Summons to the small library by Robert for yet another family meeting are met with quite a lot of apprehension, especially when he tells them he got the primary response from Murray. He looks at Mary with exasperation, but does not attempt to chase her out, which makes her smirk with satisfaction at her win.

"I assume that whatever Mr Murray has told you means the man is a fake," she says, sitting down on one of the red sofas as Matthew parks his chair next to her.

"It's very complicated. Lowe was the only officer to go back to the site of the wreck. He did pull some people out of the sea and it seems one of the men was unidentified."

"There!" exclaims Edith, earning herself a glare from Mary. Seriously, how gullible can her sister be?!

"One of the reports has him dying before they reached the Carpathia."

"Precisely," says Mary triumphantly.

"Another witness says the man did get to New York alive, but there's no clear record of his name."

"Which could be Patrick Crawley," insists Edith hopefully.

"There's more. There was a Peter Gordon, who worked with Patrick at Martin's Bank. Now, he emigrated to Montreal in 1913."

"Yes, and when his face was blown away he decided every cloud has a silver lining. He was perfectly placed to impersonate his dead friend. I mean, no doubt they shared confidences, so he just brushed them up, and put himself forward for a major inheritance," says Violet scathingly. As always, her staunch support warms Mary's heart.

Granny is one of the very few people always on her side.

"Granny's right. All he needed was a survivor from the Titanic who was unaccounted for, and he found one," she says with conviction, which of course makes Edith immediately protest.

"But the Titanic story bears Patrick's version in every way!"

"The man in the boat was dead."

"Not according to the other witness."

"Then why didn't he try to do more to discover his identity if he didn't remember anything?" asks Matthew quietly. "Mary raises a very good point – why didn't he go to the press? Every paper on both sides of the Atlantic was full of stories about the Titanic. If he only contacted one, his picture would have been on every front page, asking relatives to come forward. If it was Patrick, he must have been dressed in expensive clothes – wouldn't it give him a clue that there should be a family trying desperately to find him? One worth going back to?"

Edith's chin trembles.

"He was injured, traumatised, confused – he must not have thought rationally. You cannot hold it against him! You cannot possibly understand what he went through!"

"What do you think, Robert?" asks Cora helplessly.

"I don't know what to think," Robert answers helplessly and Mary sees how tortured he is by it all. He is desperate to do the right thing, but she knows how he loves Matthew, how he loves her too, she supposes, and he is wretched by the conflict of duties he is experiencing.

Still, she can't help thinking that all this is utterly unnecessary. How can any of them have doubts about the identity of that fraud is beyond her.

"How can you even hesitate?" she asks in agitated disbelief.

"Murray will continue to investigate so, Edith, can we be polite to the man, but nothing more. The end of the war should make it easier to unearth the evidence. That is all for the time being," Robert neatly sidesteps Mary's question, but at least he tells Edith to back off, so she doesn't push.

"What about Doctor Clarkson? Does he have any medical records for Patrick which could shed light on the probability of Major Gordon being him?" asks Matthew.

Robert shakes his head regretfully.

"I spoke with him. He has Patrick's medical file, but unfortunately there was no useful information in it. Patrick had no identifying marks; no birthmarks or distinctive scars which could solve the matter conclusively. At least, not at the time Doctor Clarkson treated him as a patient, which was for the last time when he was still a child."

They sigh, all disappointed that the matter can't be solved one way or the other.

The Dowager shakes her head.

"The whole matter is just foolish. Why do we have to debate whether the title, the estate and Cora's money should go to Matthew and then to Mary's child or to a scarred fraud is beyond me," she complains and Mary looks at her in perfect understanding and gratitude.

"Because we do not know whether he is a fraud!" cries Edith. "I, at least, think he is Patrick. And if he is, he has more rights than Matthew or Mary's child, if it is even a boy!"

She sends an apologetic glance at Matthew. She does feel sorry for him in the circumstances.

Mary just rolls her eyes and looks significantly at Sybil, who nods in confirmation.

They are going to check the attics straight after this family meeting is concluded.

xxx

They all disperse, except Matthew and Robert.

"Robert," says Matthew hesitantly, wheeling himself slowly to his cousin as he sits at his desk, his head in his hands until he lifts it to look at Matthew. "I suppose you were responsible for settling Patrick and James affairs after the Titanic?"

"Yes," answers Robert heavily. "I was their closest male relative, just as they used to be mine."

"Would you be willing to send for their wills and financial records and share them with me?" asks Matthew, wincing slightly at Robert's visible surprise at his request. The earl rallies himself quickly though.

"Of course I would, my dear boy. But why?"

Matthew looks at him steadily.

"Mary is sure that Gordon is a fraud," he says quietly but firmly. "Before he upset her into a panic attack, he got some details of Patrick's past with Mary very wrong, in a way which convinced her that he can't possibly be her cousin. She relayed the conversation to me and I agree with her. I know that neither of us is objective on this – obviously it would affect us hugely if he was – but I give you my word that it's not just wishful thinking on our part."

"I would never have thought that of you, my boy," answers Robert immediately. "Not after the grace with which you reacted to Cora's pregnancy before the war. I believe that you truly hold this opinion based on your sincere belief. But how are we to prove it?"

"This is why I would like to check their records," answers Matthew with more confidence, hugely relieved by Robert's unwavering faith in him despite their recent disagreement. "If we assume that Gordon is a fraud, attempting to impersonate Patrick based on his friendship with him and all the details he learnt from it, then we must investigate both what he counts on getting immediately and in the far off future, as your heir."

"James was not rich," answers Robert categorically. "He was a grandson of the 5th Earl of Grantham, but a son of a younger son – and the 5th Earl was not in a position to give a fortune to any of his younger children. Both he and Patrick had professions, James at the Foreign Office and Patrick in banking. They were comfortable and lived on a respectable level, but certainly not wealthy. If Major Gordon is tempted by the prospect of money, it must be Downton and Cora's fortune which he wants."

"All the same, will you let me look through their papers? I might find something which would help us to prove who he truly is."

"I will call Murray at once," says Robert, his face determined. "I can't not stand this uncertainty and I don't like the idea of being taken for a fool."

xxx

Mary and Sybil dig through the attic with determination. It doesn't take them long to locate the place where boxes of personal items of James and Patrick have been put for storage, despite the enormous size of the space – Carson's labelling system is as clear and precise as everything else he does.

"Search for anything mentioning this Peter Gordon," says Mary with a glint in her eyes. "I will eat my hat if the surname and emigration to Canada of all places are a coincidence."

Sybil nods in perfect agreement and soon releases a howl of triumph, brandishing a thick stack of letters from the very man in question. They divide them between themselves and start reading. The letters were mostly written during school holidays – which makes sense, considering that Patrick and Gordon were together during the school year – and since Patrick spent a significant part of his summers at Downton, there are multiple references to this in Gordon's letters.

"It's clear that Patrick was telling him all kinds of things about us and Downton," observes Sybil in dismay. "Look, here Gordon is asking if Sybil-doll is still trailing after him like a little ducky."

Mary scoffs.

"And mine has the mention of Queen Mary being her usual insufferable self. I suppose Patrick must have been complaining about me."

She puts the letters down and digs deeper into the box, reaching eagerly for a photo album. With a thrill, she soon locates several photographs of Patrick and Peter Gordon, from their school days, through university and finally in front of Martin's Bank. She calls Sybil over to look.

"Do you think he looks like Major Gordon?" asks Sybil, looking at the photograph sceptically.

Mary frowns.

"Not anymore than Patrick does," she admits reluctantly. "Gordon's burns are too extensive to be sure. But it's obvious that they were similar enough to pass for each other – look, the same height, heir, eyes… Although I've been right, Patrick's hair looks darker and more wavy. He was more handsome too," she adds viciously.

She's never believed that Major Gordon is Patrick, not even for a second, but looking at Patrick's photograph she feels a whole new wave of rage at the impostor. She never loved Patrick and she was extremely doubtful about marrying him, but he had been her cousin and childhood playmate and she liked him. The fact that his best friend is trying to impersonate him and dupe his family seems such an insult to Patrick's memory that she's nearly shaking.

"We'll take the letters and the album down to the cottage," she says decidedly. "Matthew mentioned that he was looking into both Patrick and Peter Gordon's finances. We need to put it all together until even Edith will be forced to accept the truth."

xxx

Matthew has indeed looked into Patrick and James' finances and also written to Jack to ask him to investigate any records of Gordon he could find. The three of them meet in the library of Countess' Cottage two days later to discuss the treasure of information Jack has managed to unearth as a solicitor.

"Now, listen to this: according to the information from Jack, Peter Gordon was broke. His father gambled away most of the family's fortune and lost the rest in a series of bad investments before he shot himself in November 1913. His mother died in 1908 and he was the only child, so he took what was left of his inheritance and left for Canada in March 1913. According to the Army records, he listed himself as unmarried and gave nobody as his next of kin. Jack managed to talk to a Patrick and Gordon's classmate from Eton – he is also working at the War Office – and he said that Gordon was always a bit of a loner and didn't have any close friends besides Patrick."

"Poor man. He sounds terribly lonely," says Sybil softly, as if despite herself. Mary just rolls her eyes.

"I would be more compassionate if he wasn't trying to dupe my family and steal Matthew's inheritance," mutters Mary darkly. "Anyway, it makes more and more sense. His family fortune was lost before he had a chance to get it, he has no family or friends left and now his face got badly damaged too. Granny's right, he must have decided to find a silver lining by getting an opportunity to impersonate Patrick. He has nothing left to lose."

"And he really is perfectly placed for such a scam," says Sybil thoughtfully. "He was with Patrick in Eton and in Cambridge and then they worked together. The only place connected to Patrick he didn't know was Downton, but he has had an ample opportunity to familiarise himself with it since he came here."

"Which must have been why he waited for over two weeks before approaching Edith," points out Matthew. "He was gathering intel first. I wonder though what his plan for the immediate future is. According to James and Patrick's financial records, Patrick did not have a huge fortune at the time of his death. His lodgings were rented, he had a small inheritance from his mother, so the only things of real value were his father's house in London and James' savings, which would amount to a comfortable amount, but nowhere near something I would be willing to risk a lengthy prison sentence for."

Mary shakes her head in exasperation.

"But you're risk averse in general, darling," she says fondly. "And much too honourable to think like a criminal. However small Patrick's assets were, they were still more that Gordon possesses right now, and he would be expecting Downton and Mama's money down the line. Probably also a stipend from Papa as the heir. You know that you only plan to go back to work because you want to; as Papa heir you don't have to and I bet Gordon is less industrious than you are. He probably expects to be kept in silk and feathers by Papa until he becomes the next earl himself."

"It's not going to be so easy for him to find a job with his injuries," says Matthew, frowning thoughtfully as he goes methodically through the documents lying on the table. "It's not just his face. He's lost an eye and his hands are barely usable. I think he is suffering from a significant amount of pain too, and probably takes strong medication for it, possibly one which makes it hard for him to concentrate on any given task."

Mary shrugs.

"Again, I would be more compassionate if he wasn't attempting to defraud our family."

"But it gives him additional motive for it," points out Matthew, going back to his own conversation with the man from before he knew of his claim. "It seemed to me that he is also bitter about his prospects of finding a wife with his looks. He certainly acted envious when I and several other officers were discussing our wives and fiancées. But if he knew from Patrick about Edith's feelings for him…"

Mary makes a face.

"You think he would like to cash in on Edith's crush to dupe her into marrying him?!"

Matthew looks at her, his eyes disturbed.

"Don't you think he has a chance of that?" he asks quietly. "Edith is so convinced he is truly Patrick… Wouldn't she be willing to overlook his injuries for a chance to be with him?"

Mary winces.

"She probably would," she admits with exasperation. "She's desperate for any man to marry her and she's always been silly about Patrick. It would be like a fairytale for her, her beloved prince returning from the realm of the dead, disguised and changed, but loving her faithfully."

"We can't allow him to do that!" exclaims Sybil, horrified.

"Would serve Edith right," mutters Mary, but rolls her eyes in answer to Sybil's chiding glare and Matthew's equally reproaching, if gentler look. "Oh, very well, we can't. It wouldn't do to have him as a brother-in-law, especially if we put him in prison for fraud."

"And Edith does not deserve to be deceived and taken advantage of like that," says Sybil slowly, stressing every word.

"And Edith does not deserve to be deceived and taken advantage of like that," repeats Mary obediently and looks heavenwards. "Even if she acts like a fool. Now, does anybody have an idea how to convince her of it? Because she is clearly not going to take my word for it."

They look at each other doubtfully.

"She won't believe either of us," says Sybil gloomily. "She believes in him too much."

"Then it must be him who will make her doubtful," says Matthew slowly. "Just as he proved himself to be a fraud while talking to Mary."

"But Edith won't ask him any questions which might be problematic for him," huffs Sybil in exasperation.

Mary smiles deviously at that.

"Which means we must feed him some information so patently false that even Edith will recognise it as such."

xxx

In the end, they decide to use Sybil for the task. She has no obvious stakes in the outcome, has a naturally innocent look and is the biggest sneak in the family anyway.

She approaches Major Gordon in the garden, dressed in her nurse uniform to make herself even more inconspicuous.

"How do you feel, Major Gordon? Do you need anything?"

"No, thank you, Sy... That is, Lady Sybil," he corrects himself quickly.

"It's Nurse Crawley when I'm dressed like that," Sybil chides him with a hint of playfulness. "Nobody will treat me seriously otherwise."

"I am sorry, Nurse Crawley, I meant no disrespect," he is silent for a moment. "I could hardly call you Sybil-doll anymore, could I?"

Sybil starts at the sound of the old nickname Patrick had for her, for all that she could have expected it given what she found in Gordon's letters. She suddenly understands Edith's surety and Papa's doubts. It is disconcerting beyond belief.

"I'm hardly little like a doll anymore, no," she says, then takes inspiration from it to forge ahead with the plan. "You would have much more trouble carrying me to safety now!"

"Oh, I am sure I would still manage. You are bigger and surprisingly strong – I saw you helping out to move grown men – but I bet you hardly weigh more than you did then," the major answers smoothly. Sybil gives him points for it and forces her eyes to remain big and trusting instead of narrowed in suspicion.

"I think you are an even bigger flatterer than you were. However slight I am, I wholly doubt I weigh as much as I did when I was eight!"

"My memories are still quite jumbled and I have trouble recollecting details," counters he. "But I am glad I was able to be your hero, if only for a moment."

"You were a hero," says Sybil with conviction. "I would have drowned if not for you, after all. I thought Edith was going to faint, she was so scared for me, and I don't think I will ever forget how grateful Papa and Granny were to you."

"I just did my duty," says the major bashfully. "And it was so long ago. I don't think it is worth much being brought up again."

Sybil nods, hiding her satisfaction. She rather counts on him mentioning it to somebody.

xxx

The wind is rather cold – it is November, after all – but it's not raining and Edith is quite happy walking the grounds with Patrick, her arm in his. She looks up at his face and the twisted smile he gives her and she reflects that somehow, over the last weeks, the sight of it stopped appearing gruesome to her, even though his burns don't look at all better than they did when he first arrived. But it's Patrick and he is so dear to her, so very dear, that she can't be repulsed by the visible reminders of everything he has suffered through. She could never be repulsed by him.

"Sybil reminded me how I saved her from drowning when she was eight," he says, looking at her fondly. "I remember how scared you were. You have always had such a big heart."

Edith stares at him; her heart painfully clenched. No, it could not be. It is Sybil's playing cruelly with his faulty memory. It is a given she would take Mary's side; they grew so close during their time together in France, excluding her completely. But enough doubt lingers that she can't resist asking.

"You remember that?"

Patrick shakes his head ruefully.

"Just glimpses and flashes, all jumbled together. But I remember you."

Edith swallows painfully.

"Oh, Edith," he says softly, raising his hand as if to caress her cheek, but dropping it shamefully before he can. "I think I've always remembered you, even if I couldn't recall your name. You've always been my dearest friend, haven't you?"

"Yes," answers Edith, her throat tight. At that moment, she hates both her sisters with a passion. How can they be cruel enough to manipulate Patrick like that?

"I'm only sorry I was too stupid and too scared to do something about it back then," he says with visible difficulty. "I was so used to the idea that I'm supposed to marry Mary… But I dreaded it, I really did, because I knew I could never be truly happy with her. If only I took the logical step and spoke up about my feelings… and about who I suspected could make me happy."

"If only you did," whispers Edith and her heart breaks at the single tear appearing in his one remaining eye.

"Edith…" he says and this time he does touch her face, so very gently. "Will you ever be able to forgive me that I didn't?"

"Of course," she says in a tremulous voice and her heart beats so fast at the joy growing on his dear, scarred face. "I would forgive you for anything."

xxx

Edith accosts Mary in the sitting room of Countess' Cottage straight after her walk with Patrick.

"Whatever nasty game you and Sybil are playing, it was lower than I expected even from you, to mess up with Patrick's memories!" she says without preamble, not even bothering to sit down.

"Oh, did he suddenly remember something which did not, in fact, happen?" asked Mary, raising her eyebrows.

"His memory is all jumbled and confused!" exclaims Edith, more angry than she ever remembered being with her sister and this is saying something. "Of course he believed Sybil when she told him this lie! You're taking advantage of him, all to cheat him out of what is rightfully his!"

Mary got up from her sofa, her own eyes blazing.

"Come and see," she says icily. "It's not us who try to cheat someone."

xxx

They ask everybody to join them and present all of the evidence they have gathered on the dining room table: Peter Gordon's letters to Patrick, their photographs from Eton, Cambridge and work, and the financial records pulled by Jack, proving Gordon's dire financial straits. Coupled with the inaccuracy of some of his stated memories, it does look very damning and Mary sees with satisfaction that Papa is convinced, as are Mama and Isobel. Granny didn't need to be convinced – like Mary, she has never considered Grodon's claim seriously in the first place – but she looks immensely satisfied to be proved right.

Which of course leaves Edith, who is clearly shaken by everything they have unearthed, but stubbornly clings to her belief that it doesn't mean anything.

"None of it proves he is not Patrick," she insists with tears in her eyes. "He's been through so much, of course his memories are not fully back! It would be stranger if his mind was perfectly clear and unaffected. And as for the rest – it only shows that he and Peter Gordon were close, but not at all that he is Peter."

Mary has plenty to say in response to that and none of it kind, but Sybil shushes her and addresses Edith herself.

"Then why is he using Peter Gordon's name?"

"It's a coincidence! He told me he picked a name from a gin bottle when he needed one for himself."

"Which just happened to be his best friend's name? A friend who immigrated to the very same place Major Gordon came from?" asks Matthew gently and Edith's mouth trembles, but she keeps shaking her head.

"It's still just a theory," she says in a shaky voice. "It's not proof."

"Goodness, child, what else do you need to hear?" asks Granny in clear exasperation, fully shared by Mary. "How probable is it that a man named Gordon, who was Patrick's intimate friend and immigrated to Canada is not the same man as the one called Gordon and coming here as a Canadian soldier with all kinds of tales about us, but always slightly inaccurate?"

"I know it sounds improbable!" exclaims Edith tearfully. "But you haven't heard the things he told me, you didn't see the way he was acting when he did… It is Patrick, in my heart I am sure that it is!"

She runs out of the dining room before anyone can give her one more reason why what she believes is increasingly impossible.

"Murray will get responses from the inquiries he made in Canada," says Robert heavily. "I am convinced now that they will only confirm what you told us today: that Major Gordon is Patrick's friend who is attempting to defraud us in a most vile manner. The war will be over any day now, which should expedite things."

"We just need to hope that the proof comes before that man sweet talks Edith into eloping with him," mutters Violet, getting an alarmed look from Cora and a sharp one from Matthew.

"She wouldn't do a thing like that!" exclaims Cora, but the way she bites her lip anxiously suggests she is not as sure of it as she would like to be. "Not Edith!"

Mary snorts, she can't help it.

"She was desperate enough to throw herself at Strallan," she says derisively. "And you've heard her now, she believes him utterly. If he gives her any idea that marriage is on the table, she will jump at it, fooling herself that she's marrying the love of her life and becoming a future countess in one go."

She earns herself several chiding looks for her unkindness, but tellingly nobody tells her she is wrong.

"Then what can we do to prevent it?" asks Isobel, ever practical.

They look at each other helplessly. What can be done in face of such obstinacy?

"We will watch her," says Cora finally and adds with a sigh. "And I will try to talk to her."

Nobody offers a better idea, so they all disperse, in a gloomier mood that could have been expected. They are barely out of the dining room when Matthew stops Mary.

"I would like to talk with some of the officers," he says. "Some of them are friendly with Gordon and might have heard something to indicate what his current plan of action is. Why don't you go home and rest and I will join you later?"

Mary narrows her eyes slightly. There is something in Matthew's manner which makes her suspicious that some plan is afoot. On the other hand though she is sure whatever it is, is in their best interests now that he is sure of the rightness of their fight against Gordon, and she is tired. She decides to let it go for now.

"Of course, darling," she says, bending to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I will see you at home."

xxx

Matthew waits until Mary disappears down the corridor and turns slowly towards the Great Hall where he expects to find Gordon. He knows very well that she suspects something, he hasn't missed her sharp look, and is immensely grateful that she decided to trust him.

This is the confrontation he plans to face alone.

He wheels himself towards Major Gordon's table, approaching him carefully. He has not yet noticed him – the eye on the side of Matthew's approach is fully covered with bandages and gauze and, according to what Matthew understands, is not expected to regain the sight anyway.

He himself was not in Passchendaele – and thank God for that! The Somme and Amiens were bad enough – but he heard stories. He does feel deep sympathy for Major Gordon, a volunteer like himself, for surviving unimaginable horrors only to come back crippled and disfigured, the life as he knew irrevocably over. But by now he is sure that this man is not, in fact, his late cousin, and he cannot condone his attempt to deceive the people Matthew loves deeply and to steal what is rightfully Mary's and their child's. The further threat of him using Edith's feelings for Patrick to dupe and seduce her only makes him more determined to act.

Major Gordon finally notices him and startles visibly.

"Captain Crawley!" he stammers nervously and Matthew can't deny feeling satisfaction at that. It's all too easy for him to feel powerless and pathetic, so it is very nice to find out that someone – and another soldier to boot – can still see him as intimidating enough to consider him a threat, even as he is now. "I did not realise you can go so quietly in this chair of yours!"

"It's quite handy for sneaking about, surprisingly," answers Matthew lightly. "As long as there aren't any stairs, of course."

Major Gordon titters uncertainly.

"We're quite a pair, aren't we?" he asks. "Whichever of us is deemed to be the heir to the Earl of Grantham, will be a rather pitiful person for the job."

Matthew shrugs carelessly.

"With the casualty rates among junior officers, I somehow doubt that Robert will be the only one left with a crippled heir."

"You're probably right," agrees Gordon gloomily, then visibly forces himself to focus on the present. "What do you want?"

"Just to get to know you better," answers Matthew. "Since it might very well be that we're family, after all, and will be forced to spend quite a lot of time together."

"Oh," says Gordon. "You and Mary plan to stay here, even if I'm recognised as heir? I rather thought she couldn't stand the sight of me, never mind that you didn't want me anywhere near her."

"Well, hopefully it will be decades before Robert dies. And it's not like you will be living here until then. I think your flat was only rented, but don't you still have your father's house?"

"I don't, actually. Since I was presumed dead, it must have been inherited by someone else."

"You don't know whom?" asks Matthew curiously.

"I haven't made any inquiries yet," answers Gordon testily. "And it's not like I would care before who might inherit my father's possessions if I died before him. I just expected it to be me."

"It went to Robert, as your closest relative," explains Matthew calmly. "I don't think you will have any trouble from him in getting it back after your identity is officially proven."

"But when will it be?" asks Gordon tersely. "It's been weeks and nobody but Edith believes me, do they?"

"I think they want to be certain. Can you blame them?"

"But how can they ever be? If the lawyer casts even the slightest doubt, won't that give them an excuse to cut me out and stay with you?"

"They all cared for Patrick very much," says Matthew, looking at Gordon intently.

"But they've forgotten me. They have a new golden boy. I'm a stranger to them now!" he pants for a moment and then narrows his remaining eye on Matthew. "How does it feel to have everything which was supposed to be mine? To live in the house which was supposed to be mine? To sleep with a wife which was supposed to be mine? Although I guess there is not much of that now, is there?"

Matthew clenches his hands over his wheelchair's armrest but answers calmly.

"It did feel strange when I first came here, stepping into a dead man's shoes," he admits. "But Downton has been my home for six years now. And if you ever thought Mary was going to go through with marrying Patrick you were either delusional or are a fraud."

"Because Lady Mary was waiting for love?" laughs Gordon derisively. "You may not believe I am Patrick, but I assure you, I know Lady Mary. Cold and careful is a polite way to describe her."

"You just show that you don't know her at all," snaps Matthew, then forces himself to calm down. This is too important. "But then again, I don't think Patrick knew her either, not truly."

"And you do?" comes a snide retort. Matthew nods.

"I do," he says with firm conviction. "And that's how I know she will not relent or give up. Even if Robert does, she will not. She will hire investigators to comb through the life of Peter Gordon from the moment of Patrick's death till now. She will get him located. The war is going to end within days; it will be much easier to carry out an investigation and Mary will spare no expense. And when she will find him..."

"Then what?" snaps Gordon, staring at Matthew defiantly.

"Posing as someone else in pursuit of material gain is a crime, you know," says Matthew coldly. "When it is proven, Robert might be satisfied with showing you the door. But I know my wife. She is quite vengeful, I'm sorry to say. Not her prettiest trait, I admit, but I have no illusions when it comes to her character. Just ask Edith, if you doubt me, you seem friendly enough with her to earn some confidences."

"And what would you expect her to do?"

"Why, go to the police, of course," answers Matthew matter-of-factly. "Robert and Cousin Violet might baulk at the scandal, but Mary recently got quite a lot of experience with the press. I don't think she would have minded it so much. Maybe she would even give an interview or two. I rather think the public would love the story of a villain impersonating his late friend to cheat two war heroes out of their rightful inheritance."

"Are you quite finished?" asks Gordon through clenched teeth.

"I believe I am," says Matthew and wheels himself back to the back door where William is waiting to take him home.

He hopes he's given Gordon something to mull over.

xxx

Robert looks more cheerful than they've seen him in quite some time when he comes into the Countess' Cottage's dining room next morning just as Mary and Matthew are sitting down to breakfast.

"Have they told you Major Gordon's gone? Packed up his duds and left, first thing this morning," he announces, deep relief at getting rid of the problem permeating every word as he takes a chair. "He dared to leave a letter for Edith – the audacity of that man! – but she let Cora read it, it was thankfully just a goodbye."

"I expect Edith is inconsolable," scoffs Mary lightly. In the circumstances, she is not feeling particularly sympathetic towards her sister's heartbreak. She uncharitably thinks that Edith brought it wholly upon herself.

Robert moves uncomfortably in his seat.

"I'm afraid she is," he admits, but cheers up again. "But at least this ghastly business is over and done with, so he won't be manipulating her anymore. To be honest, I regret I didn't have the opportunity to throw him out myself, but it might be for the best. I would not like any stories about it to show in the papers or any speculations regarding the title."

Mary notices a slight smirk on Matthew's face, one which he instantly hides when he sees her looking at him, and is suddenly certain that the timing of Major Gordon's unexpected departure is not at all a coincidence.

"It was you, wasn't it?" she accosts him as soon as Robert leaves. "You said or did something to him which made him run."

Matthew doesn't even attempt denying it.

"I simply pointed out to him that posing as someone else in a goal of gaining financial advantage is a crime," he says, fully satisfied. "And that while Robert would be happy enough to show him the door, you wouldn't baulk at the scandal or rest until he was proven guilty."

"So you basically threatened him with me?" asks Mary disbelievingly and, at his sheepish nod, smirks slowly with satisfaction. "I quite like it, actually."

"I thought you might," observes Matthew. "My vengeful Greek goddess."

Before Mary can react to that, their breakfast is interrupted yet again, this time by Sybil.

"Have you heard?" she asks, beaming and trying to catch her breath after evidently running the whole way from the big house.

"About Gordon leaving? Yes, Papa has just been here."

"Not Gordon. Who cares about this fraud? The war is over!" exclaims Sybil, her whole face radiating happiness. "The war is over and Tom is coming home!"

AUTHOR'S NOTE: We've finally reached the end of Gordon arc and the end of the war in one chapter! I'd love to hear your impressions on it. Now we are getting into uncharted waters of the time between episodes 2.07 and 2.08 :)