Robert read through the letter once more before he signed his name and sealed it to be mailed later in the day. He leaned back from his desk with a sigh and scowled thinking over the events of last night. Cora had scolded him about his hasty decision to sack Carson. She had told him he would come to regret it not just for the Abbey but for Mary, too. Robert grimaced at the thought of having to tell Mary he had sacked Carson. She had loved the man before she knew he was her natural father. What would she do now that she knew?

Still, Robert couldn't be sorry about sending the man away. Carson had agreed that he would never tell a soul about the whole business and especially never tell Mary. Robert couldn't think what had possessed the man to do so last night. He had spent almost 15 years in silence in the matter. Surely he could've come up with some lie when Mary had gone to him last night. Robert scoffed at Carson's excuse of never lying to Mary. Carson had been lying to her for over twenty years. Now Robert was supposed to think he had suddenly grown a conscience? Not likely.

Then there was Mrs. Hughes to deal with. Carson had left her some note before he left and she had come to Cora's bedroom first thing. Robert had let Cora tell her that Carson was unlikely to return. She hadn't given any details nor blamed anyone for the butler's departure. Robert had glared at her when she had insinuated that Carson had left for an emergency. He doubted Mrs. Hughes had believed a word of it. She kept looking at him shrewdly throughout Cora's explanation. Robert only hoped she wouldn't dig any deeper into the story.

The library door opened and Robert turned to see Mary standing timidly just inside the room. Robert stood from his seat and began to walk towards her but stopped when she shrank back from him. They looked at each other uncertainly. Robert had never seen his eldest child so nervous.

"Mary?"

She seemed to steel herself and offered him a flippant smile. "I was just coming to ask if you would care for a short walk before luncheon?"

"Of course. Just let me get my coat."

Robert and Mary walked away from the house in silence. Robert watched his daughter surreptitiously, noting how she kept her eyes trained on the ground. She had yet to say anything, and Robert thought to let her speak first. He felt like he no longer knew how to act around her. He still thought of her as his daughter. She always would be as far as he was concerned, but he didn't know how he could begin to tell her that.

When they came to a bench beneath a tree Mary paused and gestured vaguely to it. "Shall we sit?"

Robert nodded and waited for Mary to sit before he settled himself beside her. They both looked out over the estate grounds in a tense silence. Robert watched Mary from the corner of his eye. She looked as if she were barely holding herself together. Robert wanted nothing more than to comfort his daughter but he didn't know if he should. She had every right to hate him for lying to her all these years. At the time, he had agreed with Cora that keeping Mary's father a secret was the right thing to do but seeing her now he wasn't so sure.

Robert felt Mary stiffen beside him before she turned to him.

"Papa-," she glanced uncertainly at him, "am I still allowed to call you Papa?"

"Of course, you are, my darling daughter." Robert felt his eyes grow wet at the relief that flashed across Mary's face. He reached for her hand to grip it tightly. "I will always be your Papa."

Mary ducked her head and said nothing more. Robert was content to let her gather her thoughts and leaned back into the bench bringing her hand still grasped in his to rest on his knee. Much as he hoped that this was all the reassurance that Mary would need in his love for her, he doubted that his few words would be enough. What words could describe the love he had felt when Cora had first nervously placed Mary in his arms? She had been so small and so perfect and so absolutely marvelous that his heart had immediately been hers. Nothing had changed that, even when Cora had finally told him of her affair with Carson. Mary was still his first born daughter and he loved her dearly.

"You're the only one who hasn't stuck up for me with the entail," Mary said suddenly, eyes still on her lap. "Is it because of Carson?"

"No, it isn't because of Carson." Robert sighed and pulled at Mary's hand until she looked up at him. "Mary, you are my darling daughter, and I love you, hard as it is for an Englishman to say it. If I had made my own fortune and bought Downton for myself, it should be yours without question. But I did not. My fortune is the work of others who labored to build a great dynasty. Do I have the right to destroy their work or impoverish that dynasty? I am a custodian, my dear, not an owner. I must strive to be worthy of the task I've been set. If I could take Mama's money out of the estate, Downton would have to be sold to pay for it. Is that what you want?" *

Mary shook her head faintly, "No. I don't want that."

"All I want is for you to be happy. You would have been happy here at Downton if everything had worked out with Patrick, and I would have been glad to think of you running Downton after I am gone."

"But that's all gone now," Mary scoffed.

"There's always Matthew."

Mary laughed, "I can't marry Matthew now!"

"Why not?" Robert asked, but she only shook her head sadly.

"Do you think Carson will come back?" She asked, suddenly shy.

Robert looked at her thoughtfully. "Do you want him to?"

"He came back before," she said ignoring his question. "Why was that?"

"Your Mama asked it of me," Robert answered simply, sure of his daughter's next words.

Mary looked at him pleadingly, "And if I asked it of you?"

A/N * I took Robert's little speech almost verbatim from season 1 episode 4 of Downton Abbey. I changed or left things out when I needed. Anything you recognize isn't mine, but Julian Fellowes'.