James wanted to become a doctor and so the couple moved to Edinburgh so he could study medicine. Annie wished to further her literary career and had ambitions to move to London. After James was qualified and had acquired some practical experience, they did indeed move there. They established their first London home at Camden Square and their two children were born there. However, Fife was not far from their minds and in her autobiography 'My Life', Annie wrote...
"After the children were born, we realised that for their sakes, as well as our own, it was necessary to establish some sort of permanent connection with Scotland. We had a small cottage at Kinghorn, a little, grey, old-world village on the Forth. It had a glorious outlook and a perfect beach.....We acquired a narrow building site on the cliff overhanging the sea, and proceeded to erect the house."
This house was built by Lundin Mill builder Archibald White. The Courier of 6 November 1895 stated that "Mr Archibald M. White, builder, Lundin Links, Largo, has received instructions from Mrs Burnett Smith, better known as "Annie S. Swan", to build a large villa on a splendid site, which she has acquired at Pettycur Road, Kinghorn". The house was named 'The Anchorage' (see images below) and would act as a family retreat during the 12 years that they lived in Hampstead and later when they lived in Hertford. She wrote of the house "...the Anchorage was a joy to us. Our children spent long, golden summers there and loved it with a great love".
By this time, Annie had become a prolific writer of novels, short stories and serialised pieces for publications such as the People's Friend. She also wrote poems and pieces on politics and religion. Annie was in Scotland when World War One was declared and it was to change her perception of her Kinghorn home forever. Kinghorn had become an important base for the defence of the Forth, being close to the bridge and to the Rosyth naval base. Of this, she wrote "...barbed wire appeared everywhere, and bigger and better guns were installed on terrifying emplacements. The biggest of all was not more than 200 yards from our house". When the guns were fired, windows of The Anchorage were regularly shattered, with no compensation. A barrier was built across the road outside their front gate and they would be challenged by guards day and night. An insight into the fear that the situation created is evident in this passage from 'My Life'...
"The panicky atmosphere of these first weeks was indescribable. The bogey was German invasion, which was reported to be imminent....The whole of life was transformed into something grim and sinister....The scares were continuous and exciting. One day it was reported that the Germans had actually effected a landing at Largo Bay..."
At this particular event, Annie fled her Kinghorn home hastily to stay with friends and to "restore [her] shattered nerves". However, these experiences did not prevent Annie from going to France to boost the morale of the troops, from working with Belgian refugees and from lecturing on the topic of conservation of food. Many years later, after selling The Anchorage and the retirement of her husband, the Burnett Smiths returned to Scotland for good ("where all our relatives lived and with which we had so many dear associations"). This time they settled in Bandrum, near Dunfermline. During her time at Bandrum, the novellist was kept busy opening bazaars and speaking in support of good causes. In 1925 she opened the Largo Flower Show, as reported in the Courier of 24 August...
"Largo Flower Show was held on Saturday in the front park, Largo House, granted for the occasion by Mrs G. Bell, Lundin Links. Miss Baxter, The Grove, Upper Largo, presided and introduced Mrs Burnett Smith (Annie S. Swan) who opened the show."
In 1927, James Burnett Smith, passed away at Bandrum and soon Annie moved to Gullane, East Lothian to a house which she named 'Aldersyde'. The house retains that name to this day, seven decades after the 1943 death of the celebrated author of over 200 novels and short stories, at the age of 83.