Author's Note: First off, thank you for the kind reviews! They were greatly appreciated!
This chapter is rather short, but my next ones are going to be a bit longer.
I own nothing!
She awoke so quickly, she felt as if she was being tossed from her body. And though she had felt that her eyes were indeed open, all she could see was darkness. She moved her head back and forth, and discovered that there was some sort of cloth tied across her eyes. She was lying on a dirty stone floor; it was cold against her cheek. A slight shuffling noise came from beside her. She tried to call out, only to discover that the same kind of cloth that covered her eyes was tied across her mouth as well.
"Good morning pretty lady." A voice whispered just before she felt rough, clammy fingers run across her forehead. She screamed into her gag and tried to jerk away, but her hands and legs were tied, thus preventing much movement on her part. "Careful, you'll wake your friend." The voice warned.
Suddenly it all came flashing back: Ripon, the dress shop, Lady Mary…they had been kidnapped.
/
Bates sighed when he heard the dressing gong ring. He had been waiting by the kitchen door for the past hour for his wife to return, but still there was no sign of her. Mrs. Hughes had informed him of Anna's afternoon outing with Lady Mary, and of course he was happy to hear that she was able to leave Downton for a few hours. But as the day went on and the sky grew dark, he began to worry.
"Mr. Bates" Carson's voice startled him. He turned to see the butler waiting impatiently in the hallway. "His Lordship is waiting for you."
"I'm sorry Mr. Carson, I'm on my way." Bates spared one more glance outside before heading towards the stairs.
"I'll keep an eye out for her." Mrs. Patmore assured him from her place at the stove. John nodded his thanks as he left.
/
"Do you know which one is the Grantham's daughter?" She heard a rough voice. She must have dozed off because she was sitting up against a wall now. She felt someone leaning against her, with their head on her shoulder. From the smell of the perfume, she assumed that it was Lady Mary.
"I assume it's the taller one." The voice from before replied. "She was the one doing all the talking."
"That doesn't mean anything! You know how prim these ladies are. They don't talk unless they need to. She could just be the help!"
"Good point." The first man pondered for a moment. "I say we just wake them up and ask."
Anna clamped her eyes shut—even though she was blindfolded—as she heard footsteps coming her way. She heard Mary groan as they were yanked apart. "Wake up girl." The man who had greeted her earlier slapped her cheeks and yanked the gag out of her mouth. "Talk to me!"
Anna coughed as she tried to speak. Her throat was dry and scratchy and her voice came out gravelly. "Wh-who are you?" She choked, turning her head in the direction of the voice. "What do you want?"
"I think you know what I want." The man whispered running a slimy finger down her throat.
"Dugan!" The other man barked. "Stay focused!"
"I have to frighten her." The first man—Dugan—argued, placing his hand on Anna's thigh and rubbing it. "How else will we get an honest answer out of her?"
"What do you want to know?" Anna demanded as she discretely struggled against her binds.
"We're looking for the Earl of Grantham's daughter." Dugan explained, stroking her cheek now.
Anna hesitated for a moment. Judging by the lack of response from Mary, it was obvious that the young woman must have been seriously injured. She wanted so much to get them both out of there, but if she could get her Ladyship out first, there was at least a chance that she could go and fetch help.
"Wh-what do you want with me?" She whimpered.
"You're Lady Mary?" The second man asked incredulously. Anna bit her lip and nodded.
"Yes." She replied, silently praying that her shaking wouldn't give her away, "Yes, I am. How may I help you?"
/
Dinner was just about over when they heard Carson's perturbed voice from the Main Hall. "I'm very sorry Mr. Carson, but it's quite urgent!"
"I should hope so Mr. Clyde! The family is having their dinner!" The Butler huffed as he walked into the dining room.
"It's quite alright Carson, we were just finishing." Robert waved the flabbergasted man off, "What seems to be the problem Clyde?"
"I am very sorry to bother you Milord." The Chauffeur took off his hat and fumbled with it as he spoke. "But I thought you should know as soon as possible."
"Know what?" The Earl asked exchanging an amused smile with his wife.
"I just came from Ripon, where I took Lady Mary and Anna to go to…to the shops…" The man stammered.
"Ah, so that's where our Mary has been!" The Dowager Countess exclaimed.
"Yes, but didn't you all leave just after lunch?" Lady Edith inquired. "What took so long?"
"See that's just it." Clyde stepped forward, "They finished shopping rather quickly, and brought everything to the car. Lady Mary said she just had to run to one more shop and that they would be right back. I waited for over three hours, and they never returned. So I went into all of the shops and there was no sign of them."
"What are you saying?" Matthew demanded starting to rise from his seat.
"They've vanished." Clyde sighed shaking his head. "I was hoping they would be here when I got back—that they had decided to walk home and had forgotten to tell me."
"I'll go check upstairs." Cora pushed back from the table and hurried out of the room.
"Carson, could you check downstairs?" Robert requested as he went to follow his wife. The Butler nodded and hurried towards the Servants' Staircase.
He nearly ran over Mrs. Hughes once he got to the bottom step. "Mr. Carson! What in heaven's name-?"
"Is Anna back yet?" The breathless man asked, looking into the servant's hall.
"No, not yet." Elsie sighed and shook her head. "I was just about to go look for her. Why do you ask?"
Carson spared one more look behind her, before pulling her in the small alcove under the staircase. "Clyde just got back from town. He says that Anna and Lady Mary disappeared nearly four hours ago."
Mrs. Hughes's jaw dropped. "Disappeared?"
"Last he saw of them, they were walking towards the shops."
"Oh dear. I do hope they're alright." Elsie covered her mouth and contemplated the situation.
"You do hope who's alright?" A voice from the hall startled them. They turned quickly to see Bates waiting for a reply, but seeing the look of panic creasing his normally calm face, the assumed he already knew the answer.
/
I know it seems weird now. But I promise it will make more sense in the chapters to come.
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