Dear Anna,
My dearest one, my darling dear how I have missed you! I have missed you like the flowers miss the sun and the moon misses the stars, like the housekeeper misses the housemaids and the butler misses the footeman! I gather you understand the picture? If so, then don't stop reading this uninspired little letter of mine just yet.
In all seriousness my dear, I have missed you terribly. Life has been rather dull and dreary without your humorous accounts of the Abbey's exploits to keep me entertained. So you can only begin to imagine what a relief it was to finally receive your latest letter, even if it is a little tricky to squint past all the scratches and squiggles of your penmanship. But before you become too offended my dear, let me first just say that the scratches and squiggles is perhaps what I love best about your writing; for without them it wouldn't be yours now would it?
How gratifying it is to know that your trip was indeed an enjoyable one. Now aren't you glad you decided to go after all? And don't fret, no thanks is required for convincing you not to remain for my sake - although it wouldn't hurt...
However, it is a shame that you hadn't the stomach for frog's legs or the nerve to merely even attempt the Can-Can, but if you weren't off sampling exotic foods or trying your luck with foreign dances then what were you doing all the way out in the distant South of France? You couldn't have been gorging yourself on crepe suzette all that time, however more delicious it is than Mrs. Patmore's.
Whatever you were up to, I sure hope this "little treat" you speak of is something I may eagerly look forward to and not some dashing foreign fellow you've picked up and brought home with you, because I trust you knew I was kidding when I teased you about your endless line of suitors awhile back. At least I hope I can...
I hadn't known you'd held so many positions before you came to Downton. Even an acting nanny at one point, imagine that! But I'm not surprised the staff at the Trenton's wasn't any less welcoming than they were to you while you were there; being half a nanny you just aren't part of the servants, but being half a servant sure doesn't make you part of the family either. So I reckon your time there must have been lonely spent.
However, it sounds like you had a much better experience with the Larsons before they moved away. This Charlotte character certainly sounds as if she knew her business and, thanks to her, so do you now. But I can't say I'm sorry that the family didn't take you with them when they left; for if they had, you would not have ended up at old lady Strathon's, and had your employment there not expired, you would not be sitting where you are now reading this little letter of mine.
Strange how the world works isn't it? It can work against us in the nastiest ways but, at the same time, work miracles for us when we least expect them. But you, Anna Smith, were my miracle; and whether you happened upon me by chance or some nasty twist of fate I care not. Only that you are apart of my life now, and somehow, that is just about all that matters.
From the way you speak of your past, it sounds as if it was wisely spent. Perhaps there were a few ill spent days here and there in the wrong position at the wrong time as you tried to figure it all out, but look where you ended up.
However, I confess myself slightly disappointed in what I gather to be a waste of your intellect and talent on such a menial and unchallenging line of work. From what I can gather you should have been a school teacher, and a fine one at that! But I suppose not all roads are meant to be explored and not all doors are meant to be opened.
In any event, you seem to have a real knack for storytelling in addition to your many other talents. So perhaps we'll make a writer out of your inner housemaid yet. You certainly haven't made my job easy; how is the below-average story of John bates before his heart was stolen by a certain beauty supposed to compare to yours? I suppose I'll just have to get writing, and writing fast.
So they intend to take up residence in house at Eryholme do they? I can't claim to know very much about the house, only that I believe it came into the family's possession through his Lordship's great-grandmother's inheritance or something or other? I could be wrong, the family's substantial history is a lot to keep track of after all. Still, I hope they are able to take at least a little heart and make a new home where they may. A good fortune is all I would wish for that family through this dark time of theirs.
In the meantime, don't fret about whether your feet know the way back home or not. Because wherever your home lies now is with me. I am your next of kin, so finally do you have someone other than your mother and sister to call your family.
I trust your next visit to be very soon indeed. And try to bring the names of those who responded if you will. I should like to se if I can recognize any of them if I can. Perhaps then we can get through the likeliest ones faster.
Excellent! Remind me to have a word with his Lordship about what cottages are available for purchase and which area of York he best recommends if we're not to live on the estate. That is, if the end truly is as imminent as you make it out to be. Speaking of which, has there been any development with Mr. Crawley and the fortune of Mr. Swire? I know it's probably not your business to know but the suspense is torture! Has Lady Mary gotten him to crack yet or is he still standing his ground? He'll have to have broad shoulders enough to bear his own burdens as well as hers if they are to be married.
And while we're on the subject of the state of the Abbey, what is the latest gossip? I hope the rumor of his Lordship's financial troubles isn't spreading to thickly amongst the staff. How about the final endeavors to rescue Downton of Lady Mary? Has she since swayed Mrs. Levinson into salvaging her childhood home? And what of poor old Lady Edith? Is she still vainly in pursuit of Sir Anthony? Don't leave me in suspense too long now, I'm a busy man you know!
Your loving husband,
-John
This was a fun little letter to write. A little rocky to start but once I settled back into my rhythm it got a little fun, although I don't particularly understand why or at least more so than my previous chapters. Perhaps cause it's been so long since I've published anything? But it should be fun shouldn't it? Is that not part of the reason we write? To have fun with the worlds and the characters in them and the words we manipulate them with?
Anyway, sorry I've been absent for awhile. I experienced a bit of a hiatus after accidentally deleting a document for one of my other stories that was over four-thousand words and was a month in the making. I've emailed FanFiction support twice about somehow recovering it but I doubt they'll even answer. It was absolutely devastating to lose and I have no idea how the heck I'm going to remember FOUR-THOUSAND words but if anyone has any suggestions of how I can recover this document PLEASE share them!
In the meantime, I've decided to focus on my other fanfictions to try and take my mind off it so I hope this chapter paid off.
Thanks to Jamesluver and Skeeter0003 for their reviews on my last chapter and please don't forget to let me know how you liked this one!
-birdywings