Mary is returning from her 'sketching' trip today. Emma and Anna have been working hard on preparing a folder that contains either fashion sketches or portrait sketches for Mary that were supposedly made on her 'sketching' trip.

"So, what did Mary think of the proposition from the man in Leeds?" Emma asks her husband as he picks her up from the Hospital.

Tom frowns contemplatively. "Not sure yet, but she'll be open to it when she realises how good of a deal it is. Her father on the other hand..."

"Would it be weird if I somewhat agreed with him?" Emma says tentatively.

Tom glances over at her, surprised. "It is. Why?"

"I just worry that an outsider, someone that doesn't know the Village will build these new modern homes that might not fit with the local area." Emma explains. "In my time, there'd be similar style houses going down the road then suddenly this new modern one that stands out like a sore thumb and doesn't match its surroundings."

"Well, we don't have to make a decision now and we won't know anything till we see the plans." Tom replies.

——

Emma is just fixing her hair before dinner when Gemma knocks, picking her head round the door. "Just coming in to see if you have anything that needs washing."

Emma smiles at her friend through her mirror. "Yes, the basket is over there." She gestures to the corner of her room.

Gemma goes over and begins shifting the washing into her own basket.

"Any development on your job hunting?" Emma questions the maid.

Gemma sighs, putting down her basket and slumping on the bed. "Nothing yet, I'm not even sure what I'm looking for."

"You need to try a few or more to find what fits you. You'll find your calling." Emma reassures her. "A war had to happen for me to find mine."

"I suppose."

Emma smirks at her friend. "I bet you never thought you'd be leaving Downton and here we are."

Gemma rolls her eyes, but it's softened by the smile on her face. "And I bet you never thought you'd be dining with the great Earl and Lady Grantham and here we are."

Emma laughs. "True. So, how's things downstairs?"

Gemma shrugs. "Alright I suppose. Mr Molesley is getting used to being the only footman, Daisy is singing Miss Bunting's praises."

Emma chuckles. "Nothing new then."

"No, but..." Gemma pauses, frowning.

"What?"

"A Sergeant Willis has been popping up the past week."

Emma freezes. "Sergeant? As in Police? Whatever for?"

Gemma shrugs carelessly. "It's the Mr Green business. Turns out his death might have not been an accident at all, there's a witness or something. I don't know why they're bothering us."

Emma stares at Gemma with wide eyes, panic rising inside her. "And what did they see?"

"I don't know, only Mr Carson and Mrs Hughes know." She looks at Emma questioningly. "Why?"

"N-nothing." Emma says hurriedly. "Best be going, they'll be waiting for me." She darts out of the room before Gemma can say a word.

——

They enter the Drawing room after dinner with Thomas holding the door for them.

"Of course, you must bring them. If you want to." Cora says to Rose.

"Oh, they do so love an excursion." Rose says.

Rose has been spending a lot of time with her Russians in York and has brought up the idea of them visiting Downton.

"Well, it'll be fun, and I'll come and help." Isobel remarks.

Emma nods. "Me too if it doesn't clash with a shift at the Hospital."

Rose and Edith go to the card table. While Emma sits on the settee with Cora and Isobel sitting down in chairs next to each other.

"What are you going to do in London?" Mary asks as she moves past her mother.

"I have a fitting with Monsieur Molyneux. He's over from Paris." She replies.

Mr Molesley approaches Mary. "The Dowager Lady Grantham is on the telephone for you, M'lady."

"Thank you." She walks off.

Emma frowns. Why is Violet calling Mary at this time for?

"Will you stay at Rosamund's?" Isobel asks Cora.

"If she'll have me." The Countess replies. "Robert, any chance you could come, too?"

"I'm afraid I can't. I've a dreary meeting all afternoon." Robert replies from where he, Billy and Tom stand talking by the fireplace.

"What about you, Edith?" Cora asks. "I'm going to take Mr Bricker up on his offer to show me the National Gallery."

Emma raises an eyebrow at that.

"I'm watching little Marigold. Mrs Drewe is taking the youngest boy to the dentist in Thirsk." Edith answers.

"Can't someone else step in?"

"I said I'll do it."

Emma observes for a moment before Cora pulls her back into the conversation. "Emma, Billy?"

"I'm sorry, Cora, but I've got work." Emma apologises.

"And I promised to help Tom." Billy adds.

"Rose?"

"We're taking my Russians to Haworth, to see where the Brontës lived." Rose replies.

"What will they make of the Brontës?" Cora wonders.

"Oh, good things, surely." Isobel says. "Hopeless lovers wandering over a desolate moor. If it wasn't Emily Brontë, it could be Tolstoy or Gogol."

"That's why I want to bring them to Downton." Rose adds. "They can compare the old Chekhovian vie de chateau with the way the English do it."

"Won't that make them unhappy?" Billy questions.

"A little nostalgic maybe, but they seem to enjoy that."

"We have some Russian things here, from when Papa and Mama went in 1874. I should look them out." Robert says. Mary returns from the telephone. "What did your grandmother want?"

"She wondered if I'll have time to look in tomorrow. That's all." Mary replies.

Emma waits till Mary is sitting next to her before leaning over. "Seriously though. Why she calling you now of all times?"

"I honestly don't know." Mary admits. "I'm sure I'll find out tomorrow."

"So, how's Tony? Did he sweep you off your feet enough for you to marry him?" Emma questions quietly.

Mary doesn't react as she expects. The look that goes across the eldest Crawley daughter's face is one of uncomfortableness. "Not yet, but there's no rush."

Emma raises her eyebrows. "I'd argue the opposite."

——

Cora heads off to London the next morning while Emma is at work and, to her surprise, she also learns that Thomas departed as well. Gemma tells her his father is very ill and Thomas needs to hurry to see him. This causes Emma to sense something is off as she doesn't recall Thomas getting on well with his father, if anything Thomas had implied to her that his father may have been physically abusive. Another surprise is that Robert's meeting is cancelled so he'll be heading off to London to surprise his wife, which Emma thinks is quite sweet.

Mary also immediately pulled her aside to explain that turns out Spratt, Violet's butler, had spotted Mary and Gillingham in Liverpool causing Violet to find out and come up with the lie that Gillingham had taken Mary to a conference. Violet hadn't been pleased with her granddaughter's actions but had been happy to hear of Gillingham's proposal. Once again though, when Emma questions her on setting the date or whether they're going to announce it, Mary is evasive and uncomfortable. Emma is beginning to wonder whether Mary has changed her mind and finds Gillingham isn't the one.

——

The situation with Sergeant Willis has gotten worse. It turns out Green had complained about being mistreated and having a quarrel with Mr Bates to those he worked with. Wallis had fooled through with those comments and had interviewed Mr Bates.

Mrs Hughes explains this to both Emma and Mary as the three of them gather in the housekeeper's Sitting room just before dinner.

"But surely if Bates convinced Willis he was in York that day..." Mary argues.

"I only said it may not be over." Mrs Hughes placates.

Emma frowns. "What do you mean?"

"The Sergeant's a nice man, but he's not the brightest button in the box. According to Mr Carson, Mr Bates told the Sergeant he visited a shoe shop as it was opening. The shoe shop is in Queen Street, ten minutes' walk from the station." Mrs Hughes explains.

Mary and Emma share a look of alarm.

"He also had a cup of coffee at the Royal York, which operates as a station hotel."

"So, he still had time to get a train to London and back?" Emma questions. This isn't good.

"Do you think Carson registered any of this?" Mary asks.

"I doubt it. And he wouldn't give Mr Bates away if he did. But there's a danger that Sergeant Willis or someone he talks to may put two and two together." Mrs Hughes replies.

"They'd still have to prove it." Mary insists.

Emma nods in agreement. "Exactly, the evidence so far is very circumstantial."

"Yes, let's keep a hold of that." Mrs Hughes agrees.

——

"Edith seems to be a bit off to me. Did you notice?" Emma wonders as she and Mary sit on the settees, opposite each other, in the Library after dinner.

"I'm not sure I'd notice." Mary remarks casually.

Emma rolls her eyes at this. "Well, she does to me. As if she were always thinking about something else."

"I might say the same of you." Mary says pointedly.

Emma shrugs. "Maybe, oh I don't know. Something's up with Edith, Mr Bates being interviewed, Gemma might be thinking of leaving and then Tom and me moving closer to making plans for America. Everything is happening and I don't know what to do for the best. I worry I'll hurt people."

"I know exactly what you mean." Mary blurts out then looks surprised. "Sorry. That just slipped out."

"Are you talking about Tony Gillingham?" Emma questions her, seeing this as her chance.

"Maybe." Mary admits, sighing. "I don't know. I'm not sure."

"I thought you'd settled on him. Everyone seems to think so." Emma pushes.

"I had. I think. But now, I seem to have un-settled." Mary says. "Goodness! I haven't said it out loud before." She gets up to get herself a drink.

"So, what's he done wrong?" Emma asks.

"Nothing. Spending that time together recently made me begin to wonder how much we really had in common." Mary confesses.

Emma gets up to join Mary, who pours drinks for both of them. "Yeah, that so-called sketching trip. I think Tom, and maybe Billy, suspects it wasn't the truth."

"The point is, I wasn't seeing him clearly, but now I do..." Mary reveals, "he's a nice man. A very nice man. But not... I mean, of course, we'd talked about things. But I think my judgement was rather clouded by..."

"The sex? The risqué opportunity to be alone with a man you're not married to?" Emma remarks with a smirk.

Mary rolls her eyes but there's no heat behind it. "You sound as if you're writing Elinor Glyn's next novel."

Emma chuckles slightly. "Well?"

Mary sighs. "Maybe I was. But I seem to have got over that now." She acknowledges as they sit back down.

"Well, I'll back you up if you support me."

"With your move to America? Are you both really moving forward with it?" Mary questions.

"Seems so." Emma admits, staring into the fire in a daze.

"Well, you're asking a lot. I can't bear the thought of you and Tom leaving." Mary replies.

"Well, if you love me, you'll support me." Emma says.

"Then I suppose I'll have to." Marley says with a sad smile.

Emma sighs. "I just worry about leaving everyone and everything."

"You went to Ireland." Mary points out.

"That was different." Emma argues. "America is so much further away. Literally a different continent."

"You don't have to, you know. It's your life too." Mary argues.

Emma smiles softly at her friend. "I know, but honestly, I'm happy wherever Tom is, and I want him to be happy if that's not too cheesy."

Mary smiles softly back. "Not to me."

——

Everyone – Rose, Emma, Billy, Edith, Mary, Tom and the staff – are busy in the Great Hall, arranging tables and chairs for the Russians when Cora, Robert and Baxter come in, followed by Mr Carson.

"We're back." Robert calls, drawing their attention.

Emma smiles. "Ah, we thought you were going to miss it. Rose was beside herself." She notices Cora going straight upstairs without greeting any of them, shooting her husband an irritable look. What's that about?

"No, not likely." Robert replies. "By the way, before I left, I asked Pattinson to look out the Russian things from my father's visit there. Did it happen?"

"Oh, it did. And they'll be so thrilled." Rose says, slightly out of breath but she has been running about all morning, trying to set everything up.

"If we're going to do it, we might as well do it properly." Robert says.

"There's not nearly enough lemon." Rose says, distressed as she checks the buffet.

"Well, shall I go down and tell them?" Edith offers.

"No, I'll do it." Rose rushes through the servants' door in the corner.

As if pulled out of a magic hat, Tony Gillingham walks in at this point too with Isobel and Violet not far behind. Emma spots him and nudges Mary.

"Tony? I don't believe it!" Mary greets him with a smile before they embrace.

Gillingham looks around. "What's going on?"

"Don't ask. Rose wanted to invite some Russians for tea, and it's turned into a Jubilee celebration." Mary replies.

Emma leaves them to join Robert, Violet and Isobel, tactfully leaving Mary and Gillingham to talk in private.

"Hello, Violet, Isobel." She embraces them in turn. The two greet her back before moving along to say hello to Gillingham and Mary. Emma watches curiously as Mary and Violet walk off together.

By the time Cora comes walking down the stairs, everything in the Hall is ready for the visiting Russians, who soon arrive, and they all move forward to greet them.

——

Everyone is having tea and chatting. There are many Russian men and some women, the men nearly all bearded.

Emma sees that Gillingham and Sarah Bunting stand talking to an elderly gentleman with Billy later joining them. She had been downstairs to teach Daisy and had consequently been invited. Emma had happily greeted her but had felt uncomfortable with her being here because of how Robert dislikes her so much.

Everything seems fine until the Russian gentleman suddenly yells, "How dare you say such things to me?!"

"I don't think she meant any..." Billy tries to say apologetically. Seems Sarah has already managed to irritate the Russian gentleman.

"She curses the name of our Holy Father, the Tsar!" The man retorts, enraged. He's so loud that more people are turning to watch.

"I said he was misguided in his policies." Sarah says. Emma winces, really not the right person to say that to.

The gentleman is deeply distressed. "No, no, no, no, no. I can't listen to this!" He turns to find Rose. "Lady Rose, would you please arrange for us to return to York immediately?"

There's an embarrassed silence but thankfully Cora saves the day. "Oh, but before you go, won't you come and see the mementoes of the wedding of Tsar Alexander II's daughter? Lord Grantham had them put out especially for you to see."

The Russian man is surprised. "You have Romanov relics here?"

"My parents went to St Petersburg in 1874." Robert replies cheerfully, but Emma can see him casting an irritable look in Sarah Bunting's direction.

"When Queen Victoria's son, Prince Alfred, married the Grand Duchess Maria." Cora adds.

Their guest is tearing up. "Grand Duchess Maria." He clasps his hands as if in prayer. "Those words... they already make me weep."

Rose moves in to take his arm, comforting him. "Oh, dear. We can't have that."

"Thank you." Rose puts her arm around him and leads him towards the Library with the others following.

Robert turns to Billy then. "Billy, keep her under control."

Emma is outraged that he'd say this. "Now hang on. Don't put this all on Billy!"

"She only wants..." Billy tries to say but they've already moved away. Billy sighs, looking very unhappy.

Emma opens her mouth to say something but then Isobel calls to them from the Library door, "Are you all coming?"

Emma gives her a slight smile. "Of course."

Hopefully, Ivy's fourth birthday will have less conflict.

——

The mementoes of Robert's parents' journey to Russia have been laid out on a table – among them a fan, two Fabergé eggs, a snuff box, a book, photographs and more. The Russian guests are admiring them, the men wiping tears, the woman crying openly.

Emma stands with Mary, Isobel and Tony while the others group around the emotional group, watching them.

Violet soon approaches the table. The man offended by Sarah earlier, shoos his countrymen out of the way to make room for her. "Excuse me. Make way. Make way."

Violet speaks, looking at the mementoes, "Oh. Oh, how funny. I wondered what had happened to that fan." She turns to Robert, who'd followed. "That wasn't given to your father. It was given to me."

She seems to rather relish the memory. The Russians are listening attentively.

"Who by? The Tsar?" Robert questions.

"No. No. Not by the Tsar. No. No, we were at a ball. In the Winter Palace." Violet explains, Emma walks forward, curious to hear more. "And it was so... oh, it was so hot. There were icicles outside the window. But the rooms were as hot as the tropics. And I was wearing pale blue velvet, trimmed with silver lace."

An elderly man with long grey hair and a beard speaks up, "And when I gave you this fan, you hid it in your reticule in case Lord Grantham should be angry."

Violet clearly recognises him and looks almost startled at his appearance. "Good heavens."

"I hope you can forgive me." The man apologises. "When I knew the others were coming, I could not resist the temptation."

Emma shares a look with Mary. This is interesting.

Robert is hugely surprised and doesn't seem to recognise the underlining meaning of their words. "This is amazing. You know each other? You met in St Petersburg?"

"We did." The man replies.

Violet makes the introductions. "Allow me... to present my son, Lord Grantham. Prince Kuragin."

"I am flattered to be remembered." Prince Kuragin says.

"How is the princess? Well, I hope." Violet asks.

"I don't know." There's an awkward silence.

"Why don't we go back to the hall and have some more tea?" Rose interrupts.

Violet looks at Rose, grateful to be rescued. "Yes. Thank you."

Violet and Rose lead the way back into the Hall. The Russians follow. Emma, Mary, Tony and Isobel hang back.

"Granny has a past!" Mary remarks, astonished. "Thank heaven Papa and Aunt Rosamund were already born, or we could spin all sorts of fairy tales!"

Emma rolls her eyes fondly and nudges Mary as if to chastise her. Though she has to agree, it's very interesting.