Dear John,

My goodness gracious that is quite a bit of missing! And here I didn't think for one moment that you had missed me as much as I had you. But what I did think was that you'd had just about enough of me and my squiggly little letters by now. Perhaps I should have more faith, because if you aren't tired of me yet then I doubt you ever will be if you've managed thus far. And we have managed haven't we?

And if you were entertained by my previous accounts of the goings-on at the Abbey then you're sure to love this one; for it would seem that Sir Anthony Strallen has managed to get himself into quite a fix. It would seem that Lady Edith's very tactical use of her persistence in pursuit of him has finally paid off, and that the two will be getting hitched as soon as next month if you can believe it. So it looks as if we're all right back at square one and will have to doll the place up again very soon.

Though, thankfully, it is likely to be a somewhat smaller wedding compared to Lady Mary's as not many of the relatives will have time to arrange for their travels or accommodations on such short notice. Also, if I was being honest, Lady Edith was never the most popular among the three sisters, which makes me sad and sorry to say. And I'm not entirely sure which is worse; that I pity her when she has all that she does when I don't, or that I pity her and still have something that she doesn't out of all that she does.

But there you have it, off goes another Crawley sister; spreading her wings and taking flight from the nest. First Lady Sybil, now Lady Edith, and pretty soon the house. It seems everything I've ever really known is being taken away. I'll be sad to see her go. I should be happy that she is finally getting to be happy, but all I can think of is how difficult it must be as a parent to watch them all grow up and move on with their lives. It happens so fast you hardly even notice it until they're gone.

It makes me think of what a time I'll have of it when we have children of our own. No doubt I'll blubber like a fool when the day comes and, once it does, you and I will have no reason to get along anymore. We'll end up fighting like the old and cranky married couple we're destined to become when the children are grown.

But I think I'll be okay with it, as long as we enjoy and love each other in our youth (or what's left of it - to be honest I don't feel as young as I used to these days), we can resent and despise each other as much as we want when we're old. At least by then we'll have full knowledge of all each other's habits - both good and bad - so that we're able to justify our mutual dislike for one another.

I hope you're not taking this gloomy little glimpse of our future literally Mr. Bates as I'm only teasing... or am I? It would seem that you're not the only joke of a comedian in this marriage and that our child should hate to inherit our awful taste in comedy shouldn't they?

In other and more dismal news, it brings me great sorrow to report that Lady Mary's attempts to sway Mrs. Levinson into coming to Downton's aid were more vainly spent than even Edith's to win Sir Anthony's heart. So it would appear that her last endeavors to rescue her childhood home have come to an end at last, for I can't see what more she could possibly try.

Unless of course Mr. Crawley does come to inherit Miss Swire's late father's fortune, which may yet happen as - according to Lady Mary - although he was the last of Mr. Swire's three heirs listed, he is likely the only living heir left of them. So there may yet still remain a last chance for her to sway him. Not that I would think he would require much persuasion since he would likely open his veins for her, which is something I hope she realizes and appreciates even if it seems she doesn't because, deep down, I think she would do the same for him.

But, whatever the outcome, I do hope that this ugly business doesn't become the cause of a rift between them. It would be such a shame after all, for them to finally have come together after all that they've been through only to be torn apart over something as fundamental as money. No, I have to believe that they are both made of sterner stuff and so stubborn as to refuse to allow even the price of Downton to cost them what they share. For what they share is far more precious than that house, and you just can't put a price on love like that can you?

I, myself, am trying not to despair just yet since there may still be a chance - even a small one - to live under its roof for another day. Although it would have been nice for you to see the old place one last time before they have to sell.

Can you still picture the house as clearly as if you were standing right in it? Can you picture the high ceilings and the raw daylight streaming in from the windows that are too high to dust? Can you see every last room in its illuminated glory and the picture-hung walls towering so high above your head that you can't even see what lies within the pictures hanging on them?

Do you remember what the tip-tap of every last servant's shoes hurrying against the polished floors sounds like? How about the clatter of silver against the dishes during dinner? I can still picture it. I can picture it all. I just hope I can only picture it long enough for the both of us before it's all gone.

I thank you for offering yourself as my home while I lose the one I currently have, truly I do. And it is because of my gratitude that I must so regretfully tell you that no home can ever replace the one that Downton has offered me. Its doors were opened to me when I needed them most and its shelter offered to me when I had none. I came to Downton in search of employment but ended up finding so much more than what I bargained for, and there's just no replacing that kind of home - the one that gives back and takes care of you in return.

My words are probably ludicrous to another's ears, because what kind of servant would care and feel so much for the loss of their aristocratic family's house? But the truth is that I couldn't care less what opinion they hold for my words. The truth is that this house will always own a piece of my heart along with you and only you, and I'm just glad that I was able to share a little bit of my history leading up to my time at the Abbey with you.

But, it does, of course, mean that you owe me a story of your own in return. So you can most definitely trust that I will be waiting with baited breath for what you have to offer Mr. Bates. Perhaps you should start with where you had been my whole life... or perhaps some gory African war tales? Or what of the humble beginnings of John Bates? What was he up to when he wasn't stealing a certain housemaid's heart? I trust you will have enticing as well as engaging answers for me come your next letter!

Unfortunately, I don't think I will be able to make it down as soon as I had originally promised as the wedding preparations will take up a lot of what scarce free time I already have, but at least this will allow you time to come up with an unbeatable story of your origins! And me more time to finish sorting through these responses.

But from the little time I have had to rifle through them, Vera doesn't appear to have had many close friends (not that I'm surprised by it) as no one seems to have had any correspondance with her for quite sometime and was surprised by my sudden letters. Still, we may yet find one or two of these names useful as they seemed to have spoken quite frequently in the past from the fondness of their letter in return regarding Vera. So don't you dare give up hope just yet.

And, for your valuable information, this little "treat" I speak of is meant to be a surprise, and you of all people know how much I despise ruining surprises; for in doing so doesn't make it much of a surprise anymore now does it? So I'm sorry Mr. Bates, but you'll just have to be patient!

I remain yours truly,

-Anna

Thank you to Alice'sAbbey and Jamesluver for their reviews last chapter, and especially for the sympathy for the loss of my chapter from Jamesluver:) It's so nice to know how understanding you all are about how dispiriting a mistake like that can be and how hard it is to want to keep writing when you lost so much of what youpoured your heart into.

Needless to say I still haven't touched that story since losing its draft but I'm trying my best to get back around to it. Hopefully I'll be up and writing it again soon:)

In the meantime, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I honestly feel like the story is moving a little too slowly but that could just be because I'm the one writing it. Perhaps I should reevaluate some earlier chapters and make some edits here and there.

Don't forget to leave reviews!

birdywings