Chapter Two: The Beginning

I can't believe my luck. Today, this thursday in October, I was invited to the shooting event. It did not suprise me to hear that I almost got ousted from the event- it has happened before and will happen again- but that wasn't the marvelous part. I wound up shooting beside a glorious creature named Lady Edith. She's the daughter of the Earl of Grantham... which means she is way above me. But, I can't help still thinking about her.

It was one of the most entertaining times I've had on a shooting to be honest... Even answering all of her questions was a pleasure... I wanted her to know me. I don't know why she has captured me so easily, but she has. I've never been in love before, but could this be the start?

Bertie read that last line and smiled. By the time he knew he was in love with Edith, he had fallen hard. It was easy to look back on that time period and know that his feelings for her had only just begun.

It surprised me when she said that she felt "completely happy"... why would a lady like her ever be unhappy?

Bertie realized as he read that last line that her being unhappy may have had something to do with Marigold's parentage. She had told him about Michael Gregson- not in great detail, but enough for him to understand how she came to have his flat in London- and he guessed he was Marigold's father. With his death and a child born out of wedlock, no wonder Edith had hardly a reason to be happy.

Later, Edith even came and searched for me when I went out to my car to find my white tie. I'm still not a fan of wearing one, but for Lady Edith, I will do so. And the dance we shared that night... I'm now glad that my mother forced me to learn to dance... it was never something I wanted to learn, but I did. Tonight, I finally knew why... my mom had told me when the right lady came along, I would want to sweep her off her feet and treat her like a queen and dancing was one of the ways to do so. She had looked so tense talking to Tom- the agent and her brother-in-law I later learned- that I wondered what was up. I tried to ask her and she explained it was their ward... Marigold.

Marigold... how many times did she wish to tell him the truth from that conversation forward and be unable to do so? As he read the rest of the entry, he noticed that even then he realized she would draw the conversation away from herself anytime Marigold was mentioned. She turned the questions on him and he had answered them. The last lines of the journal entry gave him pause as he reread it:

I highly doubt I will see this lovely lady again. We are worlds apart, she and I... If our paths do cross, it is simply because of grace and I will treat her like the gift that I know her to be. I don't know the reason for her unhappiness, but if I can do anything in my power, I will always make her happy if I was given the chance to hold her in my arms and call her my own.

Bertie closed the journal with a thud and threw it at his suitcase. He had been given a chance to call her his own and he had blown it. Yes, her secret child was part of it... but he was beginning to realize that she was not the only one to blame.

Author's Note: I doubt I will keep publishing at this pace. Real life is bound to catch up with me. But, I've been bitten by the "Bedith" bug and the writing bug, so the story has been updated.

Reviews are my life line and very much appreciated. Any suggestions or ideas for moving forward please let me know... I'm thinking a chapter per episode up to 6x08 and then a conclusion of sorts... maybe...