"Sir... are you quite alright, what a beast! To hear her talk to you like that," Margaret said after the moment of silence that followed Lady Edith's shocking behaviour. Thankfully the whole thing took place quite away from the party, so the amount of on-lookers was limited to them and Lady Mary who spied somewhere in the distance.
"I-I think so." Anthony stuttered.
"...What did she do to you? And she preaches to me about boldness!" Margaret seethed, stroking Sir Anthony's cheek.
"Well... I'd take a little slap in return for Lady Edith's departure from my life any day. At least let us celebrate that!"
"At most. I'll get you a drink."
'Lady Irene' went off, her dress stroking the grass. Her invested sentiment took Anthony aback, and yet he felt much warmer for it.
Edith couldn't get back to the house swiftly enough, her sobs choked her and her tears blinded her path through the grass. She thought she might have bumped into some people on their way to the party, but she ignored their concerned calls after her.
"Edith? Edith - whatever's the matter?" Aunt Isobel called, Matthew at her side. But the matter made itself apparent when the two of them sighted Sir Anthony standing next to another woman in the grounds. Another woman that looked more closely acquainted than a friend.
"Oh, that will have gone and done it. Poor girl, I never saw somebody more smitten with Mr Strallen than Edith," said Isobel.
"Or the Lady at his side," Matthew added, squinting into the distance as Sir Anthony and his mysterious Lady clinked glasses. The couple shared conversation through intimate whispers. It was a wonder how the two of them looked so good together, even though Sir Anthony was one of the pair. Matthew conjected that Anthony must have thought it was a better idea to be sighted with another woman in front of Edith after giving up trying to persuade her of his detachment from her through writing. Matthew was curious of Sir Anthony summoning such an idea on his own.
The last time Matthew had seen the man, he was quite without hope or such powers of wiliness. In all, Matthew was glad to have escaped any involvement in the business, his only fear was of who Anthony had gone to for such help. No, this was not an idea he had come up with himself.
Could his mysterious assistant be the woman who had made such an artful suggestion? With imagination, and not a large amount of it, she could indeed have eyes of an abetting nature from this distance, Matthew decided to put his mind at rest with this. Sir Anthony's Lady was his partner, therefore his accomplice if their relations were somehow not genuine. Nobody else could have anything to do with it.
This is what he began to question when his wife came over to him, a little satisfaction from something evident in her countenance. "I was waiting for you darling," Mary said.
"Sorry I was just getting Mother," said Matthew, lending Mary a kiss. "Do you have any idea why Edith was in such a state?" He added, perfectly aware of the object, but he couldn't help wanting to see how Mary would answer.
"Can't you see Anthony has gone and found somebody else, finally."
"Don't you think it seems rather queer-play for him to have asked us for help when he had such ideas up his sleeve?" Matthew commented.
"...It does. Well, who's to say it's not a genuine affliction? I would guess an old acquaintance turned up or something similar," Mary surmised as she took a sip of tea gingerly.
Matthew squinted, perhaps she actually wanted a sip or, was she looking for a distraction? Oh, how he hated thinking like this towards his wife, there was nothing to prove anything, he would leave it at this.
"...Are you alright, my darling? You're miles away."
"Was I? Sorry, I'm quite fine," Matthew said, taking her hand.
I do apologise for not uploading in an age, I lost this doc and had to rewrite. I'm sorry my chapters are short, and I'll do my best to be more regular with uploading. It would be so good of you to leave review, I will forever be undeserving.
Best Wishes x
