A/N: Thank you for your lovely feedback - again! Please enjoy this new chapter.
Edith felt shattered, when she woke up the next morning. She had spent most of the last night half awake, half sleeping until she finally had fallen in a deep sleep full of nightmares.
What was wrong? Actually she should be happy after the last evening. She was sure about a progress in her relationship with Sir Anthony. He had been so kind and somehow flirting. Even Tom, who usually seemed to ignore such things, had noticed it.
In her nightmares she had seen herself walking down the aisle sometimes with one admirer, sometimes the other waiting for her. She had been crying, but her father had continued their way regardless her protests. Actually Edith couldn't imagine her father doing this, but these hopeless dreams had made her feel very miserable.
Someone knocked on her door. Sybil slipped into the room.
"Good morning, Edith" she said. "How are you today?" Even she was the younger of them she felt more grown-up in this moment. Her sister looked tired and frightened like a real reflexion of the terrible weather outside. She reminded on a scared child.
"What is wrong?" Sybil asked caring.
"Only some terrible nightmares" was the murmured answer. "Oh, I feel so ugly and silly today."
"Come on." Sybil tried a smile. "Get up, Edith. Let's have breakfast. Afterwards we could go to the library for making fun of the old pictures aunt Rosamund is hiding."
Edith and Sybil had loved to do this when they were little girls. It had been always much fun to joke about their uncle's family. Some of paintings had been more then a hundred years old and some of the people painted looked very strange.
Finally this memory made Edith smile. She took courage to confide Sybil her thoughts. "Is it wrong not to give up hope?" she asked.
"No, no" Sybil replied. "I don't think so." She sat down next to her sister on the bed. "If it is what you want, then it is your right to fight for. No one can decide for you. It's your choice."
"Fighting like you did?" Edith smiled sarcastic. "I'm not made for this."
Sybil saw the tears, which lightly ran over Edith's face. "Sshhh, don't cry. There's no reason for this."
"I know. I just feel a bit lost."
"Look, Edith, Tom and I had to fight for our love, because no one would ever accept my wish to marry him as he had been the chauffeur. Sir Anthony comes from your world, from our world. Neither mama, nor papa will fight your choice honestly. Only granny maybe…"
Edith interrupted her. "It's not granny I'm worried about or mama or papa… It's him. He asked me to stay away from my wish of a deeper relationship."
"He? Sir Anthony?"
"Yes."
"But why?" Sybil was confused. There was a gap between what she had observed the evening before and the things Edith had just told her. "He seemed to be so attached to you."
"I know, but… oh, I don't know, what to think or to do." Edith sounded even more desperate. "He thinks he isn't good enough for me. He considers himself too old, too crippled."
Her sister brushed Edith's hair away from the face. "So, you'll give up then because he said so?" she asked.
Edith shook her head. "The alternative would be to marry Peter Finnegan, wouldn't it?"
Sybil laughed "Or this other bloke. And I'm sure these two are out of question."
"Sometimes Mary is right, I think" Edith admitted.
"Is she?"
"Yes, because sometimes I'm such a child" Edith replied in such a perfect parody of their oldest sister that Sybil burst out in laughter and fell down on the bed.
It took a while until they both recovered. Edith finally wiped her tears away and blew her nose. "I'll hurry to dress me for breakfast" she said to Sybil. "And maybe we can then hide us in aunt Rosamund's library."
"Good" Sybil replied. All this giggling, joking and plotting was nearly like in old times. She jumped from the bed and walked to door to leave Edith alone for dressing. As she nearly reached it, her sister called her name.
Sybil turned around. "Yes?"
"Thank you!" Edith looked happy as she smiled at her gratefully.
"But I'm afraid I have to insist, Anthony" Edward Parsons admitted. "My wife would never forgive me, if I didn't persuade you to stay even for tea."
Both had been friends and business partner for long time and knew each other very well. Anthony Strallan really liked Lady Anne, although she was able to stalemate someone, when her curiosity forced her to know something. Despite her inquisitiveness she was a lovely woman. The official business talk was done. So, there was nothing in way for a cup of good tea and for some small talk.
Both men entered the drawing room. The lady of the house welcomed her husband's visitor gladly. It was rung for tea and biscuits and before Sir Anthony knew it, he was caught by the feeling of snugness.
This was the moment Lady Anne had waited for. "Did you ask him?" she demanded to know from her husband.
"Ask what?" Sir Anthony looked at his friend enquiringly.
Sir Edward gave a little cough. "Anne wants to know, who the young lady is, you accompanied to the opera last night."
"Last night?" Sir Anthony blushed. It was just a little bit, but Lady Anne's eagle eyes spied it at once. Her interest in hearing the name increased.
"Ah, you mean Lady Edith Crawley" Sir Anthony finally admitted.
"Crawley?" Lady Anne repeated. "One of the Grantham daughters?"
"Yes" her guest confirmed. "She's the second daughter of Earl and Lady Grantham."
"She seems to be a really lovely creature, isn't she?" Lady Anne didn't intend to make it easy for him.
"Yes, I suppose, she is." Sir Anthony longed for an escape. "We know each other for a long time. Her family are neighbours on the country to be precise."
"Knowing her for a long time, that's what we thought. Didn't we, Edward?" The answer was only a slight cough, while her guest started squirming.
"However" Sir Anthony said at last. "Lady Edith was so kind to invite me after her poor aunt fell ill. I think it was very kind of to think of me in this situation. As you know, I'm very fond of opera music."
"Very kind, indeed" Lady Anne answered. She looked very pleased while saying so.
"It is so lovely by you to take such a care for your daughter" Lady Cora told to the Dowager Countess. "As soon as Rosamund is awake she will be delighted to see that you're here."
In fact, Lady Rosamund was upstairs in her bed hoping that her mother would go away before it would appear unlikely that she was still asleep. But Lady Cora was optimistic that she would find a topic boring enough to praise Lady Violet away.
Perhaps Edith could help. Lady Cora asked the butler to invite her daughter to come to the drawing room.
"Granny, how lovely to see you" the girl said when she joined them. "Hope, you're well."
"Yes, thank you, Edith" Lady Violet answered. "But how are you, girl? You look a bit pale."
"I'm fine, just a bit tired."
"Edith was out with Sybil and Thomas last night to hear an opera performance." Lady Cora added.
"Opera. Yes. I haven't been in an opera house for years. Did you enjoy it?" The Dowager Countess was up to something. Edith was sure about this.
"Yes, it was a very good performance" she therefore answered carefully.
"A shame that Rosamund became ill. She did invite you and Sybil to accompany her in the first place, didn't she?" The inquisition started.
Edith nodded.
"By the way, Anne Parsons told me today that Anthony Strallan was with you last night." Lady Violet focused at her granddaughter with a severe look.
"Yes" Edith confirmed offhandedly. "Aunt Rosamund didn't want to waste the seat. So, I invited him to join us."
Lady Violet now extended her look to her daughter in law. Cora seemed to be as surprised as her. "Edith," she started carefully. "I think what your aunt had in mind was that you invite one of your admirers to the opera..."
The colour of Edith's face turned from pale to a light red. She desperately thought about a way out.
"Well, mama, but in my view it was too risky to invite one of them. There was only one seat left and if I invite one, but not the other it would look like a decision, like a decision I haven't made so far." These words sounded odd in Edith's ears, but she begged that granny and her mother would believe her.
"And so you decided better to invite a neighbour then" Lady Cora concluded. "Very well done, my girl. This was a wise decision."
A weight fell from Edith. Her mother believed her. About the Dowager Countess she wasn't that sure. Her glance was a bit suspicious.