An anxious weight suppressed any of Edith's ability to talk. Her heart slammed against her throbbing ribs, she felt the constant urge to gulp, but wasn't even able to do that. This was all her fault. What Mary might lose.

She couldn't talk about Matthew, physically.

"Pappa..."

Robert looked up, his eyes were unfamiliar and bloodshot.

"Pappa, Bernes, you cannot fire him."

"I'm sorry," he broke out. "But that's bloody definite."

"NO!"

"Edith, what on earth makes you think-"

"Pappa - that man is probably the only reason for me talking to you right now. It might have been a misjudgement to agree to driving me to Loxley in the middle of the night, b-"

"A misjudgement - I DARE say-"

"Pappa you just don't understand. Bernes was only following an order, he was only obeying me, I made it difficult for him. He waited for me. He got arrested for me," tears were starting to show, she bleated indistinctly. "He carried me... my feet were bare a-and... didn't Dr Clarkson tell you?"

"Did he tell me what?"

"That Bernes saved my life!"

"Of course he did. The entire story is... folly. The senselessness, Edith, I hate to look at you right now, my dear girl." The pain in her father's eyes was apparent, which didn't help to supress Edith's guilt. "But please don't even begin talking about your wonderful adventure that has meant..."

"After the crash, apparently I was unconscious Pappa. But, but I don't know how, Bernes he brought me back."

"Well that's... the man is lying in a bed downstairs looking godawful, I don't quite understand what you're saying."

"You've been to see him?"

"...I have," Robert looked dejectedly at the wall.

"Is he... alright?" Edith's heart skipped.

"I can only tell you he has a facetious sense of humour."

This wave of relief was welcome. "Well, you see we owe him everything! I do. And I won't let you get rid of him. I just won't!"

"Please stop this, Edith, I am not discussing this any further.

"No...! Pappa, why won't you listen?" Edith began to cry profusely. "I want to see Bernes!"

"Edith stop, you're not to get up!"

Edith realised that as the blood rushed to her head, she was under water, the lights swam across her vision and her limbs were light.

It was four days later, they had brought Edith to her own bed for the proscribed weeks of rest. Her bedroom had never felt so confining. She only wanted to see Jason, and to hear that Matthew had woken up. Matthew, Matthew was still in bed at the hospital.

She still hadn't seen Mary, though was told at the hospital on Tuesday that Mary had come to see her while she was asleep, the same day that Sybil had arrived from Dublin.

Edith was so dehydrated from crying, there were piercing headaches, her bruises were starting to change colours. Her cast made her irritable and restless, and Edith could only imagine what her face looked like after the swelling stage. Some of the cuts were half healed, her only sign of progress so far, other than the fact that her feet were no longer sore, and were now wonderfully free of bandage.

And Edith was angry. Even after Dr Clarkson had personally explained Jason's heroic act, Robert only remained sympathetic.

"Oh I want to see him." She whined to herself. That last mental picture she had of Jason was so beautiful and distant. To only hear of what he had done for her in the flurry of events, and to only hear of his injured state, made her sick with yearning.

Anna knocked.

"Come in."

Anna peered at Edith and dabbed at her forehead with a cold, wet towel. Edith was already so sick of seeing people from this angle.

"How are you feeling, M'lady?" Anna took Edith's tray after she refilled the water basin and the jug of flowers at the side of her bed.

"Anna, what have they said about Matthew?"

"He's, he's healing a little."

"On the outside," it turned out Edith did still have tears left. "W-what about on the inside? W-what have I done? Anna. A coma. Because of me."

"M'lady..." Anna came over to Edith's side again, putting a hand on her arm. "M'lady, don't do this to yourself. The police said yesterday, it was those wretched truckdrivers."

But Edith was inconsolable, as was everybody in the house. She wondered if Mary would ever look her in the face again, Mary was at the hospital, she spent all hours there. Edith was morbidly jealous. Hearing everything was eating at Edith's insides. She would only see Anna, otherwise it was Mamma or Pappa or Sybil who only showed everything on their faces. Everything that made Edith cry when they left.

Branson was still in Dublin, for reasons that she forgot. The worst week of Edith's life proceeded, filled with immeasurable guilt.


This should be up on it's feet soon.

Please review, and thank you all so much for reading!

p.s

PLEASE do review, I looove reading them.

xxx