The Pied Piper of Locksley
Part 1
The acrid smoke burned her eyes and nose as tiny fists beat at her; she felt a piece of her heart wither at the sight of devastation before her. St Agatha's Orphanage was on fire and crumbling into a pile, another victim of the Germans' cruel bombing. She'd never forget the sound of the children's cries as their only home burned to the ground. The only thing that had saved their lives that day had been Edith's idea to take the children on a picnic to break the news that they would be leaving London soon. As they watched the conflagration, Edith held little Freddie back as he tried to run into the burning building. He screamed for his baby sister, Emma, who had been too sick to go with the others.
Edith closed her eyes tight and prayed as hard as she could.
"Please… Dear God please…"
For what seemed like years, everything was silent but for the crackling of the flames and wailing.
When suddenly barking filled the air and a figure could be seen through the heavy smoke.
It was Daisy Mason, one of Edith's fellow volunteers at the orphanage and Percy the Mutt, the unofficial mascot the children had adopted from off the streets. Daisy was easy to identify, her small stature so welcome to Edith's eyes.
Edith briefly looked up to the heavens,
"Oh, thank you… now if only…"
Percy had spotted his beloved owners and bounded happily over to them, unfazed by the smoke and soot covering his golden fur. Daisy, realizing exactly what it was that Percy was running to, exalted a cry of happiness and quickly followed him.
As Daisy neared, Edith could see that there was a familiar bundle in the other woman's arms. Freddie too, noticed, and taking advantage of Edith's distraction, escaped.
ooo
Edith was jolted awake from her dream of that night by Daisy's insistent calling.
"Miss Edith! Wake up Miss Edith, we're here!"
Edith turned to look out the car window and blinked twice at the sight before her.
"Blimey!" There was an excited smile on Daisy's face. "It's huge, innit?"
"It…it most certainly is."
Edith was taken aback by the large, beautiful structure that resembled a gingerbread house. She had been expecting a large house, not a large manor. She wasn't a stranger to opulence, she had grown up in Eaton Square, after all, but her surrounding still came as a bit of a shock.
Shaking herself out of her musings about architecture, Edith got out of the car, stretched her legs from the long journey, and stifled a yawn. The heavy burden of looking after six orphans and a dog in a new place was on her shoulders, and the newfound responsibility did not make for a restful night's sleep.
She popped back into the backseat to collect Emma, who was enviably sleeping soundly, without a care in the world. Edith checked her watch as Daisy went to the other car and let everyone out. For once Percy was quiet, as if he could sense how very important this moment was.
After the children had all been assembled, their meager belongings and beaten up suitcases piled neatly on the ground, they bid a tearful farewell to Daisy.
"Miss Edith, I wish I could stay," the small woman sniffled into Edith's shoulder as they embraced.
"Nonsense, you have a husband to take care of and your own little one on the way." They parted and Edith tried to wipe the tears from her eyes, so that the children wouldn't see. "William needs you by his side as he gets better, he needs you much more than we. But I will miss you very much."
Once Daisy was gone in a flurry of hugs, tears, and promises to write, Edith paused for a moment and took stock of her situation. Five sad little faces greeted her and she wondered if this blasted war would ever be over and prayed it would be soon, before these children had to suffer anymore than they already had.
A crunching of gravel alerted her to the presence of someone coming up behind her. Turning around, it was like the breath was knocked out of her. A very tall, very handsome man was making his way to them, a kind and welcoming smile on his face.
"Hello, you must be Miss Crawley. I'm Anthony Strallan. I've been expecting you, welcome to Locksley."
Was it her imagination that conjured up the spark she felt when they shook hands? Surely the gooseflesh that arose on her skin was just from the chill morning air and not his voice.
"Y-Yes. It's so good to finally meet you. I can't thank you enough for opening your home."
"I was glad to do something." He smiled and Edith felt her heart pound and her stomach do somersaults.
She was in trouble.
ooo
Surprisingly, the children quickly adapted to life at Locksley. There was plenty of room to play and explore and Anthony, as he insisted to be called, had made sure each child had their own room with plenty of toys.
Charles and Peter, along with Percy, could usually be found getting into mischief in the sprawling gardens of the estate. April, Peter's twin sister, had taken a liking to the horse stables. She was particularly enamored with a white pony named Claire, who suddenly appeared two weeks into their stay. Freddie, the quietest of them all, spent most of his time either in the library or in the nursery with Emma, reading Winnie the Pooh to her. Julia, who was only five, had taken to Anthony and often followed him around like a shadow, peppering him with questions. He was exceedingly patient, this man that had opened his world to them.
The children weren't the only ones to fall into a rhythm. Edith found herself spending her mornings with Anthony in his library, discussing a variety of topics that both interested them. He was an excellent listener, and his sense of humour utterly enchanted her.
She'd never before felt such camaraderie with anyone. Sometimes, after luncheon, he'd take her around the estate, showing her his favourite spots to read. He'd even begun to teach her to drive!
She was head over heels in love. Problem was she wasn't sure how he felt.
ooo
Truth was, Anthony Strallan was just as besotted.
He was a lonely man, his wife having died in childbirth some eight years before. Their son had not been long for this world and had joined his mother in death. Anthony's friends, at first, had pushed him to get out, to rejoin the world. But his grief and natural awkwardness had not made him a popular dinner invite. At fifty-one, Anthony had resigned himself to being alone.
That is, until he saw her.
Edith Crawley was the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on. But it wasn't just her kind brown eyes, or her melodic laugh, or her coppers curls that enticed his fingers that had enraptured him. It was her very soul. He felt a kinship with her, one he'd never felt before, one that let her into his heart.
He doubted that she'd ever look his way.
But he was wrong, and it wouldn't be long before everything changed.