Thank you all for the support for the first chapter. Someone asked more about the story that inspired this. It is Love Comes Softly, written by Janette Oke. It was also a Hallmark movie, that you can actually find on Youtube and it stars Katherine Heigl.

Enjoy!

Chapter 2

John Bates slid into the seat at the large table. It was bustling around him, everyone was chattering on about one thing or another. His mind was elsewhere. Tucking his pocket watch into the fabric of his trousers, he sighed. He settled more into his chair, as everyone else joined in around him. Mrs. Hughes, the head housekeeper, sat down next to John and slid a small package over toward him. "What's this?"

"Some biscuits for Declan," she whispered. John smiled. Over the past several months, Mrs. Hughes had become attached to his little boy. She would come by to visit on his half days and always provided him with some small treat.

"That isn't necessary, Mrs. Hughes," he said, though he took them and placed them inside his coat pocket.

"His birthday will be coming up soon."

"Yes," John replied, his brows creasing. In just two weeks, his son would be turning four years old. It was almost a year ago that Vera disappeared out of sight. He had been able to seek her out, only to find her living with another man. They divorced and she wanted nothing to do with either him or Declan. Now he was trying to figure out how to raise his little boy and manage his job. With his condition, there were not many job options for him. Add in a young child to care for and he had even fewer options. Lord Grantham had been kind enough to give him this position many years ago and to keep him here when Vera made him a single father. But it was difficult. Declan bounced between neighbors' houses while he worked. He didn't have any sort of normalcy and it was a year before he could start school. John had been looking at options of sending him away for some structure, but he wasn't sure he could do that. How could he provide the best for his son?

"Any plans?"

"I'll attempt to bake a cake and I got him a small toy," John answered.

"How lovely."

But it wasn't lovely, John knew that. It was the bare minimum. He always felt like he was failing Declan. This was not the life he had wanted for him. While John was eternally grateful for the kindness of Grantham staff, he still was unable to give his son a mother or the attention he deserved.

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

Darkness now surrounded her. Anna curled onto her side of the provided bed and she cradled her arms around her shaking frame. She had cried until there were no more tears left. Now, she felt like nothingness. Her life was over. There was nothing left for her.

She and Lou hadn't had any money. All of their hopes and dreams had been in moving here and starting a new family. But there was no way she would be allowed to stay here. They would need a new farmhand.

Her body grew rigid and her belly did somersaults.

As she closed her eyes, she prayed that she wouldn't wake in the morning and that God would have the kindness to take her away from this pain and world without Lou.

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

"Thank you," John nodded to his next door neighbor. The elderly woman gave him a smile and patted Declan's back, as John lifted his sleeping boy into his arms. Like most days, John was picking him up after his bedtime. He had barely seen his boy all week.

Using his cane for balance, John made his way back over toward their small cottage. He opened the door and walked right up to Declan's room. The little boy opened his eyes and blinked a few times, before settling as John put him into his bed.

"Goodnight," he whispered to his son. "I love you." John kissed the top of the little boy's head and made his way back to his room.

Sitting down, his head fell into his hands. Why was life so difficult?

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

There was a knock on the door. Anna turned to her side and rubbed her weary forehead. Another knock came.

"Mrs. Smith?" It was Mr. Mason. She swallowed the cotton lump that had filled her throat and slowly sat up. "Mrs. Smith?"

Anna made it to the door and opened it up. She saw both Mr. Mason and his son, William, standing at the door. Both wore the same solemn looks on their faces as they had the night before. Anna's lower lip began to quiver.

"We have called the priest. It's time to bury Louis," Mr. Mason explained to Anna. She just glanced at the two of them, not knowing what to say. Did she thank them for calling the priest? Or did she hate them for being the ones who had to deliver the news to her about her husband's death? Instead, she said nothing.

She stepped forward and closed the door behind her. The brightness of the sun making her dry eyes ache. She shielded her eyes with the back of her hand and followed the two men down a path toward the small cemetery. It wasn't much and she realized that this was how people without any money got buried.

There was a grave already dug and she could see Lou's body covered with a white sheet. She inhaled sharply, the breath sticking in her throat. She couldn't do this. But she had to. There was no other choice.

The priest said a few words to her, but she didn't hear any of them. Her eyes couldn't remove themselves from the ground. This couldn't be real. Just yesterday everything had been so perfect. How did it change so quickly?

As the priest began his sermon, Anna closed her eyes. She held back the tears and continued to wonder where she was supposed to go from here.

"We'll leave you for a bit," Mr. Mason told her, after he had covered her husband with the earth. He was gone and he would never come back.

A sob crawled up her throat, but she held it in, before falling down onto the ground. She was barely aware of the three men walking away; she didn't care. Her focus was on the dirt before her. She pressed her palm against the dirt that had been packed over Lou and then dug her fingers into the earth as though it would bring her closer to him. Her body ached for him. Every bone and muscle within her missed him. She was sure that she would never know happiness again.

"Mrs. Smith?" Anna closed her eyes, ignoring the sound behind her. "You've been out here for hours. I brought you a sandwich and thought I'd walk you home." She pretended he wasn't there. "Mrs. Smith?"

"Please," Anna pleaded, "Call me Anna. I…." the words caught in her throat, but she still turned to see William standing behind her. He had that same sorrowful look on his face, but was holding a small wrapped up sandwich in his hand. William bent over and offered her his hand, but she worried she would make him topple over with the cane keeping him steady in his other hand. "I…I can stand on my own, thank you." Her words were curt. Normally, she would have cursed herself for being so rude, but she found she didn't have it in her to care right now.

William nodded. He waited patiently for Anna to stand, not making any comments about the dirt covering her dress or in her hair. She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand and then took the sandwich from William.

The walk back to the small shack was quiet until they turned down the final road.

"I….well, I know it's hard, but you'll have to start thinking of what you can do now," William practically began. "I work at Downton Abbey as a footman." Anna eyed his twisted leg and cane, but didn't say anything. "I'll be heading in for the evening and I am going to ask Mrs. Hughes, our head housekeeper, if there are any positions available for you. Do you have any experience as a maid?"

"Yes," Anna quietly answered. "I worked as a housemaid when I was a tweeny."

"Good!" William answered almost too enthusiastically. "I mean, I will speak with Mrs. Hughes.

Anna stepped inside her shack and turned to give William a nod. Before she closed the door, she gave William a sincere thanks and disappeared before William could respond.

-X-X-X-X-X-

John made his way down the hallway as quickly as he could. He had grabbed the wrong set of shoes for his lordship earlier today. While he was turning the corner into the boot room, he ran into a flustered William.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Mr. Bates," William said with a quick shake of his head. John just brushed it off. William was a good lad. He had gone off to war with Mr. Crawley and been injured saving his life. Now, much like John, he walked with a cane. It made it very difficult for him to get around doing his footmen duties, but the Granthams hadn't been able to let him go after saving Mr. Crawley's life.

William worked hard, however, despite his struggles. He ignored the cruel statements from Ms. O'Brien and Thomas, always focusing on the task at hand. Mr. Carson hired another footman to help cover for William when necessary. Even Mr. Carson, their head butler, held a soft spot for the boy.

"Have you seen Mrs. Hughes?" William then asked John, pausing in the doorway of the boot room.

"No, why?"

"Well," William sighed. "It's the new farmhand's wife."

"Oh? Is she hopeful to get a position here?" John questioned William. It was then that John realized that William appeared sad and disheartened.

"Yes, well, she needs a job. Her…her husband was killed in an accident yesterday and now she's left all alone with no one. I'm hoping Mrs. Hughes has a position for her. My father doesn't have the means to keep her at the farm. She'll need some sort of job to keep herself on her feet."

John frowned. What a sad tale. He remembered William talking just the morning prior about the new young couple coming to live at the farm and help his father out. He couldn't imagine losing everything you loved in the blink of an eye. With Vera, it had been a long time coming. While he had been surprised at the time, looking back he realized he should have known she was going to disappear one day.

"Well, I hope Mrs. Hughes can help her out," John then replied. William made a nod of agreement. Right as he was about to walk away, John added, "What's her name?"

"Anna, Anna Smith."

"Right, well, go and find Mrs. Hughes." William left the room and left John in his thoughts. He remained in his spot, thinking of the young woman who was now a widow. How scared and alone she must feel. A thought passed through him, but he shook it away. That would be crazy, right?

Grabbing the shoes, he headed back upstairs.

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

John could not believe that he was doing this, but at the same time it made sense. He continued down the dirt path and reminded himself that it was only a question. There were no promises any of this would happen.

He knocked on the door and waited patiently for the door to be answered. It only took a moment for the door to swing open and to show Anna Smith. His breath hitched in his throat. He had not been expecting this beautiful creature standing before him. While her hair was a mess, her eyes were ribbed with redness, and her cheek was covered in dirt, she was still stunning.

"May…may I help you?" Anna finally asked him, making him close his gaping mouth. She probably thought he was an unpleasant stranger. John straightened himself up and gave her a small smile.

"Mrs. Smith," he began. "My name is John Bates and I am the valet to Lord Grantham." Anna just eyed him curiously, keeping herself blocked slightly by the door. "I heard about your husband and I wanted to give you my deepest sincere apology."

"Th…thank you. I need…" Anna attempted to close the door, but John took a daring step forward. Anna's eyes shot toward him and she stepped back.

"I'm sorry. I only….I have a proposition for you, Mrs. Smith."

"Proposition? I am not…." Anna looked away, her head shaking. "Please leave me alone."

"I have a young son," John continued, trying to find the best way to put his words in order. "My wife left us nearly a year ago and he needs a mother."

"Why are you telling me this? Will you please go?"

"What is your plan?" John just asked.

"My plan?"

"Now that your husband is gone?"

"I…I don't know. Find a position and save up money to head to America, most likely. My sister has moved there and she's the only family I have left."

"I'll send you to America," John promised her. Anna's eyes filled with tears and she shook her head.

"What?"

"I cannot afford to send you today, but I can within the year."

"But why would you do that? You don't know me."

"I need a mother for my son," John said again. "Marry me and for the next year, you can help me take care of my little boy. Within a year, he will start school and it will be easier for me to manage. You will have a safe place to live and then in a year's time I will send you to America to live with your sister."

Anna's eyes hadn't left him, but John was having a hard time reading what she was thinking.

"You will have your own bedroom. There will be no marital expectations," John quickly added. Again, he couldn't tell what Anna was thinking in her head.

Finally, she spoke. "No," she whispered. "Why would I….my husband just died. I don't know you, Mr….Mr…"

"Bates."

"Mr. Bates. Now, thank you for the offer, but please go away. I only buried my husband this morning." She turned to take the door and close it, but John placed his hand so that she couldn't close it just yet.

"Just think on it for a day or two. William knows where I live. And again, I am sorry for your loss."

He let go of the door and Anna shut it. He sighed. Perhaps, he had overstepped.

To be continued...

An offer has been made. :)