Prologue
She'd always supposed it was mahogany, she pondered to herself, her mind keeping itself busy as she swept the duster over its polished surface, but it could be rosewood, or even teak. Not teak, it was too dark for that, walnut perhaps. Either way it was one of her favourite pieces of furniture to clean, its curves could be relied upon to be eminently satisfying as her efforts restored their shine, reflecting the soft light from the room's high windows. She shifted the lamp to one side to clean underneath, the dust always seemed to settle under its base although how it came to do so was a wonder. But Mrs Hughes was particularly fastidious when it came to this sort of thing, she'd heard her say enough times that dirt was dirt even when it was out of sight, and she'd not be in anyone's good books if was discovered, however inadvertently, that as Head Housemaid she'd done anything but a full and thorough job of it.
With a final flick of her cloth Anna stepped back from the desk, squinting slightly as she checked that she'd put everything back as she'd found it. As she did so it was hard not to notice the first letter on the pile, just to the left of the blotting pad, a product of the Earl's industrious morning, no doubt. She'd heard from Mr Bates that he'd been especially keen to get to his desk after breakfast but also that he'd been unusually coy on the subject. But as she looked at it now, the London address neatly written in his Lordship's hand, it seemed to speak volumes and she couldn't help but feel a tinge of excitement as she let herself speculate as to what it could mean.
She pushed the chair back to its rightful position and moved on to the table under the window, her thoughts drifting once more as the tedium of the task set in. There'd been hints of course, from Lady Mary naturally, but Miss Baxter had picked up on something as well. They'd spoken of it as they'd sat quietly together the previous evening, both bent over their mending as the others had read or chatted, a few even enjoying the last of the dinner wine that Mr Carson had seen fit to leave on the table. But the truth of it was that the matter remained a mystery to them all.
"How are you getting on?" came a voice from behind, causing her to jump slightly as she turned her head to see who'd disturbed her.
"Almost done, Mrs Hughes," Anna replied, her head tilting towards the piano, "That's the last in here."
She watched the stern face of the housekeeper as her eyes flitted around the room, seeing how they settled on one or two spots and then felt herself breathe a small sigh of relief as the expression softened and it became clear that she'd passed the test as deep down she knew she would. They exchanged a few words, both agreeing that the Music Room could benefit from an airing as could the Morning Room, it having been several weeks since either had been used, before the Housekeeper made to leave, continuing on her rounds to check on the others. As she moved to collect the letters from the desk as she passed, Anna saw as she hesitated as she too realised the implication of the envelope on the top.
"Curious, isn't it?" Anna offered cheekily, her mouth curling into a slight smile as she met the older woman's raised eyebrow.
"Curious indeed," came the response which was accompanied by a twinkle of the eye, "And not a little thrilling if it's true." She seemed to hesitate, as if debating something before she scooped up the pile in her hand. "But mind, not a word to the younger maids."
Anna dipped her head to heed the warning, "No, Mrs Hughes, you can be sure I won't say a thing."