Downton Abbey 1. Chapter 1  The Tray

Episode 1: **The Tray** (S01, Ep. 4)

"I thought Anna might have come down for her dinner." Bates was slightly worried. Anna had taken to her bed with a cold, and he hadn't seen her for the last couple of days. He found himself thinking about her at odd times during the day - and truth be told, she was occupying a tremendously large part of his waking thoughts.

O'Brien with her usual tact informed him that it wasn't likely she'd be down as it would mean she'd have to go back to work, then proceeded to whinge about missing the fair because of the amount of work SHE was having to do. Bates sighed inwardly at O'Brien's tirade, the woman really was intolerable. As O'Brien rattled on, Bates began to have the ghosting of an idea.

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He paused at the top of the steps to catch his breath and gather his courage. Silly really. He had put together the tray, added some flowers, and climbed the steps all the while thinking what an old fool he was. But somehow, he felt that he owed her this kindness, that this was a way he could thank her, show her he did care. And here he was, breathing calmed, tray steady, standing before "The Door." That was how they all referred to it - "The Door," as if it were some magical barrier, beyond which lay an undiscovered country. _Perhaps_, mused Bates,_ but it is a country I will never know._

He knocked softly on the door, once, twice, checking all the time to see whether he was at risk of being discovered. He finally took a chance and called her name, _"Anna_," softly, his voice a husky whisper.

He heard her then."Mr Bates?" her voice was a mixture of disbelief and uncertainty.

"Can you open the door?" He kept his voice low.

"I daren't. No one can open that door except Mrs. Hughes."

"Just for a moment, I've brought you something." He could see her now, a shadow behind the pane of frosted glass, see her hesitate, then reach for something. The key turned in the lock, and she opened the sight of her threatened to take his breath away. He held the tray out to her, and she smiled...

STOP...REWIND…

He held the tray out to her. She looked at him and smiled, and in that instant he knew he was lost. He had never in his life seen anything so beautiful or so pure. She tried to say something, but he shushed her and pushed the tray a little closer to her. She took it, all the while gazing at him with such a look of wonder and joy, that he was quite undone. Before he knew what he was doing, he reached his hand up to brush a strand of hair from her face. Gently, he tucked it behind her ear, letting his palm graze her cheek.

"You are so beautiful," he found himself whispering. "So very beautiful." He allowed his hand to cup her face, willing her to see what was in his heart, what he couldn't, mustn't say. Her countenance never changed, her eyes held his, full of _something so deep he threatened to drown in them_. She tried to speak again, but the sound of a door closing interrupted her, bringing him back to reality. He was once more in control of himself, but couldn't resist brushing her cheek with his thumb, as he gave her a brief smile.

She moved back through the door, and he turned away as she closed it. Anna took the tray back to her room and set in on her bed. She needed to do something before she ate. Reaching for the drawer in her nightstand, she pulled out her Bible. Carefully she plucked the delicate, pale purple flower from the bouquet on her tray, patted it dry with her shawl, and gently placed it within the worn pages. She closed the book, and clasped it to her, eyes closed, a silent prayer of thanks on her lips, a silent prayer of hope in her heart.

**A/N: I have watched this scene countless times, because I am absolutely drawn to Anna. I have rarely seen an actress look as beautiful as Joanne Froggatt does as she plays this scene. I remember thinking the first time I watched how on earth Bates could not be affected by the way she looked at him. There was such love in her face. I have read interviews where Froggatt says that she laments the fact that Anna never gets to wear make-up or pretty dresses. My God, she needs to take a look at herself in that scene, she outshines Mary or Sybil by a long-shot. This vignette is a result of me wanting Bates to feel what I felt when Anna looked up at him.**


	2. Chapter 2  Have a Nice Trip?

Episode 2 - Have a Nice Trip? (Series 01, Ep.1)

The arrival of the Duke of Crowborough was cause for great excitement both upstairs and down. Carson, especially felt the need to really show the Duke that the staff of Downton was capable of measuring up to those of any house in the land. It was with a fair amount of trepidation, therefore, that he looked over the group turned out and presented for his inspection. The girls and Miss O'Brien were presentable, and of course, Mrs. Hughes was always impeccably attired, but William, as usual, was a bit scruffy. He reached over and brushed a piece of lint from William's lapel, gave Thomas the once-over, cleared his throat and said, "Very well, we shall all go out to greet them."

He started for the stairs, but was interrupted by Daisy's squeak of, "Me too, Mr. Carson?"

"No, Daisy," he intoned, "not you."

Turning once again for the stairs, he realized that he had another problem on his hands.

"Can you manage Mr. Bates or would you like to wait here?" Tact was the best approach, though Bates was half-way up the stairs.

"I'd like to go, Mr. Carson."

He tried again. "There's no obligation for the whole staff to be present."

Still, "I'd like to be there."

Carson resigned himself to Bates's presence, "Well it's certainly a great day at Downton to welcome a Duke under our roof." As he moved aside to let the rest of the staff go up, Thomas caught him asking how much longer this was to go on. _How much longer indeed…_Carson thought…

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The first part of the arrival went well. Introductions were made, niceties exchanged, and although the Duke largely ignored the staff (as was to be expected), Thomas drew the prize when the Duke mentioned that he was in need of a valet for his stay. Bates happened to be standing between Thomas and O'Brien during the arrival bit, and couldn't help but see O'Brien's glares from the corner of his eye. Just as the family were about to enter the house, he felt his cane kicked from under him and he went crashing down in a cloud of dust and flying gravel.

Mr. Carson's face was a thundercloud waiting to explode, but Lord Granthem made a half-hearted attempt to help him before he remembered that Bates was just a servant, and the family continued in to the house.

Bates looked up to see O'Brien sneering down at him before she turned triumphantly to walk away…

STOP…REWIND…

Bates looked up to see O'Brien sneering down at him, and felt an indescribable surge of anger. As she turned to stalk past him, a flick of his wrist brought his cane around behind him to tangle her feet. The satisfying _thud_ she made as she hit the ground was a small victory and gave him no small sense of satisfaction until the shame of what had happened came crashing down on him. To his horror, Anna was there to help him up, brush him off, but he was unable to see her act for the kindness it was - taking it instead as pity. As he turned to walk away, he was gratified to see that there was no one left to help O'Brien up. Thomas and William had gone in with the luggage, the other staff were already making their way back downstairs. Only Anna was left, and she turned to follow behind him, leaving O'Brien to sort herself out alone.


End file.

Downton Abbey, Drama, Romance