Chapter 13

Once they arrived at the station Edith had begun to grow frustrated. She couldn't believe that she had agreed to go with Isobel back to Downton. Had she gone insane? She was pretty sure that she had gone at least temporarily insane. She followed Isobel off of the train and towards the village. She was afraid that people would recognize her and tell her parents the she was back. But was she back? Edith wasn't sure how long she would stay. If she stayed at all. But she figured it would be nice to be closer to her daughters.

Isobel walked beside her as they went to her home. She couldn't help but watch the younger woman as she walked with her shoulders slouched beside her. She seemed rigid as she walked alongside her rather slowly. Isobel had never seen Edith walk anyway less than dignified. It was as if she was with another person altogether. When they reached her house Isobel led her inside and sat with her in the dining room. She knew the young woman was hungry so she simply ordered some lunch.

"So how have you really been Edith?" Isobel asked deciding that being direct with her would be the best possible route.

Edith fiddled with her hands in her lap as she sighed. "It's been difficult." She said blandly.

Isobel nodded and frowned. "Where do you live now?" she asked pretty sure the woman had no home.

Edith sighed. "I don't have a home or a place to stay. Michael couldn't pay the bills after he was fired. I simply live wherever I can find a place to lie down." She answered honestly. As she spoke their lunches were brought out and Edith quickly ate what was placed on her plate not bothering to take her time to even taste it.

Isobel watched with worry as Edith ate. She had seen people in some bad situations before but for someone raised in the upper class to eat as if the food would disappear before her eyes was something she was not used to. She knew she needed to help the younger woman.

After she ate Edith grabbed the glass of wine and drank it greedily before turning to Isobel. "Do you have more you could spare?" she asked.

Isobel nodded and had more wine poured for her. She wasn't sure if giving the woman more wine was a good thing or not but she figured it would be a good way to keep the woman over longer. For the longer she stayed the more Isobel could help her. "Now Edith why don't we start from the beginning. What happened that day that kept you from your family?" she asked.

Edith sighed as she took a sip of the wine. "Michael wanted me to live with him. We were going to be happy. A perfect little family. I couldn't go back home to the abbey. I knew how they would view me. Poor delusion Edith. The whore that couldn't say no. I didn't want to hear all of that." She said honestly as she took some more wine. She was tempted to simply take the entire bottle but so far the questioning wasn't all that difficult. And maybe it wouldn't hurt to tell someone the whole story.

Isobel nodded and smiled sadly. "I assume it hadn't worked out the way you had hoped." She said. She could tell simply by the way the woman was dressed that her dreams hadn't come to pass. But what could've happened to have her become destitute?

Edith chuckled darkly. "No. At first everything was fine. He hid me away in his flat and we were happy. Then Marigold was born and we were happy. But then things changed. He changed. And not for the best." she said.

Isobel frowned. She didn't like the sound of that. He changed? But how and why? She couldn't think of anything that would change such a situation. Although the fact that he hid her away bothered Isobel. Was he ashamed of what they had done? Did he not want others to know the truth? Had Edith done something to let others know and Michael became enraged? She surely hoped not. "What changed him?" she asked.

Edith sighed and took another sip of wine. "I went to see him at the office. Others saw Marigold and fit the pieces together. He wasn't happy that people knew. He was angry with me. He blamed me for his own downfall." she said.

Isobel frowned before remembering that several years ago The Sketch had been bought out by Sir Richard Carlisle. From what she had heard the editor of The Sketch had been replaced by a new editor and that man had brought the paper so far into debt that Carlisle bought it for little to nothing. That couldn't have made Michael very glad. It would make any man's blood run red with anger. But the question remained. Did he take his anger out on Edith and her baby daughter? "When The Sketch got a new editor?" she asked.

Edith nodded. "The others at the paper didn't feel comfortable with having someone that was morally ambiguous working for the paper. They then replaced him after he began to drink. He was a liability they had said. No one would read a paper edited and written by lovers. It was too bohemian for them." she said with a snort. She knew what they had done was wrong but it wasn't like they had been the only two people not morally right.

Isobel nodded in understanding. She understood what the others at the paper had been thinking. It wouldn't have been good for the paper if word had gotten out. But to cast a man out of a job just seemed harsh especially when a child and woman were involved. "Did he get a job after that?" she asked.

Edith sighed. "He got a few odd jobs here and there. But nothing permanent and nothing substantial. I'm still unsure as to how he was able to pay rent all those years. Even with the money we saved from not buying much in the way of necessities there wasn't enough to cover his drinking and the rent. Then when Lillian was born we had nearly nothing left. She was only a babe when he died." she said. When Lillian had been born they had been so far into debt that she was surprised when looking back that the girls hadn't been taken then and there. Maybe it would have been better had they been taken away then. Then Michael wouldn't have been able to hurt them more. But naturally luck had never been hers.

Isobel sighed. She couldn't imagine that that would've been much help to the man's temper. The fact that Edith never tried to contact her family for help bothered her. Why hadn't she sent word? Didn't she know that they would've done anything to help? The whole family would've stopped what they were doing and gone straight to her with several constables if they knew the whole situation. Although she did need to know if he had abused her. "Edith dear did he ever hurt you? Physically I mean? You and the girls?" she asked with a slight fear in her heart. She was fond of the woman as had Matthew been and the idea of anyone harming her bothered her greatly.

Edith finished off her wine before nodding her head. "All three of us Isobel." She said quietly trying to keep her emotions in check.

Isobel put a hand over hers. "It's over now Edith. You said he died. Well a dead man can't hurt you anymore." She said sadly. She couldn't believe anyone could actually beat a woman and children.

Edith snorted and shook her head. "That's just the thing Isobel. He can. When I think or sleep he very well can and does. And my girls. My god my girls! Others have hurt them and there wasn't a thing I could do about It." she said as her eyes watered at the memory of all of those marks. Her precious babies had been abused and starved and no matter how many times she told the authorities about it nothing was done. Mr. Brown did his best but it was never good enough. They always ended up hurt. And she was often laughed at for thinking she had any say in her daughters' lives. She was simply an awful mother who wasn't allowed with her daughters very much.

Isobel gasped at that. Edith's children were abused while not with their mother? But what could've happened to have the girls out of her care? Was it having no place to live? Was it the fact that their mother was destitute? "Edith why aren't your girls with you?" she asked cautiously.

Edith sighed. "I was drunk. I left them in an alley with promises of food. I got drunk and they took them." She said before finally taking the bottle and simply draining it much to Isobel's concern.

Isobel sighed. How could she help Edith? How could she help her get to a place where she could be with her daughters? She wasn't sure but she would try. She would do whatever it took to help the small family. But first. "Do your parents know?" she asked.

Edith nodded. "They live with them now." she said as she started looking for more to drink.

(I hope you like this chapter. Writing Isobel and Edith was harder than I had expected. Please tell me what you think of it! Read and Review! Thanks! Oh and like always I own nothing its all Julienne Fellows!)