Part Two

The staff were already gathered in the servants hall when Anna descended the stairs to the basement, keys jangling from the hook on her waist. She paused on the bottom stair, taking a moment to look at herself in the mirror. It surprised her to find she looked no different, not older although she certainly felt it, and she briefly wondered how she was going to pull it off. Taking a deep breath she took the last few steps to the open doorway.

Mr Carson stole a glance in her direction and she nodded, hoping she looked more confident than she felt.

"As some of you are already aware Mrs Hughes has been taken ill. In her absence Anna will be acting housekeeper and as such should be shown the same respect you would Mrs Hughes." He paused to glance at each maid and footman in turn, his eyes lingering a moment longer on Thomas, awaiting a protest or comment. When none was forthcoming he continued, "There will of course be some changes in order that we maintain our standards. Miss O'Brien, if you will attend to Lady Mary and Lady Edith this evening."

"What about her Ladyship?" she grumbled before he had even finished speaking.

"I am sure you are more than capable of attending to all three," he commented, his tone dripping in false flattery. His eyebrows rose as he silently challenged her to argue further. "Hopefully it will only be for tonight, maybe tomorrow but we will know more when Mrs Hughes wakes up."

"What if it's contagious?" Daisy asked.

"Can we deal with that, if and when it happens," he replied, casting his eyes around the room, daring anyone else to ask questions.

A bell rang on the board behind him and Mr Carson turned to see who would need to respond. "I will see what his Lordship needs. The rest of you back to work." Without another word he crossed the room to Anna. "You know what to do," he stated rather than asked.

"Yes, Mr Carson. The beds need changing and Mrs Hughes likes to clean the stairs on a Tuesday. It's too nasty outside to beat the rugs so I'll get the maids to give the dining room a good going over after the family have taken lunch," she thought out loud. "Then I'll take some lunch up to Mrs Hughes."

"Very good."

He gave her a small rare smile. Mrs Hughes, he knew, had been worrying about the girl since the sentence had been pronounced. Which of course meant he had been worrying too but she seemed to be fairing well, probably better than he would have in the circumstances. There was a lot to be said for keeping busy, he mused. "If you need any assistance, although I'm sure you won't I will be in my parlour.

"Taking it as her dismissal, Anna turned on her heel and headed back upstairs in search of the maids.

~~~~~~

Anna had just settled herself at the servants table with a cup of tea when she heard footsteps echoing down the hallway. Mrs Hughes sitting room was unlocked but she didn't feel it was appropriate for her to be taking tea there. She was about to regret that decision she was sure. She knew from the familiar footsteps exactly what was coming her way. With a sigh, she placed her cup on the table and folded her hands in her lap.

"Ah, Anna," Mrs Patmore said, crossing her arms across her chest and blocking the doorway. "Just the person I was looking for."

Inwardly Anna groaned but she fixed a smile on her face. As much as she liked and respected Mrs Patmore the urge to run in the opposite direction was almost overwhelming. If it hadn't been for the small inconvenience of luncheon to cook, she was convinced it wouldn't have taken the cook quite so long to pin her down. But if she thought Anna was a pushover she was in for a surprise. Her loyalty lie with the housekeeper, who had taken her under her wing almost a decade a go and who was the closest thing she had to a mother.

"Yes, Mrs Patmore?"

"So you're acting housekeeper." There was a brief pause. "Have you got the key to the store cupboard?"

As much as the world had changed some things would eternally stay the same. The ongoing battle between the cook and the housekeeper had began almost as soon as Mrs Hughes had been promoted to housekeeper or so the stories went. It was hard to imagine one little key could cause so many arguments. Anna's fingers toyed with the collection of keys beneath the table. There was no possibility that Anna would hand over the key,not least because Mrs Hughes would have a fit and it would probably inhibit her recovery. There was also the fact that Anna would be aiding the other side in battle. She nibbled her bottom lip. "Actually, no I haven't. She gave it to Mr Carson for safe keeping," she lied.

The cook made a noise which sounded very much like a snort and turned on her heel, her footsteps echoing on the tiles as she made her way to the butlers private domain.

With a sigh, Anna rose to her feet and followed. She heard the surprise in Mr Carson's voice as he greeted Mrs Patmore followed by the distinctive sound of his patience waning.

"Mr Carson, in Mrs Hughes absence would it not be better if I had the key. I mean you don't want me coming to you every time I need to make gravy or a souffle, now do you? I am surely better placed than Anna to order what I need for this household."

Anna stood in the doorway pulling a face, hoping he wouldn't let her down or drop her in it. He was at a unfair advantage, cornered and alone, with no idea why the cook was blathering on at him about the key. It was probably the last thing he wanted to be dealing with. Of course he had also been witness to a few of the arguments but as to why the feud continued he probably had no clue. Anna wasn't about to enlighten him.

He glanced at Anna, his brow furrowing as she continued to make a face. Realisation suddenly dawned and he seemed to stand up even straighter. "I'm sorry Mrs Patmore, I cannot do that. I will be holding on to the key and placing any orders that you require. If you would kindly write a list I will ensure you get everything you need."

The cook opened her mouth ready to argue but the fight seemed to disappear as he stared down at her. "Huh, what do you think I'm going to do? Fill a basket and sell it at Ripon market? Well don't come complaining when all you have is stew again."

"Mrs Patmore, please," he tried to reason.

She turned on her heel and stomped off, brushing passed Anna as she did so.

He rubbed his temple, wishing that a certain scottish housekeeper wasn't in bed, not for the first time that day. "Anna?" he asked, glancing up at her, his eyebrow raised in question.

"Sorry. I should have warned you but she didn't give me the chance. I didn't want to break the rules or make the situation any worse. I knew you'd be better placed," she trailed off. "Mrs Hughes really wouldn't like it if the key fell into the wrong hands." She lifted the huge set of keys dangling from her waist and handed him over the key to the store cupboard. She jingled the keys a second longer and finally handed over the key to the connecting door. "You should have this too."

"What is it?" he asked, confused.

"Mrs Hughes' spare key to the attic door," she offered with a shrug and a shy smile.

His brow furrowed as he stared down at the keys. "Why would I . . .?" Twenty years ago he might have had a use for it, thirty years and he probably wouldn't have bothered with the key, instead using one of the outbuildings. His days of breaking rules and chasing the maids all but disappeared when he became the Butler.

"In case you need to cross the corridor. To prevent trysts in the night. . . " She trailed off, no longer comfortable with the conversation, her hands waving nervously through the air. It was, she assumed, the type of awkward conversation you might have with your father when courting. It was preferable to stop while the going was good. "I would just rather not play gatekeeper."

He nodded in understanding, wondering how many late trysts Mrs Hughes had prevented over the years and hoping there wouldn't be any on his watch. "How is she?" he asked as casually as he could. In reality he had found himself missing her as the day wore on, her daily presence one of familiarity and companionship.

"I took her some lunch but she couldn't eat it. She was going back to sleep when I left," Anna offered, pondering whether to speak out of turn. As his attention drifted, however momentarily, she decided that sometimes risks were worth it. "Maybe you could go up after supper. I'll get the youngsters off to bed and make sure everything is cleared ready for the morning."

"I couldn't ask you to do that," he replied, as he debated whether to take her tea.

"You didn't ask. I offered."

"Thank you, Anna."

She rolled her eyes, wondering if he would ever allow someone to do something for him. She turned and made her way back down the corridor to what would be a now cold cup of tea.

~~~~~