Played to Edward out of ultimate pity (5)
I believe the answer is:
toyed
'played' is the definition.
('toy' can be a synonym of 'play')
'edward out of ultimate pity' is the wordplay.
'edward' becomes 'ted'.
'out' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'of' becomes 'o'.
'ultimate' suggests the final letters.
The final letter of 'pity' is 'y'.
'o'+'y'='oy'
'ted' going around 'oy' is 'TOYED'.
'to' is the link.
(Other definitions for toyed that I've seen before include "was trifling" , "Engaged in an activity, but not seriously" , "Played" , "Trifled (with someone's affections)" , "Acted idly" .)