The Dinner
The grand dining room at Brancaster sat 14 guests including the Sinderby's. This first night Lord Sinderby included friends and close neighbors of the Hexham family. Lady Sinderby placed them by Tom since they did not know him, thus pleasing her husband's aristocratic demands, and she hoped, making conversation less challenging for Tom who she highly regarded after their frank conversation that morning. And she would have been pleased at her success because Tom was quite comfortable sitting between Lady Percy from a neighboring estate and Lady Edith, although it was difficult to tell because while he had long ago submitted to the full evening wear and stiff shirt fronts he was still ill at ease in them as his shoulders still had the tendency to slump at the end of the day, only to have the shirt remind him there was no option but to stand or sit completely straight. As he turned to speak to Edith he only turned his head in her direction, his upper body locked into place .
Keeping a soft voice to avoid being overheard he asked, "Have you looked over your book selection yet?"
Edith was not encumbered and leaned more in his direction for conversation, "I have, and is it bad manners to say among all these potential conversations to be had that I am actually looking forward to going up and reading?"
Tom's eyes creased with his smile, "You are happy with the selection then?"
Edith said eagerly, "I really am, you were completely right about other people perspectives. I should have trusted you."
Tom dropped his eyes, because asking Carson to help him came mainly from his time constraint rather than helping Edith broaden her horizons. And with the trust that had developed between them, Tom felt he still needed to explain things so there was no misunderstanding, but he was very aware that time was neither now or here, and instead he asked with curiosity,
"So which book are you most eager to start?"
At the question, Edith blushed deeply and Tom noticed her hands fumbling with the napkin in her lap, so that he completely turned his head to look at her fully, his curiosity fully aroused and even more so as Edith almost stammered in a low tone, "Well. . there is a book of. . of poetry that looks very inviting."
Tom grinned, more at her uneasiness than the subject and baited her, his voice dropping a note, "That sounds harmless enough."
Edith's cheeks were still hotly pink, drawing Tom's genuine surprise and she squirmed ever so slightly in her chair explaining, "Well yes, poetry can be quite harmless, but in this case I know who selected the particular book."
Tom was momentarily confused as to why it made any difference and then he had a sudden realization and asked with surprise that he covered with a small cough, "Who?"
Edith dipped her head answering, "Mr. Bates, a collection of poems by Robert Browning."
Lord Grantham thinking he heard his valet's name mentioned and sitting next to Edith, quickly turned to her and engaged her in conversation, with Mrs. Bates in prison he had a unrelenting fear that somehow it would be brought up by Lord Sinderby or through some gossip among the staff .
Tom sat silently looking across the table at Atticus, Rose, and Mary but still thinking about the book of poetry, and then Stowell passed by him with the wine decanter, and Tom spoke up.