If Cora Levinson had appeared to be a vision of beauty from afar, her looks were by no means diminished on closer inspection. Perhaps she lacked something of the refined grace of a true English gentlewoman, but where elegance failed, something about her personal charm stepped in to make up for it. Robert found himself particularly mesmerized by her pair of pale blue eyes which, despite the seemingly icy colour, seemed to radiate warmth and good humour.

Eager to get away from the unnerving mother, Robert did not hesitate to ask Miss Levinson's hand for the next dance.

"If Mrs. Levinson does not mind, of course," he added politely, bowing in the direction of the mother.

"Oh, by all means," she said lifting up her hands. "No need to stand on so much ceremony on my account."

Relieved, Robert led Miss Levinson away. They had hardly made it out of the earshot of her mother, when she addressed him:

"Lord Grantham, please allow me to apologize on behalf of my mother. For someone not used to her frankness, her behaviour may appear a little shocking, but I assure you she does not mean to offend."

"I would not dream of being offended," Robert replied politely, pleased that the weight of having to start a conversation had been lifted off his shoulders. His years of learning proper behaviour for all social occasions had sadly overlooked the instance of having to entertain a young American lady with an eccentric mother.

Miss Levinson smiled. "I am glad to hear it," she said.

"Have you been staying in London for long?" Robert asked after a short pause, eager to change the subject.

"Not long, no," his dance partner replied. "We spent the winter in Paris and have only been here for two weeks now."

"Then I should not ask how you like London," Robert said, starting to feel a little more at ease. "I fear this time of year would not do us justice against Paris."

Miss Levinson smiled. "Then perhaps I shall not give you my opinion yet," she replied with a tone of mischief. "Or is it too forward of me to suppose we will meet again before the end of my stay?"

"That would probably depend on the length of your stay," Robert replied diplomatically. He had a distinct suspicion he was being flirted with, but the forwardness of it was something he was not quite accustomed to.

"We'll stay until October, most likely."

"I am glad to hear it," said Robert, mentally counting the months he would have to mull over his decision, should he choose to continue his attentions towards Miss Levinson. "I mean, you will get to see England at its best in the summer," he hastened to add before his words could be misconstrued. "Are you going to see much of the countryside?"

"Our plans are not quite firmly settled yet, but I would like to see it," Miss Levinson admitted, smiling at Robert again. "I hear only great things about it."

They had hit upon a subject that was near and dear to Robert's heart.

"You will hear nothing but great things from me either," he said, thinking of Downton with its woods and groves, and the gardens that blossomed in the summer. "I would not exchange the English countryside for anything."

"Then I will not stop pestering Mama until I have seen it," the young lady replied with a smile. "Is there a particular county where we might best enjoy the beauties of England?"

"Each county has its merits but you will find that my loyalty lies with Yorkshire. I will freely admit my partiality, but to me it is the best place in the whole world."

Miss Levinson raised her eyebrows. "I take it you are from Yorkshire, then?"

"I am, yes," Robert replied, wondering if he had been carried away too far in promoting his own county. "But I should not give you the impression that you would have to travel all the way to Yorkshire to see beauty. Perhaps you have already heard of Kent described as the Garden of England?"

"I may only have stayed here for two weeks, but I believe I have heard many of my new acquaintance claim that title for their own county", Miss Levinson said archly. "You are the first one who hasn't and I might have thought you modest if you had not just called Yorkshire the best place in the whole world."

Robert blushed slightly. "I believe we Englishmen are rather fond of our own lands," he said with a hint of defensiveness.

"Oh, I am sure you have every right to be," his partner assured him with a gentle smile. "I was only teasing."

They kept discussing the merits of the English countryside throughout the dance and before Robert could even tell how the conversation had got there, he found himself describing the village of Downton with great enthusiasm and detail. When the music stopped, he was sorry for the conversation to end, but as he led Miss Levinson back to her mother, it occurred to him that while she had learned a great deal about him and his way of living, he had not learned the first thing about her. All he could conclude based on their discussion was that she was certainly not unintelligent, and that her manners were not hopeless even though they were more forward than what he personally felt comfortable with. Manners, however, were something that could always be polished. At least he hoped they could.

In short, as Robert left the Levinsons behind, his mind was in great turmoil. Could Cora Levinson be the heiress he was looking for? His eyes scanned the room for a sight of the Strausses. He had certainly liked Mr. and Mrs. Strauss more than he had liked Mrs. Levinson, but he had to remind himself it was no the parents he was intending to marry. With any luck, he would hardly have to see them as they would be living in America while he and his wife would be settled in Downton.

His wife. Robert shook his head. Somehow the thought seemed absurd. He knew nothing about the girl he was trying to picture as the Countess of Grantham. Perhaps if she was English, he could have contemplated the matter with less concern. Marriages of convenience were, after all, not uncommon among his peers. Great families and fortunes had been united over and over again throughout the history of his ancestors. But to marry an American and bring her to Downton? No American had ever called Downton their home.

As the music started again, Robert glanced back to where he had left Miss Levinson just in time to see Sir Henry lead her out to the dance floor. It appeared his friend had successfully sought the introduction he had set out to get. Absentmindedly Robert's eyes followed the pair as they took to the dance, observing how much to her advantage Miss Levinson appeared on the floor.

"That is Miss Cora Levinson, I believe." Robert's ears registered the mention of the very name that was occupying his own thoughts. The voice had come from somewhere behind his back, but he resisted the urge to show any interest in the conversation that was taking place.

"An American," he heard another voice say with a hint of disapproval.

"Aye," said the first voice. "But the men are wild about her. Mark my words, she will be engaged by the end of the season."

"Wild about her or her fortune?"

The voices moved forward and Robert was left uncomfortably adjusting his coat while trying to shake the feeling of dissatisfaction that the words had caused. The disdain towards Miss Levinson being an American was one thing, but what he had not taken into account at all was the possibility of actually having to rival for her attention. He had been satisfied after their dance that he would have months to get to know her better and then make his decision, but perhaps that would not be the case after all.

Before the evening was over, Robert had made his plan. He would write to his man Stephens the first thing tomorrow morning and ask him to make some inquiries regarding the Levinson family. At the very least he needed to know how much the family was worth and what Miss Levinson's share of the fortune might be in marriage. There seemed to be little time to waste, but there could be no question of courting her before he could be certain that her money would be enough to secure Downton's future.