Spoilers: 1.5
Summary: All the sisters find out.
Gwen and Lady Sybil strolled through the West Gardens under the guise of admiring the chrysanthemum display after being inspired at the flower show. In reality, Sybil was set on persuading the maid to continue her job hunt, despite her objectives.
"It's just not to be, m'lady," insisted Gwen.
They were so involved that they didn't realize that Anna Smith was hunched on a bench in a dim glade. She was wiping her nose and looked up at them with red-rimmed eyes.
"Oh dear, Anna, is your cold back?" asked Gwen.
"No-I mean, I believe it's hay fever. With the harvests and all."
Guileless, Gwen pointed out, "You've never had hay fever before."
Sybil was more perceptive. "Are you feeling blue, Anna?" She sat beside the maid. "Is there something we can help you with?"
Anna stared up at the lowering sun, fighting back her tears. "No, thank you, my lady."
Gwen looked perplexed. Her ladyship placed a light hand on Anna's back. "You may be surprised," she said softly. "It sometimes help to share your troubles."
"Truly, there's nothing that can be done. It's just-not to be," Anna said, echoing her friend, but Sybil could tell the maid was concerned with a different sort of future than her career.
Anna stood, moving out of the younger woman's touch. "I should be getting back. Will you come with me, Gwen?"
Gwen quickly glanced at Sybil, who raised her eyebrows as a signal. "I'll stay here with Lady Sybil," she said, more as a question.
Anna finally gave them a smile. "Ah yes. You have plans to make." She hurried off with her quick step.
Gwen sat beside Sybil. "What's that about?" she asked.
"I assume it's about a boy. She hasn't mentioned anyone?"
"Goodness no!" Gwen said in all honesty. Her brow furrowed. "And some friend that makes me. I've been so involved with me own problems, Nothing makes Anna cry. In all the time I've known her, she's never taken any fellow seriously, but..."
"Indeed," said Sybil, with a wise nod of her head.
"But who could it be?" asked Gwen rhetorically.
Sybil sank into deep thought. "You would know the men below stair better than I would-"
"Trust me, there's no prospects there," Gwen told her gloomily. "Let me see...We go to the same dances, the fair...Surely I would have noticed if a farmer had turned her head, although I truly can't see her as a farmer's wife. You see, she reads, wishes to travel and discusses politics-" The girl's eyes went wide. "No! It can't be!"
Sybil wiggled on the bench in excitement. "Who?"
"No," Gwen repeated. "But- She's been his champion from the day he arrived and they sit together all the time in the servants hall even when it's just the two of them. And she's always going on about how cruel Thomas and Miss O'Brien are to him-"
"Bates?" gasped Sybil. Then she turned pensive. "He does have a mysterious air about him. And a woman always enjoys a good mystery-"
Gwen was already indignant for her friend. "But he's broken her heart! Or...perhaps he's been a brute with her?" she mused, fretful.
"I can't see that. He's so very polite," insisted Sybil.
Gwen shot her a jaundiced look. "Servants are often different to upstairs than down. But no, he's always been nothing but a gentleman that I've ever see." She flushed. "Our sort of gentleman, that is."
"No, I concur," Sybil said with a shake of her head. "He does not seem the sort to be beastly. So what could it be?"
Gwen glanced up at the darkening sky. "Oh dear! I best get in! I'll be late!"
"Find out what you can!" Sybil called after the fleeing maid. In deep thought, she rose as well and began to slowly stroll home.
Gwen peeked around the door to the room she and Anna shared. Anna was in her evening uniform but hadn't her apron and cap on yet. Her friend could tell that she had bathed her eyes and her determined expression was in place.
Tossing her hat on her bed, Gwen began to quickly change her clothes. "I'm going to be late and Mrs. Hughes will have me."
Anna tied her apron on and fluffed the ruffles. "She will indeed."
Despite being behind schedule, Gwen was overwhelmed with guilt. "I'm so sorry, Anna."
"For what?" Anna's flat gaze warned that she wanted no further discussion but Gwen was pulling her dress on over her head and didn't see it.
When her face popped out through the neck, she said. "All I do is go on about my hopes and dreams, and I've never asked about yours."
"'tis no matter," Anna said but Gwen kept at it.
"I mean, what are your hopes and dreams?" Her friend gave a sincere smile.
"Mr. Carson will ring the gong any minute now," Anna said desperately.
Gwen quickly tied on her apron. "You don't have any?" she asked sadly.
"It's not that," Anna said, standing before their small mirror with her cap and carefully placing it on her bright head.
"What is it then?"
"They just won't come true, it seems."
"Oh Anna-"
"Really, it's nothing. " She turned from the mirror, a smile pinned on as tightly as her cap.
Gwen was upset for her friend. She reached out a hand and after a moment of hesitation, Anna crumbled into her embrace.
"Mr. Bates hasn't done anything...wrong?" Gwen asked.
"Never!" insisted Anna. "That's the problem," she added, frustrated. "He says he can't even tell me how he feels but I told him how I feel and made a complete fool of myself."
Gwen patted Anna's back, unsure what to do. She'd never seen her friend like this. But then the spine under her palm stiffened.
"I don't regret telling Mr. Bates that I love him. Not in the least," Anna sniffled into Gwen's shoulder, "I took a risk and it failed but I'm a better person for it."
"Me as well," Gwen said, but neither sounded particularly convinced.
The gong sounded. "Must go," Anna said with false brightness and pulled away. Gwen yanked on her apron and cap and followed, clattering down the stairs.
After Anna completed the girls' hair and left the room, Edith and Mary returned to the sniping at each other. The tension had been festering in the room while their maid worked, but she had seemed preoccupied and hadn't asked after it. Still, they preferred to not argue in front of the servants.
"So you'll be going after Sir Anthony again?" sneered Edith. "Your prospects are dwindling."
Mary opened her mouth to fire off a retort. Desperate to stop the discord, Sybil broke in: "For all your squabbling over male admirers, the situation could be much worse," she said, gaining their attention. "Think of the poor serving girls with few decent suitors."
"Yes, one must always think of the servants," Mary said dryly.
"Take Anna for instance-" Sybil motioned toward the closed bedroom door.
"But Anna must have plenty of suitors," protested Edith from her chair. "She's pretty and such a fine worker. Why, she could even snare a village shopkeeper if she put her mind to it."
"She is to conduct her courtships on her half day?" Sybil pointed out.
"I should hope that I have better prospects than a housemaid," Mary said as she finished putting on her jewelry at her vanity table.
"That's not my meaning," Sybil said patiently.
"What is it then?" asked Mary, only half-curious. She was too involved with remembering the disappointment on Matthew's face and trying to find a way to not make it her fault.
"I believe that Anna is sweet on a fellow, but it's not to be."
Mary's pique turned to selfish anger. First Edith thought she could poach Mary's suitors and now Sybil was claiming to know their maid's heart? Anna had been her maid first, a gift from her parents at seventeen, a rite of passage that meant she was a lady now. She'd always felt that the young servant was closest to her-after all, they'd dragged a body together through the gallery-but somehow Sybil knew all about some love affair?
"Really?" she drawled, her tone dripping with contempt.
Sybil only smiled sadly. "I found her in the garden after the flower show. She seemed very low and when I asked her what it was about, she said nothing, of course. I made a guess on it being about a man."
"And she laid her soul bare?" Edith sounded no more pleased than Mary. Sybil was the sort of person that people easily confided in and this irritated her.
"Who is it?" asked Mary.
"She wouldn't say. But..."
Her two sisters leaned forward.
"I believe it's Bates."
"Papa's valet?" questioned Edith, her brow furrowed.
"Of course," Sybil said, rolling her eyes.
"But he's old and lame!" gasped Mary.
"Not that old," protested Edith, for Bates was younger than Sir Anthony.
Mary gave her a withering look.
"What makes you say this?" she asked even as she heard Anna saying of Bates on his first day, 'he's not so very lame,' with gentle reproach in her voice.
Sybil began to tick on her fingers. "She's always at his side when the servants are at attention."
"It could be some archaic pecking order that Carson has set up. After all, Anna's the head housemaid and nearly a lady's maid," said Mary.
"Did she stand by Papa's last valet?" pointed out Sybil. "No."
"Perhaps she worrying about him falling," Edith suggested.
"Yes," said Mary, turning her attention back to her middle sister. "You'd know, wouldn't you? Dreaming of marriage to Sir Anthony...Having to give him your arm so he doesn't stubble and dabbing at his chin as he dribbles-"
Edith hopped out of the chair, her face furious. "He's a strong and vital man-"
Mary continued as though she hadn't heard her sister. "Poor Anna. The way old men go on and on, droning about dull topics..." She pierced Edith with her cold gaze. "Like rotating crops and the new harvesters on the market."
She stood and checked her hemline in the full length mirror. "Why would she toss her future away on that man? He can't possibly support her-she'll end up working her fingers to the bone to take care of him."
"You don't know that," protested Sybil. "I'm sorry I said anything," she muttered.
Mary wasn't paying any attention to her either. "I must do something about this," she said, putting her hands on her hips. Someday soon, she would be mistress of her own grand home, even if it was not to be Downton. She must be ready to deal with sticky situations concerning the servants.
Edith watched the wheels turn in her sister's mind. Perhaps if she were occupied with managing Anna's love life, Mary would leave Edith's alone. But in any case, she had a letter to write to the Turkish ambassador after dinner. The repercussions from that missive ought to keep Mary busy for years to come.
Sybil felt some relief as she followed her sisters out of the room. Mary was on a mission and even Edith seemed to be out of her sour humor.
After dinner, Mary shooed Edith and Sybil off to their bedrooms. "You can undress yourself," she told them. "I need privacy with Anna."
When her maid tapped on the door and entered, Mary was ready. She smiled at Anna sincerely.
"Such a long day," she started.
"Yes, but the outing was a nice change," Anna said, although her voice was dreary.
Mary turned away from her. "You walked from the Abbey?"
"Yes." Anna carefully undid the many tiny fastenings at the back of Mary's dress.
"All the servants walk together?"
"Yes." Anna motioned for Mary to step out of the dress, then scoop it up and laid it over her arm.
"Even Bates? It must be difficult for him."
Anna's voice was suddenly full of fire. "He does just fine. He's a bit slower, that's all."
Mary continued as the maid quickly assisted her in removing her undergarments. "So he is. One wonders how much longer he'll be able to keep up here in this big house for Papa. He must be thinking to his future; to find himself a more comfortable situation. Perhaps with someone to care for him."
Anna's face went pale and Mary had the distinct impression that the usually good-humored maid wanted to call her a very bad name. Instead, she stalked to the cupboard, Mary's delicate garments clutched in her white fists.
Mary slipped into her robe and sat before her vanity. "Speaking of that topic...what are your future plans?"
When Anna turned back after closing the cupboard, her features were under control. "It seems everyone's suddenly curious about that," she said dryly.
"I care very much about the lives of the servants," Mary protested, then saw this just the thing not to say. Anna's expression closed off even more.
"Thank you, my lady," she said formally as she began to take down Mary's hair.
"What I mean is," Mary said in a rush, "I don't want to see you unhappy."
"I'm happy," Anna insisted, the quiver in her voice belying her true feelings.
"As I am happy?" Mary said pointedly and her maid dissolved into giggles, unable to stay upset.
"I would not have your troubles for the world," Anna said in an unguarded moment and Mary felt the shock of indignation.
"Your burdens," Anna clarified, beginning to braid her mistress's hair. "I only want for a little cottage, a good husband, and our children." She focused on the dark tresses in her fingers. "I don't need to worry about finding the right man in the eyes of the world. Only the right man for me."
Mary stared at her visage in the mirror, deep in her own thoughts. "But what if the right man won't have you?"
A little sniffle brought her back to the room. "Well, that is a problem," choked out Anna.
"Oh dear," Mary said, feeling very ineffectual. She was stuck by a thought. "Perhaps Papa can have a talk with Bates. Man to man sort of thing. Find out what the problem is. Because truly, he's mad not to be over the moon that you should love him." She returned to her earlier track. "You could do so much better-"
Shocked, Anna held up her hands. "No, my lady! That is, please don't speak to your father." Her earlier spirit returned as well. "And there is no better man for me than Mr. Bates. He is all that I wish for."
"Truly?" Mary was flabbergasted.
"To you, his manner is as a servant. With me...He is a gentlemen."
"Well, there's your problem right off," Mary said bossily. "Perhaps his injury is more than we know..." She raised a questioning eyebrow.
Anna gasped in outrage. "Don't be daft." She shot Mary a sly glance before she fetched the nightclothes from the cupboard. Mary pulled a face in the mirror. She wasn't going to inquiry how her maid was so confident on that matter. Some things were best not pursued!
As Anna helped her ladyship into her nightgown and wrap, Mary grew more serious. "I feel responsible for you, Anna. I worry about you-"
Slipping back behind the invisible wall between them, Anna said formally, "That's very thoughtful of you, my lady."
Mary sat before the vanity again and began to apply cream to her face. "You care for all of us so well-"
"Thank you." Anna stood at attention, waiting for her next task.
"Perhaps you are looking for someone of your very own to care for?" Mary suggested delicately.
"No, my lady," said Anna, each word brittle.
"Please explain then. I want to understand," urged Mary, turning to face her.
The maid dared to perch on the end of the bed, just like one of Mary's sisters would. "He cares about what I have to say. He really listens. You know how a bloke will seem like he's listening, but he's just waiting for you to finish so he can pontificate?"
Mary nodded with a bitter little smile.
"He listens," Anna repeated. Tears shimmered in her eyes. "That makes him a strong, whole man to me. He makes me feel...As though I have some purpose in this world...I just don't know what it is yet, but it's tied to him." Her small hand balled in a fist and pressed to her chest.
"I understand now," Mary said, rising from her vanity table.
Her maid hopped up as well. "With that be all, my lady?" she asked, back in her role.
"Yes, thank you," said Mary as she flipped over the cover on her bed. "And I won't say a word to Papa, I swear."
"Thank you," said Anna, the twinkle back in her eyes. She blew out the candle and left her mistress in the darkness, closing the door quietly behind her.
Mary settled back on her pillows. When she closed her eyes, the image of John Bates bending over Anna, listening to her bright chatter shimmered and changed to Matthew's rapt gaze on her as she spoke to him. No, he wasn't just waiting for her to fall silent either.
"Oh hell," she said to the night.
~end Part 2