Chapter 2 - A Prize Pair of Bullocks
Later the next day…
"Sir Anthony Strallen."
The family were all taking tea in the drawing room when Carson announced the arrival of Sir Anthony.
Lady Edith's head shot up from where she was contemplating the depths of her tea, to see her lover stride into the room.
"Ah, Lady Grantham, Lord Grantham, please forgive my barging in this way, but I was just passing and thought I'd call in to let Lady Edith know how much I enjoyed our evening."
"Sir Anthony, won't you stay and have tea?" Lady Grantham stood, offering him a seat on the settee next to Edith. Lady Mary looked quite relieved that he wasn't offered the seat next to her, but a bit miffed that Sir Anthony seemed to prefer Edith.
"Why how kind of you. I would be delighted." Sir Anthony strode across the room and sat gingerly next to Lady Edith, who finally managed to tear her gaze from his face, and say,
"Thank you, Sir Anthony. I quite enjoyed the evening as well." She smiled coquettishly at him, ignoring Mary's look of disgust. "How did you find your harvester this morning?"
Sir Anthony, choked on the sip of tea he was drinking, apologized, and said, "Oh, very well! it was off and ready to go at first light."
"Harvester?" asked Lord Grantham? "You got to see Sir Anthony's harvester? Last night? In the dark?"
"Oh, well, we had a light, and it's so big that it was difficult to miss, Papa." Edith turned to Sir Anthony, "I was quite surprised at how smooth a ride it was."
"Yes," mused Sir Anthony, "All part of keeping your equipment well-oiled and well-used."
"You rode Sir Anthony's harvester? After the concert?" Lord Grantham was having a difficult time coming to grips with his rather plain middle daughter cavorting around in the dark on a piece of farm machinery with a man as old as he was!
"Really, Papa, you make it sound as if we did something indecent. I just took a ride on Sir Anthony's harvester. I'd so been longing to see it, and as we were passing, and Sir Anthony suggested it, it seemed like the perfect opportunity."
Sybil piped up then with, "I think it sounds simply marvelous, Sir Anthony. How far did you go?"
Sir Anthony coughed again, "Well, we went…ahem… all the way.. to the end of the row. Once Lady Edith opened the barn door, there was no stopping it!."
"Does it go very fast?" Sybil asked Edith.
"Oh, no, it went a very adequate speed I thought, slow at times, but it sped up in the end."
Mary sat politely ignoring all of them. Really, she thought, who'd make such a fuss over silly farm implements...
"I see, well, this is all very interesting, " Lord Grantham began.
"Yes, yes," began Sir Anthony, "I was wondering if I might lure Lady Edith out again this afternoon?
"Oh, oh really! I think that would be marvelous!" replied Lady Edith looking decidedly eager.
"Hmm..yes, I have a pair of prize-winning bullocks that I wanted to show her. I thought we could take the harvester into the far paddock and check them out."
"Oh, Papa, may I go and see Sir Anthony's pair of bullocks?" Edith looked to her father eagerly.
Lord Grantham sighed, looked at Cora, and said, "I don't see why not." He shot a hard look at Mary who mumbled something about not getting her out in a muddy field to look at bullocks.
Sir Anthony offered Edith his arm. As they walked out of the room, Lady Edith could be heard to say, "Now Sir Anthony, tell me about your bullocks? Are they quite big?"