Only nine days until ANDITH FEST my fellow shippers! I can hardly wait. In the meantime, I hope you'll enjoy this little update. Sadly, Downton is the property of Julian Fellowes. As always, your reviews, favorites, and follows are greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Edith Crawley reached into her purse and brought out some notes with which to tip the bell-hop who'd carried her bag up to the room.
Suprised at the woman's generosity, the young lad grinned broadly.
"Will there be anything else Mrs. Strallan" he asked.
"Mhmm? What? Umm...thank you but that will be all for now" Edith replied. Answering to her assumed name would take some getting used to.
"If you need anything, anything at all, just ask for Jimmy!"
"I certainly will" the strawberry blonde smiled.
Once Jimmy had gone, Edith began unpacking. First, she removed the outfits she'd brought, placing them in the closet. Nothing fancy but they would do until she was better settled. Next, came a few books selected from among her favorites and she placed those on the desk that sat in front of the window overlooking the street. Reaching into her bag, she slowly brought out one last item delicately wrapped in tissue paper. A small frame which held her most cherished possession, a photograph of Anthony Strallan. Gently, she traced her fingers over his likeness before setting the picture on the nightstand by the bed.
Fighting back tears, Edith sat on the edge of the bed staring at Anthony's photo. A year and a half had passed since their failed wedding and still her heart ached from the loss. Her thoughts drifted daily to the quiet unassuming man who'd captured her heart only to crush it by walking out of the church and leaving her at the altar that day.
At first she'd been angry. Cursed his name. Swore to herself and anyone who would listen that she hated him. Of course it wasn't true, and deep down Edith knew it but the young woman hadn't been ready to admit she would love him until her last breath. And months later, she also refused to admit her attraction to Michael was, in part, because he reminded her of the baronet. The physical resemblance between the two men was the reason she'd acted so recklessly. She couldn't have Anthony, so she'd settled for a pale imitation of the one man she truly wanted. She'd tried to imagine it was Anthony who held her in his arms while Michael made love to her. But where Michael had been mostly concerned with his own needs, Edith was certain her Anthony would have been a gentle, caring, and patient lover.
Well, it was all water under the bridge now and dwelling on it wouldn't change her circumstances. Michael was dead, Anthony supposedly hidden away at Locksley, and she was pregnant. For a brief moment, Edith allowed herself to wonder how the older gentleman would have reacted had she told him of her situation. Had she sent for him, would he have come to her? Offered her the protection of his name? Don't be silly. The man couldn't bring himself to marry you when you were a virgin. He certainly wouldn't want you now that you're damaged goods and carrying another man's child.
At least, she thought, no one knows I'm pregnant. Not the lawyer she'd retained in Scotland to see after her affairs at the paper. Nor Grandmother Martha, whom the young woman had convinced to aid in the transfer of money from Michael's estate to an American financial institution. Martha had readily accepted her granddaughter's explanation that the Crawley's were being overly oppressive and Edith just needed a break from her family, preferably with an ocean between the two parties. And while the statements she'd made weren't entirely untrue, the strawberry blonde conveniently failed to mention her pregnancy and the fact that she'd be sailing for Boston rather than New York.
If the Crawleys actually took the time to search for her, which Edith highly doubted, they would more than likely locate her. Hopefully though, with sufficient distance between them, finding her would require a bit of effort. Thereby, allowing the young woman the opportunity to give birth before returning home and claiming the child as her ward.
Back in Yorkshire, Anthony Strallan was mentally mapping out his course of investigation while hurriedly packing a bag for London. Once there, he would speak with employees of The Sketch. The baronet also hoped to gain access to Edith's flat as well as Gregson's. With the possibility of Edith having gone abroad to meet Gregson, it was of the utmost importance to view the passenger lists of all ships that had departed London in the past two weeks. If need be, he'd call in a few favors from his contacts at Whitehall. Eager to set his plan in motion, the tall blonde reached for the frame on the bedside table and gently tucked Edith's picture in amongst his other belongings before setting off in search of his Sweet One.