#herbert pelham

[townsenddecades]

1302 - Day 4

As the year draws to a close, the Townsends are flabbergasted one morning to see a party of finely dressed mounted men, at the head of whom rides the Earl, approaching their little farmstead. Anne shoots a worried look at her husband, whose face is grim, but he guesses her concerns and crosses his arms.

“I’ll keep the peace. I’m not stupid enough to punch the Earl in the face. Much as I wish to.”

“I wonder why he brought those others.”

“I don’t know. But I doubt it’s good.”

The main reason, they find out as the Earl and his companions dismount and approach, is that the Earl and his retinue were passing by and that he had decided that he neglected returning to the farm for long enough. Said retinue consists the Earl's steward, Herbert Pelham, his captain of the guard, Sir Silas Ellesmere, and lastly, of the Earl's legal advisor, Matthew Crawley, whose name makes both Townsend parents perk up, especially when they see that George, his son, is trailing after him.

Of course, it is the Earl who speaks.

“I wanted to ask after the child. The one you were pregnant with when I was here last.” He looks at Anne meaningfully. Equally meaningfully, he adds, “Masters Crawley and Pelham and Sir Silas would like to check on the farm. It’d be kind of your husband to show them around.”

Benedict grits his teeth but complies – though not without a seething look.

Once they’re alone, Anne takes a deep breath. “We’ve had a healthy boy. His name is Robert. And I…I believe he is Your Lordship’s son. He is your spitting image, in fact.”

Of course, he wants to see the boy immediately.

"Well”, he says after a moment of silence, studying the boy, now two years old, attentively. “I can hardly deny it. And I am glad that both you and he look well. You have taken good care of him.”

“We’ve done our best, my lord. My husband noticed immediately, of course, but he’s done his best to raise him as one of his own.”

“You haven’t wanted for anything?”

She shakes her head. “No, my lord. The last harvest has been good. I’m sure it’s nothing like living in a castle, but we get by.”

At that, a cloud passes over his face, and he looks away for a moment, clearly pained. “Even all my wealth can’t protect my legitimate children, I fear. You’ve heard that my wife and I have recently lost a daughter?”

She hadn’t. Town gossip does usually make its way to Tovar, but she hadn’t heard anything about a death in the castle. She pulls Robert closer. He had been so small when he was born, she had been terrified he wouldn’t make it. “No. I’m so sorry.”

“She was only a few months old. One evening, she was alive and well, and the next…” He blinks a few times and clears his throat. “As I said, I’m glad you and the boy are well. May I hold him?”

It makes her a bit anxious, to give her boy into the arms of a man who could take him away if he so pleased, but the fact that the Earl is Robert’s father alone forces her to grant him his wish, even if it weren’t for the fact that he owns their very livelihood. She is rewarded with a barrage of tender feelings at how gently the Earl cradles the boy in his arms. “You’re a strong lad, aren’t you?”

Meanwhile, Anna is delighted to have George there to play with and takes full advantage of it to draw him into her game of horseshoe-throwing. She has gotten quite good at it and is glad to have a new opponent to challenge. Just playing with her sister does get dreadfully boring.

While the children play, Benedict takes advantage of the tour the Earl forced on him to talk to George’s father. He is aware that nothing need come of his daughter’s friendship with the boy. The son of the Earl's trusted advisor is far above a simple peasant girl in station, even if they could pay a suitable dowry. Marriage will likely never come into the equation. But it doesn’t hurt to keep his options open. If he can use the Earl’s fondness for his wife as leverage, he will.

And Matthew Crawley, he finds, is a kind man, genuinely interested in what he has to say about the farm and very fond of talking about his wife and children. He even mentions that George has told them about his friendship with Anna. Apparently, his wife doesn’t approve, but he doesn’t mind, especially seeing now that Anna is a lively, but well-behaved girl.

It doesn’t mean anything, yet, but Benedict is glad to have met the man.

As the visit draws to a close, the Earl pulls Anne aside.

“I have been thinking”, he says. “The boy, Robert, is a bit young to be taken from his home now, but he is my son. He should be accorded the opportunities that can afford him. I will see about finding him a position as a page, a few years hence. Maybe for Sir Silas or one of the others, or with Baron Elbenhawke.”

Anne can hardly believe what she is hearing. “You want him to become a knight?”

“He is the son of an earl. And no one that knows me will doubt that he is.”

He is also her son. If she agrees to this, she may never see him again. But can she put her own selfish motherly feelings above her son’s future? He would have a far better life than they’d ever be able to give him. She would be a fool not to take the offer.

“If you mean it, my lord, I’d be honoured for him to have such an opportunity.”

“Of course I mean it. Why wouldn`t I?”

She smiles. “I wouldn’t want to presume, but I’d guess many in your position wouldn’t care about some peasant bastard.”

“Maybe. But I do. I’ll send word when there’s news.”

Later, after the Earl and his men have left and the children have gone to bed, Anne sits down with Benedict and listens to him talk about his conversation with Master Crawley before she imparts what the Earl has told her. He sits back.

“So the boy might become a knight. If it wasn’t just a flight of fancy of the Earl’s.”

“He came back, didn’t he?”

“Two years after Robert’s birth. And that only because he was passing by and had another flight of fancy. It wouldn’t surprise me if it’s out of sight, out of mind with that man. He can’t be relied upon.”

“I know. But if he remembers, Robbie might have a better future than I ever could have imagined for him.”

“As long as it doesn’t lead you to get lovestruck over the Earl.” Benedict stares at her levelly. “He hasn’t made any more passes at you, has he?”

“Surprisingly, no. Robbie seemed to be all that interested him.” “Good. Because I’m not inclined to share, whatever the Earl might offer.”

END OF THE YEAR STATISTIC

Births:

Lady Falka Dudley (Earl’s Family)

Deaths:

Lady Falka Dudley; SIDs, 4 months old (Earl’s Family)

Marriages:

None!

Prev: 1302, Day 3 <---> Next: 1303, Day 1

[harrietmjones]

I’ve got some thoughts on names for Baby Pelham.

If it’s a boy, then Peter, after Bertie’s beloved cousin, the 6th Marquess of Hexham.

If it’s a girl, then Violet, maybe shortened to Vee or Vi, after The Dowager Countess, Violet Crawley.

For someone like Bertie, who doesn’t seem to have a lot of personal connections with people, even if they try, naming his son after his very special friend and much beloved cousin, unfortunately gone, is such a great thing. Also if said cousin told you you’re his heir to inherit everything of his once he was gone, even more of a reason to do so. I think Bertie and also Edith, would want to do this.

If it’s a girl, I just think that The Dowager is going to die and the baby will be born around the same time, so what better memorial to keep her memory alive, than her great-granddaughter sharing her name?

These are just my thoughts/theories though, maybe I’m far off with my reasonings and such.

I’m curious to know what’s written for the movie. We shall see.

[cacadoradeartemis]

Marchioness Edith Pelham & Herbert Pelham, 7th Marquess of Hexham.

I am currently rewatching “Downton Abbey” and Edith is one of the characters who got a WONDERFUL development and finale.

My mom says I resembles her in terms of personality.

[aliveandfullofjoy]

idea stolen from my beloved @if-only-angels-could-prevail. it's officially been two weeks since my covid vaccine, i'm putting a cap on my quarantine viewing log. of the 528(!!!) movies i've watched since march 2020, these are my 75 favorite first-time feature-length viewings and my 15 favorite first-time short viewings, in alphabetical order!

feature-length:

Ace in the Hole (dir. Billy Wilder, 1951)

American Utopia (dir. Spike Lee, 2020)

The Band's Visit (dir. Eran Kolirin, 2007)

Beau Travail (dir. Claire Denis, 1999)

Blood Simple (dir. Joel Coen, 1984)

But I'm a Cheerleader (dir. Jamie Babbit, 1999)

Cameraperson (dir. Kirsten Johnson, 2016)

Closely Watched Trains (dir. Jiří Menzel, 1966)

A Cottage on Dartmoor (dir. Anthony Asquith, 1929)

Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (dir. Nicole Newnham and James Lebrecht, 2020)

Crossing Delancey (dir. Amy Micklin Silver, 1988)

Daisies (dir. Věra Chytilová, 1966)

Design for Living (dir. Ernst Lubitsch, 1933)

Dick Johnson is Dead (dir. Kirsten Johnson, 2020)

Distant Voices, Still Lives (dir. Terence Davies, 1988)

Divorce Italian Style (dir. Pietro Germi, 1961)

Driveways (dir. Andrew Ahn, 2019)

Eat Drink Man Woman (dir. Ang Lee, 1994)

Education (dir. Steve McQueen, 2020)

The Father (dir. Florian Zeller, 2020)

First Cow (dir. Kelly Reichardt, 2019)

The Freshman (dir. Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor, 1925)

The Hero (dir. Satyajit Ray, 1966)

The Hitch-Hiker (dir. Ida Lupino, 1953)

Kuroneko (dir. Kaneto Shindo, 1968)

L'Atalante (dir. Jean Vigo, 1934)

Le Bonheur (dir. Agnès Varda, 1965)

Le Notti Bianche (dir. Luchino Visconti, 1957)

Like Father, Like Son (dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda, 2013)

Local Hero (dir. Bill Forsyth, 1983)

Love & Basketball (dir. Gina Prince-Bythewood, 2000)

Lovers Rock (dir. Steve McQueen, 2020)

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (dir. George Miller, 1981)

Malcolm X (dir. Spike Lee, 1992)

Meek's Cutoff (dir. Kelly Reichardt, 2010)

Metropolis (dir. Fritz Lang, 1927)

Mikey and Nicky (dir. Elaine May, 1976)

Monsoon Wedding (dir. Mira Nair, 2001)

My Neighbors the Yamadas (dir. Isao Takahata, 1999)

Never Rarely Sometimes Always (dir. Eliza Hittman, 2020)

Nights of Cabiria (dir. Federico Fellini, 1957)

Nomadland (dir. Chloé Zhao, 2020)

One Sings, the Other Doesn't (dir. Agnès Varda, 1977)

Only Angels Have Wings (dir. Howard Hawks, 1939)

Pandora's Box (dir. G. W. Pabst, 1929)

Pennies from Heaven (dir. Herbert Ross, 1981)

Pickup on South Street (dir. Samuel Fuller, 1953)

Quo Vadis, Aida? (dir. Jasmila Žbanić, 2020)

Red, White and Blue (dir. Steve McQueen, 2020)

Rocco and His Brothers (dir. Luchino Visconti, 1960)

Romeo + Juliet (dir. Baz Luhrmann, 1996)

Rushmore (dir. Wes Anderson, 1998)

Scattered Clouds (dir. Mikio Naruse, 1967)

The Sea Wolf (dir. Michael Curtiz, 1941)

Seven Samurai (dir. Akira Kurosawa, 1954)

Sleepless in Seattle (dir. Nora Ephron, 1993)

Sound of Metal (dir. Darius Marder, 2019)

Stop Making Sense (dir. Jonathan Demme, 1984)

Sweet Smell of Success (dir. Alexander Mackendrick, 1957)

Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (dir. William Greaves, 1968)

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (dir. Joseph Sargent, 1974)

Tea and Sympathy (dir. Vincente Minnelli, 1956)

They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (dir. Sydney Pollack, 1969)

Three Colors: Red (dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 1994)

To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (dir. Beeban Kidron, 1995)

Two for the Road (dir. Stanley Donen, 1967)

Uptight (dir. Jules Dassin, 1968)

The Watermelon Woman (dir. Cheryl Dunye, 1996)

Wendy and Lucy (dir. Kelly Reichardt, 2008)

What the Constitution Means to Me (dir. Marielle Heller, 2020)

Whisper of the Heart (dir. Yoshifumi Kondo, 1995)

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (dir. Robert Zemeckis and Richard Williams, 1988)

Within Our Gates (dir. Oscar Micheaux, 1920)

Wolfwalkers (dir. Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, 2020)

A Woman Under the Influence (dir. John Cassavetes, 1974)

shorts:

Asparagus (dir. Suzan Pitt, 1979)

Bambi Meets Godzilla (dir. Marv Newland, 1969)

Black Panthers (dir. Agnès Varda, 1968)

Coming Out (dir. Cressa Maeve Beer, 2020)

Fireworks (dir. Kenneth Anger, 1947)

The House is Black (dir. Forough Farrokhzad, 1963)

The Human Voice (dir. Pedro Almodóvar, 2020)

Kapaemahu (dir. Joe Wilson, Dean Hamer, and Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, 2020)

The Meaning of Life (dir. Don Hertzfeldt, 2005)

The Music Box (dir. James Parrott, 1932)

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (dir. Robert Enrico, 1961)

Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor (dir. Dave Flesicher, 1936)

Uncle Yanco (dir. Agnès Varda, 1967)

World of Tomorrow, Episode Three: The Absent Destinations of David Prime (dir. Don Hertzfeldt, 2020)

Zero for Conduct (dir. Jean Vigo, 1933)

:')

[jadeseadragon]

Herbert Edwin Pelham Hughes-Stanton (British, 1870 - 1937), View of Hills and Mountains, oil on canvas, 39.5 x 48.5 inches.

[forgcdstrength]

Edith Crawley

FACE-CLAIM: Laura Carmichael 

STATUS: semi-active

ORIENTATION: panromantic bisexual

BIOGRAPHY:

Edith Josephine Pelham, Marchioness of Hexham (née Crawley; born 1892) is the second daughter of Robert and Cora Crawley, sister of Lady Mary Talbot and the late Lady Sybil Branson, granddaughter of Violet Crawley, sister-in-law of Tom Branson, Henry Talbot, and the late Matthew Crawley; and the aunt to her nephew, George Crawley and her nieces, Sybbie Branson and Caroline Talbot.

Her father's sister, Lady Rosamund Painswick and her deceased husband Marmaduke Painswick are Edith's aunt and uncle. Also, her mother's brother, Harold Levinson, is her uncle. She is second cousins with Lady Rose Aldridge, Rose's sister Lady Annabelle and James MacClare, Earl of Newtonmore, and her second cousin-in-law is Rose's husband Atticus Aldridge, and her first-cousin-once-removed is Rose's mother, Susan MacClare, wife of Hugh MacClare, Marquess of Flintshire.

In 1925, she married Herbert "Bertie" Pelham, 7th Marquess of Hexham. As the Marchioness of Hexham she outranks the female members of her immediate family, including her mother. She has a daughter, Marigold, by her deceased lover, Michael Gregson, and in 1927 she revealed she was pregnant with Bertie's child.

Edith has strawberry blonde waves, delicate lips, a light complexion, a long nose, and a slim figure. Although she is not considered as beautiful as her sisters, Mary Talbot and Sybil Branson, and her second cousin, Rose Aldridge, she is always glamorous and fashionable.

Edith's greatest struggle in life has been to stand out and be appreciated for her own talents. Of four prospective romantic relationships (Patrick, Strallan, Gregson and Bertie Pelham), each failed to materialize into something happy or lasting, until Bertie Pelham. It has gotten to the point where she is described as 'Poor Edith,' due to the amount of suffering and heartache she goes through. However, this finally ended when Edith married Bertie Pelham, the new Marquess of Hexham when he apologized for his behaviour and asked her to give him another chance. Years of resentment have built a fierce rivalry between her and her sister Mary to whom she displays her mean, jealous, and cruel side.

However, Edith is a survivor (if something of a notoriously bad planner) and she continues to dream of a life filled with love and a family of her own and remains in pursuit of that. While concerned about class distinctions, like every woman of her status in that era would be, Edith has never let them stop her, in between attempts to help others or prove her worth. She learns how to drive and volunteers at the Drake family farm, tends to the wounded as head of non-medical welfare when Downton Abbey is a convalescent home, fought to have William Mason brought to Downton and then attended to him in his dying days, and wrote a popular editorial column before eventually running the magazine despite protests from her family. Years of change and loss have seen a softening of Lady Edith. She is less snobbish and more devoted to her family, even going as far as to make greater efforts to have a happier relationship with Mary which they do to some extent.

After taking over The Sketch magazine business, she has become much more independent and involved with affairs outside Downton Abbey. Due to disagreements with her chief editor, she has learned to be more assertive and more savvy about the business world.

Lady Edith Crawley is the second daughter to Lord and Lady Grantham, born in 1892. During the first series Edith is often said to be the "forgotten" one. This is because she was seen not to be as pretty and smooth-talking as her older sister Mary and less daring and passionate than Sybil, the youngest. Her rivalry with Mary is further fueled by the fact that Edith genuinely loved the dead heir, Patrick, but she stood no chance to win his affection once the beautiful Mary decided to pursue him. Everyone favoured the engagement to keep the money in the immediate family, despite the fact that Mary was no more than fond of Patrick. After initially trying to woo Matthew Crawley, she begins a relationship with Sir Anthony Strallan. Towards the end of series one he is on the verge of asking for her hand, but changes his mind when Mary implies that Edith was simply leading him on for her own amusement. At the time Anthony Strallan seemed to be Edith's last chance at making a successful marriage, and Mary intentionally intervened in revenge, because Edith had written a letter to the Turkish Embassy in London informing them about the exact nature of their attaché's death in Mary's bed.

During the Great War, Edith steps out of her comfort zone. She was the first of the Crawley family to learn how to drive an automobile, taking lessons from the family chauffeur Tom Branson. Upon the outbreak of the First World War Edith uses her driving skills to work on a local farm driving tractors, much to the bemusement and gratitude of the farmer. She starts a relationship with him, eventually sharing a kiss, although his wife is an unknown spectator to their embrace. She receives a letter shortly after this saying that her services will not be needed at their farm anymore. Edith is at first saddened by this, because she felt she had a purpose working on the farm. She decides to ask her sister Sybil what to do about her situation and Sybil encourages her to work as a convalescent helper. She is cheered by this, although it exposes her to the horrors of war firsthand while helping Sybil and the nurses care for the wounded soldiers. As a result, she becomes more sympathetic and is commended by a visiting general Matthew brought back to Downton while on leave. When an injured veteran claiming to be the late Patrick Crawley comes to Downton to convalesce, Edith believes his story. He tells her he always knew she loved him and wants to marry her once the family accepts him again. Edith believes "Patrick" whereas most in her family do not. When Patrick suddenly leaves, he leaves her a note that reads: "Dear Edith, it was too difficult. I am sorry. P. Gordon." She cries that they drove him away by not believing him.

After the war ended, she tries to resume a relationship with Sir Anthony Strallan, but he refuses as he sustained a severe injury that rendered one of his arms useless and does not want to tie her down to a disabled veteran.

Sir Anthony Strallan eventually proposes to Lady Edith and they become engaged. Some of the family doesn't really approve of the marriage, but they allow it for Edith's happiness. They are set to marry but Anthony has second thoughts and jilts her at the altar, leaving Edith devastated, believing she is destined to the life of a spinster. However, soon after, she receives a very interesting proposition to write in a newspaper. Her family of course do not approve with the exception of Matthew and Tom. She wants to move on and make something of her life, so she accepts an offer from the editor of the Sketch, Michael Gregson, to write in a regular column on issues which modern women are faced with. It soon becomes clear that Gregson is attracted to her. However, it is revealed that he is married to a woman who has been confined for years to a mental asylum due to insanity without any chance of divorce. On learning about this, Edith wants to resign her new position but reconsiders after he pleads with her to stay on.

When the family goes on vacation to Scotland, Michael makes the decision to follow Edith. He stays not too far away from Duneagle Castle, claiming he is attending a sketching and fishing holiday which causes Mary and Matthew to become quite wary of him. Cora and Robert decide to invite Gregson to dinner at the castle because Cora expresses a desire to meet him. At this dinner, Edith asks Michael why he is there, causing him to profess his love for her and that the reason he followed is because he wants her family to accept him. She tells him she does not see a happy ending for them. After an afternoon fishing with Matthew, he determines that Michael's love is good and honest and he and Mary agree that they think he is going to propose. However, upon discovering that Michael has an insane wife who he cannot divorce, he decides Michael is wrong to pursue Edith and tells him to say his last farewell to her that evening. He does so but is surprised when Edith tells him she doesn't want this to be their last evening together because she does love him.

In the six months which followed the trip to Scotland, Michael and Edith had grown closer. On Valentine's day, he sent Edith a card and invited her to attend a party in London with him in order to introduce her to his literary friends. He met her at the railway station. At the party, Edith and Michael, during a moment together, almost kiss before another guest interrupts them.

She later attends dinner alone with him at the Criterion where he tells her some of his plans to get a divorce. He tells her that, in Germany, he can be granted a divorce on the grounds that his spouse is mentally ill. This means he would have to become a citizen of Germany. Edith seemed surprised to hear that Michael would be willing to move countries for her and become German for her, especially so soon after the Great War. They then kiss without worry of being seen in the restaurant

Before Edith left London to return to Downton, Michael tells her although he has begun the long process of becoming a German citizen, he also wishes to try and gain her father's approval before their marriage because he thinks this is the only way they can have a future together. She suggests he visit Downton but he is a little worried about that. She suggests he attend an upcoming party at Downton, which he agrees to do. While he is there, she tries to encourage her father to talk to him more. Later, as Michael prepares to leave for Munich to finalize his citizenship change and divorce, she signs a document he gives her, entitling her to more control over his own assets. He starts kissing her, and she ultimately does not resist. They spend the night together.  

Unfortunately, her Aunt, Lady Rosamund Painswick confronts her after her maid spots Edith returning to the house at six in the morning. Edith defends Michael and insists she trusts him, and is upset when Rosamund reminds her of what happened between her and Sir Anthony Strallan. Edith is upset by this, saying it was unkind. She also does not feel sorry for her night with Michael, but Rosamund warns her that one day she may be sorry, because, she insists, not everything will change.

But after Michael leaves for Germany, time goes by and Edith receives no word from him and has no idea what has become of him. Her mother at first remarks he is probably busy. Her father is certain Michael will be fine, both he and Violet ultimately telling her to be patient. Nevertheless, Edith loses hope of seeing Michael again, but she still wants to know what happened to him.

Edith has lied to her mother about why Michael has gone to Germany, remarking he was sight-seeing. She later makes a secret trip to London to see a Dr Goldman. Later, as Edith's worries intensify, Cora assures her daughter that if something terrible had happened they would have heard by now. Then one night Edith receives a letter in the evening post from Dr Goldman.

She realizes she is pregnant with Michael's child. Robert tries to comfort her later when he finds her distraught. But she pushes him away, insisting that whatever he might say about his love for her, that she was never loved as much by him as her sisters. Rosamund later asks her what is troubling her. Edith confesses the truth, including that she has been considering getting an abortion for fear of becoming an outcast, despite loving Michael still and having wanted this child. She goes to the clinic with Rosamund (who is opposed to Edith's decision), but then decides at the last minute not to do it after seeing another woman there crying. She admits that the truth will soon break out among the rest of her family.

But by the time of the local bazaar, the family still does not know about Edith's condition. Rosamund suggests Edith travel to the continent, to Switzerland, ostensibly to "learn French" but in truth to give birth and then have someone adopt her child without anyone in England knowing. Edith is not too happy about this plan because she wants to be a part of her child's life and upbringing.

When Rosamund visits Downton for the bazaar and mentions the possibility of going abroad and taking Edith with her, Mary questions Edith, citing she never wanted to learn French and immediately suspecting it is an "incognito" search for Michael. Tom reminds her that it is a serious situation, for which Edith thanks him. Violet soon sees through this plan but agrees with Rosamund. She promises to remain silent about Edith's secret and support her. Still, Edith is in despair, beginning to wonder if God does not want her to be happy.

By the summer of 1923, Edith has given birth to a baby girl in Genéva, having left her with an adoptive family. In despair for having left her daughter in a foreign country, she decides she cannot go on like this and against the advice of her aunt and grandmother plans to return to Switzerland, retrieve her child and put her in the care of Downton Abbey estate tenant farmer Timothy Drewe and his wife. Her hopes are dashed further at seeing Michael again, and she feels she owes something to their child, knowing that Michael has given her power of attorney in his absence, and may well have left her everything in his will.

Edith regularly visits Yew Tree Farm to see her daughter Marigold. Her visits make Margie Drewe suspicious of her attachment to both her husband and Marigold. Mr. Drewe later asks Edith to meet him and tells her of this suspicion. Edith accidentally tells Drewe that Marigold is her daughter, by saying, "Well, that's better than the real reason." Drewe then reveals he had known about the connection since she asked him to take Marigold in. She asks him if he thinks she should control her feelings. He tells her he could but doesn't feel she should, because in his opinion, mothers should love their children. He says she needs a way to live the truth without telling the truth.

Whilst overseeing some maids, Mrs. Hughes finds a misplaced German primer book that belonged to Michael Gregson, and decides to return it to Edith, who asks for it to be left in her bedroom. Gazing at both her daughter's photograph and Michael's signature in the book, grief overcomes her and she throws the book, and it lands too close to the fire. Fortunately Thomas Barrow is patrolling the gallery later on, smells the smoke and, after raising the alarm, carries her to safety. The fire brigade, led by Drewe, eventually arrives and puts out the fire before any damage beyond Edith's room is done. As her bedroom is ruined, Edith sleeps in her father's dressing room. She tells her mother that she feels so stupid for starting the fire, but Cora dismisses it.

Edith goes to thank Drewe, and he tells her he has come up with a way for her to take a greater interest in Marigold, but Mrs. Hughes is nearby and overhears their conversation. Later she and Anna, while Edith's room is being cleaned, find the photograph of Marigold as a baby underneath Edith's pillow. Anna gives it to Mrs. Hughes, who holds onto it.

Mr. Drewe proposes making Edith a benefactor for Marigold, perhaps even a godparent. His wife however objects, remarking that her sister was named godmother to Marigold at her christening. She also, not knowing the truth, feels Edith is treating Marigold like a doll and notes, like Edith's family, that she might lose interest in Marigold someday. Drewe insists she won't lose interest, but Mrs. Drewe isn't convinced. Robert remarks that maybe Edith is doing this because she needs someone to love, with everyone coming to the conclusion that Michael Gregson is most likely dead.

One day, Edith agrees to look after Marigold while Margie is out. Margie returns to find the house empty, only to see her husband, Edith, and Marigold admiring pigs. Edith takes her leave, but Margie insists now that Edith cannot have their child. She even accuses her husband of being soft for Edith now. He angrily replies she is the one who is soft, soft in the head.

Later, he goes to Downton while the family are entertaining Russian refugees. Edith admits that she may have annoyed Margie, but Drewe tells her now that she must stay away, not forever but for now she must stay away. Edith takes the news very hard and goes past Mrs. Hughes and Anna to her room in tears. But when Rosamund and Violet discover Edith brought Marigold back from Switzerland, they propose sending her to a boarding school in France. Edith is horrified and tries to persuade her grandmother that there must be a way for Marigold to remain in her life. When she fails, she instantly begins making a plan of her own.

After Edith receives word that Michael is dead, she decides to leave Downton Abbey while her family are at the races (except for Tom, whom she says goodbye to before she leaves but does not explain where or why she is going). Edith then goes to the Drewe's cottage and explains to Mrs. Drewe that she is Marigold's mother, showing her a copy of Marigold's birth certificate (she had signed it with her real name rather than a false one as Rosamund wanted her to do, because she knew she might need proof one day). Although Mrs. Drewe does not take the news well at first, she accepts it and allows Edith to leave with Marigold, giving her the girl's teddy bear. Edith then travels to London (presumably) to a hotel room she had booked, and plans to celebrate her newfound happiness with Marigold, for although she admits being together is currently "not ideal" it is still "such an improvement on being apart."

Cora then learns the truth about Edith and Marigold from Mrs. Drewe. She is furious with Rosamund and Violet for keeping her in the dark about her third grandchild, and for learning that it was their suggestion of sending Marigold away that drove Edith to run off. She insists that they must find her and listen to what she wants.

Rose's suitor Atticus Aldridge suggests they should contact the London office of Gregson's publishing company, which Edith had inherited. As hoped, they find Edith there. She is upset that Cora has learned the truth, while Cora is disappointed in Edith using Mrs. Drewe the way she did. Edith insists she is not coming back but agrees to talk to her mother privately after Cora threatens to openly discuss the situation in front of Edith's new employees.

Edith reveals she was at first considering going to America, dropping her title and inventing a dead husband. But she chose not to go through with that plan for two reasons: she would prefer Marigold grew up English, and she does not want to let the magazine business fall into ruin. She was then considering passing Marigold off as her orphan godchild. Cora instead asks that she bring Marigold home, on the pretense that she is adopting her because the Drewes can no longer afford to raise their friend's child. Rosamund protests, but Edith agrees, insisting that neither her father nor Mary can ever know the truth.

Mary objects to the plan, but Edith successfully "adopts" Marigold and begins raising her in Downton. Robert soon figures out the truth due to Edith's "obsession" with Marigold and the girl's resemblance to Gregson, but Cora asks him to not say a word, even to Edith, for a little while longer. Robert agrees and thinks he will love his new granddaughter.

Later while the family is holidaying at Brancaster Castle in Northumberland, Robert reveals to Edith that he knows about Marigold and says they will do their best for her, for both Edith's and Gregson's sake. Edith is visibly touched by her father's kindness, and later Tom reveals to her that he too has figured out who Marigold is and agrees to keep silent too. She also befriends Brancaster's agent, Bertie Pelham.

Edith receives a telephone call from her editor, Mr. Skinner. Cora asks if there was a problem, to which Edith responds that "there is always a problem," and that Skinner does not like working for a woman. Edith and Rosamund visit her new London apartment that she inherited from Michael and discuss Edith's future. Edith visits Mallerton Hall with her family.

Edith goes to London again, this time receiving more problems from her troublesome editor Mr. Skinner. However, it was a problem closer to home that reaches a breaking point for Edith. Her sister Mary took Marigold and Mrs. Drewe was very overcome, which meant that she has definitely not gotten over Marigold, even though it’s been months since the little girl left Yew Tree Farm. Edith then later attended the Moulton Fat Stock show with her entire family, which ended in tragedy when Marigold went missing. Mr. Drewe then suspected his wife of taking Marigold back to their home as she and their family truck were also missing. Edith along with her parents and Mr. Drewe drive to Yew Tree Farm where Mr. Drewe reclaims Marigold back and hands the little girl back to Edith. Edith is overjoyed when she is back. Later the Drewes leave Yew Tree Farm and Edith thinks it to be for the best to avoid any more problems.

Edith then goes up to London again to check on the Sketch magazine but when she heard that the articles need to be printed by 4 am and Mr. Skinner hasn't really done anything much, she fires him. Luckily for her, she meets an old acquaintance Bertie Pelham, whom she danced with at Brancaster castle. Bertie asked her out for a drink but when she told him she couldn't and why, Bertie immediately offers to stay up late and help her out.

Fortunately after long hours of work, the magazine articles are printed and are sent to be delivered. Edith thanks Bertie and is very grateful for his help. The two discuss Edith's purpose of being an editor whilst having coffee. In the aftermath, Edith attends the wedding of Carson and Mrs. Hughes, where she along with the rest of her family are overjoyed at seeing Tom coming back and staying at Downton for good. She later opts to appoint a woman editor for her magazine.

Edith meets Bertie Pelham in London again where they discuss their own personal lives. Edith then invites Bertie to her flat for pre-dinner cocktails while he can pick where they're going for dinner. Bertie and Edith discuss recent events while drinking cocktails and get ready to go. Bertie helps Edith with her evening fur coat, and Edith asks him how he knew to choose the Cafe de Paris, since that was her favorite place. Bertie admits that he knew they liked the same things which made Edith turn around to look at him admirably and staring into his lips. Without thinking, Bertie kisses her. Bertie then admits his feelings for Edith to which she is amazed. She along with the rest of her family, are shocked when Lord Grantham vomits out blood due to a burst ulcer.

Edith invites Bertie to attend Downton's open house event to raise money for the local hospital. Edith meets Bertie at the drive, where they kiss again. She later takes him to the night nursery where she shows him Sybbie, George and Marigold.

Later, Edith invites her new editor Laura Edmunds to join her family and Bertie Pelham in seeing Henry Talbot race at Brooklands. Whilst they were watching, the event ended in tragedy due to Charlie Roger's death in a car accident. The family along with their guests have dinner at Rosamund's house. Edith and Bertie talk in the drawing room during the small hours where Bertie proposes to Edith. Edith is glad but she has yet to give him a proper answer although she asks if she can take Marigold with them, putting of the reason that she is very fond of her without revealing the real reason why. They then kiss before Bertie leaves.

Edith debates on whether to accept Bertie Pelham because he is now the new Marquess of Hexham due to his cousin Peter's unfortunate death in Tangiers. Everyone is delighted except for Mary, who plans revenge on her sister. Edith is afraid about telling Bertie the truth about Marigold, but Mary "accidentally" corners Edith into revealing to Bertie the fact that Marigold is her daughter. Bertie excuses himself and calls for a taxi. He breaks off their engagement when they talk later before he is due to leave, where he admits that he would still have married her even if what Edith had told him about Marigold was true, but, as she later put it herself, she tried to trick him, and he couldn't marry someone who couldn't trust him with the truth. Regardless, they wish each other good luck for the future, and Edith, who is heartbroken, decides to go to London. As she is packing her things, Mary comes into her bedroom and tries to apologize to Edith by claiming that she didn't know that Edith never told Bertie about Marigold. Edith, who is completely furious, lashes out her true feelings towards Mary by calling her a “nasty, jealous, scheming bitch” twice. Edith then leaves for London and picks up Tom along the way, she feels that Bertie will not come around about her supposed trickery towards him.

Edith meets with her secretary and her new editor, and they find out that Cassandra Jones, an individual who is interested in writing for Edith's magazine, is visiting the office for an interview. All three are unsure if that individual is the "real" Cassandra Jones, so if they feel that the latter is the real person, they agree on the code word "bananas." Cassandra Jones turns out to be Spratt, Violet's butler.

Edith comes back to Downton for Mary's wedding to Henry Talbot, and after a rather sweet conversation, they reconcile.

After Mary's wedding, Edith smilingly watches Sybbie, George and especially Marigold play tag and running around her late sister Sybil's grave.

Edith and Bertie meet up at The Ritz, a plan orchestrated by Mary and her aunt Rosamund who plays along. Rosamund then leaves and Edith and Bertie find themselves alone dining together. Edith is initially disappointed to see Bertie again and revealed that he broke her heart, but she did understand why he did it. However Bertie is apologetic and claims that he still loves Edith and wants her back to marry him. He tells her that he would have come back even if Mary hadn't telephoned him, and also that his mother doesn't know that they ended their relationship, and Edith says they have. But she claims that she has Marigold and Bertie has his mother and asks if he'd be able to withstand the gossip they would receive about Marigold and debating whether to tell his mother. Bertie however says that he still wants Edith regardless and they initially planned to keep his mother in the dark regarding Marigold. With their engagement back on, Bertie invites Edith and her parents, Lord and Lady Grantham to Brancaster Castle to meet his formidable mother. Mrs. Pelham is delighted and suddenly reveals her moralistic personality and how she expects her son to live up to it. During this time, she also reveals her dislike of the late Lord Hexham, and says he had no morale sense to which Bertie sternly shuts her down for. Lord and Lady Grantham are shocked by Mrs. Pelham's behavior. Edith then decides to tell Mrs. Pelham of her past regarding Marigold being her illegitimate daughter. Although Mrs. Pelham is against the marriage, referring to Edith as damaged goods and she knows it herself, Bertie stands up to his mother and claims he will marry Edith, nonetheless. Then at dinner, various guests of the nobility are invited as Bertie plans to announce his engagement to Edith. Mrs. Pelham interrupts him before he can do so, thanking everyone for being there and showing her support. Bertie then stands again, still intending to announce his engagement. However, Robert whispers to Mrs. Pelham that she should speak now or she'll lose her son forever, so she interrupts Bertie again and announces that Bertie is to marry Edith. After the dinner is over, Mrs. Pelham is won over and claims that Edith is a woman of birth and brains and was unimpeachably honest with her, having been willing to deny herself happiness instead of getting glory by deceit and thus should be applauded.

After arriving home, Edith thanks Mary for what she did to bring her and Bertie back together. On New Year’s Eve, 1925, Bertie and Edith finally get married with everyone in attendance, including Bertie's mother, at the St Michael's church at Downton. When Edith tells Mrs. Pelham that she hoped she wouldn't disappoint her, the latter replies by telling her to just love her son, and she wouldn't be disappointed in that. Bertie and Edith then leave for their honeymoon and share a happy kiss in the car as they drive away.

VERSES:

FROM THIS MOMENT ON: Canon

ROAD LESS TRAVELED: any unlisted AUs

AUS:

BOLDLY GO: (Star Trek) engineering ensign

Starter Call

[seriouslyobsessed]

Ship of the Day Edith Crawley/Pelham and Herbert “Bertie” Pelham From Downton Abbey

[rocklandhistoryblog]

#FBF - News from Yesteryear: Excerpt from the Journal News, August 8, 1970 – #50YEARS AGO: Thomas LoMedico of Tappan points to his creation of the medal to be presented by the State of Texas to the Apollo 11 astronauts who landed on the moon, and a detailed view of the medal.  Photos by Al Witt

📸Photos: Al Witt

LOCAL SCULPTOR COMES UP WITH TEXAS-STYLE MEDAL

Texas is a state which has a reputation for never doing things half-way.

It was characteristic, therefore, that the commission appointed by Gov. Preston Smith and the Texas legislature to determine how the state could best honor those adopted Texans -- the Apollo 11 astronauts -- should decide not to award them the medal of honor the state usually bestows but a special medal of valor which may never be issued again.

The medal has been designed by Thomas LoMedico of Tappan, a sculptor, whose reputation as a medalist is international.

The commission had hoped the ceremony honoring Neil A. Armstrong, Col. Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. and Lt. Michael Collins could have been held July 20, the first anniversary of their landing on the moon. But not all of them could be present that day. A new date will be set shortly for the ceremony in Austin, the state capital. LoMedico and his wife have been invited to attend.

The medal has been cast in gold. The reverse shows the entire compass of man's first visit to the moon, the deployment of the American flag by Armstrong and Aldrin, the rippled footprints their boots left on the moon's surface, the lunar landing module and, on the horizon, the earth. The medal bears the inscription "I’ve Come in Peace" and the date, July 20, 1969.

The commission had specified that the design for the medal should embody "the historical and incalculable significance of the flight of Apollo 11 and the bravery and daring of the men who brought the mission to its successful conclusion."

The Texas state seal is incorporated in the design of the obverse of the medal. It shows the single star which gives Texas its nickname, "The Lone Star State." To the left of the star is the branch of a live oak, a tree frequently found in Texas. To the star's right is an olive branch, the symbol of peace. Inscribed on the obverse are the words, "The State of Texas Medal of Honor Apollo 11 Astronauts."

LoMedico said the National Aeronautics and Space Administration had helped him with the research for designing the medal and had been "gracious enough" to send him photographs taken on the moon.

Among the objects which Armstrong and Aldrin left on the moon were medals struck in commemoration of Gagarin and Kamarov the Russian cosmonauts.

Future men on the muon, however, will be unable to leave the Texas medal of valor honoring the Apollo 11 astronauts. When the commission was formed, it was instructed that as soon as the model had been struck and accepted, it was to make sure the die was placed in the archives of the state with other historical mementoes, never to be used again.

Martin Dies Jr., Texas secretary of state, who is in charge of the presentation, was unable to say just how the commission came to select LoMedico to design the medal. LoMedico himself merely explained that "one project brings another."

For LoMedico, who is celebrating his 50th anniversary as a sculptor this year, there have been many projects. Among recent ones have been a medal honoring Jean-Baptiste Point DuSable, the Negro who was the first permanent resident of Chicago, and a medal honoring Capt. James Cook, British explorer, and mapmaker.

The first was commissioned by the American Negro Commemorative Society and the second by the Britannia Commemorative Society.

DuSable was an adventurer and trader who, while living with the Indians and trapping fur, traveled along trails which led to the present sites of Chicago and Detroit and parts of Canada.

Finally, in 1779, he decided to build a fur-trading post on the Chicago River near Lake Michigan. The single cabin built by DuSable developed into a growing trading center which became the city of Chicago.

LoMedico included DuSable's cabin and the present-day Chicago skyline in his design for the obverse of the medal.

LoMedico noted the design for any medal takes extensive research. Research for the DuSable medal was done at the Schomburg Library in Harlem.

The Capt. Cook was commissioned to commemorate the 200th anniversary of his exploration of the South Pacific. The reverse shows the explorer's head and a quadrant.

LoMedico explained the quadrant was significant of Cook's skill as a mapmaker.

The sculptor grew up in the Upper Bronx when it was a community much like Tappan, he, said. In the summer, he and the boys from his neighborhood used to go swimming in Pelham Bay Creek. There was a clay bank along the creek. LoMedico said he used to scoop up clay and fashion models of animals, "much like a child makes a snowman."

"I was the pride, of my friends," he recalled.

When he was 16, LoMedico was apprenticed to a sculptor. He served as an apprentice for four years. Evenings he attended the Beaux Arts Institute of Design.

LoMedico opened his own studio in 1935. His first works were life-size sculpture panels for the interior of the courthouse in Wilmington, N.C. Like so much other art then, they were ordered through the WPA's Section for the Fine Arts.

The sculptor recalled that many now-famous artists and actors found work through the Section for the Fine Arts. They used to meet in the same cafeteria when they went for their pay checks. Among the actors whom LoMedico knew then were Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton and Zero Mostel.

LoMedico is particularly known for his architectural sculpture and for his portrait plaques, as well as his medallions and medal's. Among his major works have been six statues of the saints, which he was commissioned to design for the exterior of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.

His first medal was one, honoring Herbert Adams, a sculptor and scholar, which he did in 1945, and for which he won a first award.

He has won many major competitions since, both in medal design and for sculpture. The latest was the gold medal of honor for a bust of his wife, Leonora, in a competition held by the, Allied Artists of America.

_____

Flashback Friday appears every Friday. To receive the full Flashback report (formerly seen in the Rockland Review), visit our website at RocklandHistory.org. To receive it in your email inbox, enter your email address at the bottom of the website’s landing page, or call the HSRC office to register your email at 845 634 9629.

[tessasocs]

world building wednesday + louise crawley please and thank you ❤️☺️

@randomestfandoms Louise for WBW?

YOU GOT IT BABES!!

B A S I C S

full name: Louise Violet Crawley

gender: Female

sexuality: bisexual

pronouns: she/her

O T H E R S

family: Arthur Castell (husband, REDACTED), Bertie Castell (son) Robert Crawley (father), Cora Crawley (mother), Mary Crawley (twin sister), Edith Crawley (sister), Sybil Crawley (sister, deceased), Matthew Crawley (brother in law) Isobel Crawley (distant cousin), Violet Crawley (grandmother), Tom Branson (brother in law), Sybbie Branson (niece), George Crawley (nephew), Marigold Pelham (niece) Rosamund Painswick (Aunt), Martha Levinson (grandmother), Harold Levinson (Uncle), Herbert Pelham (brother in law), @perfectlystiles Victoria Crawley.

birthplace: Yorkshire

job: heiress (formerly), volunteer nurse (formerly), hospital manager (formerly), lawyer of the estate (currently)

phobias: being passed over, being forgotten, losing those she loves, rejection

guilty pleasures: whiskey and beer, driving, American breakfasts, jazz music, politics

M O R A L S

morality alignment?: chaotic good (bordering on neutral)

sins - lust/greed/gluttony/sloth/pride/envy/wrath

virtues - chastity/charity/diligence/humility/kindness/patience/justice

T H I S - O R - T H A T

introvert/extrovert:

organized/disorganized:

close minded/open-minded:

calm/anxious:

disagreeable/agreeable:

cautious/reckless:

patient/impatient:

outspoken/reserved:

leader/follower:

empathetic/unemphatic:

optimistic/pessimistic:

traditional/modern:

hard-working/lazy:

R E L A T I O N S H I P S

otp: Louise x Tom

ot3: Louise x Tom x Mary (platonic only!!!)

brotp: Louise x Sybil, Louise x Mary, Louise x Mrs. Hughes, Louise x Carson.

notp: Louise x Henry Talbot, Louise x Pamuk

WBW

[townsenddecades]

1305 - Day 4

The quarter starts, once again, with rain, which doesn’t keep the part of the populace working the land from their fields and yards. The Townsends are no exception to that rule. They can’t afford to be.

Everyone breathes a huge sigh of relief when the weather finally clears up. The spring sunshine that greets them is wholly worth it, however. It’s as if the countryside wants to make up for the abhorrent rain and storms by presenting itself more beautiful and lush than it has ever been before. Or maybe it’s just the effect of the long autumn and winter that has the people of Tovar feeling this way.

They still have to actually work on that land, of course, but it’s much more bearable in warm sunshine than in pouring rain.  Even Anne uses the break in the weather to spend some time outside with her youngest, and to take up her old habit of knitting outside.

There are some surprises in this quarter, too. The first is that Benedict, who has spent considerable effort on improving the house, is hired for a job in Tovar, no doubt because of his contacts to the Crawley family. It doesn’t pay much, but it’s a welcome addition to their funds. He rarely travels to town, but he does it gladly for this.

The second is that they get a new visitor – Edith Pelham, wife of Herbert Pelham, the Earl’s steward.

“I’ve heard a lot about you”, she says, when Anne, a bit confused about the finely dressed lady in her yard, greets her. “My good-brother seems to quite rather like your husband. So I’ve wanted to meet you for myself.”

“And your good-brother would be…?”

“Why, Matthew Crawley, of course. My sister Mary has also told me a lot about your girls’ friendship with my nephew.”

Anne can’t imagine that Mrs. Crawley has had anything good to say, but Mrs. Pelham seems friendly enough, so she invites her to dine with her and her husband. They are all very cordial, but it still feels odd to have people living such different lives sup in her humble home. She can’t help the suspicion that they find it lacking.

And then, at the very end of the quarter, Anne finally gives birth to her child, yet another son. They name him Gregory, and are glad that he is strong and healthy.

They are confused, however, about his dark brown hair. He has Benedict’s eyes, at least, but as she is absolutely certain that she hasn’t lain with any other men, Anne can’t explain his hair even to herself, much less to her husband.

WATCHER’S NEWS:

Auguste de Bellefaye has happily survived to toddler age.

END OF THE YEAR STATISTIC:

Births:

Gregory Townsend (Main Household)

Deaths:

None!

Marriages:

None!

Prev: 1305, Day 3 <--> Next: 1306, Day 1

[myfairynuffstuff]

Herbert Edwin Pelham Hughes-Stanton (1870 - 1937) - Villeneuve- lès-Avignon. 1921. Oil on canvas.

[sybbelle]

To @magfreak Merry Christmas!! I hope you have a wonderful holiday and I hope this present fits all your requested 🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄

She was going to kill Edith when they finally got back to Downton.

Perhaps she’d kill Edith and burry the body in the backyard with the help of Thomas…or Mary. Either way, Sybil would make it look like an accident; and if she got caught she’d simply plead insanity because who wouldn’t go senile trapped within the four walls of an old run down hotel that the owners had the gall to label as ‘rustic chic’ thanks to the New York blizzard that meant they were now snowed in…. trapped in the misery of an American Christmas. Sybil’s stomach rumbled at the mere thought of Mrs Patmore’s Christmas pudding she was missing out on or the melt in your mouth shortbread cookies cut out in the shape of Christmas trees and Santa Clauses. Even Granny went wild around this time of year and endeavoured to bake her infamous Yorkshire pudding, showing a very rare domestic side to the Dowager Countess that always put a smile on her father’s face.  

But was Sybil enjoying the yuletide festivities of Downton; she could just picture it now. Her mother would be in a heated debate with Mrs Hughes over where the best place was for the exuberant Christmas tree; only to end up in the same place it always did, in the saloon for every guest to enjoy. Once that was ticked off her list, Mrs Hughes would be running around like mad trying to arrange the decorations that would adorn the rest of the estate; while Carson stomped around Downton like the Grinch who would steal Christmas if only she’d let him.

“Are you still moping?” Edith sighed, cautiously sliding onto the old barstool beside her little sister before waving the bartender over. Her Grandmother’s lessons in poise and propriety never left forgotten, she kindly asked for a glass of sparking wine; because women should never be seen drinking ‘the hard stuff’ as Granny would put it. But then Sybil was never much for rules and decorum if the amber liquid she continued to swirl inside the tumbler glass was any indication. Granny was certain that Sybil was determined to send her completely mad or completely grey before she died.

Slumped over the bar with her head in her hand Sybil scorned at Edith, “my mouth is watering just thinking about the smell of the kitchen back home right now, the smell of Mrs Patmore’s mince pies baking away in the oven while she chases Daisy around with a wooden spoon because the poor girl’s mixed up the measurements for the ginger bread house yet AGAIN.”

Sybil choose to ignore the snort she heard down the other end of the deserted bar; she really couldn’t care less about the opinion of a stranger she was never to cross paths with again…let alone a stranger who willing chose to stay in a place like this. The walls were cracked and the paint was peeling from a lack of attention over the years, while there was a distinct odour that carried throughout all the hallways but Sybil wasn’t game enough to ask anyone what it was. The bed was harder than a slab of concrete and there was a kink in her neck after a night’s sleep that she couldn’t get rid of; the thought of that bed taunting her above only reminded her of her own bed back home.

Damn Edith and damn this snow storm. They were only meant to be in New York for four days; a ‘girl’s weekend’ as Edith had put it when she asked Sybil to accompany her on her trip to visit her editor of the New York Times. They were meant to be on a plane and halfway across the Atlantic Ocean by now, but Sybil should’ve known better considering it’s well known amongst the family that Edith is a notoriously bad planner. She didn’t think there would be much harm in catching up with Sir Herbert Pelham for a quick drink down in Soho in the middle of winter two days before Christmas despite having to be at JFK Airport by 3pm…because who never heard about New York traffic. Sybil couldn’t help but roll her eyes yet again at her sister’s stupidity. They were never going to make it to the airport in time thanks to Edith’s ‘quick drink’ turning into a ‘late lunch’.

Maybe she should’ve just caught that cab to the airport without her sister Sybil thought to herself as she twirled her empty tumbler around the wooden bar top. But then how would she have explained that to her mother and father when she pulled up to the driveway by herself? How would she explain to them both that she was forced to abandon her sister in the great big concrete jungle of New York City because her sister had seriously underestimated traffic in order to meet a boy?

Taking a dainty sip of her flute glass Edith gently placed the glass down before running her fingernails over the cracked crevices of the old weathered bar. “I get it ok. You’re terribly angry at me, and you have every right to be. We’re stuck in the ‘Americas’ as Great Uncle Edward refers to it rather than being home for Christmas; and it doesn’t matter how much money one has it’ll never be enough to buy mother nature or sold out hotel rooms. Who knew that all the quality hotels would be booked solid on Christmas Eve” Edith laughed awkwardly, hoping that a bit of self-deprecating humour might score brownie points with Sybil.

“Geez who would’ve thought it” Sybil snorted with contempt, she couldn’t help it. She knew she was being childish; but Sybil wanted to cross her harms and stomp her feet as she cursed every man and his dog for being snowed in for Christmas. Sybil was one hairsbreadth away from a full blown tantrum. All she needed was for one more thing to go wrong, and Sybil knew without a doubt she’d be on the floor kicking and screaming like George did last Christmas when Mary refused to let him have another Christmas cookie; which she felt was completely justified on her nephew’s part…they were incredibly delicious cookies damn it.

Running her finger up and down the glass Edith looked like a fish out of water, opening and closing her mouth as she struggled to find the right words that wouldn’t result in her head getting bitten off. “I have an idea…” she hesitated.

“Oh splendid, and will this ‘brilliant’ idea have us stuck here for New Years Eve too” Sybil snapped, instantly regretting her acidic tone. She knew that her sister was only trying to make the best of a bad situation, but considering the year she’d had Sybil had really been looking forward to being home for Christmas. Who knew that one seemingly innocent trip would send her into d downward spiral.

“I don’t know how many times I have to say I’m sorry Sybil” Edith snipped as she slid off her chair, placing a $10 bill under the glass. “Edith Crawley screws up once again; surprise, surprise!” she cried derisively as she threw hands up in the air, scurrying towards the entrance hall in an eager quest to escape.

Sybil watched her sister storm out of the hotel into the freezing cold with nothing but a sheer cardigan to keep her warm. She knew she’d have to run after her soon with a coat and scarf as a peace offering, but the mocking snort she heard coming once again from the other end of the bar caught her attention. The man sitting at the end of the bar was a striking man grinning at her like he was short of a quid or two; yet there was something striking about the glint in his eyes. He quickly downed the rest of his drink before ordering two more from the bartender; pointing his finger at Sybil before making his way towards her. Sybil was subconsciously captivated by an obvious charm that he no doubt had, but there was something about the way he walked that suggested he wasn’t all too aware of just how attractive he was. And in Sybil’s eyes that made him even far more dangerous than the Larry Grey’s of the world.

“Seems like someone isn’t having a good run of it today” he observed with a brogue Irish accent that had Sybil biting down on her lip in a futile attempt to stop herself from groaning out loud. Sybil Crawley had always been a sucker for an Irish accent; there was something lyrical about a way a man could talk despite Mary’s jesting that it was more to do with the attraction of ‘slumming it’ with the lower class that Sybil knew would press her father and Granny’s buttons.

She took a deep breath as the bartender slid another glass of scotch towards Sybil; downing the amber liquid in a single gulp. She was about as undignified and unrefined as she could get right now; and if her grandmother could only see for herself. Sybil scoffed at the thought; Granny detested the fact that Robert and Sybil would always share a glass of single malt scotch after dinner while the other ladies insisted on a glass of sherry or a cup of tea. Granny always felt the need to point out to Sybil that men of wealth and stature were in want of a wife with propriety. As far as Sybil was concerned those men could go and stick their propriety up where the sun doesn’t shine.

“Look I’m really not in the mood at the moment, so if you don’t mind please leave me alone” said Sybil tersely; hoping that her prickly personality would send the poor sod running in the opposite direction.

“Fair enough” he held his hands up in surrender. “I couldn’t help over hearing your conversation and I was just going to say…”

Sybil slammed her glass down onto the bar, essentially cutting the cute Irishman off. “You were what huh? You were going to tell me how sorry you are to hear that I’m stranded on the other side of the world from my family at Christmas; then what? Then you’d try and offer to buy me another drink, console me in my hour in need. But here’s the thing, I’m not like the rest of your lot here. I didn’t choose to slum it in this dingy old hotel on Christmas Eve because I had nothing better to do.”

His nostrils flared at her unexpected outburst, his jaw clenching as he griped the glass tumbler tighter then was necessary. Damn it why does he have look so good pissed off? Sybil thought to herself, and like a balloon being popped she felt all the hot air deflate out of her.  

Rising from his chair the poor bloke bowed before her, swiping his hand across the room. “Well my Lady I’m terrible sorry, it was my mistake for thinking that the Brits had moved on from their Imperialistic notions of aristocracy; but it would seem that some of you have yet to join the rest of us in the twenty first century” he seethed before storming off towards the exit.

Sybil was stunned by his retort, rendered speechless by his emboldened and impassioned speech that reminded her of a man who was no stranger to assumptions and stereotypes; but before she could call out some fleeting apology the man turned on his heels and marched back towards her.

“And for the record, although it isn’t any of your business, I should be half way back to Ireland by now. Instead I’m stuck here talking to a seemingly innocent woman who is in fact nothing more than a snob who sees herself as being above everyone else.” His chest heaving as he struggled to catch a breath; Sybil cursed her own mind because she couldn’t help but wonder what other activities would get him as breathless.

Behave woman! Get control of yourself! And since when are you your grandmother? You’re the one always preaching about equality and acceptance to the Dowager, so why the hell are you being a right royal cow?

“I’m sorry” the words got caught in her throat as she tentatively reached out to take hold of the man’s bare wrist; choosing to ignore the spark she felt tingling down her spine at the mere touch. “I was a complete cow and it was uncalled for, I’m just…I’m just not coping very well. I’m not trying to make excuses, but it’s been a really crappy year so I was hoping Christmas would help. But I guess that was my mistake, I shouldn’t be so surprised that a crappy year ends with a crappy Christmas.”

His shoulders slumped and Sybil’s mouth quivered a little, offering a brief smile at the handsome stranger as she held her hand out; “I’m Sybil Crawley” she introduced herself.

Taking her hand into his he couldn’t help but notice how smooth and soft her porcelain skin was; or the way her eyes shone with relief at his forgiveness. “Branson. Tom Branson.”

Gesturing towards the empty seat beside her Sybil order another round of drinks and asked if there was any chance that the kitchen was still open. She couldn’t help but groan in relief at the news that the chef was closing up for the night, but he could still fry off some chilli cheese fries if she wanted.

An awkward silence sat heavily between the two strangers; Sybil was at a loss for words and that was more disconcerting to her than anything else because she always knew what to say. But there was something about Tom, something that threw her off and rendered her speechless or completely defenceless. Either way, it was a feeling she wasn’t used to.

“So what brings you to this neck of the woods?” she tried to joke, but it fell flat based on the stoic look on his face. She laughed awkwardly to try and break some of the tension only it came out more as a gurgled snort.

Tom took pity on the beautiful Brit and smiled apologetically; “I’m here on business. I was supposed to fly home for Christmas, but alas mother nature decided that it was not to be.”

Nodding her head in sympathy Sybil took a sip of her drink to try and clear the sudden frog in her throat. “What is it that you do for work exactly?” she asked with genuine curiosity. Sybil prided herself on being able to read people well; to understand what made them tick, but with Tom she was self-conscious around him.

Tom couldn’t help by smirk at the seemingly innocent question, “what is it you think I do?”

Sybil couldn’t help it; a burst of laughter erupted from within as she threw her head back and laughed. “There is no way I can answer that question without offending you in some way” she giggled, “or be accused of being a British Imperialist who is intent on continuing to subjugate the Irish” she teased with mirth in her eyes.

Shaking his head with a smirk Tom couldn’t get over the amazing sound of her laugh, the lyrical music that just made him want to break out in a Cheshire grin. “I promise there will be no more accusations” he crossed his heart then offered his pinkie to her in a rather juvenile attempt to lighten the mood.

She side eyed him for a second before taking him up on his offer, pinkie swearing as though they were eight year olds out on the school playground; promising not to dob on one another when they finally got caught.

“Well let’s see…” Sybil hummed as she drummed against the bench top. “You seem to have an understanding of the political and social history between England and Ireland, which means you’ve either undergone tertiary education on the subject or you like a bit of light reading on the subject matter.”

“Fancy yourself a bit of a detective Ms Holmes” Tom teased, winking at her blush that was quickly creeping down her neck. “Does that make me your Watson?”

Nearly choking on her drink Sybil spluttered across the bar, this man was well versed in literary and political subjects. Definitely an educated man. “If I remember correctly Watson tolerated Holmes’ eccentricities…”

Quirking an eyebrow at Sybil, Tom nodded his head in agreement; “well it’s only fair. There are some people in the world who just can’t see beyond the end of their own nose.”

It was as though they were caught up in a staring competition, waiting to see who would crack first; only to end up calling a truce in which they both laughed manically at their own stupidity.

“Ok I clearly suck at this. So I give up…what is that you do?” Sybil asked, pinching one of the scolding fries that was placed before them only a minutes ago.

Tugging on his royal blue suit jacket and straightening his shoulders Tom smiled with pride; “university lecturer…Professor of Modern Political thought; I deal mostly with political theorists like Marx, Foucault, Habermas.”

Dipping her fries in extra sauce Sybil chewed on that information for a minute or two. It seemed that Tom was a mystery wrapped up in what would appear to be Ralph Lauren. “So do you have the tweed jacket and Clark Kent glasses to go with the title?” she asked jokingly, yet the sexy smirk Tom shot at her sent warning bells off.

“Well now that you ask?” he drawled, reaching into his suit pocket only to pull a pair think black rimmed reading glasses.

Sybil scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief as he put them on. Damn it the man needed to come with a warning label. She wasn’t one to drool over a man, let alone become tongue tied. But there was something about him…something that made her heart speed up and her palms sweat. “Seriously? This is a joke right…something that you and my sister Edith cooked up together?”

Reaching out for a fry of his own Sybil couldn’t help herself, playfully smacking his hand away. “Get your own mister. I don’t share food.” She teased, popping another fry into her mouth a smug smile.

“So that’s how it’s going to be” Tom laughed, shaking his head. “You really are something Lady Crawley.”

Sybil could feel her cheeks warming as she bowed her head, a compliment from Tom felt like the most precious thing in the world. Pushing the plate towards him as a gesture of good will Sybil rested her chin in her hand; sighing gently at how a crappy day suddenly turned into a pretty good night.

“And what is that you do for a living?” Tom chomped away at the fries, “besides handing out insults for free.”

Twirling a piece of hair around her finger Sybil gnawed at her lip, a sudden urge to kiss the complete stranger had taken over. “I’m a paediatric nurse back home in London; but I’ve just sat my BMAT test, so I should be getting my results in February. If all goes well then I can begin medical school.”

“Wow” Tom whistled, he was thoroughly impressed. “Brains and beauty; you really are an incredible woman” he raved without even thinking. His ears burning bright red from embarrassment once he realised what he’d said.

“So Ireland. What’s it like growing up in the rolling hills?” She asked, trying to play down the comment.

“There aren’t much hills in Dublin” Tom answered as his phone vibrated in his pocket. Pulling the iPhone out of his pocket he couldn’t help but smile at the photo of Santa’s little helper; aka Gwen and John’s little girl Adeline.

“Something funny?” asked Sybil, gnawing at another chip to help try and distract herself from the sudden surge of jealousy coursing through her.

“My friend, Gwen, we’ve been best friends since we were little. She just sent me this photo of her little girl Adeline” Tom explained, turning his phone towards Sybil.

She couldn’t help but awe at the beautiful little baby with deep blue eyes and bright red hair; sitting on Santa’s lap with a candy cane in her mouth, wearing a little elf outfit. “She’s adorable” Sybil replied, staring longingly at the photo. She knew if her plans for medical school went through it would be years before she could even think about settling down, let alone think about having a baby. But she wasn’t so stubborn that she couldn’t admit there was a small ache at the way George lit up whenever Mary walked into a room; or the way he runs towards Matthew as fast as his little legs would take him.

“She’s absolutely adorable” Sybil sighed, reaching out towards the device to get a better look.

“Do you come from a big family?” Tom asked with fascination, he wanted to know everything he could possibly know about her.

“Depends on what you consider big. I have two older sisters; Mary and Edith. Mary is married to a barrister, Matthew and they have a three-year-old son George. There’s my Grandmother Violet, who is the Dowager Countess…”

“A bloody dowager?” Tom interrupts aghast, “you Brits and your titles. So that would make your father…” he drawled, waiting for Sybil to fill in the blank.

“My father is the Earl of Grantham, or Lord Grantham, and my mother is the Countess” explained in a matter of fact. The titles were always bells and whistles to Sybil, they never really held much importance to her despite her grandmother’s frustration with her devil may come attitude to their family title.

“Geez Louise, and here’s little old me proud as punch with my title of Professor” Tom scoffed tugging away at his shirt collar; has the room gotten hot all of a sudden?  

Tentatively reaching across the bar Sybil took hold of Tom’s hand with a gentle squeeze; a silent gesture of comfort. “I’ve always much preferred Professors to Lords and Earls” Sybil whispered softly as if this was a secret that must be kept between the two of them.

Before Sybil even had a chance to pull away Tom threaded their fingers together; holding on tightly as he leant across the bar. “Well I guess it’s a good thing that you go for nerdy chic instead of sexy rich” he whispered softly, his hot breath caressing her cheek.

Sybil’s could hear the blood rushing in her ears, feel her heart pounding in her chest. “I’ve always thought of your kind more as the sexy nerds.”

Pulling on Sybil’s hand he couldn’t help but notice a bit of chilli sauce right on the corner of her mouth; and something embolden took over. Tom has never been this forward with a woman before as he leant across and kissed her.

Sybil had always been that girl who rolled her eyes at every rom-com or chick-flick, never really buying into the sappy love scenes. But in that brief moment it felt as if time had come to a complete stop; that they were the only two people in the whole room and nothing could have ruined the perfect moment. He certainly knew how to kiss, and Sybil was only to eager to figure out what other talents lay beneath the surface.

“You had a bit of sauce right there” Tom whispered pointing to the corner of her mouth. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the stunned look on her face, he hadn’t set out to kiss her…at least not from the get go. But by the end, Tom knew he had to take a chance because he may very well never get to see this beautiful creature sitting beside him ever again.

The soft rhythm of a jazz rendition of “Dreaming of a White Christmas” echoed throughout the bar, comforting the few hotel guests who refuse to return to their lonely and cold hotel rooms. But sitting beside Tom she felt anything but cold and lonely; instead she felt warm and excited…adrenaline buzzing through her veins.

“Well I guess it’s a very Merry Christmas for the both of us” Sybil retorted, yanking on Tom’s shirt as their mouths clashed together; duelling against one another in heated game of cat and mouse. Neither them could have cared less who took the lead, or who called the shots; because at the end of the day they knew that they both won. Only this was a Christmas gift with a no refund policy, terms and conditions which they were both very happy to bare the cost of.

[harrietmjones]

I don’t think I’m getting confused and this is just a continuity issue or am I missing something?

In Series 5 Episode 9 (aka A Moorland Holiday), when Edith first meets Bertie at the shooting party, they begin talking between one another, with Edith asking him several questions. It’s here when answering, where he tells her how he’s related to the old, deceased Lord Hexham.

“The old Lord Hexham was my father’s cousin, his second cousin.”

This is the man who’s the father of Bertie’s cousin, Peter, the current (at the time) Lord Hexham.

Then, later on in the episode, at the after dinner dance, this conversation between Edith and Bertie happens, whilst they dance with one another:

“What’s the new Lord Hexham like? He must be your cousin.”

“My third cousin. Does that count?

This is correct, as the children of second cousins would be third cousins to one another, so officially in this episode, we know that Bertie and Peter are third cousins.

In Series 6 Episode 8 however, when everyone is in the Parlour Room, after hearing of the death of Peter and learning that Bertie is the new Marquess, Cora and Edith exchange this bit of dialogue:

“Was he a close relation?”

“Second cousin once removed.”

Did Edith misspoke here? Was Bertie incorrect with his facts back in Series 5? Is it an oversight by the writers? Which is the official relationship we should be believing?

It’s an oversight to me and it’s one that bothers me, mostly because of working as a genealogist when I was younger and having to know and understand all the names for relatives and the connections in which two people are related.

Just felt I had to put this down somewhere, it’s been bugging me if I’m honest.

Well, anyway, whatever might have been going on, it led us to the happy ending of one of my favourite couples on Downton Abbey.

[blackkudos]

Curtis W. Harris

Curtis West Harris, Sr. (born July 1, 1924 in Dendron, Virginia) is an American minister, civil rights activist, and politician in Virginia.

Civil rights work

Harris' civil rights work began in 1950 with his stint as President of the Hopewell chapter of the NAACP. In 1960, he was arrested and sentenced to 60 days in jail for his role in a sit-in at segregated Georges' Drugstore in Hopewell, Virginia. Later in that year, he protested the segregation of the Hopewell swimming pool, which eventually led to the pool's closure. In 1966, Harris led a peaceful demonstration to prevent the building of a landfill in Hopewell's African American community; and was confronted by the Ku Klux Klan on the steps of city hall.

In 1960, Harris helped to organize the Hopewell Improvement Association, an affiliate of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and was elected Vice President. He was named to the Board of Directors of the National SCLC in 1961 while Martin Luther King, Jr. was president. Also in 1961, Harris was cited for contempt by the Boatwright Committee of the Virginia General Assembly for not revealing the names of individuals associated with SCLC and not responding to the questions asked by the committee. On March 29, 1962, Martin Luther King along with more than 100 Virginia ministers and laymen accompanied Harris to his contempt trial (Boatwright Committee) in Hopewell. Harris worked with King on multiple civil rights initiatives, including the March on Washington and the Selma to Montgomery marches and considers King as one of his mentors in the Civil Rights Movement. He served as president of the Virginia State Unit of SCLC from 1963–1998, and was elected the National SCLC Vice President in 2005.

In 1987, he led a march against discrimination in Colonial Heights, Virginia. In 1996, he filed a discrimination complaint against a Fort Lee, Virginia military unit. In 2007, Harris marched against a proposed ethanol plant being built in Hopewell with support from the national SCLC.

Other professional work

Curtis Harris was working at Allied Chemical when he was ordained a Baptist minister in 1959, and with First Baptist Bermuda Hundred in Chester, VA being his first pastorship. In 1961, he was called to pastor at both Union Baptist Church in Hopewell, VA and Gilfield Baptist Church in Ivor, VA. Harris retired from Gilfield in 1994, and on December 16, 2007, he retired as pastor of the Union Baptist after forty-six years.

In 1983, Harris' repeated efforts, in combination with many other voices, moved the city of Hopewell to replace its longstanding at-large system with a ward system to elect city council members. Harris made repeated attempts until he was finally elected to the Hopewell City Council (Ward 2) in 1986; in 1994 he was elected vice mayor; and in 1998, Harris was sworn in as the first African-American mayor of Hopewell. After 26 years of service to the city as well as to his constituents in Ward 2, Curtis Harris retired from his seat on the Hopewell City Council on March 1, 2012.

On February 11, 2014, the Hopewell City Council voted to rename Terminal Street, Rev. C. W. Harris Street. For 57 years, Curtis and Ruth Harris lived at 209 Terminal Street, a street in Hopewell which now bears his name. The council also voted to rename Booker Street (which intersects Terminal), Ruth Harris Way in honor of Curtis’ late wife, Ruth. The Street Sign Ceremony hosted by the Hopewell City Council was held at Union Baptist Church on June 15, 2014 to pay tribute to Rev. Dr. Curtis W. Harris and his late wife, Dr. Ruth J. Harris. Herbert Bragg, Hopewell’s Director of Intergovernmental and Public Affairs was master of ceremony, music was rendered by the Harris Connection Singers and statements were made by Dr. Anthony Nutt, Mayor Michael Bujakowski, Vice Mayor Jasmine Guy, City Manager Michael Haley, Councilor Brenda Pelham, Councilor Jackie Shonak, State Senator Henry Marsh and Dr. Joanne Lucas, Rev. Harris’ daughter. Letters were read from Governor Terry McAuliffe, U.S. Senator Mark Warner and U.S. Senator Timothy Kaine.

Wikipedia

[wikidaily]

Herbert William Fisher (30 July 1826 – 17 January 1903) was a British historian, best known for his book Considerations on the Origin of the American War (1865). Fisher was born at Poulshot, Wiltshire, the son of Rev. William Fisher (1799–1874), rector of Poulshot from 1823 to his death, and Canon of Salisbury Cathedral from 1834 and his wife Elizabeth Cookson (c. 1803–1851). He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford and became a tutor in 1851 becoming tutor to the future King Edward VII in 1859. He was called to the bar at Inner Temple in 1855 and served as private secretary to Henry Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne. In 1862 he became private secretary to the Prince of Wales, his former pupil, and became Keeper of the Privy Seal in 1865, before being appointed to the position of Vice-Warden of the Stannaries, Cornwall in 1870.Fisher married Mary Louisa Jackson (30 December 1841 – 24 August 1916) on 5 Aug 1862 in Hendon, Middlesex. She was born in Calcutta, the second daughter of John Jackson, physician in the Bengal Medical Service and her younger sister, Julia, was the mother of Virginia Woolf. Her older sister, Adeline, married Henry Halford Vaughan. Fisher and his wife had seven sons and several daughters. The sons included historian H. A. L. Fisher, and Admiral Sir William Wordsworth Fisher. Among the daughters was Florence, Lady Darwin. Another daughter, Adeline Maria, was the first wife of the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. Fisher's funeral took place in Brockenhurst, Hampshire on 23 January 1903. The King and Queen were represented by Major-General Sir Stanley Clarke.

[bookloversofbath]

Frozen Assets :: P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse

Frozen Assets :: P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse

Frozen Assets :: P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse soon to be presented for sale on the fantastic BookLovers of Bath web site!

London: Herbert Jenkins, 1964, Hardback in dust wrapper.

From the cover: When Edmund Biffen Pyke departed this life he left behind him a mountain of money and a will calculated to make interested members of his family question his sanity. That he should leave his fortune…