Chapter One: Abandoned
Edith's POV
Minutes after the wedding that never happened...
"Edith, my darling," my mother sighed. "You're being tested. And you know what they say: being tested only makes you stronger." I choked on my tears, knowing that she didn't understand. How could she? She had never been left alone, broken hearted and crying at the altar. She had never been deserted by the love of her life.
Yes. I was being tested. Of that I was certain. I was also certain that I was failing the test.
"It's not working with me," I wept bitterly. No. I was not stronger. I was broken. My heart, my soul, my life... Shattered into a million pieces.
Hopeless. Lost. Alone. Broken.
And there was only one with the power to change that. Only one who had the ability to mend my broken heart.
Sir Anthony Strallan. My love. The one who left me like this.
The one who abandoned me.
My mother was still gently patting my head and back, trying to comfort me. Trying to help.
"Edith, darling-"
"NO!" I shouted, and sat up abruptly, tears clouding my vision. "Just stop, Mother. Stop. You're not helping." She reached out again, but this time I pulled away. She looked so hurt.
"Edith," she murmured. "Please, listen to me-"
"No, you listen! I have just been cast aside, thrown away, rejected by the man I love!" I choked back another sob and shook my head at the ceiling, closed my eyes and took a wavering breath. "Don't pretend that you understand what this feels like, what I'm going through. Because the truth is, you don't. You couldn't possibly!" Her jaw hung loose, and I knew I had struck a chord. I blinked back more tears as I pointed at the door.
"Please, just go," I whispered. She tried to wrap her arms around me again, but I pushed her away, and yelled.
"LEAVE ME!" I knew I must be a sight, snarling and red faced, and hideously ugly. But then, what else could one expect from a broken young woman who had just been jilted on her wedding day, of all days? I collapsed back onto the bed, exhausted, and I wept bitterly.
"Just leave me alone," I whispered. And that is precisely what she did, although she only did it because I had so demanded. If I had given her the choice, she would have stayed with me all night. But I told her to go...
She looked stricken. She so desperately wanted to help her poor, broken hearted daughter. Comfort her, love her. But a mother's love could only do so much. And I knew that my mother couldn't help me.
No one could help me. No one but Anthony. And he wasn't coming back. Ever.
I had been abandoned.
So, I just saw the episode in which Anthony left Edith at the altar. it broke my heart. I felt so awful, and kept dwelling on it, thinking how terrible it would be to experience such a dreadful thing... And then of course this little piece of work happened. This short little tidbit is an emotional one shot and a glimpse into Lady Edith's tortured mind after the wedding that never happened...
Please review and tell me what you think! Eventually, if enough helpful reviews are posted and I get enough inspiration, I may even go on with this story. Thanks for reading!