Over the strenuous objections of her family, Edith and Anthony were married just ten days later at the registry office in York, where he had the connections to make it happen quickly. Anthony had insisted on the quick arrangements telling her family that he had been the cause of enough wasted time when he left her standing at the alter all those years before. He added that since Edith wished to take the foundling in the Downtown nursery with her, he would make arrangements for the child at Locksley and begin an adoption process immediately. Eyeing the couple knowingly and as one of the few privy to the true parentage of the orphan in the Downton nursery, the Dowager was the first to concede his point and acknowledge the good sense of the arrangements.
In private, he also confided in Edith that if she did indeed have a little one brewing inside her delectable tummy, he wanted to ensure that there would be no gossip about the child. With the quick wedding, any child born to the in the following months could be attributed to a honeymoon baby. Of course, there would be a bit of a twitter among society about the suddenness of the wedding so he would stick to his story that he had been an absolute idiot before and as he wasn't getting any younger, he was determined not to waste another moment parted from his love. He'd look like a besotted fool but it was a mantle he would gladly wear, since it was the truth.
Edith's head was in a whirl. A Registry wedding would simply things a great deal but her mother still insisted on a wedding luncheon. Not caring in the least about the luncheon, Edith left most of those arrangements to her mother. It wasn't until she spied the stack of invitations in Carson's hands that she realized just how many would be invited to the luncheon. Still, she dismissed it from her mind and continued with her own concerns, most of which revolved around helping Anthony get the nursery at Locksley in order. The daily trips to his estate usually included Marigold, giving the baronet and her daughter a chance to get better acquainted. It also meant that the couple had time for some hurried, if somewhat clandestine, moments of getting better acquainted as well.
The way Anthony looked at her, so terribly adoring, with his head tucked just the slightest, his blue eyes sparkling, and a small self-satisfied smirk at his lips kept Edith's heart aflutter and made her feel as if she passed her days on top of a big fluffy cloud. She knew Anthony didn't consider himself particularly attractive, especially with his wounded arm and his age to consider, but when he looked at her in that particular way, she thought he was the most magnificent man on earth. Not that she ever thought him unattractive, mind you, just that when he looked at her that way… well, she thought her heart might burst.
Mary sniped at her from time to time, of course; but Edith paid her no mind. She found her granny surprisingly pleased with the arrangement and even interested in their plans. Her father was indifferent, still worried by the age difference but acknowledging that Edith at least knew her own mind. Her mother seemed pleased but then, she knew the truth about Marigold. At least the child would have a name now and a secure home with her mother and a father. Perhaps, Mama had hinted, there might be younger siblings too. Edith smiled inwardly at that, knowing full well there already might be one in the works.
A week before the wedding, Mama had pulled her aside for the most awkward mother-daughter conversation, in Edith's mind. Her mother acknowledged that Edith knew what would happen in the marriage bed, since she already given herself to a man. "But Mr. Gregson was a good ten years younger than Sir Anthony and well, as men age sometimes things don't work quite the same," Mama said uncomfortably. "Especially with his injuries from the war… well, it is probably wise not to expect too much from him."
Edith struggled not to laugh. "Mama, Anthony seems to be alright there," she responded softly.
Cora gave her daughter a worried look. "You haven't already…I mean…."
"I know what you mean, Mama. Anthony and I have had… moments when I've been at Locksley and all indications, including a noticeable change in the fit of his trousers, indicate that he isn't suffering such a malaise, as you suggest." That seemed to satisfy her mother but left Edith wondering about the state of her parents' situation. She quickly tried to erase that thought from her mind.
Anthony had first blushed and then finally chuckled when Edith told him of the conversation the next day when he called at Downton. "Did you really say that, about my trousers, I mean? Did you really?"
"I only spoke the truth," Edith teased.
"Ah yes, but not the whole truth."
"No, I simply couldn't. Mama has been very good about things, accepting Marigold and helping me to find a way to keep her near. I just couldn't bear to see disappointment from her."
"I understand, sweet one. And I won't let the cat out of the bag, I promise. But really, now I'll be terribly self-conscious with her, wondering if she is noticing the state of my trousers when you are near."
"Well, if her need to caution me is any indication, I imagine she'll be satisfied with the state of your trousers."
"Mmmm, well perhaps I should give her more to be satisfied with then?" He kissed her thoroughly then, right there in the library at Downton for anyone who was passing to see.
The days passed quickly and finally the morning of her wedding arrived. She'd chosen a barely off-white dress that she'd had made in London to wear. It wasn't anything like the bridal gown she'd worn all those years ago but was appropriate for a Registry office wedding, she thought. Her mother seemed to agree. Granny looked her over approvingly and Papa smiled, his own eyes sparking. Mary snorted, of course. But Edith really couldn't care.
Anthony met them in York. His sister, Agatha, and her husband, Archie, were with him. Archie was standing in as his best man. Edith had asked Mary to stand with her, not out of any great affection but simply because it seemed the sisterly thing to do. That seemed to please the rest of the family, even if Mary was a bit haughty about it. Still, she stood by her sister and even managed to look pleasant about it.
The ceremony was a small, quiet affair, attended only by members of their families. The luncheon, on the other hand, was a large gathering of the county aristocracy and gentry. "Good god, I do believe your mother has invited the whole of northern England," Anthony whispered in her ear when he saw the crowd in the salon.
Of course, there were far too many people for the dining room, so the food was served and consumed there in the salon and in the drawing room. A few souls even spilled into the library. Edith was amused to spot Lord Mulgrave, the eldest and fussiest of all the attendees, seated on one of the steps of the stairs, his plate balanced on his knees and his glass of wine on the step next to him. Thankfully, Lady Bolton, a young a pretty bride of just a few months herself, had sat next to him and was conversing amiably.
The couple fielded the well wishes, with Anthony taking on his mantle of idiocy anytime the original wedding was mentioned, since most of the guests had been included in the guest list back then. "Of course, I am overjoyed that Edith has given me a second chance and I intend to make up for my lunacy for the rest of my days," he said cheerfully, and perhaps a little louder than necessary, when speaking to Lady Dale. No one was rude enough to express what many were thinking; that Lady Edith had granted him a second chance because she'd had no other offerings. No one knew about Michael Gregson, or at least, not about how close they had been. Anthony was determined to keep it that way, for Marigold's sake.
Finally, the seemingly endless throng of guests were beginning to filter away and it was time for the happy couple to leave if they were to catch the train south. Both Edith and Anthony collapsed in the back of his car, exhausted from all the curiosity and politeness. Carl, his driver, was an older man who knew to keep his eyes forward and his ears closed as the merry couple in the back shared their thoughts on the wedding and breakfast amidst a few kisses and cuddles.
More to come; soon, I hope.