Title: The New Valet

Summary: Set during 1.01. Anna likes the new valet.

Disclaimer: I do not own Downton Abbey. Otherwise my OTP would have ended series 2 happy in wedded bliss.

A/N: A few things I felt you ought to know: this is my first time writing for Downton Abbey - I don't normally publish my writing, really. I've written many things during many years but I normally keep it to myself or, occasionally, a friend. However, there isn't that much Downton fanfiction around here, and I thought, why not? Also, English is NOT my first language, so I apologize for any mistakes around here. I've read through this about three times, but you can never be so sure. Reviews are much welcomed, constructive criticism is good and I appreciate it. About the story, well, this is something I think might have happened early in series 1, shortly after Mr. Bates arrives. No spoilers whatsoever. Hope you enjoy it!

The New Valet

by fuzzydream

She liked him. The new valet.

Not in a romantic way, no. She was no schoolgirl to believe in love at first sight and even so the only thing she thought of Mr. Bates after seeing him for the first time was that he seemed nice. For as much as she knew, anyone who received Miss O'Brien's nasty comments with grace deserved at least some respect.

So, yes, she liked the new valet. He didn't talk much, and perhaps because of that she hadn't heard much nonsense from him. Mrs. Hughes seemed to have liked him too, and she always had a good judgement on people. So no, she didn't really know why she liked him.

She didn't really have a chance to talk much to him in the first days. Everything was so busy, mending and sewing the girls' black clothes, and keeping the housework going on. Her father had also been ill, and she had been sneaking any time off she had to visit her family. Not that anyone cared about where she spent her time off, of course. Sometimes, Anna wished the day had more than twenty-four hours. Perhaps so that she could sleep a little longer – not much, just a bit longer would be great.

The problem of being a servant – and Anna did see this as a problem – was that, after some time, when you got used to being away from family and friends, it was easy to get lost, to become impersonal. It was easy not to care about other people because, frankly, people didn't care about you. It was so easy to not think of the other servants as people. No one stopped and asked you if you were feeling alright, or if you planned on doing something special for your half-day off. Anna learnt this the hard way, being nothing more than a young girl when she came to Downton, with no friends and only seeing family occasionally.

Everyone talked about the new valet, of course. He was lame, and therefore he wouldn't be able to do his job – that's what most people thought at first. She watched him those first days – even offered him a sympathetic smile or two – and she knew he was able to do his job.

That annoyed her, and he wasn't even her friend. Her mum always said she had the rare ability of caring for people who weren't even close to her – that she was fair in her heart and mind, and that she shouldn't ever change. Anna didn't want to change, and she knew she wouldn't. Perhaps she was being too sympathetic towards Mr. Bates, but he seemed like a person who deserved some fairness. People just couldn't see beyond the cane, and that annoyed her.

She wished people could see him like she did.

It was a warm night of April when they first really talked. They were together many times, with other people, sometimes in the same conversation, but not really talking to each other. It was a bit difficult for her to talk to him, she didn't know why; perhaps he was a much too reserved person for her, since nobody knew anything about him. She often caught herself wondering what to talk about with him, fearing he might think her immature or maybe foolish. Not that she thought of him that much during her days – after all, he wasn't even her friend.

She had stayed in the servants' hall to mend a few things and she enjoyed working in the relative peace they had while the family had dinner. That night was not different from many others before; William was playing the piano, Daisy was ignoring Mrs. Patmore's calls, Gwen was writing to her family, Miss O'Brien was her usual grumpy self.

"How are you enjoying your first days here, Mr. Bates?" Gwen asked him conversationally.

"It's been quite enjoyable, thanks for asking."

"I remember my first days here," Gwen said, stopping her writing for a moment. "Do you remember, Anna?"

"It wasn't that long ago, was it?" Anna said with a smile. "You looked like a frightened little mouse when I showed you how to work around here."

"Well, it can be a bit frightening, you know?" Gwen defended herself. "We come from farms and small houses and then we see this. It's a bit intimidating."

"You've been here for a long time, then," Mr. Bates said, looking from her to Anna.

"Well, not that long – two years now, I think. Sometimes I still feel as though it's my first week," Gwen said.

"What about you, Anna?"

She was surprised that he talked to her – and maybe even more so because he remembered her name. People, as rule, didn't normally appear to be interested in a housemaid's life, but of course Mr. Bates was far too polite and, well, nice to not ask her that.

"Oh – I've been here for more years than I care to count, Mr. Bates," Anna said. "The girls still had a nanny back then."

"Did you work in a big house before, Mr. Bates?" Daisy joined in.

"Not nearly as big as this one, no," he answered her, "It's been a few years since I worked as a valet, actually."

The comment should have been innocent – and Anna thought it was – but she knew enough of the servants' minds to know what they were thinking. Nobody thought he would succeed, she knew it – and unfortunately for Mr. Bates, it seemed that the more he opened himself to others, the more faults people found in him.

"So what have you been doing all these years, then?" Miss O'Brien cut in, as Anna had expected her to.

"Not much. A bit of this and that."

"And then you came to work here with no references?" she asked him, sceptical. "Of course, I imagine it's a good thing you fought the war with his Lordship – why references when you have that?"

"I came to work here with no references whatsoever," Anna said before she even knew what she was saying, "and I'm still here. As long as we do our jobs, I don't see why a reference makes you any different from me."

She decided to keep out the fact that her mum had come to Downton practically begging Mrs. Hughes to give her a job as a maid – it was best for her if Miss O'Brien didn't know that; as far as her job was concerned, Anna knew O'Brien wouldn't pick on that. After all, she was only twenty-six and she was the head housemaid of Downton Abbey.

Naturally, Miss O'Brien's interference made the mood for conversation drop faster than a shooting star; Anna refused to look at Mr. Bates and continued with her own mending, knowing that soon she would be called upstairs. She focused on her tasks and on what she would have to do on the following day – she had the afternoon off, but for that to happen she would have to make sure she had all of her work done by mid-day.

"I'm going to stop by the village tomorrow," Anna said after a few minutes, "does anyone want anything?"

"Well, I wanted the afternoon off tomorrow as well, but I doubt you'll be able to get me that," Miss O'Brien said. "Some of us need to work the entire day, you know."

Anna was close to rolling her eyes at O'Brien, but luckily for her Lady's Grantham called for her ladies' maid at that moment.

"I do hope your father will be better when you visit him tomorrow," Mr. Bates said quietly after Miss O'Brien left.

Anna stopped her mending and looked at him. There was something pleasant about the way he spoke, Anna couldn't describe what.

"You mentioned yesterday he had been ill. Is he any better?" Mr. Bates asked, apparently genuinely interested.

She didn't know why, but the sparkle in his eyes gave her a warm feeling of... security.

She smiled.

"I can't say. I hope he's feeling better," Anna said after a moment, "Thanks for asking."

He smiled.

"Send him my best wishes."

"I will."

She watched as he got up when Lord Grantham called for him, not two minutes later.

So perhaps the new valet wasn't one of those impersonal servants. Perhaps he cared.

She had liked him from the start, but she didn't really know him. And now...

Now she knew she really liked him. Mr. Bates. And she liked him in a way that she truly couldn't describe.

A/N: So maybe it wasn't... too bad? I'd love to know what you think of this.