Thankyou for your reviews, I do really appreciate them! Some people asked for an epilogue to this story, so here it is

Recently I was watching an episode of QI where they said that up until WWI, it was a requirement of the British army that every single soldier had a moustache. Now I'm trying to imagine Bates with a moustache in Africa.

...

"It's so good to see you!" Anna's mother swept her into a crushing hug the moment she stepped down onto the platform. "Oh, I'm so happy for you, thankyou for coming, sweetheart!"

"Of course we came, Mum," said Anna, as Ida turned to John with a grin.

"Come here, love. Welcome." John received a similar hug, which did a lot to calm his nerves. He'd been out of prison for almost two weeks now, and, to his and Anna's interminable joy, they'd finally received their cottage, along with four days off. The second she'd received Anna's letter saying that John would be released, Ida had composed a reply stating strongly that Anna must bring John to the farm, that she'd love to show him around and introduce him to everyone, and that this really must be done as soon as possible. Anna could hardly say no. She wanted to spend most of the four days in the cottage with her husband, but one night on the farm would be a very good thing. She had hoped to take John there years before, after all.

Ida was chatting ten to the dozen on the ride from the station to the farm. John held Anna's hand as he looked out over the fields. It was a pretty place, he thought. How could it not be; it had produced Anna.

"There it is, John," said Ida, raising her voice against the breeze. She was gesturing towards a small cluster of buildings that had just come into view a few hundred metres ahead. "This one was our fallow field this year." She pointed to the paddock immediately to their left, which was filled with a smattering of wild flowers.

John raised his eyebrows in surprise. "All this is yours?"

"Well, we manage it. Here's the working fields now, look. We'll be harvesting any day now."

John gazed around, very impressed at the size and productivity of the farm. He realised Anna was staring at him. "What?" he asked her.

"Nothing," she replied, grinning.

John found Ida's commentary on the fields they were passing a welcome distraction from his gut wrenching nervousness. It seemed to make him feel better. Looking at this place seemed to make him feel…excited. Anything to do with Anna was exciting. Of course he was excited.

The trap pulled up in the barnyard, to the sound of shrieking children and a barking dog. Ida and Anna alighted quickly, Anna sweeping the eldest boy into a hug, then quickly becoming surrounded by the other excited children. John climbed down more carefully, eyeing the adults warily. He saw the younger man's eyes dart to his cane. He must be Anna's brother. His wife stood beside him. She was holding out her hand. John accepted it gratefully.

He became aware that Ida was beside him making eager introductions. He'd already forgotten the name of the woman whose hand he'd just shaken. But he knew that Anna's elder brother's name was Peter. Peter smiled as he shook John's hand. He had kind eyes, like Anna's. John was relieved. He'd noticed the cane, but didn't seem to be judging him for it.

The man standing behind him looked like he was, though. He stood a few paces back, surveying the scene, his expression guarded. John stepped towards him and extended his hand.

"Mr Smith."

"John." After a moment's pause, Mr Smith took his son-in-law's offered hand.

"Thankyou for having me, sir." John turned back to Ida. "Thankyou for the invitation."

"Come on, come and meet your Uncle John," came Anna's voice as she stepped back towards them, a trail of children following her.

John smiled. He'd never been anyone's uncle before. The feeling of excitement came back to replace the feeling of nervousness. He was introduced individually to Alec, Eileen, James, Alice and Mark. Anna shoved five lollipops into his hand to give to each of them. The younger ones immediately lost interest in John, having eyes only for the lollipops, but Alec uttered a polite, "Thankyou, Uncle John."

"Oh, at least one of them's polite," grunted his exasperated mother. "Children! What do you say? Uncle John gave you a lollipop, what do you say?"

...

Anna's sister, Elise, and her husband and children joined them just after lunch, much to Anna's surprised delight.

"We decided to make a proper family reunion of it," explained Ida. "Alan and Bonnie will be here tomorrow."

"Where will they sleep?" asked Alec.

"They'll just be here for the day. They don't live as far away as the girls do." Ida turned to Anna and Elise, scowling playfully.

"What, Mum?" asked Elise, who had been busy talking to John.

"Brought a side of beef for you, Janet," announced Elise's husband Paul, stepping across the crowded kitchen with a large basket in his hands.

"Oh, thankyou! That'll be perfect for the roast tomorrow."

"We farm cattle," Elise explained to John.

"Oh, I see," he replied, sighing with relief that he hadn't been expected to bring a large hunk of meat himself. He'd brought small gifts for the women and children, but with Anna's money, as he still wasn't working. He'd promised to pay her back, and she'd protested that the rent money was his anyway.

"Well, technically not," he'd replied. "I believe that house is owned by a Mrs Anna Bates."

"Don't be silly," she shooshed him. "It's ours."

All Anna's family seemed to think that John was working, though, as they asked him plenty of questions about it. He decided not to correct them. He'd be working soon, anyway - Lord Grantham wouldn't have given him a cottage if he didn't intend to keep him on. Still, he let Anna's family labour under the impression that he was a working man who could support his wife, rather than the other way around.

He could feel Mr Smith's eyes on him all day.

Dinner was a raucous affair, with all eight of the adults and Alec crushed around the kitchen table in the big house, which was a large table, but was feeling the strain nonetheless. Six of the younger children were squashed around two smaller tables in the corners of the room, and the toddler, Mark, had mercifully been put to bed.

After Janet had given everyone a generous helping and sat down next to her husband at the end of the table, she looked to the other end and noticed that the head of the table was empty.

"Where's Dad gone?" she asked.

"He said something like, 'This calls for something special'," said Elise. "With a tear in his eye, you know what he's like."

"Where's he gone, then?"

"The wine cellar," Ida explained.

"What wine cellar?"

"Oh, you know, he keeps bits and bobs for a rainy day under the house."

"I'd better get out some nice glasses, then. I knew I'd forgotten something – sorry, everyone. I put squash on the table, but that's a bit boring." Janet got up and began rifling through one of the cupboards.

Anna looked at John, who was staring at his plate, not reacting. She jumped up and went over to Janet.

"Have you got something else, some ginger beer or something? Only, John doesn't drink."

"And neither does Alec." Janet grinned. "Yes, I surely do. It's under the sink, I think, have a look."

Anna looked, and found a large stone bottle of ginger beer by the wall, under the sink. It was very heavy, so Paul helped her lift it. She quickly poured a glass for Alec and one for John, and carried them over to the table just as her father re-emerged holding two bottles of wine aloft.

"Here we are," he declared proudly. "I've been keeping these for a special occasion, and now we've got one." He began moving around the table pouring the wine into the glasses Janet had set out.

"Can we start eating yet, Mum?" asked Alec.

"No, not until everyone's ready. You know the rule."

"But the others are!"

"They're at a different table, Alec. The rule is no-one starts eating until everyone at your table is seated."

Alec jumped up. "Can I help you with the wine, Grandpa?"

The adults chuckled as Pete Snr directed him to pour the glasses on the other side of the table. "Don't be takin' any for yerself, mind, you're too young."

"I know, I don't want any anyway. It smells awful."

Arriving at John's seat, Pete started when he saw that John's glass was already full. "Err, Janet, have you got another-"

"It's alright, Mr Smith, I don't drink," said John, calmly meeting his eye.

"You don't drink?" Pete frowned.

"No, so Janet's given me some ginger beer. But I do really appreciate the gesture, thankyou."

"I'll have some, Dad," said Anna.

Pete slowly stepped to his daughter's side, his wary eyes still on John, who had recommenced studying his plate.

"Whoah, that's enough," Anna protested. "Don't spill it!"

Alec having poured everyone else's glasses, Pete walked back to his seat. Before sitting down, he shook himself, gave a forced smile and raised his glass, looking at everyone around the table. "I'd like to make a toast to my two lovely daughters, one of them as looking contented as she normally does and the other one looking absolutely over the moon – you look like you've been locked in a sweet shop, Anna!" He smiled, and Anna blushed. "Which makes me over the moon too, it's very good to see you happy, love. So, to Elise and Anna, and also to Paul and John, who aren't in my bad books at the moment, and Janet, who's never in my bad books, and Peter, who sometimes isn't. And to all the little bairns, too." He raised his glass, and everyone followed.

"What about me?" asked Ida. "Are you going to toast everyone but me?"

"And you too, love!" Pete chuckled. "To family! The most important thing."

"To family!" everyone raised their glasses and drank.

"Welcome to the family," Ida whispered to John, patting him on the shoulder.

...

"Can I have a word with you, John?" said Pete quietly, taking advantage of the fact that Eileen had convinced Anna to play snap with her in the corner.

"Certainly," John replied.

"This way."

Pete abruptly walked out the back door. Grabbing his cane from the back of his chair, John followed. Allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness outside, he spotted his father-in-law walking slowly over to the small house, glancing behind himself to make sure John was following. He led him to the small porch out the back. There were two chairs sitting on the porch, but Pete didn't take one, so neither did John.

Pete leaned against one of the wooden posts supporting the porch, and fixed John with a stare. "I'm gonna ask you one question," he said.

"Alright."

"One question, and I want an honest answer. And I'll know if you're lyin'."

John nodded.

"Are you an alcoholic?"

John's eyes widened. He couldn't break Pete's gaze. Several seconds passed. All he could do was nod dumbly. "Yes," he said softly.

Pete's torso crumpled in the manner of one who has just received very bad news. His right hand waved to the right, and then his left pointed back to the big house. "Does she know?"

"Yes. I wouldn't keep that from her."

Gritting his teeth, Pete leaned heavily against the post, his arms crossed.

"I haven't touched a drop in eleven years. And I never will again. You have my word."

"Your word? The word of a drunk?"

"I'm not a drunk, sir. I was, but I'm not now."

"One little sip of that wine and you'll teeter back over the abyss. That's why you turned it down, isn't it?"

"No. There was a time when that was the case, but now… no. Now I don't drink because I have absolutely no desire to do so."

"You can say that until you're blue in the face, but I know better. This means that I can never trust you." Pete's expression hardened. "And if you had been honest with me before, if you had had the courtesy to ask my permission for my daughter's hand, there is no way I would have given it."

John was silent. He felt that happy bubble he had been living in, the first bubble of happiness he had ever been privileged to be in, shatter into smithereens.

"You weren't honest with my wife either. She's been really looking forward to you coming here. I don't know why, but she thinks you're lovely. Shall I shatter her illusions?"

John swallowed. "That's up to you. But whatever you do, please don't involve Anna. "

...

Anna, deep in a game of snap, had become aware that John and her father were no longer in the room, but neither were Paul and Peter, so she thought that they were all together. So when Paul and Peter came back into the house alone, she was quite surprised.

"I can't believe the size of it," Paul was saying.

"I know," Peter replied. "We get it next week."

"What are you getting next week?" asked Elise.

"Combine harvester."

"What? You're joking."

"I know, amazing, isn't it?" Peter grinned.

Finishing her game, Anna stood up and moved towards Peter. "Where are Dad and John?" she asked. "Weren't they with you?"

"No," her brother replied.

"Where did they go, then?"

"It's alright, love," said her mother, placing a pot of tea on the table. "Best leave your father be."

"Why?"

"Oh, is he still doing that?" said Paul. "Ha, he never changes." He grinned.

"Doing what, what do you mean?"

"He's checking John out, isn't he? He had his eyes on him all through dinner – it's exactly what he did to me when I was courting Elise. He's probably taking him outside to give him a pop quiz on morality and how best to care for a wife in the modern world."

"You passed the test, though, didn't you love," said Elise, patting her husband on the arm.

"Yeah, eventually. When he'd run out of hoops for me to jump through."

"Oh, it wasn't that bad, was it?"

"Yes it was! I wouldn't worry, though, Anna, he'll get over it sooner or later."

But Anna was gone.

...

John saw her first. He was facing the big house, his face lit up by its light. Pete was facing the other way, in the shadows. He was still talking, but he saw John's eyes flick to something behind him, a haunted look on his face.

"What are you -?" he began, spinning around to see his daughter walking towards them.

"Hello," she said. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, love, go back inside."

"I will not," said Anna defiantly, stepping onto the porch and extending her arm towards John, ready to wrap it around his waist.

He caught her shoulder, holding her back. "It's fine, Anna, do as he says." His voice was raw.

"What are you talking about?" She turned to her father, trying to affect an air of nonchalance.

"It doesn't concern you, Anna," said Pete. "Don't worry about it."

"Well, if it concerns John, it probably does concern me. So I'm not going anywhere."

"In that case, Mr Smith," said John, his hand still on Anna's shoulder, "would you mind if we continued this discussion another time? That is, if you still have things you wish to say."

Pete glared at him for a long moment, obviously unnerved by the physical contact between John and Anna. "No, I'm done," he finally grunted, turning and walking away.

John watched him go, waiting until the sound of his angry footfalls had receded before he turned to Anna. Her eyes pierced his, trying to devine was going on behind his calm exterior.

John's face relaxed suddenly, and he pulled her into an embrace, stroking her hair and holding her tight.

"Are you alright?" she asked, her voice muffled by his shoulder.

"Yep."

"What did he say?"

John found that he could say no more, he could only hold her tightly until his heart rate calmed and his thoughts swam into focus. After some minutes, he pulled back and looked into her eyes, his fingers still stroking her hair.

"You know that I would never hurt you, right?"

Anna's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"I would never, I – I'll stay strong for you, I'll take care of you."

"I know."

"I'll never treat you badly, I'd never -"

"I know. I know." Anna stroked his cheek. "God, what did he say to you?"