In the novel 4.50 from Paddington, Edith “Edie” Eastley (née Crackenthorpe) was the wife of Bryan and the mother of Alexander. She died five years earlier than the events of the novel. During the war, she was in the W.A.A.F.
Edith's brother, Harold Crackenthorpe, had advised her against marrying Bryan. He felt that Bryan would be no good in peace time, and would probably be barely able to support her. However, Edith had said that she and Bryan loved each other, and asked why they should not have some happiness. She questioned the good of looking to the future when they might well be bombed at any moment. She also said that the future did not matter, because someday she would inherit money from her grandfather, Josiah Crackenthorpe.