A/N:Welcome to my new multi-chapter! I'll try to update as much as I can but as you'll see these chapters will be all pretty long. I'm not used to write such long chapters but I feel the need to do it for this fic. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it :)

Disclaimer: Downton Abbey characters belong to Julian Fellowes.

The year of 1850 had been the coldest ever witnessed by any living man, at least that's what everyone said. Hardly a soul moved along the streets of London on that New Year's morning. Everything was snow-covered, as if paint had been thrown over the landscape.

People were dying. Starving. Freezing. They were dropping on the ground like flies. As if in rat nests filled with dirt and darkness, children cried, some because they were hungry, others because their parents lay dead beside them. All the while the main streets of London; full of splendor and lofty mansions, warmed by immense fireplaces, hid from the awful truth of the poor slums around them.

The rich emperors of a long lost empire, who during the springtime walked around green gardens hand in hand with fancy dressed women, were ignorant about this horrid reality, but then their reality was dinner parties and making sure that teawould never be after five o'clock. Both realities were real whether it was wrong or right. Men were born to be servants and masters, and it is up to God to chose which one you'll be, but sometimes, even God makes mistakes.

XXXXXX

1850 had been good for some and bad for others, and 1851 wouldn't be any different.

Anna sighed in her room while her maid helped her choose the dress to wear for the first day of the new year.

'Which one do you want, Miss?' Elsie Hughes asked, showing her a pink dress and a blue one. Both withlace, both terribly expensive.

'I really don't know Elsie. Must I go?'

'Of course you must, Miss. Your father and his friends will be waiting for you. He would be so disappointed.' Elsie gave her a pointed look.

'I know that.' She sat down on her bed looking out the window to an icy cold white that layered the streets, carriages, and homes , if you could watch it from the comfort of your room.

'Come on, Miss, you'll see your friends That's something to look forward to, isn't it?'

She looked over at her maid, wistfully. 'They are my father's friends, Elsie. Father and mother's friends. I don't have any friends of my own.'

'Oh miss, what am I then?'

Anna giggled, 'You are my mother, Elsie!'

'Don't say such thing, Miss. Your mother is...'

'You gave me your breast when Mother couldn't, didn't you?'

'I did, Miss. That I did.'

'Well then?'

XXXXXXX

'Ah, Anna my darling daughter. Come and join us!'

She did as her father told her, and soon she was surrounded by noisy men and women wanting to meet and talk to her. The blue dress had been her choice, but she was not a party kind of person, and the blue represented the colour of her soul. As her mother used to say, she was not a high society kind of girl even though she had to be. Sometimes she wished she had been born into a humble family, surrounded by brothers and sisters and parents who loved each other, instead of the unloving family she'd been born into.

People were dancing around her and drinking champagne, some inviting her to dance but she always refused.

The dining room was lit by candles giving it a golden colour. Every dress and suit of clothes shined under the lights and everyone had a glow around them. Long hair tied up in elaborate styles. Powder and scents filled the room. And Anna was bored.

'Anna,' her mother called in a low but firm voice. Grabbing her wrist with the subtlety that Mrs Smith was known for, she scolded her without giving too much away. 'You go in there and dance when the gentlemen ask you to dance. Some of those men are doing business with you father, you should show your appreciation.'

'But mother, I'm not keen to dance. I would much rath...'

'If you are going to say that you'd much rather be in your room with your nose stuck inside a book, you better think twice, young Lady. I don't want to hear that nonsense now.'

Anna remained silent giving away her guilt. Mrs Smith gave an exasperated sigh before continuing, 'See Mr Johnson's son, Charles?'

'Yes.'

'Well then, if he asks you to dance, which he will, you'll dance with him.'

Anna knew exactly what this was about. Business, or should she say, marriage.

For people like her, that was the correct term for such ceremony. It was a trade. Her hand for influence and money. She'd always known this time would come. She had been raised for this kind of bargain and she'd never thought of objecting to it. After all that's what her world was all about.

Mr Albert Johnson and his son had been a friend of the family for as long as she could remember. When she was just a little girl they would come for business dinners. They would never play or talk, but the son was familiar to her and at least she knew what he looked like. How many women had been forced to married to someone they didn't even know? Charles was a rather fetching young man, only three years older than her, with blond hair and blue eyes, much like herself. He was thin and tall and had perfect teeth. The image of a fairytale prince. Oh well, he wasn't all that bad after all.

And as her mother professed she saw him approaching her with a mischievous smile on his face.

'May I have this dance?'

She accepted his hand and he guided her through the room.

They danced two waltzes before she begged him to stop.

'I hope I didn't tire you.'

'You didn't.'

'You don't like to dance?' His eyes were kind on her.

'I do. I love to dance but...I'm not in the mood for waltzes today, I'm afraid.'

'We don't always have to enjoy ourselves.'

'Tell that to Mother.'

His smile was gentle and his eyes sparkled. She should start liking him for her own good.

XXXXXXX

Eventuallythe evening passed and to Anna's relief the party didn't extend until dinner. Before six o'clock everyone was gone and the house was silent once again.

'I think that went well.'

'It went marvelously, Amelia! Two of the vendors I wanted to do business with are going to the factory tomorrow morning so we can arrange the contracts.'

'That's wonderful, Simon!' Mrs Smith spoke, trying to look impressed, as she sat down in the chair by the fire to work on her embroidery. There was no one more predictable than her mother. From nine to midday Mrs Amelia Smith would sew, from two o'clock until five she would sew, tea time between five and six, sew until dinner and then sleep. There had been a time when Anna was a child that they would both go for a walk with the company of Elsie for an hour or so, but those times were long gone.

She was the kind of womanwho did not like change. The kind of woman who knew what she wanted. Ignorant to the world around her. Bitter due to a marriage without love and many affairs from her husband with her knowledge. Not kind, nor thankful.

'By the way, Anna? Albert spoke to me about his son. You two are going to be seeing each other more from now on.' Her father lifted his brow while he awaited an answer.

'Yes, Father.' Anna nodded.

'You do like him, don't you?'

'I don't dislike him...'

'Oh well, then, wonderful! Try your best to please him Anna. I would like to join our families together.'

'I know, Father. If he loses interest in me it'll be his fault not mine.' She really didn't care.

'Good. That's good.'

Mr Simon Smith was mostly sweet. A smart man with a sharp eye for business. Always busy, always tired. Too old for his years, too keen on women. Sometimes one would think he cared about his daughter's feelings more than anyone else, but behind closed doors and at the end of the day, those feelings were mostly forgotten and he would have his way no matter the cost.

'Also, you are going to the factory with me tomorrow.' He said gulping down his drink.

'Whatever for?'

'I want you to start learning the business. It'll be yours one day and you are old enough to get to know the place now. We've been raising you for that.'

Anna nodded. 'May I be excused now?'

'Of course my darling. Go on.'

She was going to the factory! Anna ran to her room more happy than she thought she would be. At least it was something interesting!

Anna was tired of staying at home sewing, of trying to hold conversations with a mother who only spoke to say no or comment on how wrong something was. Try as she might, Anna could never do or say anything to please Mrs Smith.

She would be with her father all day, who she found much more interesting than her mother, and she would be able learn something new that didn't include marriage matters.

Yes, she was happy.

'I heard you are going to the factory with the Master tomorrow.'

'Yes, Elsie I am! And to be honest with you I am so very excited.'

'That is good, Miss. Life without excitement isn't worth living,' Elsie said as she helped her Miss out of her dress.

'Are you saying you have an exciting life, Elsie?' Anna giggled.

'Oh Miss, you are far too young to know about my life. I was twenty one once too, you know. I wasn't born old.'

'I hope you weren't, that would be horrible.'

Anna jumped into bed and wrapped herself beneath her soft silky sheets. She looked over to her teddy afraid of the judgmental eye of her maid.

'Just don't let the Mistress see you sleeping with that horrid doll. She'll throw it away.'

'I'll get rid of it once I marry, I promise. I'll just keep it here,' she said, placing the old teddy that was given to her when she was a baby beside her pillow.

Her mother had forbidden her to sleep with such a thing ever since she turned seventeen, but fours years had passed since then and Anna always managed to keep it hidden from her eyes. Mrs Smith used to say that the next one with whom she should share her bed was her husband.

'What kind of decent Lady sleeps with a doll? Your husband will give you back to us on the wedding night if he sees that thing.'

'Elsie…?'

'Yes, Miss?'

'Tell me one of your stories...I'm so excited about tomorrow I can barely keep my eyes shut.'

The kind maid sat down at the end of her bed, just like she had since Anna was a little child, and thought for a moment before beginning.

'So, you said it would be horrible to be born old, didn't you?' Anna nodded yes as her eyes sparkled with curiosity in the candlelight. 'Well then, let me tell you the story of a man who was born old...'

XXXXXX

Anna was not so excited when her maid opened the windows of her room to the early light of the morning. It wasn't seven yet and she was eating her breakfast with her father.

'What will I be learning today, Father?'

'Thomas will show you around the factory, so you can get to know the place.'

Thomas Barrow. One of father's workers. His job was to keep an eye out and yell at those who were being lazy. He would watch over them like a vulture, ready to strike at every weak move they made. Anna would learn later that he would often use humiliation to do his job, much more than fairness. She would also learn with time that fairness was something rare in the real world. The real world that she knew nothing about. Yet.

'You have to know all the lines of production and what workers do in each of them before learning how to run the business. You have to know the work as well as you know yourself to understand and be fair in every decision you make.'

Anna simply nodded.

XXXXXX

That morning, the road to the factory seemed longer than usual. She had a book in her hands. A romance. A silly nonsense as her mother would call it. As she held the book against her chest she thought about everything. How the carriage stumbled against the dirt road and its stones and bumps. How long this ride was taking. She had been eleven the last time she'd visited her father at the factory. Exactly ten years ago. Maybe that was the reason. Maybe she was scared. Scared about what her future held. Maybe she didn't want to marry Charles...what was she thinking about? What did Charles have to do with the long road to the factory?

Because you'll be learning what you'll teach to his children.

She shook her thoughts away. She was fine with whatever her parents decided. Why was she trying to pretend she wasn't?

Maybe you aren't. You aren't. You are pretending you are fine, but you aren't.

She looked down at her book.

How many times have you dreamed of kissing him? How many times have you dreamed of kissing anyone at all? Do you even know what love is? How ardent a feeling can be? When your chest hurts because you miss your beloved...

'Here we are!' Her father's voice interrupted her line of thought, and she was glad for that.

The cold hit her face as strong as a slap. She felt her skin clutch under the cold in a painful way and she brought one of her hands to her cheeks to feel what she couldn't feel anymore. Her hand met ice and she touched her nose with her gloved hand, but she giggled when she tried to opened her mouth to stretch her muscles.

'I know now how polar bears must feel!'

Simon didn't answer, he only rolled his eyes at her childish manners. She stopped.

'Let's go inside now before we freeze to death,' he said, and two minutes later they were feeling the inviting heat of his office.

XXXXXX

'Here's where the cotton is scrapped and then it goes into those machines,' Thomas pointed out in the distance. 'To get it lined up.'

'I see.'

Anna looked around trying to take everything in. Thomas was being as kind as he could, but she could tell how annoyed he was with her presence. Every question she asked was received by a dismissive look and a short reply. Most of the questions weren't answered in a clear way but she daren't to ask them again. Her father would know about this.

But then she was busier saying good morning to the workers herself. All of them wanted to greet the daugher of their master themselves. They looked at her as if she were some sort of goddess descending from Heaven.

To be honest she was a bit uncomfortable with all the staring, from both men and women, even the children. So very young to work, she thought.

She should know why they were looking at her like that. Their dirty faces, unkempt hair, and ragged clothes spoke for themselves.

The tour came to an end when Thomas said it was lunch time. Her father was doing business with new vendors, and she was left alone.

Anna grabbed her book and went outside hoping that she could find a spot to read, but as soon as she opened the wooden door she was met once again by the impossible cold. When she turned around to go back inside the heavy door closed with the strong wind, leaving half of her skirt stuck.

She tried to grab her hat from flying away while trying to get her dress free from the door and in a nervous haste she let her book fall on the ground along with herself. The hat flew and she cursed. 'Blast!'

The icy wetness of the ground ate through her dress as she sat there trying to gain her footing. She didn't know why but tears were ready to fall from her eyes when suddenly she felt something warm against her back, pulling her up like a holy force.

'Here, Miss. Let me help you.' The voice she heard wasn't familiar but calm and steady; as steady as the arm that helped her stand. 'That was quite the tumble, Miss. Are you hurt?'

'No, I'm fine. I think the snow for once helped,' she smiled. His face was still unknown but she was already so thankful to him.

The mysterious man opened the heavy wooden door and let her dress lose. 'There you go, Miss,' he said while she adjusted her dress. 'I'm sure your maid can fix that.' She nodded yes and when she turned full of curiosity to see his face she saw him lean down reaching for her book. He handed it to her with a smile.

'Your book.'

Something about him struck her. She found herself staring just like all those people had stared at her moments before. But this time she didn't have a dirty face and unkempt hair, she wasn't staring because he was elegant and well dressed. He was the one dirty, rough and ripped clothes, but there was something about him. His eyes were hazel, kind and bright, and his face was gentle. His voice was deep but soft, and his smile was charming. He was tall and well built, large and strong like a broken prince. More like a warrior, she thought. She had seen many men in such a state before but none had called her attention as much as he did.

'Your book, Miss?'

'Oh! I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking,' she said nervously. 'Thank you so much.'

'No need to thank me, just be careful next time. Here, I'll take you inside.'

XXXXXX

They walked through the factory and Anna was already lost.

'This is all so confusing.'

'It's the machinery, Miss.'

'Do you work here?'

'I do. I carry the cotton outside to the carriages. Sometimes I line it up.'

'That's interesting.' She tried to make small talk. Mother always said that you should have a topic for conversation.

'If you say so.' He was still smiling at her, gentle and calm.

Anna nodded.

'You are the daughter of the Master, aren't you?'

'Yes, I'm Anna Smith.'

'I'll take you to your father, then.'

'And you? Who are you?'

'Bates.'

'That's it? Bates?''

'For you, Miss...yes.'

XXXXXX

She was having dinner with her parents that night when she thought of him again. Maybe his act of kindness was what attracted her to him? Mother would say that such people, poor people, didn't have manners nor rules nor even kindness. Well, he had all of those. He had been kind and showed manners.

Deciding that her mother was mostly wrong about people, she excused herself from the table.

'Before you go,' her father began, 'tomorrow night Charles is coming for dinner.'

The tone in her father's voice was as obvious as a cough. 'Won't we be going to the factory?'

'We are but we'll be home early. Now go to bed, you have a long day tomorrow.'

XXXXXX

As she read her book in bed the written words were echoing in her ears. Words of love and passion. Longing. She prayed she would fall in love with Charles. Long for his presence on the lonely nights. Her parents slept in separate rooms, but in her book lovers slept together. She wanted that for herself. A marriage with love and respect. The respect her father never gave to her mother. She sighed and placed her book on the nightstand. When she fell asleep she dreamed of him. Bates.

XXXXXX

Anna had woken up very surprised. In her dream Bates was reading with her. That was all. He spent the night reading...what a strange dream. She dressed quickly with the help of her maid, and she never hated corsets as much as she did now, and not one hour later she was in the factory.

Thomas was there and she stood by him while he watched over the workers. Yelling when a man wiped sweat from his brow even though it was snowing outside. He yelled at a small boy because he giggled, and at a mother who helped her daughter to stand after a fall.

'Keep working you lazy beast,' he said once but shrunk back when Anna gave him a shocked glance.

'That was very rude, Mr Barrow.'

'They behave like animals don't they?'

She looked at those poor souls. They most certainly didn't. She hated Barrow and nothing would ever change her mind.

When she looked down again she saw him. The man from her dream. She excused herself and holding her book firmly in her hands she walked towards him.

'Good morning, Mr Bates.'

'Good morning, Miss.' He had seen her looking at him from the top of the landing and he knew she would come talk to him.

'I want to thank you again for yesterday.'

'There's no need, Miss. It was my pleasure to give a helping hand,' he smiled and it reached his eyes and she stared once again.

'I hope you don't go outside again...to read your poems.'

'I won't...I've learned my lesson...' she smiled. 'How do you know it's poems?'

'It says 'Poetry, A Compilation of Love Poems,' he pointed.

'You know how to read?' Anna was surprised.

'I do, Miss.' Shame painted her face because she judged him by his appearance.

'I'm sorry...mother...'

'Your mother tells you how ignorant we are?' he spit out, almost bitterly.

'I don't believe her though.'

'You obviously do.' He looked down focusing on the work before him.

'I just thought a working man like you wouldn't have time to read.'

He looked up and was surprised at how smart she was. How well she could fix an uncomfortable conversation. He couldn't help but smile.

'And I don't...but at least I learned how to.'

'What books do you own?'

'I own nothing but my family, Miss.'

They stayed in silence for a moment taking in what he had just said. She felt sorry for him but he was glad he was honest with her.

'I see you are lining today...doing extra work?' she broke the silence.

'It has to be done,' he said working his hands through the cotton lines.

'Of course. So you can support your family.' He nodded in acknowledgement. 'Does your wife work here?'

'No...not anymore. I am a widower.'

'I am sorry… I didn't know.'

'Of course you didn't.'

The silence prevailed for a moment more before she spoke again. 'Do you have children then?'

'I have a small boy.'

'Oh! It must be difficult for a man to raise his child alone.'

'Yes. It is,' he sighed.

'How old is your boy?'

He looked at her again, with an amused look on his face. How ever so curious this young woman was. He saw nothing but kindness in her eyes and interest, legitimate interest and no malice. It wouldn't harm if he told her.

'Six.' He looked around. 'See the lad there, that's him. William.'

He pointed out a boy who was picking cotton from the floor. His clothes were worn out, his trousers were ripped at the knees. He had his father's face, round and chubby, and his smile as his small hands patted the floor after the white material.

'He's so young to be working.'

'Our children are never too young to work, Miss.'

What reality was this that she didn't know about? 'Children should go to school and stay home with their mothers.'

'He earns one pence to pick up as much cotton as he can, with that pence he helps me to buy bread for my house, besides, if his mother was alive she would be working here so he couldn't stay home alone.'

He looked at her with a serious look on his face. Not mean, nor rude, just serious. Serious about their condition. Anna didn't say another word.

'Anna! There you are. It's time to go,' her father called to her.

She nodded yes. 'It was nice to talk to you, Mr Bates.'

'See you tomorrow, Miss.'

'Yes.' She smiled when he looked away and a second later she was gone.

'Why were you talking to Bates?'

'I was...asking him if he could explain what he was doing. I want to know, as you said, you should know the work as best as you know yourself.'

'I am glad to see you are interested, Anna. It's very good. This is our business and you should care for it.'

XXXXXX

Dinner went well, as appearances often did. Anna pretended she was pleased, her parents pretended to be happy. Charles told her how beautiful she looked in green and that he liked a woman who was interested in the family business. Anna nodded and thanked him.

He was well dressed, with his blond hair rolled back and loads of perfume all over his jacket. She noticed how nice his skin looked in the candlelight and how his smile was beautiful but didn't reach his eyes. He asked her what she liked to do, and she said reading. He laughed but when she didn't join him he stopped, apologetic. He didn't like to read. He liked to play cards and chess, ride in good weather, and dance. He liked parties and piano concerts, and helping his father with the factory.

'I'm a lawyer now so I help him with legal papers and things like that. Too much reading already... Are you enjoying helping your father in the factory?'

'I just stand there watching those poor souls work. Father thinks I'm helping him that way.'

'You should tell him what you feel. Honesty is always the key.'

I don't want to marry you. 'Thank you for your advice Charles.'

They chatted for over an hour, about this and that. The weather, the news, business.

When he left Anna felt free. Until her father told her something she was not expecting to happen so soon.

'Albert spoke to me, and next Sunday Charles will be asking for your hand.'

She felt her face grow hot, boiling. She nodded. 'As you wish, father, may I go now?'

After his permission she went to her room, fell into bed, and cried. She held her book to her chest tightly.

'Will I ever fall in love without having too?' She wished for that more than anything, but she knew now it wouldn't be possible.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Next chapter Anna will be engaged and not very happy about it, and we'll know more about Bates family.

Thank you for reading :)