Mary sat in front of her dressing table, trying to decide which earrings to wear. Or that was what she was pretending to do, while in truth, she was simply finding something to do with her hands. She was nervous. She had never been present at formal meetings with Jarvis, even when she and Matthew had been so involved in learning about the estate. The only contact she had had with the man had been seeing him briefly when he came to talk to Papa, and those few times she and Matthew had asked for his assistance, and he had been deliberately unhelpful.

She was so happy that Matthew had suggested, insisted really, that she be present at the meeting, but now she felt the pressure to prove herself capable of what he thought she was capable of. Jarvis was already prejudiced against her, and she knew Papa saw her involvement as a whim of Matthew's that he was willing to indulge rather than something more serious. It was at moments like this that she understood Sybil's passion for fighting for women's rights. It seemed so unfair that she had to prove herself all the time.

Matthew watched her and knew exactly what she was thinking. He was thinking the same. Although Robert was more willing to listen to him than to Mary, his relationship with Jarvis was quite possibly worse than Mary's. He knew Jarvis thought he was a middle class city boy who knew nothing of running country estates, and like so many other people, Jarvis seemed to think his mind was as useless as his legs.

He sighed. They didn't want to be late; it was going to be hard enough without that disadvantage too.

"Are you ready, darling?" he asked gently, watching Mary's expression in the mirror. When he saw she was still holding both pairs of earrings without really looking at them, he added, "The red ones will look lovely. Red always makes you look formidable."

Mary sighed, then put the red earrings in and stood up.

"Right, remember the plan," she said, walking over to stand behind him and massage his shoulders. "We don't criticise anything or anyone. You will not use the words, 'mismanaged', 'failed' or 'waste'. We emphasize that we need to move forward with the rest of the world if we aren't to be left behind. We appeal to Papa, not Jarvis, because he's more likely to listen. We stick together, stand up to Jarvis, and don't allow him to belittle us."

"We'll be fine, Mary. We are a good team, you and I, and we are in the right."

"I know. Shall we go then?"

"Much as I would love you to continue this delightful massage, yes, we should go. We're going to be fine."

"I know we will be."

"This mean the overhaul of every part of the estate we hold in hand, and some large new parts in addition, all in an instant," Jarvis said, his tone of voice stating his disapproval in no uncertain terms.

Mary rolled her eyes and Matthew sighed in exasperation.

"But don't you see," Matthew said, trying his best to remain calm and sensible about the whole thing, "if we invest in new machinery, new methods and new techniques, the whole estate must benefit by it. And as for taking new lands in hand, we won't be running it as separate farms. We'll find another use for some of the farmhouses-"

"This is ridiculous," Robert interrupted, his voice raised as he began to lose his patience. "Downton has existed for hundreds of years in perfect harmony. We have worked with the farmers as partners. Now you want to blow it all to smithereens!"

"Of course I don't, but-" Matthew began, but this time Jarvis interrupted.

"If I may, my lord," he said politely, "Mr Crawley, you're very new to our way of life here."

Matthew felt his temper rising. This was ridiculous. He and Mary had spent the last half hour explaining their plans in detail, in a way no one who was unfamiliar with the way Downton was run could possibly manage. Yes, it was true he hadn't been born to this life, but by God, he had worked hard enough to come up with these plans, when in truth, it wouldn't be his responsibility for many years yet.

"I beg your pardon?" he said angrily, glaring at Jarvis. Mary put her hand of his shoulder and squeezed gently. It was a gesture to calm him, and to show that she was with him, and he was grateful for it.

Robert sighed, and said more calmly, "There's no point biting Jarvis' head off, you are new to it." He didn't ever mean to get angry with Matthew, but the truth was, Matthew knew very little of Downton compared to someone who had grown up there, and much as Robert appreciated Matthew's eagerness to help, he did wish his schemes weren't quite so… radical.

Matthew opened his mouth to reply, but Mary, guessing he would not be able to speak calmly at that moment, spoke instead.

"Yes, Matthew is relatively new to all of this, although surely after all the time we've spent learning about the estate to come up with these plans, you must see that he is not unfamiliar with the way things are done here. But you can't possibly claim that I am new to any of this. I was born here, I grew up here, and I mean to die here. You cannot possibly claim that I don't care or don't think about the tenants, when I have cared about and visited them since I was old enough to walk. I know very well how things work, and I understand about the importance of tradition. But Papa, you must see, if we put tradition above running the estate as efficiently as it can be run, we will lose everything. Have you not noticed how many of our friends are selling their estates, or parts of them? The world is changing, Papa, and if we are not to be left behind, we must change with it." Her voice was quiet and calm compared to the men, but it was also firm and confident, compelling everyone present to listen.

Robert looked at his eldest daughter with a mixture of pride and surprise. It seemed mad, but sometimes he almost forgot that this beautiful, intelligent woman was the same person as the lively child he had taken to visit the tenants, who had been so kind and friendly, when at home she was cold and distant. Mary was right; he couldn't possibly claim that she didn't care about the people.

"These plans are as much Mary's as mine," Matthew said, calmer now, and proud of Mary's speech. "If you cannot trust me, trust her. I am sorry, Robert, but this latest loss is not the problem. The problem is that you have been bailing the place out with Cora's fortune for decades. Downton must be self-sufficient if it is to have a chance of survival."

Robert sighed deeply and closed his eyes briefly, thinking about what Matthew had said. "Why can't we allow things to evolve more gently?" he asked tiredly. "It's not that I question your goal, Matthew, just your methods, and the speed with which you think we should make the changes."

"Papa," Mary said gently, "We have to do something. Things will not just 'evolve'. You taught me the history of the estate very well, and so I know that letting things remain as they are does not work. You know very well that the third Earl almost went bankrupt and lost everything, the fourth Earl didn't do much better, and we all know that without Mama's money, we wouldn't even live here now. If we want to keep Downton, we must act."

Jarvis cleared his throat. "Lady Mary, I am certain the situation is very distressing for you, but I assure you, we do not need to talk in this way. The situation is not at all desperate, and there is nothing for you to worry about. These matters of business are very complicated, and I would not expect a young lady such as yourself to understand, but truly, you need not concern yourself with things that are beyond your comprehension. I assure you that you are not in danger of losing your home."

Mary clenched her hands into fists and gave Jarvis her most withering stare, but before she could speak, Robert put his hand on her shoulder.

"Mary, Jarvis is right. We lost some money, but we are not in true danger. It was a bad investment, and thanks to Matthew, it was a relatively small amount. You don't need to worry about it. I know you care about the tenants, and about Downton, and I am proud of you for it. But the truth is, you are new to this aspect of estate management. As Countess, you won't need to be involved in this. Your mother and grandmother never have been," he said gently.

Mary shook off her father's arm and glared at him, moving closer to Matthew. "Yes, I will be involved in it. Matthew and I work together as equals. If I had been a boy, you would have wanted me to be involved in all of this. Please do me the courtesy of valuing my right to be involved based on my understanding and intelligence, rather than my sex."

"Mary is right. We are partners, equals," Matthew said, taking Mary's hand in his. "You should value your daughter more, Robert. She is as intelligent as any boy educated at Eton, even if she has not been as well educated. But we are forgetting the purpose of this meeting. Mary and I have worked very hard to draw up these very detailed and well thought through plans. They will make Downton more profitable. We have plans to look after any tenants that will be affected. These are the facts. The question is what we all propose to do now."

Robert sighed again and walked over to look out the window.

Jarvis took a few hesitant steps towards him and cleared his throat. "If I may, my lord, perhaps it would be best if…"

"No, Jarvis, you may not," Robert said tiredly. He did not mean to be rude, but he was so very tired of this argument, and he needed time alone to think everything over. "I need time to think. Jarvis, you may leave. Thank you for coming. I will meet with you in the near future when I have made a decision."

Jarvis bowed slightly and left. Mary and Matthew could see that Robert needed to be alone, so they went back in the direction of their suite. Before they reached the corridor that led to their rooms, however, they met Tom and Sybil.

"What were you arguing with Papa about?" Sybil asked. "We could hear raised voices as soon as we came in the front door, and we've just seen Jarvis leaving in a huff."

Mary and Matthew sighed in unison and looked at each other.

"Come to our sitting room and we can discuss it," Mary said. "I don't think papa will want to see us for a while, so I think we'll stay clear of the rest of the house until dinner."

"That sounds serious," Tom said, raising his eyebrows in curiosity.

They went to Mary and Matthew's sitting room, and rang for tea. Tom made Sybil sit down in an armchair with her feet up on a footstool, and when she was settled, he hovered behind her until she told him to sit down. He reluctantly took a seat on the sofa at the end nearest her, but continued to watch her anxiously.

"Honestly Tom, I still have a month to go, you know. I've known women to work until they go into labour, and deliver healthy babies. Stop worrying," Sybil chided. She turned to her sister. "You really must tell us what you are arguing about, Mary. Was it the estate?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so," Mary replied. "You know Matthew and I have been looking at how we might increase the profit the estate makes?" Sybil nodded and Mary continued. "You also know that we lost a large amount of money in a bad investment, although thanks to Matthew, it was a quarter of what it could have been. So you see, we need to modernise and make more money if Downton is to survive. We know how to do that. Papa and Jarvis won't listen."

"Jarvis hates change, and Robert loves tradition and an easy life," Matthew said. "And Jarvis doesn't trust us because I'm 'very new to this way of life' and Mary is a woman. However, I do think we're getting somewhere with Robert. It took losing the money to make him see that he isn't always right, but I think he will listen eventually."

"And Mr Jarvis?" Tom asked.

"I think he'll come around if Robert does, and if not, he can resign and we'll find a new estate manager, one who's willing to move with the times. Unless he's willing to accept that Mary's opinion is as valid as any man's, I don't particularly want him in charge anyway. But of course that's up to Robert; we can help with things, but Robert is the Earl," Matthew replied.

"Well I think you're right to want to be rid of him," Sybil said, looking outraged. "Mary knows as much about the estate as anyone. There's no reason why a woman should be treated differently just because she's a woman. Honestly, the world is changing for women; anyone who won't accept that will just end up being left behind."

Mary smiled. "I knew you'd say that. That's actually a similar argument to the argument we were making to try to make Papa change our method of farming. The world is changing, and we can either change with it, or fall behind."

"So what precisely were your plans?" Tom asked.

Mary hid her face in her hands dramatically for a moment. "Please, I have talked about this enough for one day. I can't explain yet again. I'm sorry Tom, but really, I'm quite fed up," she said wearily.

When Tom looked a little disappointed, Matthew asked, "Do you know much about farming?"

"My grandfather was a sheep farmer," Tom replied. "I used to help out sometimes, and I've always found it interesting."

"Join us when we tour the estate this weekend then," Matthew suggested. He smiled and added, "On the condition you support us against Robert, if you think our plans are sensible."

"I'm not sure the former chauffeur can sway Lord Grantham's opinion if his daughter and his heir can't, but yes, I'll try, and I'll enjoy it I think," Tom replied. Then he frowned and turned to Sybil. "If you'll be alright alone, Sybil? I won't go anywhere if you don't want me to. In fact, perhaps I shouldn't…"

"Go, Tom, please," Sybil said. "You don't need to hover about near me. Mama is here and Dr Clarkson is only in the village and will come if we telephone. And it really is still a month until I'm due; you can't possibly mean not to go out until then?"

Tom fidgeted and looked worried for a moment, before shrugging. "Alright."

That Saturday, Robert Matthew and Tom set out early to begin their tour of the estate. Mary had decided to stay at home, partly to spend some time alone with her sister, and partly because she thought that perhaps dealing with modern ideas concerning the estate at the same time as modern ideas about women being involved in such things, was too much for her father.

Robert couldn't decide how he felt about Tom joining them. On one hand, Matthew clearly wanted him there, which meant that he probably expected Tom to support him. On the other hand, Tom was a socialist, and however much Robert disapproved of that fact, at least it meant that Tom was likely to care about the tenants. But then, he reminded himself, this wasn't supposed to be about taking sides. He had asked Matthew to help, and they should be working together, not bickering about nothing.

So he forced himself to be pleasant and polite and open to listening to his son-in-law, and slowly, he began to see what Matthew meant about the inefficient way the land was being farmed. Of course, Matthew and Mary had tried to tell him of this before, but he realised now that he had been wilfully blind. He had looked at the derelict barns and the fields full of weeds, but he had not seen. He had pitied the farmers who had lost sons in the war, and had allowed them to fall behind on rent without so much as a cross word or even a suggestion that something should change.

Now, he saw that what he had thought was kindness had not helped anyone. Unable to farm the land properly, many of the tenants were leaving fields empty, and were struggling to grow enough to keep themselves and their families fed. He saw that Matthew's idea of giving them a cottage to live in, then taking charge of the land and farming it properly, would benefit everyone.

He was also amazed at how knowledgeable Matthew was about farming. He remembered when his heir had first arrived, a city boy from Manchester who knew nothing of farming and country estates. Now, Matthew's knowledge outstripped his own. He suspected Anthony's influence had a lot to do with this, and this almost made him laugh; he had spent years saying that Anthony's farming obsession was dull, and now, it could be what was going to save the estate.

Tom also seemed to know what he was talking about, and Robert noticed that he was subtly supporting Matthew without ever seeming to argue. Robert realised with a sudden jolt of surprise that he was proud of both of them, and of Anthony too. Had it really been only a year ago that he had thought Tom the worst choice of husband Sybil could have made?

When they returned home, Robert went to the small library, told Carson that he was not to be disturbed until it was time to dress for dinner, sat down in an armchair with a large tumbler of whiskey, and thought.

He didn't like change. But the problem was, the world was changing, and he could do nothing about it. They could cling to the old traditions here, but if Matthew was right, that would eventually mean the end of this way of life altogether if they lost Downton. He had objected to Matthew's plans because he felt that the old ways of doing things were the best, the safest, the kindest. But he realised he was wrong. He realised that he had been wrong about many things. And now it was time to right those wrongs.

If Mary, Tom, Anthony and Matthew all believed that change was the only way forward, and they all agreed that it was not unfair to the tenants, he could not argue with them.

After dinner, everyone was surprised when Robert, instead of staying in the dining room when the ladies withdrew, followed them, and gestured for Tom and Matthew to do the same. After the events of that day, everyone expected the men to have a long conversation after dinner to make decisions about the estate, and Matthew and Mary had been preparing to fight for Mary's right to stay. Now, they all went silently into the drawing room and sat down, while Robert went to stand by the fireplace.

There was silence for a few minutes, then Robert cleared his throat and said, "I believe I owe everyone here an apology."

Cora looked up at him, her forehead creased in a concerned frown. "What on earth for, Robert? Has… has something awful happened?"

Robert sighed. "No. But it almost did. You all know we nearly lost Downton, and you all know it would have been my fault. No, don't deny it, you know it is true. Matthew has saved us, given us another chance. I have been blind. I have been proud and arrogant. I have acted as I thought best, but I have made mistakes. I have been told a thousand times that the world is changing, and because I wish it wasn't, I have been ignoring it. I do not mean to do this any longer.

"I have had my eyes opened today. I don't know how to live in this new world, but I am willing to learn. I am going to give Mary and Matthew's plans a chance. I am telling everyone this, because I realise now that you all have the right to know.

"I have failed. I have tried to do what I thought was the right thing, and I have failed. So I must trust those who are more suited to this new world."

Robert turned away, unable to look anyone in the eye. There was an uncomfortable silence which everyone wished to break, but didn't know how.

Then, to everyone's surprise, Tom spoke. "I don't believe you have failed. The way I see it, you have done your best in difficult circumstances. You have put the welfare of your tenants first, and I assure you, there are plenty of landowners who don't do that. You lost money in that investment because you don't know about business. Matthew does, and he and Mary have worked hard to learn about the land. You must each do what you can do. If you can pool all of that, I think Downton has a real chance."

When he had finished speaking, Tom's ears turned slightly pink as everyone stared at him. Then Sybil threw her arms around him, and he automatically held her close. Suddenly, everyone was smiling and agreeing. There would be difficulties, certainly, but together, they would overcome them.

With the problems and disagreements concerning the estate over with, for the time being at least, the atmosphere in the house was more relaxed. The awkwardness between Robert and Tom, while it had not gone completely, was considerably better, and there was a sense of hope and excitement about the future that seemed to affect everyone.

This lasted until the week before Sybil's baby was due. Suddenly, everything was forgotten except Sybil's health and comfort, as she became more and more tired and uncomfortable. In the last few days of her pregnancy, Sybil stayed in bed. She kept having pains and thinking it was her labour beginning, although Dr Clarkson assured her it was only her womb preparing itself for the birth. Tom sat with her most of every day, and the other family members came to keep her company every now and then. She felt rather foolish for panicking every time she felt the slightest pain; she was a nurse, and ought to know real labour when it came to it. But somehow, it was far more difficult to be rational when it was her own body and her own child she was concerned about.

When it did eventually begin, she was right; she knew immediately that this was the real thing, as did the nurse Robert had hired to look after her. The family were at dinner when the nurse rushed into the room and told them it had begun.

Tom was frantic. He almost sprinted upstairs, but to his relief, Sybil was between contractions and smiled at him nervously.

"Are you alright?" Tom asked, feeling foolish because he knew it was a stupid thing to ask a woman who was giving birth, but was unable to think of anything else to say.

"I'm having your baby. I will be alright when she in is my arms, happy and healthy," Sybil replied. It was strange to think that after all these months of waiting, she would shortly hold her baby and see her face for the first time. She had been thinking of the baby as a girl, but of course, being a nurse and having a logical brain, she knew there was no way she could possibly know. If she guessed right, it would be because she had a fifty percent chance of getting it right, not because her instinct was right. But somehow, it was easier to think of the baby as a girl than as an unknown baby. And if she didn't call it 'her', she would have to call it 'it', which sounded awful.

"She?" Tom asked.

"Oh, I may be wrong. It's just a… feeling I have."

"My mother said the same when she was expecting my sister Catriona, but she was convinced it was a boy. Clearly it's not a reliable kind of feeling," Tom said, remembering how his father had laughed when the midwife had come through and told him it was a girl after months of being assured it was a boy.

Sybil laughed a little, then cried out as another contraction came on. Tom stood up in shock, and looked at the nurse in panic, not knowing what to do. The nurse had seen plenty of nervous fathers, and smiled reassuringly at him.

"It's perfectly normal. Just sit and hold her hand and talk calmingly to her. It will pass soon enough."

Tom sat with Sybil, but when the pain came, it almost hurt him to see her face contorted in agony. He had of course never been present at the birth of a child, and although he had known it would be painful for Sybil, he couldn't tell whether this amount of pain was normal. Sybil seemed as if she was in agony, and she hardly knew what was going on around her. Cora assured him this was normal, but somehow he couldn't quite believe her. How could pain like this be normal and natural? Why had nobody ever told him quite how bad childbirth was? Much as he loved Sybil, he wasn't sure he could put her through this again, and perhaps he would have to leave her alone from now on.

He was only calmed a little when Dr Clarkson arrived. The doctor's calm assurance that everything was going well was slightly reassuring, and it seemed to calm Sybil too. Cora, Mary and Tom stayed with her constantly, except when Mary went downstairs to give reports on how Sybil was doing to Robert, Matthew and Violet. Violet had been eating dinner at Downton Abbey for the past week, not wanting to be on her own in the Dower House when the baby was born. Now she was glad that she was there, to try and reassure her son, who was pacing up and down the room, worrying.

"You'll wear a hole in the carpet, Robert," she admonished sternly. "Sit down for goodness sake. Your daughter is having a baby, like women have been doing since the time of Adam and Eve. Mary said Dr Clarkson was happy with how it is going."

Robert stopped and looked at her. He hadn't realised that he had been pacing for the last hour. He sat down in an armchair, but couldn't bear the inactivity when he thought of what Sybil was going through upstairs. He stood up and poured himself a brandy, offering one to Matthew, who declined. Then he resumed his pacing. Violet rolled her eyes and raised her eyebrows.

The relative calm did not last long. Just over an hour after his arrival, Dr Clarkson came down to the drawing room to give a report on how Sybil was doing. Only Tom remained upstairs with Sybil and the nurse.

Dr Clarkson stood in front of the family and addressed them all.

"The labour itself seems to be going well enough. But I'm afraid I am a little… concerned for Lady Sybil," he said, frowning slightly. Everyone looked at him.

"What do you mean 'concerned'?" Robert asked worriedly.

"Lady Sybil's ankles are swollen, and she seems… muddled," the doctor replied.

"What sort of muddled?" Cora asked, remembering feeling very muddled indeed during her long and tiring labours.

"Not quite there, not quite…in the present moment."

"And what do you think it means?" Mary asked, standing next to Matthew and gripping his shoulder tightly.

Dr Clarkson bit his lip and paused before answering. He had suspicions and concerns, but he could not be sure, and the family were worried enough without his adding to it. But the fact remained that he strongly believed that something was wrong.

"I think she may be in danger of a condition called eclampsia," he said. "If I am right, we must act fast and take her to the hospital to have the baby delivered by caesarean section. If we don't, both Lady Sybil and her baby will be in great danger."

"Take her to a public hospital? And is that... procedure safe?" Robert asked. "And what is this condition you think she has, and why do you think she has it?"

"Eclampsia causes fits, which can be fatal to both mother and child," Dr Clarkson said grimly.

Cora took a sharp intake of breath and blanched.

"Good God!" Robert exclaimed. "And you think Sybil has this?"

"I think she is at risk of developing it. Her blood pressure is higher than I would like it, and the baby is unusually small. Truly, I am fairly certain. A caesarean may not work, but doing nothing is likely to be fatal. We must act now before it is too late." Dr Clarkson looked hard at Lord Grantham, willing him to listen, and knowing he was not likely to like the idea of a public hospital. But the more he thought about it, the more he was sure that he was doing the right thing. He had seen pre-eclampsia before.

"So you would take her to the hospital?" Cora asked quietly.

"Immediately," Dr Clarkson confirmed.

"To a public hospital?" Robert asked, disliking even the thought of his daughter in a hospital with farm labourers and shopkeepers.

"I can hardly perform the caesarean here," Dr Clarkson said impatiently.

"Certainly not!" Violet put in firmly.

"Is it really necessary? Are you quite certain?" Robert asked.

"As certain as it is possible to be in such cases. Lord Grantham, if we wait for further symptoms, it may be too late."

There was an angry silence, as Robert and the doctor watched each other warily.

"Obviously we must ask Tom. This is his wife and his child," Matthew said, irritated that Tom was being left out of this important conversation simply because he had remained upstairs with his wife.

"Of course we must," Mary agreed, and they both turned to Robert.

"Very well," he said.

Tom was asked, but the news that Sybil was in danger made it impossible for him to think straight.

"Just do whatever you think you should," he said to the doctor, pacing up and down the corridor.

"I think we must telephone for an ambulance and take her to the hospital," Dr Clarkson said certainly.

"Then do it!" Tom almost shouted, then went back to Sybil.