Epilogue

September arrived quickly, and it was amazing how fast a year could pass by. Summer was different when one spent it near the beach, or so Anna thought, just as she opened the drawing room windows. It seemed more vibrant, more full of life. Or perhaps it had to do with being a first time parent, she couldn't be sure. She kept her ears alert for any sign of distress coming from the upper floor.

She was glad that they had moved when they did; the hotel seemed perfect for their needs, even if it needed some renovation, but the price was too good to let it go. Alas, only the first floor was open for guests, as they still had to work on the top floor, but their first months in Scarborough had gone better than they had expected.

It had been only six months since they moved from Downton, and while it wasn't easy to adjust to a new town, Anna thought they were handling it rather well. Management of the hotel wasn't easy either, especially when she wasn't of much use at first; it had only been a month since she had given birth when they moved. Thankfully for them, they managed to hire a maid, a young woman named Sarah, and a friendly man, Mr Fuller, as their night manager, quite soon after moving in. Anna was more actively involved in the finances, as it was proved hard to balance work and caring for a new house - much bigger than the cottage they had in Downton, and luckily in better conditions than the hotel. Not to mention the fact that they were four now.

It took them a while, but they had been blessed by not one child - but two, at the same time. Lillian was born first, and Clara only a few minutes later. They were small and very healthy - with extremely powerful lungs, they quickly decided. Exactly what Anna had always dreamed of - and John too, as he didn't hide his preference for a girl when they were expecting them. They were curious little things, cooing at their parents and at each other constantly, thriving more every day, growing up before their eyes.

And Scarborough had been treating them well. The girls had been born at Downton, and Anna was glad of that. To have their friends close meant the world to her, and even now Downton was only a train ride away. Their new house was bigger and had three bedrooms, instead of the two small rooms in the cottage. When the girls were older, that meant they could each have their own room. Or, as John liked to say, there was still time for another family member in the future - but if they thought having one baby was an adventure, nothing could have prepared them for two. It was a good thing that they had been given several baby clothes and toys that belonged to Miss Sybbie and Miss Marigold, and even Master George - and Anna had knitted so much during the pregnancy that the babies didn't lack for anything but the second cot they had to buy soon after the birth.

Anna breathed in the salty air and smiled. The beach was merely three streets away, a short walk from the hotel, and they had a park right across the street. Well located, if a little far from the city centre, but she wouldn't change a thing.

After tidying things up downstairs she decided to check on the babies. They usually had their feeding early in the mornings, when John left for the hotel. Old habits died hard after all; he was still waking up rather early, even when he didn't need to. Anna too, but only because of Lillian and Clara, who needed to be fed. More often than not, however, she managed to convince John to spend some time with them in bed every morning, and this morning had been no different. Their little girls had taken after her, however - it was very easy for them to fall back into slumber and they both would usually sleep for most of the day; once they had their very early morning feed and got changed, they would usually sleep until way past 9 - and, Anna was almost ashamed to admit it, sometimes she joined them.

She walked up the stairs with light steps, bringing with her two plush toys that had been downstairs. The third door was their bedroom. She had left it half open before and stopped for a moment before entering the room. Everything was quiet, and she wanted it to remain that way. The babies still slept in their bedroom during the nights; late night and early morning feedings were still happening and both Anna and John thought they were much too young to sleep by themselves - even though they knew it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Anna approached their cots slowly, a little surprised at seeing little Lillian with her eyes wide open; she was usually loud upon waking up. Clara was still sleeping peacefully. They weren't identical twins, even though they both shared Anna's hair and John's eyes. Lillian was slightly taller, and Clara was a little bit chubbier - adorable in their own way. The baby flailed her arms and gurgled when she saw her mother; Anna's heart swelled with joy.

"Good morning, my angel," Anna cooed, picking up the baby and placing a kiss upon her soft curls. Lillian let out a happy squeal when Anna tickled her stomach. "In a good mood today, then. We will wake up your little sister if you keep going this way," she chuckled, touching Lillian's button nose with her index finger. The baby girl blinked and smiled. "We better get started on your bath."

She was still chuckling when she turned around, but a surprised gasp left her lips when she saw her husband looking at them, as stealthy as a mouse. She playfully glared at him, stopping in her tracks. Before she could say anything, however, Lillian squealed, her little arms already reaching for her father; she was her daddy's little girl through and through, whilst Clara was a little more taken with Anna.

"John Bates, you startled me," she said as her husband laughed and held out his arm to get Lillian. A whimper was heard. "And you've woken Clara up."

"I'm sorry," he said as Lillian settled with him. Anna turned around, not the least surprised to see Clara's watery eyes staring back at her. "Well, Lillian woke her up, actually."

Anna chuckled. "Because of you," she said, reaching for Clara. "Shh, darling, it's Mummy."

Clara continued to whimper, but Anna was quick to rock her a little in her arms, just so the whimper wouldn't turn into a full cry that could very well reach her sister too, as they were well aware of. The baby rubbed her chubby fists against her eyes and looked at her with wide eyes. Anna smoothed down her hair.

"I know you didn't want to wake up, but Daddy showed up for some reason," she threw John a glance as he approached her.

"If I'm unwelcome..." he started, but Anna quickly shook her head and he gave her a quick kiss, each one balancing a baby. "I came because there was a letter for you in the mail."

"Oh, really?" Anna asked curiously, watching as the girls babbled incomprehensible words in their arms. "From whom?"

"Mrs Molesley," John said slowly, and she almost laughed at the different words. Only a few weeks ago they had attended the marriage of Mr Molesley and Miss Baxter, but it was still quite a surprise the fact that Mr Molesley was a married man now. John carefully removed the envelope from his coat's pocket.

Anna took it, and walked around the bed to place Clara there, against some pillows - the girls were usually vocal about spending time in their cots when they did not need to. Clara sat somewhat firmly now, a new skill she had recently learned, and John repeated the gesture with Lillian. Anna tore the envelope open, curious about what Mrs Molesley could possibly want from her. John sat on the bed with the babies, watching intently as Anna read the letter.

"They are fully moved into the cottage," Anna told him as she read, though her smile disappeared soon afterwards. "They've found the letters."

John was now holding Clara, who had clearly become bored of sitting and fell down on the mattress. "What letters?" with a serious look from his wife, he understood the message. "Oh. And what happened?"

"She wants to know if they're ours," Anna explained, exchanging a look with him. "I'll tell her they're not. I won't be lying, anyway."

"That seems sensible."

Anna continued to read. "She says that apart from having trouble with bats in the attic they've been fine. You don't think that's related, do you?"

"Darling, we had trouble with bats every year we lived there," John told her softly. "It's nothing."

Anna nodded, and she couldn't help but smile at John, who was now holding both their babies. She shook her head and decided to read the rest of the letter later; surely everything was fine. John was right - it must all be some sort of coincidence. They were away from Downton, building a new life with their babies, and nothing odd had happened in well over one year.

All was well with the Bates family.