When Edith woke up that night her bed was empty. Bertie wasn't there any longer.
...
At first it didn't worry her. She had asked Bertie to stay the night after they made love the evening before, so she was certain he had only gone up to answer a call of nature.
She waited for him to come back, thinking about how wonderful it had all been. How their evening and night had developed. How strong her love for him was, how much stronger it was than the love she had felt for any other man in her life. How happy she was that he loved her.
That kept her occupied for a while.
But Bertie didn't come back. As one minute after the other passed by Edith started to worry.
The door to the hallway was closed and she didn't hear a single sound from the apartment outside it. No flushing of the toilet, no tapping of water. No barefoot footsteps.
Nothing.
...
As she lied there in bed in the total silence her mind started to play tricks with her. It made up fearsome and appalling explanations: Bertie had left her. She had given him what he wanted and he was disappointed in her. He was tired of her and now he had left her.
Or was she only too tired to think straight?
She lay there for a couple of minutes more, and nothing happened. The night was absolutely quiet. Bertie still didn't return.
Edith was getting more and more scared and confused. Bertie had indeed left her!
She had been abandoned before, perhaps that was the reason it scared her so much. And the reason that her brain had started spinning this way. She knew what it was like. Anthony had left her at the altar, and Michael had disappeared in Germany after which she had gradually understood that she was pregnant.
She suddenly realised that she could very well be pregnant again. And then what, if Bertie didn't want her any longer?
But then she shrugged it all off. Even if she was pregnant she refused to be unhappy about it. Never, ever again. Having Marigold was a good thing, although she hadn't realised it at first.
And Bertie hadn't abandoned her. She was absolutely sure that he would never do that. He was going to marry her in two weeks time and he would be delighted if she got pregnant, now or after the wedding. She had no reason whatsoever to doubt that he loved her.
Besides, even if Bertie didn't marry her, it would all be so much easier a second time. She would be able to tell her parents - she knew now that they would accept and love the new child, like they accepted and loved Marigold.
Because she knew for certain now that they accepted and loved Edith herself. They were going to support her no matter what happened to her. Sometimes she had felt her whole life had been a struggle to get her parents love and affection, but that was over now.
...
Then some even more disturbing thoughts started to plague Edith.
She started to worry about Bertie. Perhaps he was taken ill or had tripped on something and hurt himself. Perhaps he was lying helpless and unconcious somewhere in the flat. She had to go and see why he didn't come back.
Edith trembled when she got out of bed. She was naked but she wasn't trembling with cold, she was trembling with fear. With uncertain steps she walked to the door, opened it and got out into the hallway, afraid of what she might find.
Then she saw him. She could see him through the open door to the kitchen. He was sitting there at the kitchen table with a cup of tea in front of him, looking very still and very thoughtful.
A wave of relief and happiness filled her when she saw him. She adored him. There was no limit to how much she loved and needed him.
...
"Oh, Bertie! I was afraid you had left", Edith said with a sigh as she stepped into the kitchen. She had a smile on her face and didn't give a second thought about how naked she was.
Bertie looked up from his tea-cup. For some reason he looked extremely embarrassed. What was the matter with him?
Then, suddenly, Edith realised that somebody else was there with him. An old man with grey hair and a haggard face was sitting at the other side of the table staring at her.
"Oh! I didn't realise you had a visitor", Edith said, turning around and returning to the bedroom, suddenly very shy about her nakedness.
What was this? she wondered as she started to put her clothes on. Why was Bertie drinking tea with an unknown old man in the kitchen? It couldn't be his father, because she knew Bertie's father was dead. And Bertie didn't have any other living male relatives either, not as far as she knew.
Who else could come like that for a visit in the middle of the night?
...
The real identity of the man in the kitchen didn't even cross her mind.
AN: Thank you for reading! Thank you for all the nice reviews!
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To you who asked if Edith gets to hit Gregson with the poker I can only say: Please don't tempt me! And thank you so much for making me laugh!