wee_mango | 'Downton Abbey' Season 2, Episode 5

1918. Matthew and William and the rest of the troops prepare to go over the top while back at Downton, Mary and Daisy get the feeling that someone has walked over their graves; O'Brien wakens both Cora and Robert with news of a telegram which Robert reads to the other family members and the rest of the staff who have all come up from bed: both William and Matthew are wounded but alive; Edith and Violet try to get Dr Clarkson to allow William's father to spare a bed and have him sleep at Downton but Edith volunteers when Clarkson refuses, saying he can't break the rules for them and not others; O'Brien ponders whether writing to Vera Bates was a good idea, knowing the trouble she will cause; Vera Bates makes it clear to Anna and Bates that she has no intention of keeping quiet about the Mary/Pamuk scandal, having taken every penny she can get so far out of him; Violet and Edith discover that William's injuries are far more serious than thought.

- Violet: "Doctor Clarkson, I am no Jacobean revolutionary, nor do I seek to overthrow the civilised world. We just need one bed for a young man from this village."

Vera: "Excuse me! It is not settled. It wasn't settled by me that you'd come back here and take up with your floozy again. As far as I recall, that was never settled."
Anna: "How did you find out he was here?"
Vera: "Wouldn't you like to know..."
Bates: "What does it matter? Just say what you want. Spit it out."
Vera: "You thought you got the better of me, but you were wrong."
Bates: "I never th-"
Vera: (cutting across him) "I'm going to sell my story anyway about Lady Mary, about the Turkish gentleman, about Miss Smith here."
Anna: "That's got nothing to do with me!"
Vera: "Well, that's not what I heard."
Bates: "You gave your word. I gave you the money and you gave me your word."
Vera: "Well, guess what? I was lying."
Bates: "If I hadn't come back to Downton, back to Anna, would you have stuck to our agreement?"
Vera: "Well, we'll never know now, will we?"
Bates: "You're angry because I'm happy."
Vera: "Maybe. But you won't be happy long."
(She gets up and leaves)
-______-

Matthew is brought to Downton, still unconscious with possible spinal injuries; O'Brien regrets telling Vera to come to Downton and is determined not to let Vera sell her story; Mary considers coming clean to Carlisle about the scandal; Dr Clarkson informs Lavinia, Mary and Robert that Matthew may not be able to walk again (telling only Robert later that having children is very unlikely); Mrs Hughes pays Ethel (who by now has had her baby) a visit but flatly refuses to let Ethel come to Downton to see Bryant who is on a short trip to see old friends; Matthew asks Mary on his prognosis but she only tells him that he may have damaged his spine.

Mrs Hughes attempts to have Bryant read one of Ethel's letters but he will have nothing to do with it; Mary visits Carlisle and comes clean about her fling with Pamuk who says that he will go ahead with the proposal and will have Vera Bates brought to him and pay her off; Carson and Robert consider taking on a new housemaid; Matthew breaks off his engagement with Lavinia and tells her to forget about him; - Carlisle and Vera Bates discuss her motives for bringing down the Crawleys but he threatens her with taking her to court should she break the contract if he decides to go ahead with the story.

- Mary: (on Carlisle paying Vera Bates to keep quiet) "Please let me know what it costs. I'll find a way to reimburse you."
(Carlisle takes her hand.)
Carlisle: "Nevermind that. As my future wife, you're entitled to be in my debt."
Great start to a marriage... >_<

- William: "I'm dying, Daisy. I'm not going to make it. I don't have long. That's why you've got to marry me."
Daisy: "What?"
William: "No, listen. You'll be my widow. A war widow with a pension and rights. You'll be looked after. It won't be much, but I'll know you've got something to fall back on. Let me do that for you, please."
Daisy: "I can't. It would be dishonest. Almost like cheating."
William: "But it's not cheating. We love each other, don't we? We'd have married if I'd got through it, spent our whole lives together. Where's the dishonesty in that?"

William asks after Daisy and requests that she marry him as he knows he hasn't got long to live and that she'll be looked after with a war widow's pension but she can't go through with it; Mary attempts to comfort Lavinia; Robert is not happy to hear of Mary and Carlisle's future wedding in the papers and Violet speaks up for William so that the local vicar will perform his and Daisy's wedding.

- (Vera Bates storms into Carlisle's office, throwing a newspaper on his desk.)
Secretary: "Mrs Bates, I really must insist that-"
Vera: "You tricked me! Well, aren't you going to deny it?"
Carlisle: "Certainly not. I tricked you to protect my fiancé's good name."
Vera: "That's one word for her. I can think of a few others."
Carlisle: "You better not speak them aloud if you know what's good for you."
Vera: "I don't want your money, I don't want that contract."
Carlisle: "It's too late for that. And I warn you, if I so much as read her name in anything but the court circular, I shall hunt you, I will ruin you, and have you locked up. Is that clear?"
(She considers her options.)
Vera: "It doesn't end here, you know. Not for John Bates. Lady Mary might've got away, what do I care? But he won't. You tell him."
Carlisle: "That's entirely your own affair."
(She flounces out.)

Vera storms back to Carlisle but is forced to remain silent about Mary, however she now intends to go after Bates himself; Daisy weds William at his bedside with the rest of the staff looking on.

Isobel Crawley returns to see Matthew; Mary tells Bates that Vera has been silenced and he confirms this with Anna, however he doesn't seem to be quite so sure that that'll be the end of it; Mrs Patmore attempts to take over from Daisy for a little while but Daisy relents, saying she'll not leave William now, however Mr Mason breaks the sad news that William has just passed away...