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'Good evening, Granny. Have you come to see the circus?' Mary asked, bending to kiss her grandmother's papery cheek.

'Really, Mary, there is no need to be so melodramatic. It does not befit you. Now, come sit beside me and be so kind as to update me on the current state of affairs between Tom and Miss Smith,' the Dowager said, patting the arm of the seat beside her.

'Oh, did you not know? She's Cousin Lucy now, not Miss Smith,' Mary said innocently, settling herself in the proffered chair.

Violet cast her a look. 'Ah, so you are familiar with the true story now then.'

'I am. Papa enlightened me.'

'Then you see why the bequest is quite unbreakable.'

'I have little interest in Maud's estate and what she chooses to do with it,' Mary replied, unwilling to be drawn into her grandmother's scheming.

'Then that is very short-sighted of you, my dear. As one of the custodians of Downton and the mother of the heir to the estate, it is incumbent on you to make sure our borders are secure,' the Dowager chastised.

'Now who's being melodramatic? We're not at war, Granny,' Mary said, with a roll of her eyes. 'This is not the Wars of the Roses; we do not need to secure our borders against insurrectionists and invaders.'

'I am not suggesting we are at war. I simply believe it is wise to install the neighbours of your choice, preferably those loyal to you, wherever possible. Having Tom take up residence at Brampton would be beneficial for both your father and your son as and when he succeeds to the earldom. I am surprised I have to explain this to you. I had thought you a more able student than that.'

'I do know your ambitions for Tom and Brampton, I just don't happen to share them, no matter how beneficial it could be for Downton,' Mary said, watching Lucy Smith lay a hand on Tom's arm as she laughed at something he said to her and Henry.

'Nevertheless, it looks very much to me as if the association between Tom and Miss Smith is going from strength to strength,' the Dowager observed, watching the same scene. 'I take it they are still in regular correspondence?'

'They are,' Mary confirmed, knowing it was true even as it galled her to know Tom was still writing to Lucy.

'Good, good, that is excellent news.' Violet suddenly inhaled sharply, her knuckles whitening on top of her cane.

'Granny?' Mary said, looking over at her grandmother in concern. 'Are you quite all right?'

'Just a twinge, my dear,' the Dowager replied, her rigid frame relaxing slightly as the pain appeared to recede. 'But never fear, I shall vanquish my foe for the evening.'

'Should you be here tonight? Are you strong enough for this?'

'I cannot lock myself away, Mary. I refuse to do so,' her grandmother asserted, a steely edge to her voice. 'I have taken medication to help me keep my enemy at bay for the evening. I have never given in to bullies and I do not intend to do so now at this late stage of my life. Besides, should I be taken ill, Dr Clarkson is at the table tonight and will be able to render aid if required.'

Mary glanced around the room, her eyes alighting on her father in conversation with Lady Bagshaw and the good doctor.

'Have you told Papa yet?' she asked her grandmother in a low voice. 'I really think he needs to know. More than that, I think he'd want to know.'

'I intend to speak to him and Cora about my situation tomorrow,' Violet said, her voice softening as she looked across the room at her son. 'I believe it is time.'

'I have a confession to make, Granny. I'm afraid Tom knows your secret,' Mary said, giving her grandmother a guilty look.

Violet looked at her consideringly. 'I know.'

Mary frowned, confused. 'You know? How do you know? Did you tell him?'

'No, my dear, but I know you did.'

'What? How?'

'Tom came to see me. He told me how distressed you'd been, so I forgive you for betraying a confidence.'

Mary felt even more confused now. 'He came to see you? Why?'

'He came to offer his help in any way he could. I think he wanted to relieve the burden on you of being my sole confidante.'

To her horror, Mary felt tears prickle at the back of her eyes. She looked across the room at Tom, thinking how typical it was of him to have taken steps to help both her and her grandmother without any fanfare.

'And has he been able to help?' she asked curiously, her voice a little thick with emotion.

'He has proved himself very able and useful in helping me arrange some of my business affairs. I confess, despite my misgivings at the start of his rather scandalous romance with dear Sybil, I cannot help but feel he has become a real asset to this family. And it has to be said, he is exceptionally loyal to you,' the Dowager pronounced, giving Mary a considering glance.

Mary nodded. 'He is the best man I know,' she said quietly, still looking at Tom.

The Dowager eyed her granddaughter carefully, noting how her gaze lingered softly on Tom. She cleared her throat, bringing Mary's attention back to her.

'My dear, I do not wish to speak out of turn, but I would caution you to be careful.'

Mary's heart leapt into her throat, her pulse hammering, wondering if her grandmother had somehow managed to get an inkling of her secret. 'What do you mean?'

'I mean you would do well to remember you have a husband.'

'What a strange thing to say,' Mary hedged, her heart racing. 'Why would I forget I have a husband?'

The Dowager gave a small sigh. 'As you know, I have little time left to me, so allow me to speak frankly, Mary. I have seldom seen a connection as strong and deep as the one between you and Tom. There is a great mutual love and respect there, I can see that plainly. Whether that love is platonic or of a different nature, I will not speculate and do not wish to know. But he is your brother-in-law. Even if you were free to explore the nature of your connection, it would be scandalous to do so because of your familial links. But the fact of the matter is that you are not free, and you should not forget that.'

Mary stared at her grandmother, rocked by her speech. 'Granny, I… I… you… that's…'

The Dowager took pity on her, placing her bony hand over Mary's. 'My darling girl, I know temptation. I have felt the pull of it myself and know how difficult it is to resist when the siren calls to you. But resist you must.'

Mary looked down at their hands. 'How did you know?' she whispered.

'I have had the opportunity to observe you both. Your great distress at his attachment to Miss Smith, his deep care for you when he called on me. I may be old and ailing, but my wits have not yet deserted me.'

'Your wits will be the last thing to desert you, Granny,' Mary said, with a small smile. 'They wouldn't dare.'

'I do hope so,' the Dowager replied. 'I intend to deploy them until the very end.'

'I love him, Granny. And he loves me,' Mary confessed in a low voice, suddenly tremendously glad to be able to tell someone that truth, so simple and yet so complicated.

The Dowager regarded her with sad eyes. 'But you cannot pursue that love without plunging us all into deep scandal.'

'Would anyone really care that much?' Mary asked, desperate not to let the dream die.

'Oh, my dear, people care very much when there is gossip to be had. Your father is the Lord Lieutenant of Yorkshire, your sister is the Marchioness of Hexham; your domestic affairs will not go unnoticed… especially if you were to take your brother-in-law as a lover.'

'We're not lovers,' Mary muttered. 'Although you can thank Tom's sense of honour for that, not mine.'

The Dowager said nothing, simply gazed steadily at her granddaughter.

Mary was silent for a moment before venturing to speak again. 'This isn't just a ploy to keep alive your hopes of marrying him off to Miss Smith to secure Brampton, is it?'

'I care much more for you, child, than I do for land and estates,' her grandmother said, reprovingly. 'I would rather have hoped that you knew that.'

Mary nodded, contritely. 'I do, Granny. I'm sorry. It's just… I don't think I can be happy without him in my life. In fact, I know I can't. I've tried it and I was miserable.'

'He need not leave your life, Mary. Indeed, that is the last thing I would suggest. But the position he holds in your life need not change.'

'You mean he should remain my brother-in-law and only that,' Mary whispered, a deep sadness welling up inside her.

'That would be my counsel, my dear. Of course, only you can decide whether to heed my advice or to plough your own furrow.'

'I'm not sure I can bear to be without him,' Mary confessed, her voice cracking a little.

The Dowager's face softened with sympathy for her granddaughter. 'I doubt you will ever be without him, Mary. But you may have to settle for a lesser relationship than you would prefer if you are to maintain your reputation.'

'He's more important to me than my reputation,' Mary said with utter certainty.

'And yet it is not only your reputation at stake. You must consider whether you are ready to drag others you love down with you. Do they deserve to suffer for whatever sins you may wish to commit?'

Mary stared at her grandmother, turning her words over in her mind.

'Goodness, whatever are you two talking about that you should both look so gloomy?' Isobel's voice broke into Mary's thoughts as she came to join them.

'I was just telling Mary that another acquaintance from my girlhood has recently departed this world,' the Dowager said, smoothly inventing the lie to divert her cousin's attention from Mary as her granddaughter sought to gather herself.

'Oh, I am sorry to hear that, Violet,' Isobel said, sympathetically, perching on the sofa next to her. 'Were you very close?'

'Oh, no, I hadn't seen her in nigh on twenty years, but it still serves to remind one of one's own advance towards the grave,' the Dowager replied.

Isobel looked at her cousin askance. 'Yes, well, that's hardly the cheeriest of thoughts, is it? No wonder poor Mary looks so downhearted. Perhaps we could find something else to chat about? Did I tell you what George said to me the other day about his plan to train Robert's dog to pull a chariot?'

Mary allowed herself to drift off as Isobel regaled the Dowager with tales of George's escapades. She glanced over at Tom still standing in close conversation with Henry and the vivacious Miss Smith. She contemplated the possibility that she may have to give him up for the greater good, and for a moment she could have sworn she felt her heart break.