Making amends
Thank you to Kiddymonster75 for loooking this over for me.
Edith rolled her eyes as she saw the four men wobble towards her.
Anthony had gone for a pint earlier after being dragged into the Downton wars.
Edith did not mind if Anthony went out for a pint every now and then because she knew that he enjoyed the company of some of the local farmers and they would not feel comfortable coming to the house.
She usually spent the time writing, reading or just enjoying the peace and quiet that Locksley offered her.
She had no idea that her father, Mathew had followed her husband to the pub.
After the things she had overheard her father say earlier; she would not have blamed Anthony for not wanting anything to do with her family ever again.
She should have been upset at having been called out to drive her drunken husband, father and brothers- in- law home, but in truth she was happy to see that Anthony was finally being accepted into the family.
As they came closer she could see that even though Anthony was merry he was not nearly as bad as the other three men.
Edith nearly burst out laughing as she saw her father fall over taking Tom and Mathew with him.
She could only imagine the smirks they would get in church on Sunday.
Anthony shot her an apologetic look as she stepped forward to help the three men up.
After getting the three men into the back of the car; she and her husband in the front she got in and looked round the four men as she asked "how did you get into such a state?"
Her father looked at her rather sheepishly "Well I wanted to apologise for my behaviour earlier so I brought a round of drinks."
Then Mathew began to speak "as it was me who asked Anthony's advice in the first place I thought it was only right that I brought him a drink."
"And to show that there were no hard feelings on my part I brought a round," her husband said.
Then Tom piped up "It would have been rude of me not to get a round in."
Edith just rolled her eyes and started the car, praying that no one would be sick on the way home.
"I really don't know what Mother and Mary are going to say when they see you and isn't Granny staying at Downton while they fix the stove at the dowager house?"
As she finished talking she could see Anthony trying, and failing, to suppress a smirk and she could hear the three men in the back groan at the prospect of having to face the three women back at Downton.
As she drove though Downton's gates her Father said "perhaps we could spend the night at Locksley? You could ring Downton and tell them we lost track of time?"
In the rear view Mirror Edith could see her father's hopeful look, she simply smirked and said "if you can't do the time don't do the crime and besides I think news of your little afternoon outing will be all around the village by now."
When she pulled up outside Downton she saw Carson raise an eyebrow before trying to get the three men into the house.
Edith decided to get out of the car to help before someone suffered an injury.
As she deposited her father in the hallway he grab her hand "I've missed you, I wish you would come to the house more often." then he kissed her on the cheek.
Not used to receiving affection from her family Edith was unsure what to do so she just stood there for what seemed like hours but was really probably just seconds before her father smiled at her sadly and moved away.
Edith could hear the voice of her grandmother coming from the drawing room so she decided that it would probably be time to leave and get her husband home.
She smiled as she got in to the car to find her husband fast asleep as she took a second to study him before starting the car and driving home.