"Is this an instrument of communication or torture?"

Edith remembered her Granny saying that, a long time ago. Granny had been shouting into the very same telephone as Edith was now about to call Bertie on. The telephone was from before the war, but Papa had never liked to exchange things that were still functioning.

When was that? It must have been during the war...

Oh yes, Edith remembered it now. It was when Matthew had returned wounded, and William, who had saved Matthew's life, had ended up in a hospital in Leeds, far from his family and friends. And Edith had offered to nurse him. But the doctors hadn't wanted to let him out of that hospital.

Granny was trying to call Uncle Schrimpie at the time, to get him to help them get William released from the hospital, so they could bring him home to Downton. It was probably the first time ever that Granny was using the phone, although they had had it for several years by then. Granny was afraid of new things - she had even been afraid of electricity.

Edith smiled at the memory, just like she had smiled at the time. She had always found her Granny a bit amusing, even when she herself was just a little girl. Edith had never been afraid of Granny, like Papa and Mama and perhaps even Mary had been. Edith had always been able to see that glimpse of humour behind her Grannie's imposing ways.

Perhaps Edith was like Granny, just from another generation. Edith had never thought that before, but perhaps that was what had given her the toughness to get her through life. That thought made it even harder to take in the fact that Granny soon would be gone...

Edith had needed that toughness...Being considered the ugly sister, being jilted, being left pregnant, almost having to give up her child, having to fight to get Marigold back, even in the end being left by Bertie. Because she had been scared to get his contempt for being a fallen woman, damaged goods and all the other ugly things that a woman in her situation was called...

...

The war - the war had been horrible. Well, of course it had, so many young men had been wounded and killed. Edith hoped that there would never be a war again.

But still - the war had made Edith a better person. It had made her feel useful. She had learnt that there were other things in life than changing clothes and chasing after a husband...

She had hardly thought about Sir Anthony during the war, although she had known he was out there, and of course hoped he would come back safely. She hadn't even thought about getting even with Mary for chasing him away. She hadn't cared much about Mary during the war...

She had had more important things to do than that, and nursing William during his last days had only been one of them.

And when the war was over - she should have felt happy - but she had only felt lost...

...

And Bertie - he had been out in the war too. He had been out there during the whole war, and he had stayed safe all that time, seeing more men than he could even count die around him. He had told her that he sometimes felt guilty about being spared when so many others were hurt or killed.

Edith really should have prayed for Bertie's safety during the war, she knew that now, but she didn't even know him then. And now she could feel Bertie's second child kicking in her belly, while the first one was sleeping soundly in Downton's nursery. Things were rather awsome...

Edith hesitaded with the receiver in her hand. She wanted to call Bertie and tell him how much she loved him, the way she did every evening when she was away from him.

But this time was different. She had to ask him to come. Granny had wanted to talk to him, and Edith had no idea why.


AN: Thank you for reading! Thank you for the nice reviews! And thank you for still being with me.