Mary felt as though the floor had fallen out from under her. It might as well have. Sir Richard, a murderer? She dismissed it almost instantly.

Richard was a lot of things – short-tempered, controlling, jealous, and power hungry, but surely he wasn't a killer.

No, she thought, Matthew is confused. This can't be.

Matthew could see the shock register on Mary's face as she tried to justify their situation. He had anticipated this much. Sir Richard had been, after all, her fiancé for a period of time. He expected his announcement to shake her.

Mary shook her head again, as if the motion would help clarify things.

"Say something," Matthew pleaded after what seemed like years of silence.

"What am I to say?" Mary asked him. "I think this whole thing is absurd!" Mary standing and pacing now.

Matthew tried his best to remain calm. Heaven only knew how much one of them needed a level head. "I know," Matthew told her. "But please, just listen."

"What dealings did Richard even have with Vera?" Mary asked him, but as soon as the words left her mouth she realized her own answer. Vera Bates had learned of Mary's secret, and Richard, in an attempt to save Mary's reputation, had bought the story from her.

Matthew watched Mary as she mentally reminded herself of such things. "Precisely," he said as she eased herself back onto the bench.

"Just because Vera and Richard engaged in business doesn't mean that he killed her," Mary told him.

"No," Matthew said. "I agree with that, but you knew Richard. Was he not protective of his stories?"

"He is a journalist, Matthew!" Mary exclaimed, up and pacing again. "He has to be protective of such things!"

"Was he known to use threats to ensure there protection?" Matthew asked her, matching her tone, he was getting worked up now too.

Mary knew first hand that Richard was protective of everything he could remotely call his. The only thing she could recall was the time at Downton when Richard had become angry, pushed her against the wall, and grabbed her wrists telling her, "You must never cross me."

Mary swallowed hard. Was it possible that this man had killed Vera? "Yes," she answered Matthew meekly.

"Mary," Matthew said as he crossed over to her. "The man that came forward owns a newspaper rival to Richard's. He claims that Vera Bates came to him with the story of Kemal Pamuk five days before her death. He said she was frustrated with Richard for not having run the story. We have witnesses who saw her arrive and leave. The newspaper owner wrote the story and was fully prepared to publish it until Richard caught wind of it. He threatened to destroy the whole paper should the story be run and inquired as to how he came to possess it."

"Isn't that confidential?" Mary asked.

"It was," Matthew answered. "But that didn't stop Richard from finding his answer. The man contacted Vera to let her know of the happenings. Vera came back to his business two days later saying her home had been broken into and that she was scared."

"But not of John Bates," Mary answered, following Matthew's story.

"Of Richard Carlisle," Matthew finished.

Mary sat down on the bench again. This was all too much. She let her head rest in her hands as she thought it might explode from the new information she was receiving.

"But why didn't Vera call the police after the break in?" Mary asked him.

"The man asked her the same question. She was afraid they would arrest her for breaking her contract with Richard. It was the next afternoon that John Bates came to visit her. And the day after that, she was found dead."

"Did she say anything to John about it?" Mary asked.

Matthew shook his head. "Not that we know right now."

"What do you mean not that we know right now?" Mary asked.

Matthew took a deep breath. "Mr. Bates doesn't know that Richard is in question."

"Why not?" Mary asked. "He may be able to help."

"We need more proof, Mary. John Bates has had his hopes lifted and crushed for the past four months now. There is only so much of that a man can take before giving up altogether. Mr. Murray thinks it'd be best to wait until we have sufficient proof."

"But he could provide that," Mary told him.

"If John Bates had sufficient evidence, he would have given it us already," Matthew said. He was exhausted, and ready for all of this to be finished.

"So how are you going to find sufficient evidence?" Mary asked him.

Matthew took a deep breath. He hated himself for having to involve Mary. "That's why we need your help," he said quietly.

"Me?" Mary asked. "What am I to do?"

Matthew was sure that if Mr. Murray were here now, he would tell him they would have to find another way. That he would absolutely not bring his future wife into this, not with that wide-eyed look she was giving him now. Matthew ran his fingers through his hair. "There are two ways you can help us," Matthew said, refusing to look her in the eyes. "We need for you to come to York and give us all the information you can about Richard Carlisle and where he was in the days surrounding Vera Bates' death, and then depending on what we find you may need to testify against him in court."

Mary thought for a moment. She didn't particularly like the idea of being involved directly in the case now. But she thought of Anna again, and the chance she had to help her friend. "Alright," she agreed.

"The other way," Matthew said as he lowered his voice, "is to go see Sir Richard."

. . . . .

John Bates sat in his damp cell, his thoughts as always preoccupied with Anna. He read her letter again. I long for the day you return home, and I can have my way with you once again. There were nights when John could almost feel Anna's head resting on his shoulder. His time here was marked in the days spent away from his love.

Anna had visited him several times here, but John had given Matthew and Mary orders to keep her at Downton. He hated her seeing him like this. He couldn't stand watching her eyes fill with fear as she watched the way the cold, damp cells affected his leg. He knew the images of his darkened eyes and thinning frame haunted her far beyond their visit.

No, he thought. It was better that she stay at Downton and remember him as he was.

He thought back to Mr. Crawley's visit early this week. He had come to update him on his case. Mr. Murray and Mr. Crawley had informed John of their breakthrough a few weeks ago; however, they couldn't tell him more than that.

Mr. Crawley came Thursday to inform him that they were moving forward with the tip and that they had high hopes for it. That John should as well.

High hopes, he thought.

He couldn't lose hope, not yet. He would be home soon. He would be able to hug his Anna to him, and he would never let her go. That much he could promise.

The night guard turned out the lights, marking another day he had spent away from his wife.

John laid back in his bed, shutting his eyes, but never really sleeping. The dark bags that resided below his eyes paid testament to that.

In the darkness of the cell, he would let his mind wander to Downton, to the memories of his wife and their life together.

Tonight, his memory took him back to the day of the flower show. That day that his loving Anna had stopped him in his tracks as she proclaimed her love for him. The way her face was set in determination.

The words had shocked him, so much so that he let her go on that ridiculous speech about her not being a lady. He smiled at the memory of her being so worked up that she was shaking her head.

His Anna was a strong-willed girl. A strong-willed girl who refused to give up on him.

That was the day he lost all resolve. He had made promises to himself to avoid falling in love with the girl, but Anna made those nearly impossible to abide by. He hoped by avoiding her, by being polite but distant, that he would be able to keep those feelings of love at bay, and he had truly believed that by doing so, he was giving Anna a chance at a better life with someone else.

But she had broken those down the instant she told him she loved him. He had hardly believed it. In fact, there were times when he could still hardly believe Anna's love and devotion to him. The ways she had stood beside him in all of this. The ways she refused to moved. Anna Smith was the strongest person he knew. Anna Bates, he corrected himself with a smile.

She was his wife, even though they had hardly spent any time together as such. Their married life had been marked with occasional visits spent sitting across from each other with an armed guard at his side.

John Bates let his eyes grow shut as they grew heavy. He would sleep tonight, and as they often did, his dreams would take him to his beautiful wife and the home of Downton he had left behind. And although, he tried his hardest to maintain hope, he wondered if he would ever see either as a free man again.


Thanks everyone for the reviews, suggestions, and comments! As always, they are much appreciated. I'm hoping to get another chapter finished this weekend, and hopefully bring Sybil back to Downton soon.