George has turned three and like with Sybbie's fourth birthday last month, there were happy celebrations for the child and then a few quiet moments of reflection for the one they had lost that day.

Rosamund has also suddenly arrived to visit and will be staying a week and will be there for their cocktail party for Robert's Lieutenant people thing later in the week. Emma misses her arrival as she is pulling in a shift at the Hospital. She doesn't mind Robert's sister really; she's always been polite to Emma and has warmed up to her over the years but Emma can see where Mary got her aloofness from.

Emma and Miss Baxter have also both been putting in a joint effort for Thomas to open up to them to no avail.

Emma is lying in bed next to Tom, slowly drifting off to sleep when Tom suddenly says, "Emma? Are you awake?"

Emma groans softly and opens her eyes to find her husband still sitting up in bed like he had been when he was reading. "Hmmm… what is it?"

"Lord Grantham, Robert, he said something earlier that's got me thinking." Tom tells her.

This wakes up Emma and she pulls herself up so she's leaning on her elbow. "Oh?"

"He was saying how I, we, should be proud of what we've accomplished. Learnt both sides of the argument. Said I shouldn't make nothing of what we've achieved."

Emma can see how deep in thought her husband is, so she pulls herself so she's sitting up in bed and lays her head on his shoulder. "I suppose he's right. We are in a more privileged position than where we were four years ago. What's brought all this on?"

"Sarah Bunting has reminded me of who you and me once were, believing in reform, the moral direction of the Left." Tom admits.

Emma hasn't been pleased with Sarah's method of badgering Robert, but she has to agree with Tom. Has both of them become lacklustre in their beliefs while staying at Downton?

"We can be that again." She tries to reassure him.

"But can we be that at Downton?"

Emma frowns. "Not sure. Maybe we'll only be able to find out if we leave. Help us work out where home is."

—

Emma slips down the stairs into the servant's area. She's dressed in her work outfit and will be heading off soon, but she had to do this first.

She watches as Anna, Mr Carson, Mr Bates, and Mrs Hughes come walking out of the Servants' Hall before she pokes her head inside and sees that Thomas is sitting on his at the table now. He's looking even more ill at this point than in the previous episode, and completely devoid of energy.

"Thomas…" she says hesitantly as she walks inside.

"Emma," he weakly pulls himself up, "do what do I owe the pleasure?"

"You know why I am here." Emma says. He sighs irritably. "Thomas, please talk to me you're not well."

"I do not know what you mean. I'm fine." Thomas retorts but it lacks his usual fire.

"You are not fine!" Emma exclaims. "Miss Baxter says—"

Thomas scoffs. "She's been too nosey for her own good."

"She cares about you; I care about you. We're worried." Emma says, pleadingly. She walks around the table to touch him, but he steps back from her.

"I am perfectly well." He speaks.

"But Thomas—"

"But nothing, I'm fine." he declares firmly before leaving the room. Emma stares after him despondently.

—

The rest of Emma's day runs smoothly except for when Violet suddenly appears wanting to visit Dr Clarkson. She's invited him to a lunch on Thursday Clarkson tells Emma later, an implication that she wants to push Isobel to Dr Clarkson instead of Lord Merton.

Sergeant Willis and Inspector Vyner arrive to interview Mary as well as Anna. Emma hears when she returns, she naturally panics. Mary tries to reassure her by saying that there was no mention of Emma at all, but she doesn't find that reassuring. She worries they're narrowing in on Mr Bates.

Billy tells her that Sarah Bunting has had an offer from a school in Preston, Lancashire that she has accepted. Despite how much he's trying to hide it, Emma can see he's sad about it. Particularly as apparently, she's leaving tomorrow for good.

—

For dinner that evening, everyone gets shuffled about as Rosamund is staying. Emma finds herself in between Isobel and Mary.

"Have any of you heard of someone called Atticus Aldridge?" Rose asks.

"He sounds like the hero of a novel by Mrs Humphrey Ward." Rosamund remarks.

"I'm not sure. Any more clues?" Cora replies.

Emma listens to the conversation, but her gaze is fixed on Thomas, who looks ready to collapse.

"I met him today. In York. Marsha George told me his father's been made Lord Sinderby." Rose explains.

"Now, wait a minute. I remember this." Robert realises. "When the title was created, the locals were furious, but now I can't remember why. Perhaps it's because Sinderby's a Yorkshire Village and they'd only just bought some house."

"Canningford Grange."

"Oh!" Violet exclaims in surprise. "Have the Wheelers sold up?"

"You knew that. I told you." Robert tells her. He turns to Rose. "What does My Lord Sinderby do?"

"Oh, I think he's a banker. I don't know, really, but the son's nice." Rose answers. Mary gives her a very pointed look and shares a grin with Cora. Rose laughs. "Oh... nothing like that!"

Emma frowns as she watches Thomas who is walking around the table with the decanter. He stops behind Cora and Tom as if he needs to test where next to put his feet in order not to fall down.

Violet sees it. "Barrow, are you quite well? Carson, have you been over-working him?"

"Not that I'm aware, Your Ladyship." The butler replies. "Mr Barrow, am I ill-treating you?"

Thomas grinds out the biggest lie he has probably ever told in his life. "You are the soul of kindness, Mr Carson."

"Thank you, Mr Barrow."

"I'm looking forward to your party." Isobel remarks to Robert.

"It's very daring of the Lord Lieutenant to give a cocktail party." Mary says. "Carson, what do you think?" Mr Carson pulls a disgruntled face.

"Well, I agree with Carson. It seems very fast to me." Violet says.

"I love cocktail parties." Rose argues.

"I agree." Emma adds, deciding to join in before anyone asks if she's alright. "Seems easier. More casual."

"Exactly." Cora agrees. "You only have to stay forty minutes, instead of sitting for seven courses between a deaf landowner and an even deafer Major General." Everyone chuckles.

"Even so, they'll say you're not doing things 'properly' anymore." Rosamund says to her brother.

"Do you care what people think?" Edith asks her father, looking very irritant.

"Yes. I accept change, but I want to navigate it gently. I don't want to leap into it and put everyone's backs up." Comes Robert's diplomatic reply.

"But why do the rituals, the clothes and the customs, matter so much?" Tom questions. He glances at Emma, who gives him an encouraging grin, happy to see him voicing his views.

"Because, without them, we would be like the Wild Men of Borneo." Violet retorts.

"I disagree." Isobel counters. "Manners and tradition are all very well, but once they start to control us, they've outlived their usefulness."

"Well, there are far more important things to worry about than whether or not Carson minds serving cocktails." Edith remarks unkindly.

"Why is Carson in the line of fire? What's he done wrong?" Billy questions. Mr Carson looks surprised at Billy standing up for him.

"I'm sorry. Excuse me, Mama. I've rather a headache." Edith rises. The men rise with her, and she walks out.

"What was that about?" Emma wonders.

"Rosamund, you spent the afternoon together. Did Edith mention anything was bothering her?" Cora asks.

"Oh, she's just very tired. She'll be fit as a flea tomorrow." Rosamund calmly replies.

Everyone seems to accept her response and continue eating. Emma frowns at Rosamund suspiciously.

—

Mary heads off to London the next day to dine with Mr Blake. Emma had raised an eyebrow at that, but Mary had insisted it wasn't like that.

Robert is going to his dinner in Sheffield for all the Yorkshire based commanding officers or something. Since Emma is working a day shift today, she has to say goodbye to him the night before.

Mr Bricker will be turning up again as well, wanting to see more of Downton's Della Francesca to write in his book, apparently.

During the day, Emma is once again left in charge of the Hospital as Violet has dragged Dr Clarkson to her luncheon in some convoluted way of trying to get Isobel away from Lord Merton. He soon returns and Emma takes this as her chance to take a break. She's walking through the Village when she spots who she is looking for.

Sarah Bunting is emerging from a building just ahead as a taxi pulls up. Emma picks up her pace and walks over to them as the driver begins to load her luggage.

"Sarah!" Emma calls.

Sarah turns and looks at her in surprise. "Emma. I didn't expect to see you."

Emma gives her a self-deprecating smile. "I just wanted to say goodbye and good luck. I know we haven't always gotten along but I do wish you the best."

Sarah smiles softly. "Thank you. I hope you and Mr Branson keep fighting for what you believe in. I really do."

"We won't." Emma promises.

Sarah opens her mouth to say something but freezes at the sight of something over Emma's shoulder. Emma turns to see Billy, dressed for work and looking frazzled, running up to them.

"You nearly missed me." Sarah remarks softly to him.

"I'll take my leave," Emma says, giving Billy's upper arm a squeeze before moving on.

—

After the dinner, the ladies are assembled in the Drawing room when Tom, Billy and Mr Bricker come in.

Emma breaks from Edith and Rose to walk over to Billy and Tom, Mr Bricker strides past with a brief glance in her direction. "You two didn't linger long."

Billy shrugs. "We didn't really know what to say to him."

"He was also eager to join the rest of the group." Tom adds.

"Probably one person in particular." Emma glances over her shoulder to where Mr Bricker has joined Cora and Violet by the fireplace. Violet gives a disapproving look and then walks away to join Edith, who is sitting with Rosamund.

"Should we do something?" Billy questions.

"Like what?" Tom asks.

"Not sure. I just know that there'll be an explosion before too long."

"Maybe they need it." The two men give her a questioning look. "It's no secret that Robert takes her for granted, maybe this'll wake him up."

Violet, Rosamund, and Edith walk out as Isobel and Rose walk up to them.

Isobel turns to Billy. "How is your fiery friend, Miss Bunting? I notice we don't see her here as much as we used to."

"Do you wonder at it?" Billy remarks.

"Well, it's good to be disagreed with. Keeps you on your toes."

"Then Lord Grantham must have been on points from the moment she walked through the door." He's trying but failing to make light of it.

"I hope you haven't broken with her."

Emma explains. She gives Billy a pitiful look. "She's gone. She left today."

"Oh, I am sorry." Isobel says sympathetically. "What about you, Rose? What happened to the young man you met?"

"He's gone, too." Rose says with a little laugh. "He's starting a new job in London."

"Well, this is a sad conversation." Emma remarks.

"He was interesting. He wasn't just the same old chap one's supposed to dance with. His family was unusual." Rose says.

"In what way?" Tom asks.

"They came here from Odessa, sixty years ago. They were driven out by the pogroms, but they've done well." Rose explains.

Ah.

"Well, yes, that is interesting." Isobel says.

—

Emma is surprised to find that when she returns from her shift at the Hospital the next day, Mr Bricker has left. Tom says it was sudden and without any ceremony that he barely noticed the art dealer was gone for most of the day.

Emma is also surprised to learn that Robert had suddenly arrived later last night from his lieutenant thing in Sheffield instead of staying over. She doesn't think much of it really but then she notices how they behave as they greet the guests at the Lord Lieutenant cocktail party that evening.

The couple would greet a guest and when they moved on, Cora would lean over and make a comment to her husband, but instead of reciprocating, Robert would simply turn his head and ignore her. Mary, who has also noticed, from where she stands with Rosamund shares a look of concern with Emma who stands with Tom and Rose.