July 8th, 1927 ~

Anna and I are teaching William how to read. He may be a little young still, but he's such a smart boy and he's been asking, no, he's been begging us to, so we decided that it was the right time to do so. I was around his age when my mother first taught me my letters , and that didn't do me any harm, quite the opposite. When he's old enough to go to school in a year, he'll already have some knowledge and things will be easier for him.

So, we have been teaching him the alphabet. The name of each letter and the sounds, and he's doing really well. He can already sing the all the letters, and he can write a few as well. Pretty illegible still, but with a sharp eye…you can guess what it is.

Anyway, this morning he was up for breakfast with Anna and me and when I came into the kitchen, the lad was in my chair, in his little robe, with the morning newspaper in his hands, sounding out letters, trying to read. He had a very serious look on his face. When I asked him what he was doing he looked at me, and said 'If things keep going the way they are going we will all be lost.' The little beggar! He's often heard Sam utter those same words when reading the news. Of course Anna and I had to laugh at this. It's such a joy to see him growing up.

I'm now waiting for them for lunch. I hope they don't take too long. I have a gift for Will. When I went to the Post Office I bought him some lined paper. Maybe that will help him with his letters.

~ John Bates

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John looked outside his office window, taking in the beautiful view of their flowery garden, when he saw Anna hanging some clothes on the line. He smiled at the sight, taking in his wife extremely round frame. Every day she told him she was fat and how could he even stand to look at her? But she couldn't be more wrong. He found her so beautiful like this, with her big belly and rosy cheeks. She looked the fine figure of motherhood and he took these little furtive moments to admire her from afar.

But his smile died on his lips when he spied her feet. She was wearing no shoes.

'What on earth…' he whispered to himself confused. Why was Anna walking barefoot outdoors? He decided that he should go help her and ask her why she was shoeless.

'Anna…' he called her, approaching her as she stood with his shirt in one hand and the other shading the sun from her eyes.

'Hello, Mr Bates,' she smiled at him. 'Were you spying on me from your office?'

'I was!' He smiled back at her. 'And I was wondering what you are doing here without your shoes on? Here, I'll do that.' John took his shirt from her and hung it up.

'You'll laugh if I tell you.' She tried to suppress an embarrassed giggle.

'I could use a good laugh, tell me.'

She thought for a moment, watching as he continued hanging the clothes, not in exactly the way she would have done but she would let it pass this time. 'I couldn't get them on,' she pursed her lips, looking up at him.

'You what?' he stilled his movements looking at her.

'I just couldn't bend over enough to put them on, my stockings either, and then the grass is not that bad…it feels nice actually.'

He smiled lovingly, dropping William's underwear back in the basket. 'My poor darling. Come here…why don't you sit down in your chair?' He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and led her over to it.

'But the laundry -'

'I'll do it, come on. Let's sit you down, shall we?'

Anna nodded and he helped ease her down into her chair under the big elm tree. 'Oh,' she sighed, 'this is much better.'

'Is William taking his nap?' he asked as he went back to hanging the rest of the laundry.

'He is…all that reading must have tired him out,' she chuckled as John joined her.

'Alright then…you stay there, I won't be long,' he said, going inside.

'Where are you going?' she asked but he was already out of sight. When he came out, some minutes later, he had mug in one hand and her lavender lotion in the other. 'What's that, John?'

'Tea…' he said, handing her the mug and dragging a chair across from her, 'and lotion!' He sat down, after telling her to sit back and relax, and he took one of her feet and placed it on his lap.

'Are you going to give me a massage?' she smiled happily.

'Indeed I am, Mrs. Bates! I've been lax in my duties of late…' He poured some lotion in his palm, warming it just so and began to rub it into the arch of her foot.

For the first couple of minutes the only sound to be heard was Anna's oohs and aahs. Then as he continued the massage, John mentioned, 'Daisy is doing so well. It seems like she was born for the job.'

'And she's very pleased with Archie too,' Anna commented sipping at her tea, so contented at the sensation of his big warm hands against her skin.

'Yes, I noticed that too,' he looked up at her with a grin. 'They do talk a lot, and whenever I go in the kitchen they go silent as mice,' he chuckled. 'I wonder what they are up to when I'm not watching.'

'I think you know too well what that awkward silence means.' Anna looked through her lashes at him.

John nodded. 'How are you feeling?'

'So much better! I should hire you as my valet.'

'I'm already your valet,' John said with a mischievous look on his face as his hands traveled up her leg. 'And you don't even have to pay me for it,' he winked.

'Oh, John Bates…' she moaned. 'Aren't you needed somewhere?'

'I told them where I was. If I am they'll call me.'

'Good then, you stay right here, until they call you…I'm enjoying this special treatment.'

John smiled at her, lifting her foot to his lips, kissing her arch.

Anna Bates sighed contentedly. She may be a fat lady who could no longer put on her own shoes, but she had to admit…life was pretty sweet.

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I see that John has written about us teaching William how to read and what he did this morning with the paper. It was really so cute. He looked like a tiny John Bates sitting there reading the morning news, except for the blonde hair, of course. He wants so badly to learn how to read now. He gets frustrated though. He was practicing his letters earlier tonight. The lined paper John bought him seemed to help a bit. My baby is growing up so fast.

Mrs Patmore and Mrs Carson are coming to the cottage tomorrow afternoon for tea. Daisy's coming too. I asked John to spare her the first couple of hours of her shift so we could all drink tea in memory of our time at the Abbey. Of course he was more than glad to do so. I always love getting together to chat with these ladies. Even though I am more than happy with this life of ours, I miss little things from our life as servants. But fortunately, we don't live far and we can see each other whenever we please, and every Sunday morning too.

John's a little later coming home tonight. He had to stay for dinner at the hotel because they had a businessman's meeting in the pub and he wanted to be there, but he will be here shortly and he'll still be able to tell William his bedtime story. While we wait I'll give that boy a good bath and put him in his pyjamas.

~ Anna Bates