The convenience of love

I have long wondered what would have happened if Kamal Pamuk had died in Edith's bed instead of Mary's so this totally AU story results from my imaginings. Rest assured there will be a happy ending.

Chapter 1

Lady Edith Crawley was horrified. Kamal Pamuk lay dead beside her in her bed.. Edith had been enjoying the secret liaison. The moment he had arrived at Downton that day with Mary's friend, Evelyn Napier, Edith had been stunned by his interest in her. He had ignored Mary; which both delighted and surprised her because it was seldom that a man noticed her above Mary & Sybil. Pamuk had seemed almost exotic to Edith with his dusky skin and fantastic dark eyes that a woman could drown in. But Edith knew in her heart that it had not been serious; just a lustful secret tryst.

"Oh my god!" Edith wailed. She felt sick knowing that she could not carry the dead man to his own room on the other side of the house. She had to get help.

For now she tried not to think of the implications it would have for her own reputation should word get around. She felt her throat tighten with fear.

"Get a grip on yourself Edith," she snapped, "You need help,"

She put on her dressing gown and took up a candle as she walked barefoot through the dark house to her mother's room praying that it was not a night when her parents were sharing the same bed.

"Mama," Edith whispered.

Cora sat bolt upright, "Edith darling whatever is wrong? Are you unwell?"

"No," Edith tried to blink away tears, "I don't know what to do,"

She told Cora what had happened and Cora looked shocked.

"Oh Edith. why?"

"Mama, he paid attention to me and ignored Mary which is unusual when it comes to men. I suppose I was flattered and I wanted to feel special, I know how it will look when word gets around and I know I didn't think; at least not with my brain. I'm so sorry Mama, but I really need your help,"

Cora got up and put on her dressing gown.

"He's a grown man Edith so we will need more help because I doubt the two of us can manage to carry a man's body,"

Edith went to wake Anna who agreed to come and help; between them the three woman carried Pamuk's body across the house; keeping a close look out but they made it to the guest room which had been assigned to Pamuk and laid him in the bed.

Edith returned to her room and cried. Cora came in. Edith really wanted to be alone because the implications of what she had done were just beginning to penetrate her consciousness.

"Edith you have no idea how disappointed your father will be in you. Since the man was a visiting foreigner I can't see how we can keep this quiet,"

"Mama, I'm sorry," Edith wept, "please don't tell Papa,"

"I don't see what else I can do. You do not have any suitors and such actions may have consequences within a few months,"

Edith was well aware of what her mother was saying and she flushed scarlet with shame.

"Even if that does happen how can we expect any of the men of our acquaintance to marry me and acknowledge he child as his own? It will have his skin tone so not very convincing,"

"Hopefully it will not come to that," Cora crossed her fingers and touched the wooden bedpost of her daughter's bed, "but we will have to find you a husband as quick as possible to save not only your reputation but the family name,"

Edith frowned; it would be just like her mother to put the family name above her own daughter but Edith knew she had always been the misfit and black sheep of the Crawley family. That was why she had been so flattered by the attentions of an exotic foreigner. If only she had thought with her brain instead of what was between her legs but she had been highly aroused by his accented voice and dark eyes.

She was angry with society's double standards; if men wanted to sow their wild oats they were given a pat on the back for it whereas women, of whatever social class, were treated with disdain like they had crawled from beneath a rock. She could never read Tess of the D'Urbervilles without becoming thoroughly incensed by the unfairness of it all.

"We will talk about this in the morning Edith," Cora said, "Try and get some sleep."

Once Cora had returned to her own bed Edith cried herself to sleeo.

The next day the house was in deep shock. The fact that footman Thomas Barrow had found Pamuk dead had spread like wildfire both above and below stairs and everywhere Edith went she came against whispers and expressions of shock which made her flush with shame although there was as yet no implications against her and no one but she, her mother and Anna knew the shocking truth. Edith hoped it would remain that way for as long as possible but she knew it would not belong before rumours and embellishments began to permeate the social gossip chain. She supposed she was fortunate in that few people in their social circle and beyond would instantly link her to the scandal for it was well known that her name was rarely linked with that of a man for good or bad reasons. But she was convinced she was being glanced at out of pity. If Mary found out, well Edith shivered, Mary would make crass comments about her sister not even being able to bed a man without him dropping dead. She made up her mind to weather the storm as best she could when it hit. As yet there was nothing to worry about. But Edith knew well that being the second yet least favourite daughter of the house of Grantham would lead to trouble.

Her father did not appear to think anything untoward as yet although naturally he was shocked at the notion of a guest being found dead in his house. But when she was alone she was both tearful and fearful; sure it would not be too long before the truth came out. Edith knew that her grandmother was shocked but as yet she did not know how Edith was involved. It wasn't like Esdith had murdered him after all' it has just been a cruel twist of fate that the first man ever to pay real interest in her had died. Dr Clarkson had given the cause of death as an acute myocardial infarction; a heart attack in layman's terms and he had shown no surprise. In fact he had expressed an opinion that the deceased had most probably had undetected heart weakness since birth or not long after and there was no way it could have been avoided. In some ways it made Edith feel a little better; the fact that Pamuk had had no more idea than she what would happen. But she had few friends or people in whom she found it easy to confide and at that moment she felt more alone than she had ever felt in her entire life.

So far her mother appeared not to have told anyone, for which Edith was grateful. Edith wondered if her mother would ever get over the shock of carrying a dead man's body across the house at dead of night. She was certain it was something she herself was never likely to forget and it would be between her and every man she might court, or be forced to marry, in future but she was too ashamed to ever tell. Tess of the D'Urbervilles she was not; she was far more sensitive to social reactions than Tess so would not make that same mistake.

For the next few months Edith waited with trepidation and was always relieved at the arrival of her monthly curse.

Then four months after the event her mother asked to speak with her in private. Edith's hands shook but instead of getting the lecture she feared she was informed that a neighbour of theirs, whom she had never met, was coming to dinner that night and she was to sit next to him at dinner.

Her mother informed her that he was a widower, some years older than she was, with no children and a large estate close to Ripon. Edith was told that he was a gentle kind man although many people considered him somewhat dull, including her own father. The man's name was Sir Anthony Strallan.