Eventually the men rejoined the ladies in the drawing room. Mary's harsh glares did not go unnoticed but she did keep her opinions to herself after warnings from both her mother and grandmother.

"Where will you live?" the Dowager Lady Grantham asked Anthony as she tried to break the long silence that had settled on the room.

"Wherever Edith wishes," Anthony said softly as his gaze turned from the Dowager to his fiancé. "I have the flat here in London for when we are in town and of course, there is Locksley. I also have a cottage in a small village in Cornwall and a small villa in Italy. And if there is any place else she wishes to live, then we will find a suitable home there."

"Italy? Really?" Robert asked from his spot in a chair near the fireplace. "Why so many houses?" He seemed to squirm in his chair and his expression reflected his inner thoughts that it seemed a bit peculiar to own so many houses, even for their class.

"I was moving around so much, you see, after Maud and Phillip died." Anthony replied. "I found I could sort of hide away in Cornwall and Italy, well, it is a lovely place and I've spent a great deal of time there. I sold the old family haunt in London years ago but needed a place when I was in town and predict that we will continue to spend time here. Couldn't seem to let the old pile at Locksley go, for some reason. Too many memories, I suppose; or perhaps too many ghosts."

"Strallans have occupied the estate, if not the present house for hundreds of years," Robert offered. "Just as Crawleys have been at Downton."

"Yes, that's true," Anthony answered.

"And now the two estates will have an even closer connection than the friendships from those hundreds of years," Cora added softly.

"Yes," Violet said. "And perhaps in time even a connection that binds them even closer."

"Yes, oh how wonderful if you were to live at Locksley when children start to come," Cora said wistfully.

"Mama!" Edith exclaimed, her face flushing as she glanced nervously at Anthony. He merely smiled at her from his seat next to her on the red couch.

"Surely you have discussed children?" The Dowager looked pointedly at Edith.

"Well, I…. " Edith stuttered, embarrassed by this line of questioning.

"I am so elated that Edith will be my wife," Anthony said as he came to her rescue. "My life has been rather empty since my family was lost and Edith will be quite enough to fill it again. Any children that we might have will be a bonus. But first, we will settle in I think, get to know one another better." His smile was gracious and kind but the steel in his eyes told the old woman that the inquiry had ended.

Mary opened her mouth to retort but closed it quickly when she saw her mother's glare. Still, she couldn't help but think any children between these two plain, boring people would be nothing short of a miracle.

Anthony did stay for dinner, as Robert had suggested, but then left as soon as everyone moved to the drawing room. Saying good night at the door, he whispered to Edith, "I shall see you tomorrow, my sweet. And then our life together will begin." His kiss was more than chaste but far less than the passionate one she hoped for. The glint in his eye, on the other hand, was quite telling and made Edith blush warmly.

Edith awoke the next morning feeling every bit the blushing bride. She was almost afraid to think that in just a few hours she would be Anthony's wife. While the wait had been lovely in many ways, the weeks in London had also seemed torturous. It was simply difficult to believe that today was finally the day!

It took two cars to shuffle the family to the registry office. A third carried Edith with her father. It hadn't been her idea but his, actually. "Must keep something of the old traditions," he said merrily as everyone gathered to go to the cars. As they rode toward her wedding, her father took her hand in his and squeezed it. "My darling girl, I'll admit that I wasn't thrilled with the notion of you and Anthony. As I recall, I forbade you from seeing him. But as I've watched the two of you together these last days, I'm certain you will be happy. And I am immensely grateful for that. But if ever you should need your poor old Papa, please know that I am here for you… and I love you."

Edith wasn't quite sure how to respond. Her father had never been especially loving toward her. Yet here he was, expressing himself easily. Finally, she decided that a simple 'I love you too and I will remember" would suffice.

They all gathered in the Magistrate's office and the ceremony progressed quickly. The room was crowded as the Crawleys squeezed in along with the Chetwoods and Anthony's cousin, Frieda. Edith felt calm, so very calm, happy in the knowledge that she was beginning her new life as Anthony's wife. Anthony, on the other hand, appeared calm on the outside but everyone noticed a nervous energy about him. His eyes looked up several times, as if he was expecting a lightning strike at any moment, which was followed by a deep breath and then a furtive glance at his sweet one. No one missed the calming effect those glances had on him.

The ceremony didn't take long. Edith tried to pay close attention but, in all honesty, it all seemed like a happy blur to her. The one part that she would always remember was Anthony's kiss at the end. His ardor was hardly chaste and elicited a few chuckles from the family, along with a few scowls. But it warmed Edith to her core and she felt quite flushed.

Once the deed was done and all the papers signed, Robert spoke up and invited everyone to Grantham house for a luncheon to celebrate the new couple. Everyone seemed amenable and the party left the magistrate's office in a celebratory mood.

"Did you know about this luncheon?" Anthony asked once Edith and he were settled in the backseat of the car he'd hired for the occasion.

"No, I didn't," Edith sighed. "Papa inviting everyone was the first I heard about it. Are you upset?" Edith worried that Anthony might be since a wedding luncheon Crawley style was far beyond anything the two of them had discussed.

"Upset? No, just surprised." Anthony replied anxiously. "It's just…. i…. Well, I thought we might have the afternoon alone before taking off on our honeymoon tonight," he lamented.

"Oh, my poor darling," Edith commiserated. "And what did you have planned for the afternoon?" she asked rather saucily.

Anthony groaned. "You know very well what I had in mind, you little minx. You've been teasing me for days and I thought, that is, I hoped that…."

Edith chuckled. Glancing through the front windscreen at her parent's car in front of them, an idea struck. "We don't have to attend, you know."

"What? Are you suggesting…. We can't…. Can we?" Edith giggled at the scandalized but hopeful expression on her new husband's face. "Oh, we'll be made to pay for it later, I'm sure. But I like your plan for our afternoon much better than my parents' plan."

"You're certain?" In that moment, Edith thought that one day they might have a son that would wear that same look, perhaps as the little boy gazed at their Christmas tree. At least, she hoped they would. Smiling at her husband, oh how she loved thinking of him in that way, she nodded in the affirmative.

Leaning forward as if someone had set fire to the seat behind him, Anthony directed the driver to change course and at the next intersection, their car left the line headed for Grantham House and darted down another street before turning towards Anthony's flat. Neither saw the great skill exercised by the driver, however, as they were locked in a kiss and although it was passionate, Edith thrilled at the thought that it was only a foretaste of what was to come.


So the made it to and through the ceremony. Now I must decided how to word the next bit. Do i stay in the realm of "T" or do I move decidedly into "M" territory? Hmmmm...