Barrow's Boy - A Downton Abbey Fanfiction

When Given the Chance

     Theodore had just been leaving for school, already delayed by the distraction of Jimmy receiving a large box meant for someone upstairs, when Rose found him, quickly coming towards him. He looked over at her, surprised, and tucked his books under his arm. 

     "Lady Rose," he said, walking towards her to fill the space between them. "You're out and about early today."

     "I wanted to catch you before you left," she responded, her heels crunching against the gravel as she slowed in her approach. "I was going to discuss the Nanny West issue with Cousin Cora today."

     "Yes," Teddy prompted, quite sure that there was more to that thought.

     "But then I discovered that she was let go last night." Teddy blink, staring up at Rose for a moment. 

     "She what?"

     "She was fired at some point last night over a different incident. I've not been given many more details, I'm afraid."

     Teddy looked towards the Abbey for a moment, as if the answers would be somewhere out there. All he could see was his father through one of the windows, doing some sort of duty. 

    "Thank you for letting me know, Rose. I'm afraid I have to go now, but truly, thank you. And thank you for offering to help as well."

     "Of course," Rose replied, smiling at him. "You go now. I mustn't keep you from where you need to be."

     Abigail, Percy, Eleanor, and Katherine sat with Teddy at lunch that day, the group sitting in a circle on the floor. 

    "I've never really been one for reading or writing," Eleanor admitted, rubbing the apple in her lunch on the skirt of her dress. "It's not really interested me, I suppose."

     "Really?" Katherine replied, looking at Eleanor as if she'd claimed to be the devil. 

    "To each their own," Teddy quietly added, shaking his head. He wouldn't blame Eleanor for this - he knew many servants at the Abbey with a similar attitude when it came to the topic - but he found that he simply couldn't relate.

     "I've other things to do with my time," she said, then took a bite of her apple. Teddy watched the juice of it spray towards Percy, who had been sitting quietly for most of the conversation. He supposed that that was likely a smart idea. 

     "Like what?" Katherine asked. Percy glanced over at Teddy and shook his head, an expression on his face that clearly said that he thought they should drop this here. Teddy could understand where he was coming from; Eleanor was very head-strong in her ideas. 

    "Other than looking after my younger siblings?" As the only one in the group who had that job at home, Eleanor liked to use it as a way to express her maturity. Abi and Percy had both told Teddy that they found this incredibly ridiculous and, from the looks that were currently on both of their faces, he knew that they still thought this. 

    "I like arithmetic," Eleanor continued. Theodore shifted his gaze back to her as she spoke. He could see Katherine shaking her head again in his peripheral vision. 

    "Isn't that subject rather male-dominated though?" Katherine replied. From her seat next to Teddy, Abi tensed. 

    "Uh oh," she said, so quietly that Teddy was likely the only one to hear. He was also the only one who had to hold back laughter as the conversation continued. 

    "Then shouldn't we be working to fix that? To add equality to the world? Women have the vote now!" Eleanor exclaimed. Although Teddy's back was to them, he had a feeling that the other students' attentions were being pulled towards them. "That's just the start! If we want equal rights, we have to fight for them everywhere. We've been given the chance to now!"