A/N Feels a bit strange to rationalise this story post-event, but here goes. I wanted to do a modern AU which created a comparable relationship, but in a modern setting to the one I felt Edith and Anthony had in season 3 of the show.

I never thought Anthony's head was in marrying Edith (although his heart probably was). She pursued him and badgered him (to a certain extent) and he was always a reluctant participant in the renewal of their acquaintance/courtship and their decision to get married.

I thought him jilting her was pretty awful. He gets called a 'good man' often in fanfics and is lauded by Andith shippers, but that was a really, really crumby thing to do. Plainly he was suffering with some sort of undiagnosed PTSD and had a pretty early 20th century attitude to his arm, which rendered him, in his mind, a 'cripple' unworthy of love, let alone love from Edith. However, he had dropped so many hints about his discomfort over the situation I think a really good man could and should have stopped things before the day of the wedding and certainly before the commencement of the vows. But, as I say, the heart gets in the way and he probably really wanted Edith and loved her, ultimately having to battle with all those demons and questions and uncertainties and so made the wrong decision at the wrong time. I wanted my Anthony to do something similar.

Anthony's dogged careerism and his pursuit of advancement to the exclusion of everything else, including marrying for that reason - became my substitute for his arm and PTSD. The thing always in the background which meant he thought he and Edith could never have a proper relationship. His decision to sleep with Edith anyway and to keep doing so, drawing her further in, only to have her learn the awful truth about the marriage by accident (from Mary, of all people) was the jilting at the altar. I wanted to give my Edith a bit more agency than Edith had in Downton proper (canon Edith had no idea it was coming, even though the signs were there). My Edith knew from quite early on that falling for Anthony wasn't wise, although she didn't guess the full reason behind it, but she is, in some ways, complicit in the trauma he puts her through. She could have walked away, but she didn't.

Obviously I then had to try and repair all that damage and I hope I did it well.

Thank you for all the reviews and support during the writing of the fic. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.

I don't know if there's any more Andith in my future. I have an idea sort of simmering but I don't know where it's going or when/if it'll be ready for me to put out there. I should also probably start work on the romance novel I keep promising myself I'll try and write.

If anyone wants to link up on twitter or goodreads, message me and I'll send you my details.

Again, thank you so, so, so much for reading and reviewing and generally being brilliant, brilliant people.

WHG