Here it is! I'm finally done with Packet of Letters, the final chapter. Enjoy! I'd like to think a_lady_to_me for looking over this chapter for me.

Anna could feel herself smiling as she woke. She was a married woman now and John Bates was her husband. After years of worry and hoping, they were finally married. A proper married couple, she remembered the night before, her smile growing.

She felt John moving and a kiss pressed to her cheek, before a hand replaced his lips. "Anna, my darling." Anna gave a murmur of 'uh huh?' in response. She refused to open her eyes but snuggled in with him. She could faintly smell their lovemaking still on their skin. The night before had been wonderful, she had been nervous, but John had been patient and loving, making her first time far more wonderful then she'd expected it to be.

"We should be getting up." John's voice was no louder than a whisper. "We'll need to get back to our rooms." His fingers trailed up her body, lightly caressing her.

Anna let out a quiet whine and buried her face in John's bare chest, the hair felt odd but right against her skin. "No, we can stay here forever."

"Perhaps I can sneak to your room tonight..." John began but Anna shook her head, looking up to speak properly.

"The door, remember? I can sneak into your room though."

My dearest love,

I dreamt of you last night and woke up in quite a state.

Anna paused in her letter writing as she heard a bell ring, Jimmy got up though and she turned back to her letter.

I don't know why you aren't writing to me, but I will continue to write to you until I get an answer. I realized that if you wanted me to move on and find someone else, you would have sent me a letter by now, let me know somehow that you wanted to end our marriage. Since you haven't I can only assume that your letters have been stopped for another reason. Until the other reason has cleared up, I will continue to write to you, as if we are currently exchanging letters.

She detailed her days, telling him of the things she was preparing in her spare time for when they had a cottage, the pillow cases with their initials embroidered into them, the blankets and tablecloths. She blushed as she spoke of the dream she'd had the night before, the memory of their wedding night.

The silence between us will make our next night together all the sweeter.

She looked up again when several of the maids clattered into the servants hall, Lady Mary's bell rang and she folded the letter up and slipped it into her pocket as she left the servants hall, it wouldn't do to leave it out and have someone find it. Not with the content of this letter anyway. It was proper for her to speak to her husband about their time together, but she shouldn't be leaving the letter our for the younger maids or footmen (or, heaven forbid Mr. Carson) to find and read.

"Have you heard from Bates yet?" Anna shook her head at the question. "I'm trying to keep my spirits up though, he wouldn't willingly stop writing to me, I would have heard if he was injured so his letters must be stopping for another reason." Anna said, "Until then, I'll continue to write him so that he gets a nice stack of letters to answer when he's able."

"That's wonderful that you're so positive about it."

Anna gave a rueful smile. "Not always. It has been difficult at times."

"Are you about to send him another letter?" Lady Mary asked.

"I did start one earlier." Anna admitted. She felt her cheeks redden as she remembered the content of the letter.

"I can dress myself for bed tonight, take the time to finish the letter." Mary said generously.

"Oh, thank you M'Lady." Anna said, a smile forming. It felt like she hadn't smiled in ages.

It was as she was going upstairs to put her half written letter away that Mrs. Hughes stopped her. "Oh, Anna, there's quite a packet of letters here for you." Anna took the letters, her heart leaping as she saw her husband's hand writing. "Are they all from Mr. Bates?" Mrs. Hughes questioned.

Anna nodded, "it looks like it."

"Why so many all at once?"

"I neither know nor care Mrs. Hughes, just as long as I've got them." Anna said, she spun around and sprinted upstairs to put the letters away. She had work to finish for today but tonight she would read her letters.

As soon as Anna was able, she went up to her room again. To read the letters John had sent. There were more then she'd expected and she opened the top one and began to read:

My Anna;

I woke up today, dreading the date...

"These came for you when you were out of favor, now you're in favor again." The guard said, Bates glanced at the bundle of letters it looked like one had His Lordship's hand writing on the front and one letter even looked like it had Mrs. Hughes' handwriting on it, but most had Anna's hand writing, with the return address of Mrs. John Bates scrawled over the envelope.

He had known the entire time that even through the silence she hadn't given up on him, but seeing the volume of letters before him made the knowledge hit home. She hadn't given up on him. She still loved him. She was still working to free him. It looked like there was about 20 letters in the pile, even taking out the letter from His Lordship and Mrs. Hughes there was still a good number of letters from Anna herself. How many times had she written him? It looked like she'd written more in the past 8 weeks then she had in any other 8 week span he'd been in prison.

Slowly, the pieces fell into place, when he'd been out of favor, he had been unable to receive any mail, did that mean that no mail had been sent out? He would have to write Anna and ask. He let most of the letters fall to the desk but opened one up, and began to read:

My dearest love;

…

Finished, please review!