Tom and Emma have begun planning for their son's christening. Robert has shown his displeasure at the idea of Michael being Catholic. Emma supposes that Robert was able to get his head around the idea of Ivy being Catholic but the idea of being aware that a Catholic ceremony is going on, has bothered him. Emma is irritated by all this Catholic Vs. Protestant. They're both Christians.

Emma watches as Cora beams at her two grandchildren from where she sits in the corner of the Nursery as George rolls on the floor next to his cousin Sybbie who plays with her toys with Ivy. Emma has been cooing down to Michael who babbles at her from where he lies on the bed she sits on. She likes taking these opportunities to be away from all the hustle and bustle of the house and take time with the children as she's still going through her postpartum struggles.

The two women have been talking about the letter Emma had received today from Gwen. She was thrilled to hear from Gwen and even more pleased to hear that Gwen has gotten married though they've kept it quiet because his mother's ill, but she hopes she can introduce him to all of them soon. Gemma had told Emma that Anna had suggested they send Gwen a card with them all signing it. Cora had asked Emma to send her congratulations.

Other than her post-birth struggles and baptism arguments, the only thing that is troubling her at the moment is Edna or Miss Braithwaite. Thankfully Emma hasn't had to interact with the lady's maid as her duties don't require her to be wandering around the house like her job as a housemaid had done.

Emma swallows nervously as she thinks of the next topic she wants to bring up. "Tom and I," Emma begins, drawing Cora's attention, "were wondering if you'd be Michael's godmother."

Cora seems hesitant, but Emma can see she looks touched. "Am I allowed to be?"

"As long as at least one of them is Catholic." Emma reassures her. "Tom has invited his brother. Mary and Edith met him at our wedding."

"The one from Liverpool with the car company that offered Tom a job?" Cora questions.

"That's him." Emma affirms. "We've asked him to be Michael's godfather. His other brother Owen and his sister Ellen were Ivy's godparents."

"So, he'll be coming?"

Emma nods. "Tom thinks he should stay in the village."

Cora looks appalled. "We can't have that!"

Emma winces, not wanting to addendum her. "He's a bit worried though."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you remember how Violet and Robert lectured Tom about not wearing the proper clothes to dinner when we first returned and not having a morning suit for Mary's wedding?" Emma asks. "He's worried how everyone will be towards Kieran."

Cora frowns and says nothing.

"Don't be angry." Emma says. "Kieran will come, he'll wear a perfectly fine suit and it'll all be all right."

"Have Tom give me the address and I'll write to him personally and say he's more than welcome to stay." Cora tells her.

Emma is still unsure but nods knowing she won't be able to fight her on this.

—

After hearing about him and a couple weeks after giving birth, Emma had, while taking walks into the Village with her husband and children, decided to visit Mr Grigg at Crawley House and has been doing it ever since along with Mrs Hughes without the children and Tom though she often brings the children along as it seems to cheat him up.

Emma waits with Mrs Hughes at the bottom of the stairs when she hears a door open and Dr Clarkson calls, "Goodbye, Mr Grigg."

"Thank you, Doctor." Mr Grigg replies.

Dr Clarkson comes walking down the stairs, where Mrs Hughes and Emma stand waiting for him.

"All he needs to put him right is some paid work." He reassures them. Emma is glad to hear that he has been continuing to improve.

"It's hard for a healthy young man to find a job these days, never mind poor old Mr Grigg." Mrs Hughes reminds him as they all walk to the door.

"I know." Dr Clarkson replies and turns to the maid, who hands him his coat to say a brief thank you before speaking to Emma and Mrs Hughes again. "But Mrs Crawley has things in hand." He puts his coat on. "My guess is that you knew what you were doing, bringing him here."

Mrs Hughes has a slight innocent smile but Emma knows she doesn't mean it.

They are interrupted by Isobel calling from upstairs, "Emma? Mrs Hughes? Won't you come up?"

—

Emma and Mrs Hughes enter Mr Grigg's guest bedroom. The man moves to rise from his chair as they walk in. Isobel stands next to him.

"Oh, don't get up for us." Emma says hurriedly as he lets out a couple of coughs.

Mr Grigg still holds himself up from his chair, hovering. "What news of Charlie?"

"Mr Carson is still very busy," Mrs Hughes lies. Mr Grigg looks disappointed and eases himself back into his chair.

Mrs Hughes continues, "but he sends his best wishes." That's another thing, Mr Carson had made it very clear he wants nothing to do with his old business partner and friend.

Mr Grigg looks at her false smile doubtfully. "Does he? How did he phrase that exactly?"

Mrs Hughes splutters. "Well, he... he said to tell you–"

"He didn't say nothing, did he?"

"That's the thing with Mr Carson." Emma says pityingly. "He doesn't remember the days you spent together with any great nostalgia."

"He thinks it were all my fault... but it weren't." Mr Grigg says despondently.

"Meaning what?" Mrs Hughes questions.

"Never mind." He dismisses. "But it weren't my fault."

There's something very tragic going on, but neither of the women know what he's talking about.

—

Emma is surprised to hear that Violet and Isobel have been invited to dinner so suddenly as usually these things are planned in advance.

She sits on the settee next to Rose and Edith in the Drawing room. Mary stands in front of them holding what apparently is a letter from Matthew. Isobel stands in front of her daughter-in-law with Robert lingering behind her. Violet sits on one of the chairs next to them while Cora, Tom and Billy stand behind Mary.

"I don't understand. Did Matthew leave instructions after all?" Isobel questions. Emma glances between them hopefully.

"He left a letter." Robert corrects.

"He wrote it before we went to Scotland." Mary explains.

Isobel looks shocked and takes a seat in the chair next to her. "Well, where has it been?"

"Concealed in a book. They only dropped it off today." Robert informs them. Cora takes a seat in another chair and looks expectingly at her eldest daughter like the rest of them are.

Mary looks shaken and frightened and hands the letter to Robert. "Papa, you read it." She takes a seat next to Emma causing the three on the settee to shuffle up a bit.

Robert begins reading from the letter, "'My darling Mary, we are off to Duneagle in the morning and I have suddenly realised that I've never made a will or anything like one, which seems pretty feeble for a lawyer, and you being pregnant makes it even more irresponsible.'"

Violet nods sagely. "Hm, I'm afraid I have to agree with that." Emma's lips quirk slightly at her comment. She watches how Isobel is listening eagerly to Robert's every word.

"'I'll do it properly when I get back and tear this up before you ever see it, but I'll feel easier that I've recorded on paper that I wish you to be my sole heiress.'"

"What?" Edith murmurs in surprise. Emma has to agree with her. She wasn't expecting this or maybe she should have considering this is Matthew.

"'I cannot know if our baby is a boy or a girl. But I do know it will be a baby, if anything happens to me before I've drawn up a will, and so you must take charge.'" The whole family is listening intently, all of them very moved. "And now I shall sign this and get off home for dinner with you.'" Mary starts to cry and Emma herself has to press her lips together to stop the tears. "'What a lovely, lovely thought. Matthew.'" Emma and Violet both reach out a hand to comfort Mary.

"Now you see why I didn't want to read it." Mary sobs.

"But surely it must be legal, or do there have to be witnesses?" Isobel asks earnestly.

"But it was witnessed, by two of his clients, which is why no one in the office knew it existed." Mary tells them.

Which begs the question of how Matthew compelled two random clients to sit there and watch him write this private letter, instead of letting them go home and using his clerks as witnesses instead. And it also begs the question that if Matthew had the time to write these lines and two witnesses at hand, why did he not write a proper last will and testament straight away?

"Then it's settled." Tom declares.

"Nothing is settled." Robert corrects. "This is why I wanted Murray to check it first. Whatever Matthew's intentions, it is not a will."

Emma is disappointed at his words.

—

The family is at dinner. Emma sits between Rose and Edith. Mr Carson serves the wine while Alfred and Jimmy wait at the table, offering trays of food.

"I don't exactly know why, but I feel very happy that Matthew's been allowed a last word." Cora announces from between Isobel and Mary.

"I agree, more than I can say." Isobel says warmly.

"I knew he'd have a sensible plan." Edith comments.

"Yes, he wasn't the sort not to have things sorted." Emma adds.

Emma sees on Edith's right, Robert grumbling to his mother and the woman admonishing him back. She grits her teeth in annoyance at the man. The christening now this.

"I'm sure Tom hopes you intend to get stuck in." Billy says to Mary from between Violet and Tom. Emma turns to take her food from the tray offered by Jimmy.

"I want the right to an opinion. I shall be content with that." Mary says modestly.

"You already have a right to an opinion." Robert reassures her, not looking as he takes food from the tray Alfred offers. Emma narrows her eyes at him.

"Do I? Good."

"Most certainly you do." Her father says cheerfully. "In fact, there's a question of using empty farmyards as new sources of revenue. I'd like to know what you feel about that."

Mary's expression drops. Everyone at the table is watching. "Well, I'd have to think about it—"

Robert rattles on, talking over her, "Crop rotation? Livestock versus cereals? Or indeed the whole matter of the tax. There are lots of things I would like your opinion on."

Mary, admiringly, stands her ground though looks a bit shaken. "I assume you're trying to make some sort of point?" She pointedly asks her father. Emma purses her lips in irritation as Alfred brings his tray next to her for her to grab her food.

"He's trying to show that a woman's place is in the home." Cora answers next to her, giving her husband a sharp look.

"But she knows a lot about Matthew's plans." Tom interrupts. "That has value for me." Emma smiles warmly at her husband's declaration. "Mrs Crawley, what do you think?"

"I'm afraid I'm on Mary's side, Robert, if sides there must be." Isobel replies.

"There are no sides, not at all." Robert corrects her. Emma thinks he almost looks like a petulant child not getting his way. He turns to Mary. "I'm pleased if you're pleased. I'm just saying you have some work to do. That is, if the letter turns out to be valid."

"Which you very much hope it is not." Violet remarks. Robert looks very caught out.

—

Mrs Hughes, Emma and Isobel stand facing each other in Mrs Hughes' Sitting room. It seems Isobel had been working on finding more work for Mr Grigg.

"You wrote to the Opera House in Belfast? That was enterprising." Mrs Hughes compliments.

"I wrote to a great many theatres." Isobel explains. "But the manager at the Opera House wrote back. It seems they're in need of a stage door keeper. They'd chosen one but he dropped out. He asks Mr Grigg to consider it."

"Well, that's good to hear." Emma says.

"It is."

Mrs Hughes hesitates for a moment before speaking, "I heard about Mr Matthew's letter. I hope it wasn't too upsetting."

Isobel is tearful as she speaks, "As a matter of fact, it was a relief. I felt so happy that he'd finally been heard. But judging by tonight's dinner, it may prove a heavy mantle for Lady Mary."

Emma huffs. "The only thing that'll make it difficult is her father's attitude."

—

Emma is changing for bed, pottering around the bedroom while her husband sits under the sheets reading, already dressed for bed. He's gone to bed earlier while Emma had been in the Nursery feeding Michael, who had woken up and was hungry. They are discussing what happened at dinner.

"We need to show Mary we are all on her side." Emma says as she takes off her jewellery. Nothing as elaborate as the upper case would wear but more middle class earning jewellery. "I don't want her father knocking her confidence."

"He likes Downton being under his control again." Tom points out, not looking up from his book.

Emma rolls her eyes and huffs as she slips on her pyjamas, a top and bottoms that are similar to Rose's as the young girl has encouraged Emma to get a couple of sets, after having slipped off her clothes. "I know. But surely, he must realise that he can't do it on his own otherwise he'll go back to his stupid ways."

"Mary won't allow it." Tom reassures her. He puts the book on the side table, probably realising his wife wants to speak with him and won't be ignored. "She's a stubborn one."

Emma crawls into bed next to him and slumps against his side as Tom automatically wraps an arm around her. "All the Crawley sisters are or were..." She becomes sad and tearful at the thought of the Crawley sister that's no longer with them. Tom squeezes her closer to him to comfort her.

—

Edith has once again gone to London. Plans seem to be going ahead. Edith has told Emma about Gregson's plan to become a German citizen. Emma is anxious about how this will all end though she had suggested to Edith that she should invite Gregson to the house party at Downton that's being hosted next month.

Anna hands Emma the card that will be sent to Gwen to sign, which Emma happily does. It's funny thinking back to the old days of her, Anna, Gwen and Gemma being a proper little group.

Anna herself has been pulled into chaperoning Rose to a thé Dansant in York. It seems more of a working class thing but Emma knows Anna will keep Rose in line if anything happens.

Emma knows they need to make sure that Mary learns more about the estate if she's going to own half of it (as Emma hopes) or at least have a say so she goes to Violet as she knows the woman will help her in the quest. Emma sends a message to the Dower house and the woman responds and they come up with a plan to get Tom to help Mary learn.

Emma and Mary get invited over to the Dower House and so as Tom though he is delayed due to work. Violet sits in her chair while Emma and Mary sit on the settee next to her. The three women are in the middle of a conversation when the door opens to admit Mr Spratt, the butler.

"Mr Branson, your ladyship." Emma sees her husband hurriedly dart into the Drawing room they sit in looking a bit flustered and out of breath in his rustic land agent's suit and boots. Mr Spratt closes the door and leaves.

"Sorry if I'm late. I had to call on old Fairclough at Roundhills." Tom apologises.

"You're not at all late." Violet says kindly. She waves him to a chair opposite her, on the other side of the settee and she turns Mary as he sits. "Now I asked Branson to come here because I have an idea."

Mary closes her eyes in annoyance briefly while Emma purses her lips in irritation. "Granny, you must call him Tom." The former tells her grandmother.

Violet is honestly surprised. "I thought I could call him Branson again, now that he's the agent."

"Well, you can't!" Mary admonishes her. Emma's Irritation turns to amusement as she watches the duo.

"I don't mind." Tom quickly interrupts with a level of awkwardness.

Violet chuckles. "No. I see I'm beaten. But oh, how I sympathise with King Canute." Emma and Tom share amused grins.

"Now what is this idea?" Mary asks bringing them back to why they're here.

"Your grandmother and I was thinking how now that either you or your baby son own half of Downton, you should have a say in running it." Emma explains.

"It's just what you need." Violet adds.

"But didn't last night's dinner disabuse you of that scheme?" Mary wonders dejectedly. Her father's tirade had clearly gotten to her.

"Well, that's the point." Violet says. "We want er…"

"Tom."

"…Tom to be your instructor."

"What?" Tom blurts out in pleasant surprise. He looks to Emma who gives him a look that says "well, who else are we going to ask?" and he seems quite touched.

"Well, take Mary, you know, on your rounds. Let her learn the farmers' difficulties." Violet explains. "Hmm… Explain the… crops and the live-, the livestock." She has no idea what exactly is involved but at least she knows that it will matter to them. "You know, let her see the problems facing the estate." Tom looks quite willing. Mary looks sceptical.

"And are we to do all this without telling Papa? Isn't that rather underhand?" Mary questions. Despite her words, Emma sees a slight smile creeping up on Mary's face.

"There can be too much truth in any relationship." Violet says sagely.

Mary and Tom exchange a look. Tom is still grinning. It's settled. Later on in the day, Emma sees Mary and Tom off in the car.

—

Tom is pleased when he and Mary return from looking at the estate making Emma hopeful. Edith is late getting back from London so Gemma simply goes to see if Emma has everything she needs but really it's time for the two of them to have a gossip.

"Edna and Thomas?" Emma repeats in alarm. Gemma has just her that have been whispering and hanging out with one another (she hadn't used the word 'hanging out' but that's basically what was said).

"Mr Barrow and Miss Braithwaite." Gemma corrects.

Emma rolls her eyes. "I can call Miss Braithwaite what I want and Thomas doesn't care what I call him."

"He would let you." Gemma grins and Emma does a smug look back, knowing Gemma knows she's joking. "Though I'm concerned what either of them are getting out of it. You know Mr Barrow's scheming ways and how Miss Braithwaite was last time."

"I know." Emma frowns. "Perhaps it won't last. You saw how Miss O'Brien and Thomas got."

"True."

God Thomas. What are you up to?

—

Cora, Robert, Mary, Violet, Tom, Emma and Billy wait for Edith to arrive as they sit in the Drawing room before dinner. Robert leans on the fireplace with Isis lounging on the floor behind him as he talks to his wife who sits in a chair next to him. Emma sits on the settee talking to Tom and Billy who stand next to her. Mary sits at the other end of the settee talking to her grandmother who sits in a chair next to her.

The door opens and finally, Edith hurries into the room. Emma is 'horrified' to see she hasn't dressed for dinner. Heaven above.

"Ah, here she is." Emma remarks as she hurries in.

"Ah, darling." Cora utters.

Violet and Edith exchange a kiss in greeting.

"Are you only just back?" Robert asks his daughter.

"We sat forever outside Peterborough. We never found out why." Edith kisses Robert, too. "Shall I change?" She asks as she walks over to kiss her mother in greeting too.

"No, don't bother. It's only us." Cora reassures her.

"And who are we to warrant any courtesy?" Violet comments sarcastically to Mary and Emma.

"Don't be difficult, Granny." Mary warns her with a smile. Edith sits in the chair next to her grandmother.

"Where's Rose? Have we lost her?" Robert asks. He almost sounds like he wishes the answer was yes. The door opens and Rose comes in.

"I'm so sorry I'm late." She apologises.

"Never mind, never mind."

She takes a seat with Mary and Emma. Robert remains standing by the fireplace. He's clearly about to make an important announcement.

"Now I've got you all here, and before Carson comes in, I have something to say. I had a letter today from Murray..." He begins.

Mr Carson walks in and clears his throat. Apparently, dinner is getting cold. Robert holds out a hand to stop him.

"Wait just a moment while I finish." He speaks.

"Shall I leave, my lord?" Mr Carson asks.

"No. You might as well hear this." Mr Carson closes the door behind him and stands dutifully next to it. "Murray has taken Matthew's letter to various authorities and their conclusion is that it demonstrates testamentary intention."

"What's that?" Emma asks.

"It means that the writer intended the document to serve as a will." Robert replies. Emma stares at him in disbelief. Has it really happened?

"So, the bequest stands?" Violet questions. Emma can't blame her for checking to be sure.

"Yes. Mary owns half the estate." Violet sighs in relief and pats Mary's arm.

"That sounds like a very good result." Tom remarks.

"And now we should go in to dinner before Mrs Patmore blows a gasket." Robert reminds them. Emma internally snorts when she thinks of the times Mrs Patmore has done so.

They all get up. Mr Carson opens the door for them. Cora squeezes Robert's hand as she walks past him, acknowledging the brave face he's putting on this. Tom, Robert and Mary linger but not for too long before joining them.

—

Mrs Crawley and Mr Griggs, the latter in respectable clothes and carrying a suitcase, ascend the stairs from the underpass to the platform at the Railway Station with Emma, Mrs Hughes and Dr Clarkson following. They look along the platform, but apart from the station guard, there is no one else there. Emma sighs in disappointment at the fact that Mr Carson hasn't turned up after all. The train pulls into the station and halts. It is then that through the steam, Mr Carson comes walking towards them and tips his hat to the ladies.

"Good morning, Carson." Isobel greets, looking as if she's trying to contain her excitement.

"I hope I'm not in the way." Mr Carson says, seemingly trying to keep his usual proper demeanour.

"Not a bit." Emma quickly replies. "You remember Mr Grigg." She doesn't ask it as a question as that would be silly.

Mr Grigg walks towards Mr Carson. "Hello, Charlie. Good of you to come."

The two elderly men turn and walk along the platform together, leaving the other four behind.

"I'm delighted but I'm not surprised." Isobel declares as they watch the two up ahead walk and talk.

"Aren't you? Because I'm astonished." Mrs Hughes mutters.

They begin walking slowly behind the men to give them privacy. Soon the station master calls, "All aboard!"

"I am sorry to interrupt," Isobel says having caught up with them with Dr Clarkson, Mrs Hughes and Emma lingering behind her, "but I think you must get aboard."

Mr Grigg opens the door of a third class carriage, then turns to shake her hand. "I can't tell you how grateful I am, Mrs Crawley."

"Very good luck."

"Thank you." He makes a move to get in, then turns back to Mr Carson. "I doubt we'll meet again, but can we shake on it? We've known some ups and downs together, it's true, but if this is goodbye… let's part as friends, eh?"

Mr Carson removing his glove and shaking his hand, says, "All right. I wish you well."

"Likewise, Charlie." He gets in and closes the door. Mr Carson locks it after him, and the train starts moving out of the station.

The butler turns to the woman standing next to him. "Mrs Crawley, I should be grateful if you would let me know any expense you have been put to on Mr Griggs' behalf during his stay with you."

"Oh, no. That's completely unnecessary—" Isobel insists.

"I should be grateful." Mr Carson cuts her off pointedly. Emma can see how much this means to him.

"Very well, Carson, I shall do that." So does Isobel it seems.

He tips his hat to her as the train rounds the corner and disappears from view. "Good day to you."

He walks away, past Isobel and also past Emma, Mrs Hughes and Dr Clarkson. Mrs Hughes hurries after him.

—

One week later.

"Why are you so nervous?" Emma asks as she sits in the armchair of their room nursing Michael and watching her husband fidgeting as he paces from one end of the room to the other. Ivy plays with some toys on the floor. "It's only Kieran. You're acting as if the King and Queen are coming for the christening."

"Maybe we shouldn't have invited him here." Tom blurts out.

Emma rolls her eyes. "Tom, don't be stupid!"

Tom walks over to the bed, sits down and puts his head in his hands. "I mean, maybe we should have arranged for the christening in Liverpool, near where Kieran lives. That way we'd have been out of sight and out of mind as we would have been in Dublin, and Lord Grantham would have less reason to complain or drop hints here and there that we're not doing right by Michael and Ivy."

"His thinking regarding a Catholic upbringing is backward – that's obvious." Emma admits with a sigh. "But I can see that he genuinely cares about Ivy and Michael, almost as if they're his grandchildren along with Sybbie and George. We can embrace that and ignore the rest."

Tom huffs a laugh; he looks up at her with a slight smile. "Never would have imagined the Earl of Grantham caring about my children."

"Stranger things have happened."

"I'd beg to differ." Tom remarks.

"Will you come over here please?" Emma asks Tom quietly.

Tom kneels in front of the armchair and watches Michael nurse. He seems to relax as he watches his son.

Emma runs her fingers through his hair. "Everything is going to be all right. Kieran gets on well with everyone."

Tom rolls his eyes. "He gets along well with people he likes, and you know well he's not inclined to like anyone in this house, certainly not above stairs."

"Maybe Robert will win him over with his range of alcohol." Emma half jokes with a grin.

Tom snorts. "Lord Grantham and my brother getting along. That'll be a sight."

As if on cue, there is a knock on the door. Ivy perks up in interest and wobbly pulls herself up causing Tom to stand quickly and hold her hand. Emma takes a nursing cloth and drapes it over herself and Michael. Seeing that Emma is ready, Tom opens the door, with a toddling Ivy, to see Alfred on the other side.

"Hello, sir, I apologise for the intrusion, but Mr. Branson is here." He speaks.

Tom's eyes go wide. "Already! He said he was coming on the evening train."

Emma laughs. "Thank you, Alfred. We'll be down to the Hall in a moment."

Alfred shifts on his feet, looking uncomfortable. "Actually, he's in the downstairs. I told him he could come up, when he came in through the servants' door, but he refused. Not that he's been rude or anything. In fact, he's giving everyone a bit of a laugh."

"That's Kieran." Emma says, unable to stop herself from smiling, imagining the scene he might be making downstairs and the redness of Mr Carson's complexion in the face of it.

Tom, on the other hand, drops his head back in exasperation, making both Alfred and Emma laugh. "Dear God, why does he like making things difficult." With a sigh, he turns to Emma, "Take your time finishing with Michael. I'll go get him sorted out."

—

Emma leaves Ivy and Michael with the nanny and is reaching the servant entrance when Tom, Mary and Kieran appear at the top of the stairs. Mary must've gone with Tom as a backup.

"Kieran! It's so lovely to see you again! And with so much for us all to celebrate." Emma greets him with a grin.

Kieran leans down to kiss Emma and offers a genuine smile. "Well, I don't know about myself but you certainly do. How are the two little rascals?"

"Looking forward to meeting their uncle." Emma says warmly.

After stepping away from Kieran's embrace, she notices the continued tension in Tom's shoulders and Mary's tight lipped smile.

Emma knows that dwelling on what had obviously been an awkward scene downstairs would just make things worse so she takes Kieran by the arm.

"There'll be time for a tour later, though I doubt there's much of interest to you here in the gloomy old house, so how about we go meet Ivy and Michael?"

—

Conversation is awkward with Kieran. Emma honestly thought they would have found this sort of thing easier with her, Tom and Billy but Kieran is a different breed.

"So!" Mary interjects from her father's left, eager to move the subject to safer waters than what Kieran does for a living and the environment of Liverpool, which caused Robert to make comments about how Tom was going to drag his family to such a place. "Who's coming to the christening?"

"All of us, I expect," Cora says quickly, hoping, like Mary, to squelch further awkwardness.

"Oh, yes." Violet agrees. "If Emma and Branson- Tom wants me to."

Tom smiles. "We would be honoured."

"Robert, are you coming?" Billy asks, gingerly from next to his mother-in-law.

Robert sighs. "I don't know that Tom and Emma want me there."

"How can you say that, Robert?" Emma replies from the other end.

"And anyway," Robert continues, "I wouldn't know what to do. All that crossing and bobbing up and down. I went to a mass once in Rome. It was more like a gymnastic display."

Kieran laughs but soon realises no one else is. Tom scratches his forehead, likely amused at his brother's antics.

"I'm sure even born and bred Catholics are guilty of find it all rather tiresome." Emma argues. "But you should come."

"Why? What difference would it make?" Robert asks carelessly.

"I want you there." Emma says. "Michael's going to be brought up in your house for the foreseeable future and will be close with your grandchildren and will likely love you like a grandfather and will want you there as well."

"Will you argue with that?" Cora asks with a smirk.

"If you think it's so important." Robert sniffs as if he isn't touched but Emma can see he is as he looks at her.

She smiles. "I do."

—

On Sunday, Mr Michael Kieran Branson was baptised into the Catholic faith at St. Wilfred's Catholic Church in Ripon.

—

A/N: Violet's comment about Canute:

King Canute, or King Cnut the Great (d. 1035), was King of Norway, Denmark and England. He is popularly invoked in the context of the legend of 'King Canute and the Tide', in which he was supposed to have stood by the sea, commanding the waves not to wash over his feet. They did anyway, upon which King Canute pointed out to his courtiers and followers that even the king was subject to the laws and the power of nature (i.e. God, in medieval thinking). This story was later misreported as if Canute seriously thought the tides would change their course just because he was a King, and became shorthand for the arrogance of the royal and aristocratic classes and their deluded belief that they were above ordinary mortals. I assume the latter is what Violet refers to here – the old order of things in which every man knew his place.