Epilogue

"…to love and to cherish…"

"Good afternoon, Lady Strallan."

"Good afternoon, Rose. And please, won't you call me Edith?"

Truth be told, she did still smile rather stupidly whenever she heard her new name. Though it was not quite so new anymore. She had been thoroughly enjoying wearing it in over the past few months.

"Is Sir Anthony still with Mr Howard?" she enquired.

At the secretary's nod, Edith asked if she might wait for him. She gazed rather fondly at her old desk for a moment (much to the bemusement of its new occupant), and then strolled across the office to look out of the window.

Edith stood, with a hand resting unconsciously on her stomach, and watched the world go by, waiting for Anthony to finish his meeting with his solicitor.

There was nothing about the meeting to alarm her today, merely matters of routine business to be attended to. She had not returned to work at Abrams and Howard following her marriage. But she had continued all of her political activities, along with her writing, all with the full and frank support of her husband.

Her husband. The thought brought a fresh smile to Edith's face. She would never, ever tire of those two words. She was as happy as any woman had a right to be, and she intended to make it her life's work to see that Anthony was equally as happy.

She was not doing too badly, even if she did say so herself.

His arm and his age still bothered him, of course. They probably always would. He had not dared mention either for some weeks however, not since, driven to despair one day by his futile complaints, Edith had pointed out that none of them knew the future. She could quite easily fall down the stairs and break her neck tomorrow! Anthony had turned pale at that remark, but he had not brought up the subject of his arm or age again.

In fact, since the very beginning of their marriage, he had more often found time to tell her how she brightened his world. Brought a sense of freshness to his life, which he had thought forever lost. Edith was enchanted. To a woman who had always been overlooked, it was as wonderfully terrifying as it was novel to be the centre of someone else's world.

Of course, there were a few shadows cast over their happiness.

The nightmares still came.

But Anthony promised Edith that they were not nearly so frequent as they had been, and she prided herself on the fact that he slept more easily when she was tucked against his side.

A private smile lit her face. How she loved those intimate moments when they were alone. When she lost herself in him. In being everything that a woman could be to a man. As he was everything to her. Lover, husband, friend. She felt complete. Like she had found her soul mate. A piece of herself that had been missing until the moment he made her whole.

It had been a long, painful road to happiness, but that made the destination all the sweeter. She appreciated everything that she had now so much more than if love had simply landed in her lap. She didn't mean to take a single moment for granted.

"Edith?"

She turned at the sound of her name. Anthony looked surprised, but undoubtedly pleased, to find her waiting for him.

Edith spoke a kind word of greeting to Mr Howard, who had also appeared, but only truly had eyes for her husband. Marriage suited Anthony. He looked younger and stronger than he had done in years. Even his sister had commented on the improvement that his wife had wrought.

Still smiling, Edith murmured some nonsensical excuse about having been passing by, and having popped in on the off chance of catching her husband. But her eyes said quite clearly that she had come for the express purpose of meeting him.

Mr Howard pressed Sir Anthony and Lady Strallan into accepting an invitation to dine before the couple were able to escape. He would insist on taking his share of the credit for their current state of matrimonial bliss.

And so it was a few minutes later that Edith and Anthony emerged from the solicitor's offices onto the street. Anthony continued to regard his wife with a mixture of puzzlement and pleasure. Edith returned his gaze with such a glow of contentment that he felt compelled to comment upon it.

"I'm not sure what I've done to deserve that look, but I'm very grateful nonetheless."

"You don't have to do anything."

Edith took her husband's arm and savoured this moment of closeness before speaking again.

"You will never guess who telephoned this morning," she said casually. Anthony did not even attempt to guess, but he looked down at her enquiringly, keeping his stride matched with hers as they walked. "Mary." Edith did try not to smile at the way her husband's features automatically stiffened. She continued blithely, "We've been invited to Downton for Christmas."

Anthony returned her smile, nodded, and then said pleasantly, "That sounds awful."

Edith could no longer contain a laugh.

"I thought you would be pleased!"

"An invitation to spend our first Christmas with your family, why would I not be pleased?"

"We do not have to stay at Downton," Edith giggled, pressing his arm. "I seem to recall you have a rather lovely house in the neighbourhood."

"We have a house in the neighbourhood," Anthony corrected her gently.

"Where we can escape when they become too terrible."

They had not actually gone back to 'their house' since their elopement, although any lingering intention that Anthony might have clung to in regards to selling the property had been swiftly curtailed by his new wife.

And now, Edith was growing increasingly desperate to go home. She and Anthony had stayed in Scotland and London, and briefly travelled the cities of Europe, but now she was keen to return to Yorkshire and establish herself in the family seat of the Strallans.

"You have accepted the invitation, I suppose?"

"I told Mary I would have to ask you first," Edith said demurely. "But I do think it is a splendid idea. I know you miss Yorkshire, Anthony. I saw you positively pining over your farming journals last week. Don't you see, this will make it so much easier for us to go back."

"You will miss London."

"There is nothing that keeps me in London that I will not be taking back to Yorkshire."

"Your writing-"

"Anthony, I can write wherever I have ink and a typewriter!" Edith scolded him, before suddenly changing tact. "Besides, I had been thinking that it might be necessary to move somewhere more wholesome in a few months anyway."

He looked bemused, "Whatever do you mean?"

"Just that- that is- I've always thought it would be nicer to raise a family in the country."

"Edith?"

Anthony pulled her to a stop in the middle of the pavement. He stared down into her face as though he was trying to read her thoughts.

"I was going to tell you over dinner," she smiled apologetically.

She had been going to announce it all so perfectly and properly, but Mary's telephone call had rather thrown her into a state of unbridled elation. More so than she had been in already. Edith hadn't realised that she could be any happier, but the prospect of her family's final acceptance of her marriage had been the figurative icing on the cake.

"Tell me now," Anthony begged. "You're not-"

"I am," she glowed. "I most certainly am. I saw the doctor this morning. He confirmed what I already suspected."

"And you are- you are both-" Anthony didn't seem quite able to formulate a whole sentence.

"We are both in perfect health," Edith laughed. She leant into her husband's touch as he tenderly cupped her cheek, blissfully unaware of the stares of the passers-by who were forced to manoeuvre around them.

"I was so worried that I would not-"

"I know," she said, reaching up to cover his hand with her own. "You worry an inordinate amount, darling." A tiny frown furrowed her brow. "And now I have given you someone else to worry over. You will try to enjoy this, won't you?"

"I may not have a choice." His eyes looked suspiciously bright, as though with unshed tears. "Edith, I told you once that you had given me back my life. I was wrong. You have given me so much more than that, my sweet one."

She gave her head the tiniest of shakes, "You're wrong. It is you who has given everything to me."

"I have the strongest need to kiss you," he sighed wistfully.

"In the middle of the street?"

"Do you suppose anyone will mind?"

"Does it matter?" Edith whispered, already standing on tiptoes.

"Not in the slightest."

- fin -


Well now, thank you for sticking with me until the end. I've had an absolute blast writing this story. It's been so much fun! A huge thank you to you all for reading, reviewing, following and fav'ing- it wouldn't have been half so much fun without you!