After Edith returned from the kitchen to the bedroom she dressed very quickly. She kept cursing herself for not putting on a night-gown before getting out of the bedroom like any normal person would do.
But she had been so worried about what might have happened to Bertie that she hadn't had time to waste another moment.
How was she to know he had a visitor? It was in the middle of the night and all very unexpected and strange.
But she had better swallow her pride and return to the kitchen, keeping her head up and pretending that she wasn't bothered about having been seen naked by an unknown man.
She was a Lady, after all, as her Granny so often reminded her.
...
The two men in the kitchen stared at each other, not knowing what to say or do.
Bertie thought about going after Edith and comfort her. Perhaps he ought to do that, but he decided that he had better not - if he went to the bedroom Gregson might come with him, and he didn't want that to happen. He wanted Edith to be able to dress in private.
Michael Gregson was at long last realising that this unknown Bertie was Edith's lover. Of course - a man in a dressing-gown in the hall, a naked woman sleeping alone in the bedroom.
He had been an idiot not to understand at once what they had been up to. He wanted to punch Bertie for taking advantage of Edith, but what good would that possibly do?
...
But the worst shock to Michael Gregson was actually not that Edith had a new lover.
"She didn't even recognize me!" he blurted out, his voice full of disappointment.
"She thinks you are dead", Bertie said, wondering why he was trying to comfort this man who could very well try to take Edith away from him.
Try and even succed.
"But still. I have known her and loved her for many years..." Michael said querulously.
"Perhaps you have changed", Bertie said with a shrug.
"But you recognized me - and as far as I know you have only seen me in photos."
"Yes, that is true", Bertie said. "But I have studied your photos closely, because of Ma..." Bertie was just about to tell Gregson that he had wanted to discover any resemblance between Marigold and her biological father. But he realised that he had no right to tell Gregson about the girl, it wasn't his secret to tell.
"The Magazine", Bertie corrected himself. "Because Edith got the magazine from you. Besides, I have only ever seen you in black and white. Perhaps your colours have changed more than your looks."
Bertie actually hadn't found any resemblance at all between Gregson and little Marigold. Apart from the hair colour that Gregson had now lost.
...
When Edith was fully dressed she returned to the kitchen. She tried not to show the men how uncomfortable she felt.
"Aren't you going to introduce me to your visitor?" she asked Bertie with a smile. Then she took a closer look at the old man on the other side of the table. He looked vaguely familiar. Where had she seen this man before?
Then, suddenly, she recognized him.
...
It was the first time that Michael Gregson saw someone stare at him in terror and disbelief.
There would be other times later on, until the news of his return from the dead was common knowledge. But this was the one time that hurt him most.
It was so totally different from how he had imagined it would be to meet Edith again. He had imagined that she would run into his arms and cover him with kisses. Thoughts like that had helped to keep his spirits up during his long years in prison.
And now this. Edith had found someone else, she was involved with this annoying Bertie. And who knew how many others she had had in between.
And now she wasn't even happy to see him.
Women were not to be trusted. All women are fickle, Michael Gregson thought. Edith hadn't even bothered to wait for him to come back, in spite of all her talk of how much she loved him.
Gregson was too tired to realise how unfair his thoughts were.
...
"What kind of a nightmare is this...", the two men heard Edith murmur, very close to tears.
"I'm afraid it is real", Bertie said softly, wondering if he ought to take her in his arms. "You are awake, we both are. Mr Gregson has come back. He has most likely never been dead at all."
Bertie couldn't help feeling quite a bit sorry for Gregson when he saw the way Edith looked at him.
AN: Thank you for reading! And thank you so much for the kind reviews!
I'm happy that there are still a few people enjoying this story.