"I was wondering what was keeping you," Anna said as Jonsey entered the sitting room, his hand firmly gripping the arm of Lady Trenchton. Her husband was sitting there looking utterly annoyed, though, to John's eye, it was hard to tell if that was because he had been dragged away from the pool table he had taken over to pass the night away or the fact that his wife was still putting up such a fuss.
"You have no right to order me anywhere," Lady Trenchton snapped, glaring at Anna and instantly causing John to begin rattling over the punishments for murder… mostly to drown out the other part of his mind that was going over all the ways a man could snuff the life out of someone without a weapon. It was a surprisingly long list. "You are nothing more than an upjumped servant! You have no power-"
Jonsey smirked as he shifted his body, allowing John the sight of the gun in his hand. "Have you ever heard that power is for those that grasp it? Well, I have grasped this gun. It gives me power. And in turn I have sworn to help Mrs. Bates here expose which of you tried to murder my father. So that means she does, indeed, have the power to demand this of you and as such you will keep your mouth shut. Because if you do not you will discover just what lead tastes like."
"Hea-" Lady Trenchton began only to snap her jaw shut when she saw Jonsey wasn't in the mood.
"Good," Jonsey said. "Now let's be clear… I am not in the mood to deal with ANY of you. My father always warned me of the dangers of you high class blue bloods and now I see he wasn't just being paranoid. So you will all sit there-" he gave Lady Trenchton a shove towards her husband who, to John's amusement, did nothing to catch his wife and instead let her stumble into the love seat he was sitting on, "and allow Mrs. Bates to inform me which one of you is going to die tonight." He paused. "And to be clear… should any of you not like what has happened here… the full might of Lord Oakheart will be brought upon you… as well as every connection I have made."
"Jonsey," Lady Oakheart said with a shake of her head from where she sat. "There is no need to be so rash." She paused. "Death is too quick." She turned to the Dowager. "Children… always rushing about when everyone knows it is better to… take things slow."
"Yes, I do suppose you are right," the Dowager said with a little chuckle.
John walked over to where Thomas sat, the former footman having been volunteered to, along with Tom, keep an eye on the children. Tom was currently reading them a story, trying to get them to go to sleep, though he was failing considering their parents kept looking over at them and whispering assurances that they were right there. John smiled at Noah who looked up at him sleepily, his thumb in his mouth as he curled up on a pillow that had been meant to be never touched yet now served as a comfort to his son.
"Did you ever wonder how Anna and I ended up together?" he asked Thomas softly.
"I… must admit I did wonder. Back then I assumed blackmail."
John chuckled lightly at that, not offended at all. "Honestly that would make more sense… there are still days where I wake up and I'm surprised she is next to me."
"I mean no offense but I'll toss myself over a railing if you get all cow-eyes lovey dovey on me."
He snorted. "Fair enough." He paused, considering his words. "Anna told me it was because she was utterly impressed by my determination. That the world gave me the perfect excuse to give up but I refused to do so. It made her want to learn more about me and in doing so she ended up discovering more of me to love."
"Mmmhmm," Thomas said, simply nodding his head.
"With me… its because Anna scared the hell out of me."
Thomas blinked at that, finally turning to stare at him.
"Come now… she scares you too, doesn't she?"
"…yes," Thomas finally admitted. "Everyone sees her as this sweet thing that does as she's told, all soft and silent like a church mouse. But that only makes it scarier that the unassuming maid had so much power. I honestly don't think anyone else realized it. Ms. O'Brien would grump at her but never move to act against her. I tried one time to get her to be my informant and after that conversation I never tried again. Mr. Carson… he thought he controlled the downstairs but it was Mrs. Hughes who was queen and Anna was her chosen successor and I could tell she was far more skilled than Mrs. Hughes was at manipulating things to fit how she wanted. And then there was Lady Mary. The most fiercesome of Lord Grantham's daughters… and there is little doubt in my mind that Anna had complete control of her when she worked for her. I saw Lady Mary go off on tears only for Anna to smooth over things…" He stopped, running his tongue over his teeth. "You ever hear about Piers?"
"Can't say that I have."
"he was a groomsman. There was a maid before Gwen, Helena. We all knew she wouldn't stay for long… there was a lad from her village that she fancied and she was always meant to be a mother rather than merely a servant. Piers though, he thought he could get Helena to stay and he always was saying things to her… I was young back then, naïve. Just made a footman. If I met him now I would have dealt with him myself, made sure he was caught stealing or some other crime. Think what you might of me back then but I won't-"
"I know," John said and he did. For all Thomas' sins he had never gotten physical and he had treated the female staff with respect. Even when he'd toyed with Daisy just to upset William he had been kind to her and made sure to break things off with her gently, easing his way out of her gaze.
"Well, Piers one time made a comment that crossed the line… I'm not sure, I just saw Helena come running out of a room and Anna snatched her up. He got a scolding from Mr. Carson but that was all… he was good at his job and it was his first offense. A month later Lady Mary mounts Diamond, the horse bucked, and Piers got kicked in the ribs so hard they shattered. You know that normally the family would take care of a man who was injured… not that time. Diamond never bucks so… it must have been his fault." He shook his head. "Anna… she ruled Downton and I don't think even she realized it."
John nodded. "I saw that too. There is a… quiet aura around her that demands people pay attention." He paused. "I didn't respect Vera. I didn't fear her. And I see now that marriage needs respect… but I need the fear all the more. To keep me honest. To keep me good. Do you understand?"
Thomas was silent for a long moment. "Believe it or not, Mr. Bates… I do."
"You can't do this to us!" another guest called out, one John didn't know. He was just another rich lord who had grown up believing that he was allowed to do what he wanted without ever being told 'no'. Honestly John didn't understand why he was there as what he had come to know of Lord Merton he was not one to suffer such attitudes. He was best friends with The General, after all. Maybe someone like Robert, back before the War, when he would get a little huffy if things didn't go his way… but not like some of these guests who were trying to act like someone hadn't died. "You have no right to order us around!"
"Really?" Jonsey asked, eyebrow quirked.
"Enough," Lord Merton said, standing up… and turning to face the guests. "My son is dead. If Mrs. Bates says she knows who did it then I want to hear it."
"Where are Lord and Lady Grantham?" Billy Skelton asked.
Anna spoke. "I've already determined that they are innocent. They are searching for Lillian."
"How can you be sure of that?" Lord Trenchton asked.
"Because I'm the one who knows who killed Larry Gray and I say that it wasn't them."
That caused an outburst of cries but Anna merely held her ground, not even blinking as the lords and ladies loudly complained.
"Father," Tim whispered, "perhaps we should wait for the police…"
"No Tim," Lord Merton said, cutting off whatever else his remaining son might have said, "We need to know the truth and if Mrs. Bates can give us that then I will hear it from her." He turned and motioned to Anna. "Please, go ahead."
"Thank you," she said before looking at John. "Relieve the Lothrops of their weapons."
THAT caused Jonsey to start. "Excuse me?"
John merely huffed as he limped over to the man. "My wife is going to reveal who tried to kill your father. If you believe for a moment that we are going to allow you to begin firing that gun you are mad." He held out his hand. "I understand… I truly do. In your place I'd want them dead as well. But…" John locked eyes with Jonsey. "My son is in this room. So if you don't hand me that gun right now I'm going to beat you over the head with my cane and you can find out everything when you wake up to eat your meals through a straw."
Jonsey glared at John… before pausing over his gun.
"Thank you," John said before going over to Franklin, the eldest of the Lothrop brothers merely nodding and passing over his weapon before marching over to where Tom was and putting his youngest in his arms, clearly needing the baby to ensure he didn't do anything stupid. Catherine was the last, giving him an innocent look before taking the gun from her small purse and giving it to John.
Anna, seeing that the weapons had been collected, folded her hands behind her back. "Tonight was supposed to be clean. Simple. As we all dined Larry Gray would lie dead in his room. The next morning a servant would arrive and find the body and it would be seen as a tragic suicide; Larry having killed himself rather than face exile for England. But from the beginning the crime was flawed." She gestured at Sybil. "The open window?"
"The killer might have thought that doing so would make it appear that Larry killed himself later in the evening… but the opposite is true. If you wish to make a body appear to have lived longer you want to keep it warm."
John wasn't surprised that Sybil knew that. People would chalk it up to her medical experience; John wondered if she had crafted other plans for Pamuk before settling on having him do the deed.
"But even then the plan might have gone off without us suspecting a thing… had Allen Lothrop not loved his grandchildren as much as he did while loathing dinner parties." Anna began to pace. "The General discovered the killer in the act and attempted to stop him. For that he was thrown from the second floor but he managed to take the killer's gun with him. This posed a problem for our killer… people would find Allen, they would notice the weapon, and with enough people with military and medical experience they would know that he hadn't fired the weapon himself. Or perhaps our killer just didn't have time to retrieve the gun. Whatever the case they had only one option: retrieve another gun and use it to kill Larry. Maybe they hoped that we would think Allen murdered Larry, revenge for the soldiers he got killed. But the point is he needed a gun. And not just any gun… but a sibling.
"They waited till there was a free moment and returned to Larry's room. Lord Merton's son was already out cold, drugged thanks to his nightcap, most likely already dead due to the poison used, and thus could not struggle as our killer staged Larry's death. They then returned to us and acted with shook when Larry was found." Anna swept her eyes across the room. "I must say… you were very convincing in your grief… Tim."
All eyes turned towards Larry's brother and he blinked before screwing up his face in confusion. "I'm sorry… what?"
"Please don't act confused," Anna said. "We both know you understand what I am saying… and we both know it to be true."
"You… you think I killed my brother?" Tim demanded, still startled by Anna's declaration.
"I know you killed your brother," Anna said.
Tim got up from his chair. "I don't have to-"
John pointed Jonsey's gun at the man.
"Take another step towards my wife and I will let all these good people see just what happens when you fire one of these." Thomas held out his hand and after a moment he handed him a gun as well. The former footman nodded and pointed it right at Tim. John, from the corner of his eye, saw Jonsey begin to grin like a madman.
"The General treated me well… and Anna is one of the only people I truly trust," Thomas said coolly. "If I think you are threatening her it will be a race between myself and Mr. Bates who puts you down first."
"There is no need for anyone to do anything rash," Mrs. Crawley said, trying to keep the peace. Lord Merton was sitting beside her, ashen as he looked back and forth between his son and Anna. It was clear he was wondering if he was going to lose another son that night.
"Tim already did something rash," Anna said. "Even if he planned it all out for several weeks. But doing the deed… you rushed through it once you decided that it had to be done. It's what made you sloppy."
"Anna," Edith said, drawing the room's attention to her. "Would you please explain why you are suggesting this? Tim loved his brother."
"I imagine Cain loved Abel," the Dowager commented. "Well… until he picked up that rock."
"Tim did love his brother," Anna admitted. "But love and hate… they are a funny thing." She locked eyes with him and John felt himself shift as he came to understand that she was addressing him and only him. "You can love someone and still hurt them… you can hurt someone yet find a reason to love them. But more than that… if the person you hate does a kindness you can look at them in a new light… just as if you love someone dearly and they stab you in the back…"
"Larry never hurt me!" Tim protested.
"Didn't he?" Matthew suddenly asked. "Tell me… what have you been doing since the war ended?" Tim pressed his lips together. "I doubt you stayed in the military… that isn't for you. I read up on your records and while you served well you didn't distinguish yourself. So your choices were to find something else or remain at home. The General's family did the former, same as me. But you… what do you have to fall back on? What career could you have?" He shook his head. "no… you stayed at home."
"Had things gone differently it could have been a comfortable life. Larry would have seen to your needs… for a time. Until he had a family of his own. But… he won't ever have a family, will he? Not with his injury." Anna began to pace again. "You are single."
"Yes," Tim said, leaning back in his chair. "I was unaware that was a crime in our society. There are plenty of confirmed bachelors."
"By choice," Anna said. "But I don't think you had a choice. What father would allow their daughter to marry a man with no wealth? No career? No way to truly provide for her?" She gave a slight shrug. "Well, perhaps if the family name was strong enough… but Cavenham has seen better days, hasn't it? The future Baron of Merton was to be exiled after he sent his own men on a suicide run against British troops. That is something that is going to be remembered for many generations. You got offers… but they were far below your station and wouldn't bring the wealth you needed to make a name for yourself.
"The problems all come back to Larry. Or… Larry being alive. You were his heir but that did you little good while he lived. You could remain in the house but you were nothing more than a caretaker, waiting for when you could claim it as yours. The title wouldn't come until Larry was gone and he has shown that he is VERY good at surviving."
John watched Tim. He was silent, staring at Anna, nose twitching slightly as he fought off a curling of his lip. His dear wife was getting to the man.
"By the time he died you would be Lord Merton but that could be decades. You'd be an old man and the stain of being the glorified estate manager would hang on you forever. Perhaps you'd have a son that could repair the damage… or you could end up just like Larry and the family name would die or carry on to…"
"An upjumped lawyer?" Matthew pressed.
Anna smiled. "Or something like that. And that was assuming that Larry didn't pull off a miracle and father a child. Where would that leave you, if he produced a son? The brother of a disgraced and exiled lord, uncle to one who had never seen England. Maybe Larry would send him to you to raise but then you would be yet another caretaker."
"I… would love any child-" Tim began.
Anna held up her hand. "But if Larry were to die soon… there would be a chance for you to fix things. To make things right. Yes, the stain would be there but you could claim you were not your brother and seek to redeem the Merton name. Cavenham is a tasty prize for a bride… the daughter of poor but old family would work out well for you. Yet… there was Larry." She locked eyes with the young man. "Did you ask him to renounce the title before you gave him that drug-laced drink?"
"You don't know what you're talking about."
"I know exactly what I am talking about," Anna charged. "You planned this all out. That is clear. The gun from your family's armory, the one you've taken to caring for so you knew which one would work best to kill him. The drugs… I'm not sure how you got that-"
"I do," Thomas said, causing John to start a bit. "He got it from Larry's valet." He nodded towards the General's younger son. "He supplied him with plenty of drugs… all sorts of things for his little pranks." He glanced at Sybil for some reason only for John to realize he might not have been the only servant that Sybil sought out for her little dirty deeds. "He was hiding them because he worried that Larry's room would get turned out and they'd be found and people would ask questions."
Jonsey took a step forward. "Did you ask yourself or make it sound like Larry requested them? The latter, right? Better to cover your tracks."
"I don't have to sit here, in my own home, and listen to these outrageous slanders against me!" Tim stood only for his father to wrap his fingers around his wrist in an iron grip. "Father?"
"Sit… down…" Lord Merton growled and Tim instantly returned to his seat, eyes fearful in the face of his father's rage.
"Father-"
"Mrs. Bates," Lord Merton said, forcing the words to pass through his lips.
Anna nodded. "You planned this all… but I think when the time care you decided to give him one final chance…"
~MC~MC~MC~
"I'm only suggesting that you think of the family, Larry," Tim said as he sat across from his brother. Larry didn't meet his eyes, instead focusing on the window, watching as the rain struck it violently. "You'll be half a world away while father and I-"
"Don't talk about father to me," Larry said bitterly. "Think of the family? When has he thought about me? These charges… he could have made them go away. Should have… but he didn't want to. Because he's never carried about either of us. Why should I care about the family when family has done nothing for me."
"I am here for you. It wouldn't be father… I would be Lord Merton. I'd convince him to let me take over-"
"He wouldn't ever do that and even if he did do you think for a moment I'd reward you for your cowardice?" He glowered at his brother. "You never spoke up for me."
"I spoke up often!"
"Not enough!" Larry snapped before turning away from his brother once again.
Tim licked his lips before going over to the bottle he had selected… and letting the small pills he'd tucked in his left hand fall into one of the glasses. "I don't want to fight with you the last night the two of us will be together in this house. Have a drink with me brother and let's remember better times."
~MC~MC~MC~
"You drugged him and waited. You heard that the drug causes spikes in aggression before the victim lapses into unconsciousness. You were hoping for that… hoping Larry would confront someone."
Lord Merton's grip on his son's wrist grew tighter. "You asked me to speak with Larry. To try and talk some sense into him because he was threatening to make a scene." He glared at his youngest son. "You wanted us to fight. You wanted me to believe that I drove him to kill himself."
"Father-"
Anna continued speaking. "The General confronted you, the two of you fought, and you tossed him over the balcony. Then, while we all searched for Lillian you returned to the room and killed your brother."
"I did not," Tim hissed. "You have no proof."
"We have plenty of proof," Lady Grantham said, finally entering the room much to everyone's surprise… with Lillian in her arms.
John smiled as he saw Tim squirm.
"The General isn't awake to point the finger at you," Lord Grantham said darkly, "but my daughter is."
"Bad," Lillian said simply, looking right at Tim.
"…that is a child and-"
"She is far smarter than you, Tim," the Dowager said coldly.
Tim looked about wildly before ripping his hand from his father's grasp. "You… you all look down your noses and judge me. But each and every one of you wanted Larry dead! I was the only one-"
John fired, sending Tim spinning, crying out as he clutched his shoulder.
"No one wanted to hear his delusions, did they?" John asked calmly. Tim had fallen to the ground, clutching at the wound, but when he moved to rise Sybil was on him, drilling her finger into the bullet hole and causing him to scream.
"I know you probably hope to just bleed out, to avoid the gallows," she whispered. "I won't allow that to happen. You will live… the question is are you going to be a good boy and accept that? Or do I need to-" she jabbed her hand down and Tim howled in agony before whining out a plea for mercy.
Thomas snorted. "I believe that answered your question."
John walked up to Anna as Matthew and Billy Skelton worked together to restrain Tim. Lord Merton had gone pale and Mrs. Crawley had guided him away, while the other party goers mingled about, shell shocked from what had happened.
"I always knew you were brilliant," he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"I only put the pieces together," she whispered.
Mary, who had moved close enough to hear them, chuckled at that. "I dare say my earlier claims were wrong… it appears I am your plucky assistant."
Anna blushed.
