.
Hours later, when her cell door opened, Edith started to run to embrace the man walking through it, but stopped short when she realised it wasn't Anthony.
"Good evening Lady Edith, my name is Inspector Chaunter."
"Oh, Inspector" Edith breathed, offering her hand and trying to cover her embarrassment "um…pleased to meet you. Sir Anthony has told me lots about you."
"All bad, I hope?" he smiled, sadly, wistfully.
"He's very complimentary."
"That's kind of him. Er, look, um…I have your release papers. If you would like to gather up your belongings, I will make sure all the paperwork is done, and then you are free to leave. All charges against you have been dropped, thanks to Sir Anthony."
"He did it. He really did it." She closed her eyes in gratitude and joy. Then she opened them again sparkling with anticipation. "Is he here too…?" she said peering past him. Chaunter knew in that moment that she really did love Anthony.
"May I sit down, Lady Edith?"
When he had sat and she had joined him he began to speak, looking for the right words.
"Sir Anthony knew, I am sure, that the operation to catch Miss Price was more dangerous than he let on to me. I wish he had told me, and I could perhaps have done more to prepare. But…"
"No…please, no…" Edith murmured, fearing the worst.
"He's alive" Chaunter rushed to assure her "but he is quite badly wounded. Miss Price stabbed him. He lost a lot of blood before we got him to hospital. The doctors are operating on him now."
He watched how Lady Edith was taking this news, then added "After we've got the paperwork done, I'll take you straight there."
"Thank you Inspector."
.
On the journey over to the hospital, Chaunter told Edith how they had finally caught Miss Price.
"Your Sir Anthony really is quite a remarkable man, Lady Edith. Without his intelligence, hard work, and his unswerving belief in you, I'm ashamed to admit we would have tried the wrong person for Mr Gregson's murder."
"He is a remarkable man, Inspector. And I'm glad he found you to help him and support him; it seems as though you both appreciated each other. I wish my family could have understood what you have seen at first hand." She saw the question in his eyes and continued. "It was my family's disapproval of him, of his war wound and his age, that caused him to walk out of our wedding."
"Did he? Colonel Gervas didn't tell me that. Anthony jilted you?" Chaunter asked incredulously.
"Yes. We were actually in the church, the ceremony had begun and he stopped it and walked out. Because he thought he wasn't good enough for me."
"Lady Edith, I've seen how much Anthony loves you. Walking out like that must have cost him an enormous amount of courage. After Miss Price attacked him, before he passed out, he said something to me. He said 'Tell Lady Edith…' but he didn't get to finish it. I think we can both guess what he wanted to say."
Edith nodded. Then she remembered something.
"Oh, my parents…Inspector, would it be possible to get a message to them to let them know…?"
"Already done, my lady. I had Dicky…sorry, Sergeant Dickinson, the policeman who arrested you, call Sir John Prowse when he got back to the station, and Sir John contacted them. I believe the Earl and Countess are on their way to the hospital too."
"And Sir Anthony's next of kin is his sister, I believe…"
"All informed, my lady. Please don't worry yourself."
"I'm sorry, Inspector. I can't help worrying."
.
Chaunter accompanied Edith to the ward. Anthony was out of surgery, but still unconscious from the anaesthetic. He'd been placed in a small side ward by himself. Edith walked up to the side of his bed and looked down at him, tears beginning to gather in her eyes. His face was relaxed, and she stroked his fair hair.
"I've spoken to the nurses. They say that he's doing well, thank heavens. You're welcome to stay with him. They'll bring you a cup of tea."
Without moving her gaze from Anthony's face, Edith said "Thank you Inspector". Chaunter drew a chair nearer to the bed, and gently eased Edith down into it.
"When he was working in our office…Lord, only a few days ago; it seems much longer…I asked Anthony to make Dicky and me some tea and he confessed that he didn't know how. So Dicky being Dicky went and gave him a lesson. Can you imagine it?" Edith smiled at the thought.
Chaunter continued "That's what I like about Anthony. He respects everyone. He's a proper gentleman."
"Yes, Inspector. Yes he is."
Chaunter squeezed her shoulder comfortingly and mumbled something about 'if he could do anything for her'. He pressed his card with his contact details into her hand and left, promising to visit Anthony the next day.
.
"Anthony…my darling…my dearest darling. I wonder if you can hear me. If you can, I want you to know that I'm here. You said that you wouldn't rest until you had proved I was innocent, and that's exactly what you've done, my sweetheart. You got me out of that mess, and out of Holloway. I don't even have to stand trial. And I'm so very grateful. But freedom won't be worth a farthing unless you are there to share it with me, Anthony. If you still want me to be your wife, Anthony, I so want to marry you. Oh Anthony…Anthony."
She took his good hand and kissed it, and pressed it to her cheek, and prayed with all her might that Sir Anthony Strallan would come back to her.
.
Robert and Cora Crawley stepped quietly into the private side ward. Their daughter was so focussed on the unconscious form of Sir Anthony Strallan, holding his hand lovingly, that she didn't even know they were there until Cora spoke.
"My darling." Edith looked up.
"Oh Mama! Papa!" She got up and hugged them both together. "He risked his life for me, to clear my name!"
"We know, my darling" purred Cora, maternally.
With a certain bemusement, Robert added "Someone called Chaunter just stopped us on the way in. He insisted that we needed to know what Anthony did, and the danger he put himself in. We all owe him a great debt."
"And he loves you a great deal more than any of us could have guessed" Cora added in the part of Chaunter's speech that Robert had left out.
"More than I could have guessed, even" whispered Edith. "It wasn't the case that he didn't deserve me; I'm not good enough for him." The tears would not be held back any longer, and she wept. The consolation of her parents was welcome, so very welcome, but the person she most yearned for was unconscious beside her.
.
About one o'clock in the morning, Robert tried to persuade Edith to return back to The Savoy with them.
"I can't leave him, Papa."
"Edith, he's sleeping now, the doctors are happy with his progress, you can't help him further tonight. You'll be more use to him tomorrow if you've had some sleep too."
"I mean it, Papa. He promised me that he would never leave me if I was condemned. Now it's my turn. I can't leave him to fight for his life alone."
She was so adamant, although her voice wavered between strength and emotion, that Robert and Cora agreed that the place Edith most needed to be, was by Anthony's side. They too said they would return after breakfast and left.
.
About four o'clock, Anthony, still weary and woozy, began to stir. He couldn't quite make out where he was. For the life of him, it looked like the military hospital he'd been sent to after he'd been shot. He tried to turn in his bed and a dreadful pain pinned his right shoulder to the bed. He gave a yelp. Dear God, this isn't real. I can't be back here!
Instantly, Edith was awakened from her doze and talking to him, holding his good hand.
"Anthony…Anthony, you're alright. I'm here. It's me, Edith."
"Edith!" I must be hallucinating either this hospital or Edith. They can't both be true.
"Oh Anthony, my darling, my love. I owe you my life. You did it! Just as you said you would. I'm free."
Then everything came rushing back all at once; Gregson's flat, Miss Price, the dagger.
"Did Chaunter…?"
"Yes, Inspector Chaunter caught Miss Price. She's been arrested. The Inspector was so impressed; I'm very proud of you."
"Edith…sweetheart…my angel…" Reassured, he fell back into a natural sleep.
Edith held his hand for a little longer, smiling contentedly, before she pressed her lips gently to his forehead and allowed herself to get more comfortable in her chair. Before long, she too was sleeping.
.
A/N: You knew I wouldn't have the heart for another tragedy!
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