"Do we really have to go ?" frowned Tom as his wife helped their eldest daughter out of the bath.

"It's in aid of the cottage hospital," explained Sybil, reaching down to pull their youngest out of the water and onto the towel on her lap. "And there a rather a lot of Rose's friends coming up from London. I think Mama feels she needs all the chaperones she can muster. "

Tom enveloped his oldest in a towel and watched as she wrapped it around herself and hopped gleefully from foot to foot.

"She wants you as a chaperone ? Because you're an old married lady ?" he teased.

"She wants us both as chaperones."

"Where are you going ?" Niamh interrupted.

"Granny has asked us to a party at Downton, sweetheart," he said.

"A party !"

"For grown-ups" added her mother, giving her a significant look.

"Ohhhh" she whined dramatically.

"It won't be any fun," said her father, "its probably not going to be very exciting."

"Will you play games ?"

"No, love, its not that sort of a party."

"What will you do, then ?" she asked curiously

"We'll stand around in our best clothes and talk to a lot of very boring people" he said firmly

"Oh. Will you have trifle ?"

Sybil couldn't help but laugh.

"There might be trifle. But if there is, I am sure Mrs Patmore will save some for you and Aoife."

"You won't be missing anything" her father assured her.

"So you'll go then ?" asked Sybil,

Tom rolled his eyes.

"I suppose so - if there's Mrs Patmore's trifle..."

Cora was starting to regret letting Rose talk her into organising this benefit. Her parents were supposed to have arrived back from India two days ago, but bad weather had delayed their voyage and they were now not scheduled to arrive back in the country until next week. Despite Cora's careful tutelage and care, Rose was still a little too fast for the Countess' liking. She sighed as she watched her downstairs, flitting about excitedly, directing the staff as to the placement of decorations for the night's entertainment. She especially wished she'd not let Rose persuade her into opening up the ballroom - a room that had not been used since Edith's abortive wedding five years ago. On the one hand, Cora found her excitement charming - but when she thought of the same giddiness transplanted to a ballroom full of eager young men, it became more troublesome.

She was glad she had roped all three of her daughters into being present, two of them with their husbands. She had invited a number of their acquaintance from the County, but she felt that Sybil, Edith and Mary would be far more effective chaperones than Robert's rather stuffy middle aged friends. Rose had been allowed to invite a number of her own friends, which meant invitations had been extended to a number of young men whose parents Cora didn't know and whose character she was in the dark about. It was too late now, she sighed. She would be relying on Mary's hauteur, Edith's knowledge of the London set and Sybil's worldliness to help her keep things in check. Edith was coming up from London alone - her father would not be happy about her presence, but after nearly losing Sybil in childbirth five years ago, Cora was adamant that each of their daughters would always be welcome at Downton, whatever they did in life. She was not ready to lose any of her children. Thinking of Sybil, she smiled. Somewhere between Edith's shocking lifestyle in town and Matthew and Mary's daily bickering, Robert now regarded the daughter who had run off to Ireland with the chauffeur as the sensible, practical one. He was even beginning to forget Tom had once been employed to drive him about, being more concerned these days with berating his son-in-law's latest article. Although why Robert even insisted on taking The Manchester Guardian, Cora had no idea.

With Sybil in mind, she made her way to the nursery. The Bransons had arrived shortly before lunch - the children allowed in the drawing room whilst their parents had tea with the family and then whisked up to the nursery for lunch with their cousins. Cora wanted to visit her granddaughters before the inevitable fight broke out between Niamh and George. After that happened, one or other of them would be sulking or in tears for the rest of the day and the atmosphere in the nursery would suffer.

She found Sybil with her children, explaining to Nanny the progress they had both made since their last visit in talking and reading. Peter and Aoife were already happily engaged in a game of sorts, Peter intent on explaining his latest toy, whilst Aoife looked at him in awe. George was flicking though a picture book, doing his best to ignore Niamh, who was dancing round her mother, trying to distract her.

"Granny !" Niamh ran to her and she picked her up, swinging her on to her hip.

"My, Niamh, you've grown ! What a big girl you're becoming !"

"I go to school now"

"I know you do, darling. But don't you miss your Mama, being away all day ?"

"No" said Niamh, quite matter of factly. "There are lots of books" she continued enthusiastically "and all the little girls and boys sit at tables and Mrs Fletcher tells us stories. And we do drawings."

"She loves it," Sybil smiled. "We're lucky if we get a kiss goodbye in the morning now."

"She still seems so small to be away from home all day."

"They take them at four, Mama, so she's not any younger than any of the other children there. And anyway, won't Mary and Matthew be sending George to school in September ?"

"He'll have a tutor until he goes to school. Both the boys are down for Eton."

"Eton ? But Papa went to Harrow...is that where Matthew went ?"

"Matthew went to Rugby, but he didn't like it so he doesn't want to send his sons there. And Eton is handy for when they will be in town."

"Harrow's even nearer…." said Sybil sceptically.

Cora sighed.

"Oh, I don't know. Perhaps they just want to be different from your Papa…"

Sybil turned to George, still engrossed in his picture book.

"Are you looking forward to having a tutor, George ?

He nodded, bringing his legs up even further in front of him and disappearing behind the book.

"He's just not used to sharing the nursery," said Nanny.

Sybil raised her eyebrows at her mother.

"I would have thought that sending him the village school would have been a good idea," she continued thoughtfully, "seeing as those children are the future of the estate. Surely it would be a good way to get to know his future tenants ?"

"I think Matthew wanted to, but George doesn't want to go and Mary won't force him."

"Why don't you want to go to school, George ?" Sybil turned back to the child, "Niamh goes and she loves it, don't you, darling ?"

Niamh nodded enthusiastically. George scowled at her before shaking his head, slowly.

Sybil gave up, turning back to her mother.

"Well, I think we're done here. Go and help Nanny put your things away, darling." They watched her elder daughter obligingly do as she was told. "What can I do to help for tonight ?"

Cora rolled her eyes.

"Just keep an eye on Rose and her friends. They'll start to arrive shortly. I hope Edith can tell me who they are because I really don't know half of them."

"When is Edith getting here ? I feel I haven't seen her for months !"

"Pratt's meeting her on the four o'clock train."

Sybil smiled at the thought of seeing her sister again. Since Edith moved to London several years ago, their busy lives meant they did not see each other as often as they would like.

"I'll go and see what Rose is up to, then."

She moved to the door when her mother's voice stopped her.

"Oh - Sybil - there is one thing I need to tell you," Cora began anxiously. "Now, please don't be cross…." Sybil stopped smiling and looked at her mother with some trepidation.

"Larry Grey is coming tonight."

"Oh Mama ! After what he did to Tom before Mary's wedding ? How could you possibly allow him back here ?"

"I'm sorry darling - but it was Rose. He's part of her set in London. Of course I wouldn't have him here, but she only told me he was coming this morning. She's been a little…..free with some of her invitations," said Cora bitterly.

Sybil frowned in annoyance.

"I'd better find Tom and tell him. He won't be very pleased…."

"Your father isn't very pleased either. But we'll just have to manage things so that their isn't a scene."

"Oh, so I'll just tell Tom not to drink anything, then we'll be fine."

"Please, Sybil. What's done is done. And it was a long time ago so hopefully he won't try anything silly like that again."

Cora watched contritely as her daughter shook her head in disbelief.

"But how on earth does Rose even know Larry ? I would have thought he's far too old for her set of friends !"

"Apparently he owns a nightclub in London. Edith says he knows a lot of young people."

Sybil gave a very unladylike snort.

"That doesn't surprise me," she said, "it seems just the sort of shady thing he would be involved with. What does Lord Merton think ?"

"I don't think Giles is very happy about it, to be honest,"

"I can believe it." She reached out to open the nursery door. "Well, it looks like tonight is going to be an interesting evening, doesn't it ?"

Next up: The evening gets underway...