Edith was sitting in the library sofa, her belly protruding in a very obvious way. She was expected to go into labour any day now. She was very enthusiastically talking to Anthony of her hopes for the coming baby. Her eyes were glowing, he found her more beautiful than ever.
...
Anthony never compared Edith to Maud, it was like if he had known Maud in another life, which was partly true. The war had changed him so very much. It wasn't only that he had lost the use of his arm.
But as he was looking at Edith in that sofa, he suddenly saw a vision of Maud, sitting in that very same sofa, just as happy and just as expecting as Edith was now. Two days later Maud and the baby had both been dead.
The thought of that sent a very cold chill through Sir Anthony's body.
...
Sir Anthony didn't know it but over the years there had in fact been three happy, heavily pregnant wives sitting in that same sofa talking animatedly to their husbands. And Anthony himself had been present all the three times. The first one, before Edith and before Maud, was his mother, Lady Elizabeth, talking to her husband Sir Jonathan. She was 46 years old and very much pregnant with Anthony himself.
It would have soothed Anthony to think about that, because all had gone so well that time. Even though his mother had reached such an advanced age, and his father had been very much worried about her.
...
Two days later it was all over. Anthony's little newborn daughter was as healthy as her mother.
A warm wave of happiness went through his body when he looked at the two of them. Edith was looking lovingly into her daughters little red face. The little one was as blond and blue-eyed as her father.
He was sure now that Edith would never regret marrying him.
...
AN: There were 99 Edith/Anthony stories on fanfic in all if you count all ratings, so I thought I would publish this little fragment of a one-shot as number 100.
Thank you for reading! Reviews are as always much appreciated!
