrick, pushing him backwards down the stairs. Taken by surprise, the large man, despite being much taller and heavier than Anna, stumbled back and lost his footing, tumbling down the stairs. Shaking from head to feet, Anna watched transfixed as Patrick's head hit the bottom stair with a dull thump, and then he lay on the floor, motionless, unconscious, his gun lying a few steps from him.

Vera let out a high-pitched scream, and yelled:

- SHE KILLED MY BROTHER!

In the following second, she launched herself on Anna, who only had time to bring her arms in front of her face to avoid Vera's claws. The situation was just about to degenerate into general mayhem, with people screaming to call for the police or an ambulance, when actual policemen stormed into the Abbey. It turned out William had called them when Vera had forcibly made her way inside. One of them stopped and crouched near Patrick's still figure, and started to actually call an ambulance, whilst the others set up on separating the belligerents. The officer who had stopped near Patrick said in a loud voice, pointing to the gun which was still lying a few yards from where Patrick had fallen:

- Nobody touches that gun!

It didn't take long for the remaining policemen to take hold of Vera and Anna and keep them away from each other. Vera continued howling that Anna had killed her brother, while Anna was silently weeping as she was restrained by one of the officers. Both John and Mary tried to intervene and explain to the cops that it was Vera and Patrick who had assaulted them, and that Anna had only acted in defence. After conversing shortly with his team, the commanding policeman declared:

- Alright, we're taking both these ladies to the police station, until things are made clearer.

- No!, exclaimed both John and Mary simultaneously.

- She was only trying to protect me!, added John. He was pointing a gun at me, he said, pointing to Patrick.

- If it is true, then we'll release her quickly. We have to interrogate everyone to assess who did what, said the policeman. A man is unconscious here, Sir. Take them both to the car, he added to his fellow cops.

While a team of paramedic entered the Great Hall and gathered around Patrick, the police team started dragging the two women towards the door and the police car waiting outside. On the one side, two policemen had to restrain Vera who kept twisting and kicking and yelling insults to John, Anna and the policemen. On the other side, Anna was letting herself be directed without resistance, still shaking and speechless, in an obvious shock.

Left behind, John was just as shocked, and yelled:

- Anna! I love you!, hoping she could hear him before she disappeared outside.

As soon as she'd been taken out of sight, he crumbled into tears, sitting on the first stair.

- Oh my God, what have I done!, he cried.

Mary let herself fall beside him, and squeezed his arm.

- You've done nothing, John! Come on, we have to get her out of there. I'm calling Matthew, he'll meet us at the police station. We need to go and testify to what happened!

As she finished talking, she took her phone out of her pocket and speed-dialled her husband's number. He would have come to the party, had he not been kept at his office working on an important case. Mary talked with him for a short moment, and got up decidedly.

- Come on, we're meeting there. Thomas!, she called out, looking around for him.

- I'm here, said Thomas, who had gathered all the remaining staff, awaiting instructions.

- Matthew asked that we collect all possible proofs, and that means looking for anyone who would have filmed what happened. Has anyone of you filmed?, she asked to the whole team.

All heads sadly shook in a negative answer.

- Shit, she sighed. Well, go talk to every person who's still there, and find out if anyone did. It's the most important thing! We need to prove them that this nutter pointed his gun at John before Anna pushed him.

- Alright, will do, confirmed Thomas.

Two policemen had stayed behind and were starting to interrogate all the people still present. They had already collected the gun and put it into an evidence bag. Mary stood upright, and motioned to John to stand up too.

- Come, John. Look, we have dozens of witnesses who saw what happened. They can't keep her long. The truth will be out shortly. Let's go and meet Matthew at the police station.

John wearily stood and wiped his face on his sleeve.

- Yes, you're right. Jesus…, he sighed. I'd never thought they would go that far. I just wanted to live my life without them, for fuck's sake! They're beyond insane, the two of them!

- They totally are. But come to think of it, this might well be their undoing. I mean, come on, he pointed a gun in the middle of a public gathering. He might be a cop in his country, but it doesn't put him above the law here! Everyone around saw them, so now they can't say they've got no proof of their harassment. I'm telling you, this was their final mistake, coming here tonight to get back at you. They're going down now.

- I do hope you're right, he replied hesitantly. So very much. I feel so bad for Anna… I'll never be able to make it up to her for what they've put her through…

- Let's start by doing what we need to do to take her home, said Mary, dragging John decidedly towards her car.