Practice
"Look at your audience, speak clearly and practice," Edith's brother-in-law had told her repeatedly. There were two weeks remaining before the conference in Scotland and Edith had just returned from a week staying with her Aunt Rosamund and working with her brother-in-law Tom on her speech. Her speech was ready, she had the conference itinerary and the travel arrangements made. "Everything is ready except me," Edith said to her self the morning after her return. She was so nervous she couldn't sleep and was up before five in the morning. There was no sense going out to check on the home farm at this time of the morning. Even the chickens wouldn't be up. She took her folder containing her speech and headed to the family side of the portioned library to practice. Isis had lifted her head and looked at Edith when she entered only to flop her head back down and go back to sleep.
Edith was over half way through her twenty-minute speech when she felt someone watching her. She looked to the side of the partition separating the room to see a pair of green eyes accompanied by a head of thick brown hair peeking at her around the partition. She stopped in mid speech and walked over to confront her eavesdropper.
"Hello, who are you?" she said to the man who was bracing himself on a pair of crutches in his pajamas and robe. He was quite handsome despite his stubble and messy hair and Edith found herself catching her breath slightly.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry. I heard a voice and came to investigate," he said with a New Zealand accent. "I'm Major Mark Goward. Who might you be?"
"Lady Edith Crawley. You must have just arrived. I've been away for a week. What are you doing here? Most of the men staying here are from the area?"
"I'm going to be laid up for a long time," he said. "They needed the bed in London. There was space here so they loaded me on the train and sent me up. What are you working on?"
"A speech for a conference, I'm attending," Edith said, "and you're not supposed to be up this early in the morning."
"I can't stand to lay there for more than five hours at a time," he said. "Can I hear your speech? I've been in hospital for six months now. I'm going a little crazy. I'd like to hear something different."
"I'm afraid its not that interesting," Edith said modestly. "Its for an agricultural conference."
"Really? Then it must be interesting. I live on a sheep station back home, what you would call a farm but somewhat larger."
"Very well," said Edith with a shrug, "but I'm not sure how interesting you will find it." She motioned for him to take a seat on one of the sofas and then began her speech. When she finished he applauded.
"It's a lovely speech and very well written," he said.
"My brother-in-law helped me. He's a political speechwriter. He told me to practice. I'm afraid I'm still awfully nervous."
"Have you really made it a point to employ disabled veterans?"
"It was more an act of desperation than kindness or social obligation," Edith replied. "The work has to be done and there was no one left to do it. I drove the tractor until the last group I hired had one man that could drive. He has lung damage from a gas attack so he can't do as much physical work. We've found that if we tailor each man's assigned tasks around his abilities we can get a great deal done."
"You must have met some resistance at first."
"Yes, I did. The estate manager wasn't too happy with the first man I hired, but couldn't do without him now. Even some of the men I approach don't want to work for a woman or doubted they could be of any use."
"You should do your speech for some of the lads here. I'm sure they would like to hear it."
"Oh, I couldn't," Edith said, getting embarrassed. "What will they think of me? Lady Edith Crawley, lady farmer and employer of the down and out! Really, I couldn't."
"There are some of the lads that should hear it. They need hope. Say you'll reconsider."
The sounds of the household starting to stir could be heard coming around the screen. Edith looked at the man who was obviously very lonely and nodded her head.
"Alright, I'll be around this afternoon. This morning I have to go and check on things with the home farm and meet with the manager."
"I'll see you then," he said with a small smile. He struggled back upright with his crutches. Edith moved to assist him with standing. When she took his arm, he pulled away from her slightly.
"I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" she asked.
"No, not at all," he said. "I'll see you this afternoon?"
"I'll be around," she said to him just before he turned to hobble back to the downstairs ward.
That afternoon Edith had a group of ten men waiting for her when she entered the ward in what had formerly been the drawing room. They all had farming backgrounds and wanted to hear what she had to say. She was a little flustered and tripped over the leg of a bed in her nervousness. It was decided that she would give her speech on the back patio in fifteen minutes for anyone who wanted to attend. Edith was surprised when she arrived to find even more of the men in wheel chairs and two or three on crutches had joined the original group and she now had an audience of twenty.
She was blushing madly as she took her place at the front of the group and began her speech. Once she settled into her speech and began talking about the issues of finding workers during a labor shortage, she forgot her hesitation and spoke with the passion she felt for the land and what they were accomplishing. When she finished her speech everyone clapped and then began asking her questions. They asked so many questions about the technical aspects of the farm and how the men had found their way around different physical disabilities Edith was a bit overwhelmed. Finally, the nurses insisted the men return inside for rest period.
The next afternoon Edith collected a few of the latest agricultural circulars from her collection and went downstairs to visit with the men and hand out library books. She found Major Goward laying in bed staring off into space.
"Hello," he said when he saw her. "I told you they would like your speech."
"I've had non-stop questions from a number of the officers," Edith replied with a smile. "It certainly seems a popular topic of conversation."
"No one talks about what will happen when you get home, but everyone thinks about it. You've done a good thing, Lady Edith."
"I've brought some of my circulars I thought you might be interested in," Edith said trying to shift the topic of conversation away from her self. "I have some of the newer technical books as well if you'd like to read them."
"I'd like that very much," he said with a faint smile. "When is your conference?"
"My Aunt and I are leaving next Wednesday for Scotland. I'll be gone five days."
"Perhaps you could bring back some notes and any pamphlets you come across? I won't be going anywhere."
"Do you mind me asking what is the nature of your injury?"
"I had a horse go down while I was riding it. It cut me up pretty bad and I broke my leg and my pelvis in five places. I will get better, but they tell me it will be another five months at least before I'm able to walk without assistance."
"Then you'll have to listen to my descriptions of farming everyday until you can't stand it anymore and have to get better to get away from me," Edith joked.
"I could listen to you everyday and never get tired of it," he said.
Edith blanched a little. She had visited hundreds of Officers in hospital and none of them had said anything remotely similar to her. Just then one of the Officers from the previous afternoon came by and stopped to ask her a question.
"I'll come and see you tomorrow," she said to Major Goward before she left him.
Edith stopped by to speak to Major Goward everyday until she left for Scotland. She had told him about her foray into sheep farming the previous year and about the two flocks she was running on the grounds for the summer. They were currently on the opposite side of the house from where the Officers were billeted and out of sight. He had laughed when she told him about the sheep getting out last summer and the trouble they had trying to get them back into the pens.
"It got to the point I had to place a call and have one of the local farmers bring his sheep dogs. We were still missing one until there was screaming coming from the servants' hall. They found the young ram, eating one of Mrs. Patmore's pies she had put to cool."
Mark Goward laughed and laughed at Edith's story and told her a few stories of his own troubles with getting sheep to do what he wanted them to do. They were seated on the back patio and he placed his hand over hers in a moment of laughter but just as quickly withdrew it.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"Have I offended you in some way?" Edith asked.
"No, no, not at all," he denied. "I quite enjoy your company. You leave for Scotland tomorrow?"
Edith renewed her promise to take notes at the conference and saw him back inside. That night while she was packing, she regarded herself in the mirror. "Am I really that hideous that he doesn't want to touch me?" she asked herself. She went to the drawer in the bottom of her wardrobe and looked at the mementos of her engagement. It had been almost two years. Their time together now seemed like a pleasant dream. "Someone once found me beautiful," she said to herself before she closed the drawer again and finished packing.
"A Lady Edith Crawley to see you Professor McPherson," the secretary introduced Edith. The elderly man behind the desk rose to greet Edith and stopped in his tracks.
"I wasn't expecting anyone so young and attractive," he said after he had recovered his shock. "Lady Edith, do come in." He motioned for her to take a chair in his office.
"A pleasure to meet you at last, Professor McPherson," Edith said.
"I was quite impressed with your report. Are you prepared for your presentation tomorrow?"
"Yes, I've been practicing my speech." Edith had a copy that she handed to him. He opened the folder and read it over.
"I'm very impressed. This is very well done," he said after a minute.
"I can't take all the credit," Edith said. "My brother-in-law is a professional speechwriter, he helped me with it and I've been practicing on the men at the convalescent home on my family estate."
"Still the initial idea to use disabled veterans was your own. You've found a way to effectively manage a widespread problem. It's not everyone who can do that."
Edith colored at the compliment. They continued to talk for another fifteen minutes regarding future projects Edith had planned for the home farm and her plans to recruit workers for the fall harvest. By the end of the session Professor McPherson had given Edith a list of books he though she might find useful that were available at the university bookstore. Edith thanked him for his help and vote of confidence before she left his office for the day.
The next day Edith's hands trembled as she took the podium at the conference. Her Aunt Rosamund was sitting in the front row and stuck out like a brightly colored bird in the male dominated audience. Edith had noticed a few women at the conference. They all were much older than her self and looked weathered from their lives outdoors. At the end of Edith's speech a number of men in army uniforms jumped to their feet to give her a standing ovation and the remainder of the crowd soon followed. Edith blushed and felt somewhat flustered at so much attention. She almost fell off the bottom step as she left the stage.
During the lunch break so many of the attendees approached her to ask questions and offer their congratulations she wasn't able to eat a bite of her lunch. Before they left the conference for the afternoon, a reporter from one of the circulars she had been reading regularly approached her for an interview. Edith was in such a state of shock from her reception at the conference she answered the reporter's questions without being able to remember one of the questions he asked.
Over the next few days of the conference, Edith enjoyed herself thoroughly and compiled a large collection of pamphlets and circulars as well as the books her professor had recommended. As well she had a notebook full of notes to discuss with Major Goward. Her Aunt Rosamund had complained profusely at the amount Edith proceeded to cram into both of their bags, but at the same time had enjoyed being at the center of so much male attention along with her niece.
Edith had thought of Major Mark Goward a number of times while she was in Scotland. She had found herself making a mental note of things she would like to discuss with him when she returned and picking up extra copies of pamphlets she thought he might enjoy. A few times she had chided herself for her interest in the man and in the same instant thought what could it hurt to admire someone who would eventually move on anyway. He certainly didn't like her that way, but it felt nice to dream.