The First Date

Exactly one week later Edith was contemplating her good luck. Her mother, father and Mary had decided to spend a few days in London. Sybil was at school in London and her father had decided to open the house for the summer. Edith had made up an excuse about London being too hot at this time of year and saying there was a party she wished to attend in the local area. She had three full days to herself and she planned to make the most of every minute. Her first order of business was to choose an outfit to wear on her date.

"What do you wear to a pub?" she questioned out loud to her empty room. She went to her wardrobe and began going through her cloths. Everything she pulled out was regarded and then discarded as being too formal, too severe, too tweed, just too everything. Finally she lit upon her dress from last fall's garden party. It was pretty and soft although Mary had made fun of her choice of hat. Edith thought for a second before she went to Sybil's room and helped herself to the assortment of hats her sister wasn't using for the summer. Men found her younger sister attractive so she might as well choose something from amongst her things.

When she finally had something she thought might do, she returned to her room and began experimenting with her hair. O'Brien and Anna had gone to London with her family so her choice had to be something she could manage on her own. She finally decided on soft unrestrained curls that framed her face and gave her a carefree appearance. She hoped William Bellamy would like the result and thought about her meeting with him at Lady Marybeth's party.

William Bellamy was of average height with brown hair and eyes. He had a pleasant smile and was not as restrained as the young men of Edith's acquaintance that belied his colonial roots. He was polite, but relaxed when he spoke to her. His soft accent and voice had attracted her right away and she found herself smiling at his jokes although she didn't fully understand all of them. He had told her his family was in the business of growing and selling apples in somewhere called Oshawa in Central Canada. He had signed up to do his bit and now flew a Sopwith Camel for the Royal Flying Corps. Edith had thought he cut a terribly romantic figure in his uniform with the wings pinned over his left pocket. There was no way she was introducing him to her family, especially Mary until she had herself established in his affections if anything were to develop beyond their first date.

It was late July. The days were long and it was still daylight when Edith arrived at the pub in Malton to meet her date. He was standing outside waiting for her when she pulled up in the car and came over to open the door for her once she had the car switched off.

"I'm glad you could make it," he said.

"I'm happy to be here," Edith said as she gave him her hand. She was careful not to catch her foot in her frock. The last thing she needed was to make an ungainly appearance and land in a pile at his feet.

They went into the pub and found a table in a secluded corner. Edith felt terribly wicked and a little apprehensive at her first time in a pub but managed to hide it well. Once they had ordered, a pint of ale had been set before each of them.

"What's the matter?" William asked her. "Haven't you ever drunk ale before?"

"No, not exactly," Edith said with a faint blush. "I've never been to a pub before."

"It will be a night of firsts for both of us then," he said. "You've never been to a pub and I've never been out with an English girl. By the way, call me Bill. Everyone at home does."

"Bill then," Edith said before she took a sip of her drink.

Their conversation flowed well over the meal. Edith knew a good deal about farming that she had picked up from her time spent with Sir Anthony and Bill had been interested in her descriptions of the various activities on her family's estate that she described. Before she thought Edith had invited him to join her for a tour of the estate and picnic on the following day. Edith had offered to drive up and pick him up, but he had said not to bother, as he would fly down as long as there was a grassed area big enough for him to land. She had told him about the size of the house and given him a brief description of landmarks in the area.

The next morning at ten o'clock Edith was outside dressed in a pair of pants tucked into her riding boots and looking skyward for the first sign of Bill. She had requested a picnic lunch and already had it packed in the back of the town car along with four bottles of cider and a large blanket. She heard the plane before she saw it as he flew over the house circled and came to land on the lawn in front. Edith waved happily and headed towards the plane. As she looked back towards the house, she saw the curtains move slightly as the remaining staff peeked out to see what had made the noise. There were heads looking over the fence from the stables and all of the staff were lined up staring from the back of the house. There would be no keeping this from her parents. She had never seen a biplane up close before either and it was all a new experience for her.

Bill jumped down from the wing when he saw her approach and leaned over to give her a quick peck on the cheek. Edith blushed and smiled at him. Without the constant competition from Mary she felt herself relax and enjoy the experience of spending time with someone away from the pressures of her normal family life.

"You said it was the largest house around. You weren't kidding," he said. "It sticks out for miles from the air."

"It's been in the family for generations," Edith said. "We're all set for the day. I have the car loaded and ready."

Bill had taken off his helmet, scarf and flying jacket and changed to a different jacket. He took her hand as they walked across the lawn to the waiting car.

"Am I not to meet your father and the Lord of all of this?" he asked.

"I'm afraid not today," she said coyly. "He's in London on business. It will be just us. If you can ever be alone with all the eyes watching you around here."

"I did notice a few looks when I flew over," he said with a laugh.

"Be careful, this is an estate, even the walls have eyes," she quipped back.

Edith had shown him around half the estate before they stopped for lunch in a secluded meadow on the opposite side of the lake from the house. It was nice spot that was sometimes used for pasture. The house and Greek columns could be seen in the distance and set what Edith hoped was a romantic scene. Bill lay back on the blanket and looked up at the trees. Birds where chirping and the gentle sounds of water lapping against the shore were all they could hear.

"It's hard to believe there is a war on," he said. "It's all so peaceful here. It seems so far removed."

Edith just took a long drink from her bottle of cider. She was dying to kiss him but had no idea how to go about it. She had never been kissed and was nervous in anticipation.

"Most of the men from the estate have signed up," she finally said. "My younger sister is training as a nurse."

"And you? What do you want to do?" he asked turning his gaze on her and reaching over to twist a strand of her hair around one finger.

Edith shrugged. She could feel him touching her hair and her skin was crawling in anticipation.

"I've been thinking about getting more involved in the running of the estate. I want to be involved in the harvest this fall."

Bill's had slowly moved his hand to the back of her neck and was guiding her down towards him.

"Lovely," he whispered. "You'll do well. Do you think you might like to kiss an apple farmer?"

Edith was just inches from him. She could see the curve of his mouth and the fleck of darker brown in his eyes.

"Yes, please," she whispered back, before she closed the gap between them. He tasted nice like the cider they had been drinking. Her head was swimming whether from the cider or from his kiss she wasn't sure. His arms were around her pulling her into a half lying position on top of him. She knew it was dangerous to be here with him like this but at the moment she didn't care. Here was what she had been waiting for, someone who liked her, seemed to find her attractive and showed an interest in what she had to say.

She pulled back slightly and smiled before he pulled her in again for a second kiss. This time his tongue slid between her lips and caressed the inside of her mouth. His lips were like velvet and Edith felt herself drowning in the sensations he was causing inside her. When they finally broke the kiss, he looked at her through half closed eyes.

"Will you be my girl?" he asked.

Edith laid her head on his chest and slid her arms around him as best she could. She nodded.

"I don't get leave very often. Will you mind?" he asked.

"I don't mind," Edith said. She suddenly felt very shy and uncertain about what to do with a man who just asked you to be their girlfriend. "Would you mind terribly if I don't introduce you to my family right away."

Bill suddenly pushed her away from him and sat up.

"What's the matter? I'm not good enough?" he asked.

"No, it's not that," Edith gasped and began wringing her hands. "They are just so… difficult." She finally said.

He reached over and took her hand.

"You're going to have to decide," he said. "You can't have it both ways."

Edith nodded and looked down.

"I'll introduce you to them the next time your available," she said. "Just be warned it might not be pleasant."

She stood up and wrapped her arms around her waist and took a few steps towards the lake. She felt him walk up behind her, put a hand on her shoulder and turn her to face him.

"How bad can they be?" he questioned. "They have you for a daughter."

"That's nice of you to say," she said as she tentatively reached out to slide her arms around his waist. She was cringing a bit waiting for his reaction. Bill's only answer was to pull her closer for another kiss.

Before he left for the day, he took the wings off his uniform jacket and gave them to her.

"For my girl," he said.

"Yes, I am," Edith said with a massive smile. She stood back as he taxied the plane and took off into the wind. She remained on the lawn watching him, until he was out of sight.

When her parents returned from London, Edith went to talk to her mother.

"Mama, I would like to invite someone over to dinner."

"Is this someone special you've met?" Lady Cora inquired gently. The staff had been a buzz with the event of a biplane landing at Downton and she had heard all about it the moment she set foot inside the house. "Who perhaps dropped by when we weren't here?"

Edith nodded and fiddled with her gloves.

"He's a captain in the Royal Flying Corps. He's ever so nice. At least I think so," she said nervously. "He's a Canadian."

"We'll invite him over and see how things go," her mother said. "I'll send a note inviting him today. When is he available?"

"On Thursday next," Edith said. She made her escape as quickly as she could. She was so nervous she felt sick. What if her father didn't like him? He certainly had been complaining about the odd tracks left in the lawn. What about Mary? She didn't think she could stand loosing him to her sister. The next eight days were going to difficult in the extreme.