[INT. SERVANTS' HALL - DAY]

　　[One of the serving bells rings. Bates turns to one of the extra servants.]

　　MR BATES

　　Take care of that, thank you.

　　[The servant leaves as Anna enters.]

　　MR BATES

　　How're you doing?

　　ANNA

　　I'm not sure. Her Ladyship's worse.

　　MR BATES

　　I'm sorry.

　　ANNA

　　Jane said you wanted to see me.

　　MR BATES

　　It's only to say that I've done it. I've booked the registrar. [Anna beams.]

　　ANNA

　　When for?

　　MR BATES

　　He's had a cancellation, so it's...it's Friday afternoon.

　　ANNA

　　This Friday?

　　[Ethel enters with Charlie.]

　　ANNA

　　Ethel? What are you doing here?

　　[Anna greats Charlie as Jane enters.]

　　JANE

　　Those Bryants have turned up agai--

　　ETHEL

　　That's what.

　　ANNA

　　I'll find Mrs Hughes and come back for you.

　　[Anna smiles at Bates on her way out.]

　　[INT. PARLOUR - DAY]

　　MRS HUGHES

　　I hope I haven't kept you waiting.

　　MRS BRYANT

　　No, no.

　　MRS HUGHES

　　I'm afraid we have illness in the house, so I hope you can excuse Lord and Lady Grantham.

　　MR BRYANT

　　It's not them we've come to see, is it? Is she here?

　　MRS HUGHES

　　She's just coming now.

　　[Anna opens the door for Ethel and Charlie.]

　　MRS BRYANT

　　May I meet him properly?

　　ETHEL

　　Come along, Charlie.

　　[She carries him to Mrs Bryant, both of them smiling.]

　　ETHEL

　　This nice lady is your grandmother.

　　MRS BRYANT

　　Perhaps you could call me Gran.

　　MRS HUGHES

　　He's a stout little chap, isn't he?

　　MRS BRYANT

　　And so like Charles. I thought it when we were last here. I know what was said at the time and Mr Bryant's sorry for it now, but I could see he was just like Charles.

　　MR BRYANT

　　Never mind all that. Let's get down to business.

　　ETHEL

　　Business?

　　MRS HUGHES MR BRYANT

　　That's what you want from us, isn't it? Find out what we mean to do for little Charlie in the future.

　　[INT. KITCHENS - DAY]

　　DAISY MASON

　　What do you mean, "she might die"?

　　O'BRIEN

　　What do you think happens with a fatal illness? The fairy's come?

　　MRS PATMORE

　　By heaven, if anything happens to her, it won't be your fault, Miss O'Brien. I've never seen such care.

　　O'BRIEN

　　I wish I could talk to her, that's all, but she doesn't know me.

　　MRS PATMORE

　　I'm sure she knows how hard you've worked for her.

　　O'BRIEN

　　It's not that. There's something I need...Never mind. Either I will or I won't.

　　[O'Brien takes the tray and exits.]

　　MRS PATMORE

　　You never know people, do you? You can work with them for twenty years and you don't know them at all.

　　[INT. PARLOUR - DAY]

　　ETHEL

　　What? You mean, give him up? Never see him again?

　　MR BRYANT

　　Those are my terms.

　　MRS HUGHES

　　But...would it hurt if Ethel were to care for him in your own house? She could be his nurse.

　　MRS BRYANT

　　That might be possible.

　　ETHEL

　　MRS HUGHES MR BRYANT

　　Of course she can't be his nurse. Just think for a minute. We mean to bring him up as a gentleman, send him to [Harrowsay?] and Oxford, and all the while his mother's down in the servants' hall? How does that work?

　　ETHEL

　　Well, I-- I could.

　　MR BRYANT

　　No, no, no. Don't you see? We want to raise him as our grandson, not as a housemaid's bastard.

　　MRS BRYANT

　　Well, he has to know the truth sometime.

　　MR BRYANT

　　Maybe. But not for a long time. Till then, his father had a wartime marriage until he died, and his mother succumbed to Spanish flu.

　　MRS BRYANT

　　A lot of people have.

　　MRS HUGHES

　　We've quite a few upstairs.

　　MR BRYANT

　　And that, for many years at least, is all that Charlie will be told.

　　ETHEL

　　So, I'm just to be written out? Painted over, buried?

　　MR BRYANT

　　What matters is what's good for Charlie.

　　ETHEL

　　No. What's good for Charlie, and what's good for you?

　　[Ethel stands up angry. She walks over to Mrs Bryant.]

　　ETHEL

　　You've got a heart, I know you have. You see what he's asking?

　　[Mr Bryant stands.]

　　MR BRYANT

　　Ethel, consider this: in the world as it is, compare the two futures. The first as my heir, educated, privileged, rich, able to do what he wants, to marry whom he likes. The second as the bastard son--

　　[Mrs Hughes stands up.]

　　MRS HUGHES

　　I think we've heard enough of that word for one day.

　　MR BRYANT

　　Very well. As the...nameless offshoot of drudge. You're his mother. Which would you choose for him?

　　ETHEL

　　Suppose I could be his nurse and never tell him who I am? Suppose I promised that?

　　[Mrs Bryant stands.]

　　MRS BRYANT

　　Surely--

　　MR BRYANT

　　Come on, we all know that's a promise you could never keep.

　　[Anna enters.]

　　ANNA

　　I'm sorry, Mrs Hughes. We must send for the doctor to come at once. Her Ladyship's much worse.

　　MRS BRYANT

　　I--I'm afraid--

　　MR BRYANT

　　Go where you're needed, we've has our say, and you know how to reach us when you've made your decision.

　　[Mrs Bryant and Ethel exchange a look.]

　　MR BRYANT

　　Come along Daphne.

　　[INT. LADY GRANTHAM'S BEDROOM - DAY]

　　[O'Brien continues to nurse Cora alone.]

　　CORA

　　O'Brien? Is that you, O'Brien?

　　[O'Brien smiles.]

　　O'BRIEN

　　Yes, milady. It's me, milady.

　　CORA

　　You're so good to me. You've always been so good to me.

　　O'BRIEN

　　Not always, milady.

　　CORA

　　So good.

　　O'BRIEN

　　No. And the fact is, I want to ask so much for your forgiveness, because I did something once which I bitterly regret. Bitterly. And if you could only know how much--

　　CORA

　　So very good.

　　[Cora is clearly still delirious. Robert enters.]

　　ROBERT

　　How is she?

　　O'BRIEN

　　She slept and she seemed better, then suddenly the fever came back.

　　ROBERT

　　O'Brien, thank you for the way you've looked after her. I mean it, I'm very grateful, whatever comes.