October 1920
Robert and Matthew
"Jarvis wants to leave."
"I know. It was about time."
"What? Matthew you can't be serious. He's been her for over forty years."
"Yes. And that is the problem. It was your father who employed him. To him you are the young master. I am nothing."
"I have been the Earl for 25 years now."
"Yes, but he doesn't care about it. To him you are the son of the man who employed him and thus you don't know anything. Or not much. I am the one who doesn't know anything."
"Matthew,"
"No. It's true. You should have seen the look on his face when I told him about my plans for overhauling some of the farms."
"Your plans are rather drastic. I don't really agree with them."
"Tom agrees with me."
"Why would that matter?"
"Because he's got experience in farming. His grandfather was a farmer."
"He doesn't know anything about big estates."
"He knows quite a lot about them. Don't forget that he worked here for years."
"I won't forget that. You can count on that."
"Don't be so melodramatic. What I am saying is that Tom has got hands-on experience. That is something we don't have."
"I should think not."
"But don't you think it would be good to have someone with hands-on experience?"
"Matthew, what are you saying?"
"Well, we do need a new estate manager."
"Yes. And I have no idea where to find one."
"We've already found him."
"Who?"
"Tom of course."
"You can't be serious."
"I am."
"You are telling my mother."
"She'll be happy about it. She suggested it to me."