Cora was the first to recover from Edith's shocking revelations at the dinner table.

She already knew most of it after all, she knew and loved Alice, she knew that Edith was back with Anthony. She also understood that Edith was lying about Anthony being the father of Alice, but realised it was better this way. She herself was probably the only one present who knew for certain that he wasn't.

She found it best not to discuss this in front of the servants.

"Please go down to the kitchen and tell Carson that we will manage on our own for a while", she told Barrow, who was the only servant present since Carson had gone down to the kitchen with something or other. "No one has to be here for about half an hour, then you can bring the desert."

...

To Edith's surprise no one seemed as surprised that Alice was her child as they were of her marrying Sir Anthony.

Her Papa seemed to be the only one not to have guessed that Alice was her child.

"Oh!" he said. And then he gave it all a long, long thought.

"So that is why their little girl looks so much like you", he added then.

"So you are back with poor old Strallan again", Mary said with a laugh. "I thought it was the other old man, what's his name... Gregson... who was the father of Alice. You seemed so upset that he disappeared..."

"Michael is history", Edith said. "I loved him in another life. But he is the reason I got back to Anthony, I went to see him when Michael disappeared, since I know he has contacts in Germany. And then our old feelings for each other came back and... things happened... Anthony regretted what he had done, he felt so guilty about it, so I didn't dare to look him up again when I realised that I was expecting..."

Edith knew that the story was rather thin, but it had to do for now. She also understood that it was necessary for her to phone Aunt Rosamund and tell her not to give the truth away.

...

"We will come to church together on the wedding day, Anthony and I", Edith said then. "You are all welcome to come there, provided you don't interfere. And no need for you to give me away, Papa. I have given myself to him already, after all."

"More than once", Edith added as an afterthought, to account for the conception of Alice. It wasn't a lie either, two times is more than once after all.

"And I will just wear a normal gown. I'm not entiteled to wear white any longer..."

"Bravo!" Isobel said, clapping her hands.

"Well, I'm glad you have managed to get him between the shee...", Granny said, coughing at the last word. "That was my main objection to the marriage - I didn't think he would be up to it. Not with only one arm. Well, well, all is well that ends well, I guess. And everyone goes up the aisle with half the story hidden..."

...

When Thomas got down to the kitchen, he told the other servants what had happened.

"It's not as if it was a secret", he said. "Everyone already knows that Alice is lady Edith's daughter. The only strange thing is that Sir Anthony Strallan is the father."

Mrs Patmore didn't take much interest in that. She only worried that the souffle would be spoilt since they were not allowed to bring it up for another half hour.

...

Next day Locksley's vicar called up Sir Anthony Strallan on the phone.

"I have looked into how to proceed with little Alice's parentage, Sir", he said. "And I have found out how to go about to have her registered as your daughter. You and Lady Edith must both come here and sign a statement that the two of you have had intercourse at the time and that you are the only possible father and want to acknowledge the fatherhood. After that it will be officially registered and after your wedding the girl will inherit you like any other daughter you might get during your marriage. Your first boy will be different of course, with your title and the estate and so on."

...

So Sir Anthony had to make a call to Lady Edith. He was very reluctant to call Downton's official phone, but Edith didn't have a phone of her own.

When Carson answered the call, Anthony could feel the dislike in the butler's voice. But at least Carson did as he was told and fetched Edith.

"I'm afraid you have to come here again", Anthony started.

"Oh, you want some more!" Edith said eagerly.

"NO!" Anthony didn't want her to misunderstand his intentions.

There was a long silence, before Anthony realised what he had said.

"I mean, of course I want more. It was wonderful, you were wonderful. I can't stop thinking about you. I didn't mean No, I don't want any more, I only meant No, that is not the reason you need to come here."

"Oh", Edith said. "So what is it then?"

"We have to discuss the parentage of Alice with the reverend. There are papers to sign. You can come right now, if you want to, or else tomorrow."

"I can come directly, I'm not doing anything special. And I would cancel it all to be with you, anyway, my darling. After what has happened between us..."

Really? She was exaggerating of course, but it couldn't have been all that bad for her then, could it?

"See you soon, then, my sweet one", Anthony managed to press out, thinking a little more than he probably ought to about the feeling of Edith's nipple against his lips...

"And perhaps we will have time to do both", Edith added with a giggle, interrupting his thoughts. "See you soon, my love!"

...

Sir Brumble was certain that pigs were superior to humans.

He didn't reflect on the fact that he was more or less kept as a prisoner by Argyll. Sir Brumble enjoyed his life, he wouldn't try to escape even if he could. He loved his big and comfortable sty, he loved the abundant and flavorous food Argyll brought him.

And the mating-pen was simply the very best place in the world...

Sir Brumble regarded Argyll as his personal servant - that Argyll had a life of his own and that the smaller humans who sometimes passed through the sty area were in fact Argyll's human piglets was totally incomprehensible to him. Argyll was only meant for seeing to Sir Brumble's needs - Sir Brumble's needs and his wishes - Argyll wasn't meant to have any interests apart from that.

But Sir Anthony - Sir Brumble's master - that was something else. Sir Brumble felt almost down at the same level as Sir Anthony. Sir Anthony didn't seem to do anything much. He never brought Sir Brumble food or sows. He was just bumbling around the estate and probably mounting that female of his. Sir Brumble was certain that Sir Anthony was eating and sleeping also - so Sir Anthony had a dignified, fulfilling life of his own.

But, of course, Sir Brumble was certain that he was superior to Sir Anthony when it came to breeding and fertility. And, though I'm reluctant to say so, I think he was right.

In the three weeks that went by before the wedding of Lady Edith Crawley and Sir Anthony Strallan Sir Brumble mounted four sows in all. They were Velvet Bun, Fat Pearl, Scarlet Sweetie and Plump Rose. His two encounters with each of these four sows resulted in forty-five happy and sturdy piglets in all.

That was an accomplishment he could be rather proud of. Sir Brumble had the right to feel superior to men, especially if he had known what his human master had managed to do in that field during the same period of time.

These are the blunt facts:

Sir Anthony didn't have more than one female during that time, and found that quite demanding enough. He mounted Lady Edith six times during those weeks - not counting the two times Lady Edith mounted him.

All these coitions resulted in no offspring whatsoever, although Sir Anthony had stopped thinking about getting French letters to hinder it.

Because Edith had already got pregnant with little Jonathan Robert that very first time on the library sofa.


AN: Thank you for reading! Thank you for all the lovely comments!

I'm afraid we are getting near the end now. Just one last chapter, I think. Or maybe two.

...

I haven't checked in any way how a man could become the official father of a child born out of wedlock in England at the time, if it was at all possible. This is only a story, after all, and I want it to be like this. I have done enough research for it about other things.

...

And yes, I do enjoy writing this story. And since this is a very different Edith from the one who marries Bertie - she is the pushy and somewhat childish Edith of S3 rather than the more mature one of S5-S6 - I don't find it too hard to write her and Anthony as a pair either.