As it turned out, Anthony had been right to worry about Mary's interest in the reporter, Gregson. His concerns were justified by a phone call three days later from Chris Tanner. "Michael observed our man meeting with a young woman last night. They had a long conversation with him taking notes. Michael thought she looked aristocratic."
"Could Michael describe her?" Anthony wanted to know.
"Dark hair, dark eyes, very modern, and haughty in her demeanor. He said she'd be beautiful if she could get rid of the smugness. You have any idea who she might be?"
Anthony sighed. "Yes, I'm afraid I do. I'll look into it from my end. Thank you Chris; your help, and Michael's, is invaluable to me."
"One other thing," Chris said over the phone. "I followed up on Dennison. Were you aware that his mother is half Syrian? Her mother was from Damascus and she spent her childhood there. Apparently Dennison was quite close with that branch of the family. I've also been able to confirm that you did wound him in that exchange in the alley and he's gone to ground since. No one has seen him since the day after you left."
"I'm not certain if that comforts me or alarms me further. I don't think he would be foolish enough to come here but I've discovered I know very little about him; certainly not the man I thought he was."
"Just be careful, Anthony. I'll phone again when I have more to report."
Anthony set his phone down distractedly as he contemplated how best to proceed about Mary. Finally he decided to talk to Robert, find out if Mary was even in London. Edith had mentioned wanting to visit her mother again, so he suggested they go over for tea that afternoon without telling her his purpose.
The two couples had their tea in the library, as was customary when they were at Downton. Cora and Edith had their heads together, deep in discussion as Edith explained her plans for Locksley. Anthony used the opportunity to draw Robert away from the ladies and ask after Mary.
"Oh, she was bored with us here," Robert said off handedly. "She couldn't wait to get back to London, especially since Matthew had some appointments there this week." Robert paused and looked at Anthony quizzically. "Why do you ask?"
"It's only that I've had a report of a woman fitting her description meeting with Gregson. I hope that is not the case, it could be very dangerous for her and for Edith."
"And for you too, I presume?" Robert was looking at him intently now, watching for his reactions.
"Yes, but I worry less about me. Robert, I can't tell you how sorry I am that Edith has become a part of this mess but I will do whatever is necessary to protect her." He said it with such emphasis that Robert blanched.
"Surely, you both are safe; physically, I mean. Gregson may try to stir up trouble but whatever he prints will just be rumors… gossip really."
"Edith will still be hurt by it. But we have reason to suspect that he is somehow in touch with the agent who betrayed us. That could be very dangerous, physically."
"I'll talk with Mary again, emphasize the serious nature of this matter. I assure you Anthony, as callous as Mary can be at times she does not truly want to see her sister harmed."
"You might also emphasize that it could be dangerous for her as well."
"Right…" Robert mumbled softly as his mind seemed to trail away. "I'll enlist Matthew's help…"
Satisfied that he had done all he could about Mary for the moment, Anthony and Edith left a short while later. Edith chattered in the car as they returned to Locksley, excited by her mother's interest in her projects at Locksley. Anthony was comforted by the reprieve from worry that she was experiencing.
The following day Edith received a phone call from her sister. Anthony overheard Edith's end of the conversation and was furious. Edith was in tears. As soon as the call ended, she flung the phone down and ran upstairs. Flustered, Anthony didn't know if he should follow or not but as he thought of her alone and in tears, he hurried find her. After checking their room, he walked down the hall, checking the other rooms. Finally standing in the doorway of the nursery, he saw her.
Edith had collapsed in tears in the middle of the room. He hurried to her and knelt to wrap his arm around her and hold her to his chest. "Oh my darling…"
She sobbed heavily for several minutes until Anthony was caught somewhere between blood boiling rage and crying tears as well. Finally Edith's sobbing began to subside. "M…Mary phoned," she told him between sobs. "Sshe met with that man, Gregson, in London. Aand he told her what he planned to write aaand she said he asked her for more details."
Anthony clenched his jaw in an attempt to rein in his temper. "And how did she respond?" He hoped his anger wasn't reflected in his tone of voice.
She shuddered in his grasp. "Sshe said she told hhim tthat she couldn't…that the whole thing is a mystery to the family, that the family didn't understand why I had mmaried you and were appalled about the bbaby. Oh Anthony, I thought they were… well, at least happy about the baby. I knew our marriage was something of a shock but I thought…"
"Shhhh, my darling. Your sister did what she does best; she mixed in where she has no business and made things worse. But I believe the rest of your family is happy for you, if still a little confused by me being your choice. Don't let Mary ruin your happiness, my sweet. I was afraid she would make trouble and she's lived up to my worst expectations. But that needn't upset you."
"You're much more accepting than I am," Edith whispered. "I… I could… well, it's good that she is still in London because right now…"
"Yes, my sweet. I wouldn't blame you if you did." She held on to him tightly seeming to find comfort in him, which hardened his resolve to protect her even more. After a few minutes, Anthony suggested they return to the library. "You can show me the progress you've made with your plans for this shabby old estate and by extension, your shabby old husband."
Edith looked up at him with shining eyes. "Oh you… you are not the least bit shabby, although I have ordered some new clothes for you. Your attire from London is far too starched for our life here. I think slacks and cardigans or waistcoats, tweeds… oh and new willies. Your old ones are disgraceful. "
Anthony couldn't help the grin that creased his face. If playing dress up with him brightened her spirits, he'd happily play along. "I suppose I should enjoy this attention while I have it. Soon your focus will be solely on our little one," he teased as he patted her tummy.
Returning his grin she replied coyly. "Well, perhaps not all of my attention…"
And that's how Anthony's plan to cheer her with his interest in the household projects morphed into a good hour of snogging on the library divan. Much to the chagrin of both, Anthony received a phone call which interrupted them and Edith excused herself to confer with Mrs. Brookshire over meal planning.
The call was from Chris Tanner. "Michael followed Gregson to the train this morning. He is one his way north. But while he was watching Gregson, he thought he spotted Dennison. If it is him, he's travelling under another name, Russell Clark. "
"Did he board the same train?"
"No, but he did board one to Manchester. Wouldn't take much to connect from there to York."
"Did Michael say if Gregson had met with the mysterious young woman again?"
"Michael didn't report such a meeting and I'm certain he would."
"Right, as am I. Thank you, Chris."
"Anthony wait… there's one other thing."
"Oh?"
"Gregson went to the offices of Sir Richard Carlisle. Michael has no idea what it was about."
"The newspaper mogul?"
"That one, yes."
"Alright then," Anthony answered with a reply. "Well, can't do much about that. I will be on the watch for Gregson and Dennison, or erm, Russell Clark."
"Phone me if you need me," Tanner said and then the call ended.
Anthony put his phone down and began to make plans for both men. Neither would be allowed near Edith; he simply wouldn't tolerate it.
Later that evening Anthony received another phone call, this time from Robert. "I've spoken with Mary and given her a good tongue lashing," he told Anthony immediately. "She won't say another word, I can promise you that. In the meantime, I've had my security chap look into this and he is on his way to you. I hope you don't mind putting him up at Locksley while this is brewing? He and his wife, Anna are experts in this sort of thing and will be quite useful in situations like this."
"I've got a friend working on things in London," Anthony replied. "He's keeping me up to date on the movements of Gregson and his contacts. But having someone here might prove useful if the scoundrel shows up again. Also, I've had a report that Gregson has met with Richard Carlisle."
"Oh that does it then; Mary shall be under lock and key until this is sorted. That man is a menace."
"And Robert, your man Bates should know that Dennison has shown up in our investigation. If you'll recall he's the agent who betrayed us in ..."
"Yes, that's disturbing. I'll let Bates know."
Anthony felt some relief after the conversation with Robert. At least there would be someone else about to look after Edith's safety. He didn't quite trust his own abilities with his right arm in a sling."
"Anthony?" Edith called from the doorway to the library.
"Yes, my sweet?"
"Oh there you are," she smiled as she walked into the room. "Perfect. I thought we might continue what was interrupted by your earlier call," she said mischievously.
"Continue?" he asked, somewhat baffled.
She sat on the sofa and patted the space beside her. "Yes, I was here and you were... here," she patted again. "And if I recall..."
"Oh, I see what you mean," he replied as he settled next to her in one long stride. "If memory serves, I believe I was about to..." and he demonstrated as he nuzzled behind her ear and then kissed his way along her neck. It wasn't long until their conversation moved upstairs.
Thank you all for your continued support and the vote of confidence after the last chapter! I am going to continue this story but there are other ideas crashing around in my head that want out too, so please excuse me if I wander off to write something else from time to time. There's a holiday themed one filling my brain right now that demands attention, for instance. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this update. You all always find more than I thought I wrote into these chapters, lol.