1925. Big changes are afoot. Robert anticipates having to cut costs, and reduce the size of the staff, which worries Carson. Mrs Hughes is nervous about being embarrassed when performing her wifely duties after she is married to Carson, and asks Mrs Patmore to sound him out; after much embarrassment, Carson says he expects them to have a full marriage, which reassures Mrs Hughes. The local hospital is threatened with a take-over by the larger County Hospital; the board is split, with Violet objecting, and Isobel approving in the name of efficiency. A former chambermaid, Rita Bevan, turns up attempting to blackmail Mary by exposing her tryst with Lord Gillingham. Mary refuses to pay, but Rita confronts Robert, who buys her off with £50 instead of the £1,000 she wanted, and gets her signed confession to prevent future blackmail. He admires Mary's pluck, and approves of her succeeding Tom as the estate's Agent.
Sergeant Willis informs Bates and Anna that a woman has confessed to murdering Green, and the case is closed. Anna is upset at not having had a child; twice she conceived, but miscarried both times. Edith plans to spend more time in London and be more hands-on with the magazine. The family attend an auction at a neighbouring estate which is being sold off. Daisy unwisely confronts the new owner because her father-in-law, Mr Mason, may lose his farm, but this backfires, and she angers him. Although she is liable to be dismissed, Cora keeps her on. The owner tells Robert that great estates like theirs are on the way out, and advises him to sell up too.
