Downton Abbey’s episode Sunday night opened with Aunt Rosamund (Samantha Bond) arriving at Downton to offer some support to Edith (Laura Carmichael).

Downton Abbey Recap

When Rosamund arrives, the Grantham’s are preparing for yet another fete – this one a cocktail party to celebrate Lord Grantham’s (Hugh Bonneville) lieutenants. Meanwhile, Mrs. Crawley (Isobel Wilton) continues to ponder over whether or not to accept Lord Merton’s marriage proposal. The Dowager Countess (Maggie  Smith) and Dr. Clarkson (David Robb) consider trying to mess up the potential engagement, but ultimately realize that the two are perfectly suited to one another.

Downstairs, Mrs. Patmore (Lesley Nicol) is looking for some advice about financial planning. Recently, she’s come into a bit of money and thinks it might be wise to invest it. Since she’s not particularly learned in the matters of investment, she asks Carson (Jim Carter) to tell her what to do with the money. However, sensing Carson might not know as much as he thinks he does, Mrs. Patmore opts to not use his suggestions.

Back upstairs, Lady Rosamund and the Dowager Countess advise Edith to distance herself from Marigold and to potentially arrange for the child to live with a new family. The family’s reputation is on the line and her closeness with the child is a risky thing. Later on, Edith brings Rosamund with her to visit with Marigold at the Drews’.

As Tom (Allen Leech) and Grantham talk ad nauseam about Miss Bunting – who Tom finally breaks up with – and the state of Downton, Carson gets another letter from the police. Instead of questioning Bates (Brendan Coyle) about Green’s death, the local officer and an inspector interrogate both Anna (Joanne Froggatt)  and Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery). Out delivering treats to the Russian refugees, Lady Rose (Lily James) meets Atticus Aldridge (Matt Barber), a Jewish man with Russian heritage, who isn’t accepted by the fellow Russian refugees. After a brief conversation, Rose agrees to dinner with him in London.

The night before the cocktail party, art historian Bricker (Richard E. Grant) shows up and immediately starts to lavish Lady Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) with attention. While Lady Cora seemed to enjoy the flirtation, she didn’t think it would result in Bricker paying her a visit in her bedroom. She tells him to leave. He doesn’t, and is soon met with Lord Grantham. “You can’t be surprised when you choose to ignore a woman like Cora,” Bricker tells Grantham. “Not every man would be as blind as you.” In response, Grantham delivers a slap and a fight ensues. The next day, Bricker makes a quick exit, though its hard to read how Cora feels about the incident.