AN: All characters and places belong to J. Fellowes. I'm just playing with them, no profit is being made.
"I just remembered, Bates."
"My Lord?" Bates did not take his eyes off the tie he was knotting, making sure it would be perfectly centred.
"Well, as a matter of fact, something that Anna said reminded me of it." Now Bates did look at his Lordship curiously. How many chances were there for him to have contact with a housemaid? "I recall you liked to read."
"I do."
"I'd forget to tell you before. You can borrow books from the library downstairs if you wish to."
Bates smiled. He had eyed the collection, on his very few visits to the library, and he had been on the verge of actually asking Lord Grantham if he could make use of it. He had decided then to postpone it for some weeks, at least until he would be a little surer about his staying in the house.
Was Lord Grantham's offer a way of telling him it had been settled, then?
"Thank you very much, my Lord." And yet he failed to understand what had been Anna's part in the whole exchange.
"Not a problem."
Bates helped Lord Grantham with his jacket and brushed the shoulders carefully.
"Incidentally," his Lordship spoke again. "Would you mind asking Anna if she found what she was looking for?"
What a cryptic message. "Of course." He doubted for a fraction of a second if he should inquire about what exactly should she have found.
"She asked for my permission to borrow books some days ago, that's what reminded me." Lord Grantham added, almost as if he was answering his unspoken question. "Apparently she is interested in history, of all things!"
It was odd. And yet, Bates felt there was no need for Lord Grantham to sound so surprised.
That night, before Mr Carson rung the gong, Bates considered how to pass Lord Grantham's message to Anna and, if possible, find more about it. He felt intrigued, he had to admit it. He had never seen her read, but then, she was always so busy hurrying from one room to the other, or climbing upstairs to help the girls. Even during what was considered to be their free time like it was now; Anna was always mending something, or trying to take a stain out of a gown or a hat. Diligently, silently.
He would ask her, but not just because Lord Grantham had asked him to, but because now he was curious.
During their dinner, William was telling about something he had read on the paper and Thomas was sneering at it. Irritating as it was, Bates realised Anna did not seem to be paying attention, but rather looking at her own plate, thoughtful.
"I've got a message for you, Anna," he said softly, trying hard for his voice not to carry to the rest of the table. It had not escaped him that O'Brien was glancing at them and he most definitely did not want any information, private or not, to reach her ears.
She looked up, eyes wide open and a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
"A message? What sort of message?"
"From his Lordship."
"Oh." Anna bit her lip and looked at her plate again, moving her food from one side to the other. "And what does his Lordship needs from me?"
"He wishes to know if you found what you were looking for in the library."
Was it his imagination or Anna's cheeks had turned pink? It was difficult to say in the dim light of the servants' hall.
"Did he?" It seemed as if she was trying to make up her mind about saying something else or not. "I did, thank you." Realising he had been staring, Bates directed his attention to his own plate.
He debated if he should ask any further, but somewhat he felt it would be intrusive. Why would somebody wanted to avoid this sort of topic, he had no idea, but he would respect that. He was starting to listen to the footmen's conversation again when Anna's voice seemed to physically pull him back.
"It felt a little strange to ask his Lordship about books. I usually read other things. I daresay he thought it was strange, too."
Bates smiled at her. "I think he did... but then again, I can't picture any of his daughters reading history. Maybe you doing so is just a new idea he has to get used to."
"Maybe," she said, her voice lighter now.
How strange it was to have an almost private conversation in the centre of a room full of people. Bates decided he rather liked it. "What would you usually read?"
"Poetry, whenever I get the time... which is not very often." Finally she smiled, and Bates realised he had been waiting for that very smile through all their exchange.
AN: The first episode lasts about two months. I'm guessing there would have been several interactions between these two that lead to Anna being so sad he would go. Which is really what made me write this.
Thank you very much for reading!
