The next day Robert woke feeling just as despondent as he had the night before . His sleep when he finally got it , was restless and full of anxious dreams . As he swung his feet over the bed and sat up , he recalled a particularly strange dream . He had been walking in the garden when he had seen a figure huddled by a tree , wearing wet ragged clothes and looking extremely thin. He went over to see who they were and what they were doing when he saw it was Jane . She looked up at him and held her hands out for money as if begging . Suddenly he was transported , as people are in their dreams , to the library , where the dream had taken a different track of which he could remember nothing , but the desperate , pleading look in Jane's eyes still hovered vividly in his mind and he was filled with the desire to see how she was . As he thought more on the subject he realised that he should have gone to see her long before now . How had she felt about being caught with him in the library ? Was she alright ? He knew he had found the whole experience very traumatic to say the least ,so how had she coped with it ? He was determined to see her just once more to find the answers to these questions .

He leaned over and rang the bell .The room was filled with a dull morning light and Robert got up and opened curtains . A thin layer of snow had settled on the wide lawn and dusted the tops of the old trees that leaned over the gravel walk . The sun that still retained that orange glow from the early morning scattered a sparkling light across the grass and caught the veil of mist hanging over the garden . It was a beautiful sight and it gave comfort to Robert . He had always been able to take comfort in the house and gardens or indeed any part of the estate . When things were going badly it was always there , never changing , always constant . The door opened and Bates came into the room , a stiff brown jacket hung over one arm and his cane in the other " Good morning mi' lord " he said with a slight respectful nod .

" Good morning Bates " Robert replied . As Bates dressed him he wondered how to introduce the subject of Jane . If Robert was going to see jane he would have to find out where she lived in one way or another but he wasn't sure how to slip it into conversation without it sounding odd . She lived in the village , that much he knew but he didn't have a clue beyond it ." has Mrs Hughes had any luck finding a new house maid ? " he asked thinking it might lead the conversation in the right direction .

" I don't think she has mi' lord ." Bates answered fastening Roberts cuff links " pity Jane went , she was a nice girl . I can't think why she left . "

" yes , quite . " said Robert with an affected air of indifference " I do feel for the war widows they've had a terribly wretched time of it . " there was a long pause and Robert decided that it was now or never " You don't happen to know where Jane lives do you ? " . He said a little quickly . Robert was glad that Bates was behind his back brushing his jacket and therefore couldn't see him as he said this , he was also rather thankful that he could not see Bates' no doubt surprised and suspicious expression . " No mi'lord I'm afraid I don't . " said Bates with a curious tone in his voice " may I ask why ? "

" Oh , it's nothing really just some donation I promised to make to the war widows fund . " he lied .

" I can do that for you mi'lord ."

" Oh there's no need for that . Not when I'm going up myself . " Robert protested .

" I will ask Mrs Hughes for the address ." suggested Bates as he finished brushing the jacket .

" Thank you Bates . "

Back on the ship Cora woke with a start and for a moment she couldn't remember where she was . She glanced around the room trying to make sense of it when a sudden tipping motion reminded her she was on board the RMS—sailing for America .As she lay there trying to accustom herself to the swaying motion of the boat she thought about Downton . Glancing at the clock she saw that it was 8 o'clock . The servants would be up now, dusting and polishing , going about their chores and Mary and Edith would probably still be in bed . She tried to picture them now lying in their rooms , their eyes closed in peaceful slumber , Mary's thick dark plait spread over her pillow . It had only been a day since she had last seen them but she missed them already . And Sybil , where was Sybil ? What was Sybil doing ? Cora preferred not to think about it , she could not picture Sybil sleeping safe and sound in a four poster bed with the silk throw tucked around her. She would be in a small cramped house somewhere in Ireland , Cora didn't know what Sybil would be doing and it worried her . After O'Brien dressed Cora , she went downstairs to the breakfast room but she couldn't touch anything, partly from the rocking of the ship and party from the dull sensation she had in her stomach .The sensation that she had since she saw Jane in village . She didn't want to think about their meeting but the moment kept coming back to her over and over again . She couldn't bare it . She just couldn't bare the thought that Robert loved Jane more then her ." But does he ?" A hopeful voice would sometimes sing . " does he love her more ...no Cora it's you he loves . Go back Cora , go back . " No . No. The voice must be crushed . Perhaps he did love her . What of that ? He had treated her wrongly , he had insulted her and she would let him know it .When she was younger she had heard of men with their mistresses , many of her friends and acquaintances had husbands with more than one . She remembered how tolerantly they had ignored their husbands behaviour , turned a blind eye and brushed it to the side . They had been English women with arranged marriages , brought up to be tolerant but she was American and it would not do for her !

Meanwhile , Robert had obtained Jane's address and was standing outside her cottage . It was a small house , very small , with only two dark windows at the front and a patch of overgrown grass posing as a garden . Robert stopped outside the door , took a deep breath and knocked . Suddenly he realised he hadn't quite prepared himself for this , he wasn't sure what to say or what to do . What if Jane didn't want to see him ? There was no turning back now . Robert heard a noise inside the house and the door opened . He looked up expecting to see Jane , instead he saw a small boy of around eleven with sandy brown hair and hazel colour eyes . This must be Freddie .The boy took in Roberts Savile Row suite and expensive tie and looked a little taken aback . " Who is it Freddie ? " came a woman's voice and Jane appeared in the door way . Jane looked equally shocked to see Robert and he couldn't work out whether it was an entirely pleasant surprise . " Freddie , why don't you go and see George , you promised to call on him today. " Suggested Jane looking down at the boy . "Oh please mother , I don't wan- " Freddie started but he was silenced by a look from his mother and fetching his coat from the peg he ran reluctantly outside . Freddie was a smart , good natured looking boy and Robert felt proud to have given him a helping hand . " He's a fine boy . " he said expressing his approval . Jane simply smiled in reply but Robert could tell that his compliment pleased her . " Come inside ." She said and Robert followed her into a dimly lit room where the remains of a dying fire were smouldering in the grate . " I wasn't expecting you . " she remarked tidying Freddie's books off the tabletop . There was a long pause . It seemed odd , Robert thought , that after everything they had felt for each other they should have nothing to say and simply stand there quite formally like strangers passing on the street . But then perhaps it was because of everything that had happened between them that they were silent . It was like there was a boundary between formality and familiarity separating them and each dared not move or speak for fear of braking it . " Why are you here ? " said Jane making a tentative tap at the ice . " I wanted to make sure that you were alright . " replied Robert "after ... . "

"I'm fine , as fine as I can be . How is Lady Grantham ? " Asked Jane " I suppose she was very upset . "

" yes " answered Robert finding it strange to talk about it " yes , she was . "

" But she's better now ? " said Jane with an optimistic tone in her voice . Robert hesitated before answering , he didn't want to make Jane unhappy but he couldn't lie " No " he replied " I'm afraid not . " Jane felt a pain in her stomach , she didn't like to think that she had injured Cora ,she hadn't meant to , all she'd wanted to do was love Robert . She remembered when she had seen Cora in the motor . Cora had looked so unhappy. " I saw lady Grantham yesterday . " Jane said " In the village . "

" what ? " exclaimed Robert worried about how Cora might have reacted . " she was in the motor . " Jane added .

" Did she see you? "

" I think so , yes . " Jane answered .

Robert could see that Jane looked troubled . The fact that Jane felt bad about what had happened to Cora made him feel even more guilty . In his mind he had been the one to blame . " I'm sorry ." Jane said softly " Without me you'd both have been happy . "

" No , It's my fault . " Robert murmured " It's all my fault . "

" But you're not happy, are you ? " Said Jane stepping forward and taking his hand .

She didn't have to wait for a reply she could see it in his eyes . " And I want you to be " she continued " more than anything ...and I know you can be happy because ..." Jane swallowed hard " Because you love Lady Grantham . I can see it and she loves you however she may feel now ...and you're right together . "

" but what about you ? " Asked Robert seeing how much pain it had caused her to say what she had said .

" We're not right together . "