convicted or even go to trial. During the Christmas episode, Bates visits Anna in prison where she reveals that a secret from her past could compromise any character witness statement the Crawleys make in her favour. Matters are made much worse when Murray confirms that her history, of which the police are now aware, would look convincingly to the police like Anna was capable of violence. Anna is then given a trial date and Bates is forced into taking action. He leaves Downton, telling Carson in a letter that he has confessed to murdering Green in order to have Anna freed. He tells Robert in another letter how to contact him. Bates then disappears and is now on the run. Molesley gains access to the Bateses cottage and finds a picture of Bates; he and Baxter use it as they travel around York's pubs to find out which pub Bates had been to the day Green died. A pub owner confirms that Bates was indeed in York and would swear to it, which clears him. However, it would endanger Anna once again, who is released on bail. As Anna returns to Downton, Bates is still missing, leaving her miserable. At Christmas there is still no sign of him, but at the Christmas carol service Bates manages to sneak in; he surprises Anna, and pulls her away from the crowd. When she asks how it is possible that he has returned, he silences her, insisting that they speak later about it but for the moment, enjoy their Christmas. They kiss and enjoy their reunion. In series six, Bates and Anna must deal with the shadow of Green's murder; however, the case is resolved quickly when a confession is made by another of Green's victims and Anna is freed from bail. However, problems between the two are not over as Bates realises something has upset Anna. She tells him that she believed she was pregnant, but that she had miscarried, and that it had potentially happened twice before. Despite being upset that she kept it from him, he comforts her when she tells him she thinks she's let him down. In episode 2, Bates discovers Anna yet again upset, after having told Lady Mary about her pregnancy problems. He asks her if she had ever considered adoption, but she tells him that the idea would never work for him nor her as