The Gold-Haired Gal With the Golden Smile

Author Note: Julian Fellowes' brainchild, not mine - I wish!

Oh many thoughts did flood John Bates' mind

The day he met the lovely fair-haired maid

And one of them was 'gracious, she's so kind'

Her tender mood had undertook a raid

Bewitched him heart and soul, oh what the heck

Perhaps he could shake off those new job nerves

By liking this small blonde who reached his neck

A difference of ten inches? What a curve

But John saw leg-related woes as more

More of a reason Anna would retreat

Since no-one wanted a crippled and shy bore

With confidence as thin as a quilt sheet

But hell, John would, if he could, run a mile

For the gold-haired gal with the golden smile

AN: I know Banna's bond blossomed over the time, but Bates liking her in THAT way from the get-go is much more romantic. I think with what happens to him early on in the first season, Bates' emotions would be like this.