Name: Oregonian (Signed) · Date: 24 Oct 2022 05:22 PM · For: A Step too Far

Shaza!

 

I'm here for the Monster Speed Dating review event, trying to woo Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde (yes, I know he's not much of a date) by reviewing stories written for other fandoms.

 

This little vignette is just a tiny Missing Moment,but it shows the sweet relationshhip between Anna and Mr. Bates.  She truly cares about him and his well-being (as I recall, this episode took place fairly early in his employment at the Manor), but Anna can see that he has some particular challenges to deal with, to be successful in his job, and her kind heart wants him to know that he has her support.

 

Given the behavioral standards of the era, it is a little bold of her to ask him what's wrong, but he can sense that she has only his best interests at heart, and I think he feels isolated and wants to have someone he can confide in.  So he lets her see the body part (his lower leg) that is normally kept covered up by clothes. (In those days, one didn't see much of a gentleman's body other than his head and his hands.)  That's a gesture that's kind of personal, and yet it shows how much he trusts her too.  

 

I notice that she doesn't ask him exactly what happened (that would be too personal), and he doesn't tell her except in vague terms.  But she does insist that he promise never to try something like that again, and by extracting this promise, she is acting like a mother or a nurse or someone who can act for his well-being.

 

I wondered what he thought of her final line "Because, Mr. Bates, I like you just the way you are."  He might be thinking to himself 'I don't like me just the way I am,' but also realizing that other people, like Anna, don't mind his little disability or flaw, so he can just accept it and live with it, without worrying about what other people think or how they might judge him.

 

An interesting little vignette.  I enjoyed reading it and thinking about it.  Thank you for writing!

 

Vicki

Name: prideofprewett (Signed) · Date: 19 Mar 2021 12:35 AM · For: A Step too Far

Shaza! I got SUPER excited whenever I saw that we were paired for the Hufflepuff review swap and also that you wrote a Downton Abbey fic! <3 Eep, I love DA! And this story was so cute! 

 

You capture this missing moment so well! Anna's concern and Bates' reluctance to share with her what he did with the limp corrector felt very them. And that little zinger at the end, "I like you just the way you are," just had me SWOONING. <3 

 

I often wondered how Anna would react to learning that he tried to correct his leg with the limp corrector. Of course, there are hints and she sees stuff happening in canon, but she never does see the full extent of the damage done to his leg. And I really liked that you gave us that. And her little jump back when the back door opens just feels so realistic because of where things are with their relationship currently. 

 

And eep them playing footsie beneath the table! How. Adorable!

 

I definitely would love it, if you wrote more of them :) Thanks for writing this Shaza! Also, sorry if this review was jumpy hah. 

 

Well done!

 

<3 Courtney 

Author's Response:

Hey! Thank you so much for the review! 

I'm so excited that you like Dowton as well, I love it! 

Anna and Bates are defo one of my fave pairings from the show and I'm so glad you liked it! 

Yeah, sometimes I'll see something and just think, what happened next? 

Thank you so much for the review, it wasn't jumpy at all it was great! 

Thank you so much again! :D