BWW Recap: Love Begins to Bloom on DOWNTON ABBEY

As the episode begins, Mary, Tom, and Edith go to check on the stock of pigs kept on the estate. Mr Drewe, longtime Downton tenant who "borrowed" money from Robert in order to pay back his rent to the family, is seen taking care of the pigs. Mary is pleased with his work, and asks him if he'd like to manage the pigs permanently. Drewe graciously accepts.

Isobel visits the Dower home to check on Violet, who had fallen ill recently. Violet is in much better health, but claims to be sick of staying in the house. Isobel suggests that they visit the Abbey to check on Robert's whereabouts.

At the estate, Baxter chats with Mr. Molesley, who has recently taken Alfred's old footman job after he left to attend a chef training program at the Ritz school in London. She inquires about his previous (higher) positions at the estate, and sympathizes with him, agreeing that life can be cruel sometimes. Molesley is visibly touched by her kindness. After she has softened him, Baxter asks Molesley if he suspected Anna and Bates had recently had a falling out; she is acting on orders from Thomas, who had asked her to investigate why he was selected to accompany Robert on his trip to America other than Bates, his valet. Unfortunately for her, Molesley can not think of a reason why the couple would encounter problems.

In the servant's hall, a letter arrives for Ivy. After reading it, she gasps and rushes out of the room. A bit later on, Ivy informs Mrs. Patmore that the letter she received was from Alfred. He is coming up to the area to attend his father's funeral, but that's the least of his surprises; he wants Ivy to marry him, and find a job in London so that they can be together. Ivy wants to refuse him, but does not want to hurt his feelings yet again.

In the library, much of the family congregates in the morning. Cora is getting ready for the annual village bazaar, which she expects will take up a large portion of her time. Violet nags Edith about not coming to visit her when she was sick, which Edith hastily shrugs off; however, Violet also adds that Rose has told her about Edith's secret pregnancy, but the two do not get a chance to speak any more on the subject. The nanny brings the children into the library for a visit, and Blake charmingly holds Mary's son while he has a tantrum, an act that clearly woos her a bit.

Upstairs, Mary tells Anna that Lord Gillingham is returning to Downton soon. This news visibly upsets Anna, and Mary asks to know what problems she has with Lord Gillingham. Anna assures her that Mr. Green is the true problem, and reveals (after some prodding from Mary) that he was the one who sexually assaulted her a few months ago. She is worried that if Green continues to visit the estate, Bates will figure out that he is the culprit and harm him in some way. Mary assures her that she will ask Lord Gillingham to either cancel his visit or to not bring along Green.

Meanwhile, Tom drives Isobel into town so she can run some errands. While she is gone, Tom wanders into a tea shop, spots Rose eating with Jack Ross; it is quite clear the two are on a date. Tom rushes out before Rose can see him.

While dropping Isobel off at her home, they run into Sarah Bunting, the woman Tom befriended at the recent political meeting. After teasing Tom about his political stances, she goes off to to her job at the village school. It seems Tom is beginning to take a romantic interest in her.

Back at the Abbey, Edith and Rosamund meet in the library. Edith tells Rosamund of her plans to give her baby to Mr. Drewe, that way she can still be involved in the baby's life without actually raising it. Rosamund disapproves of this idea, claiming there are far too many risks if the baby is kept anywhere near the estate. She advises Edith to give the infant to a childless couple, and to cover her tracks by going to France until her baby is born. Rosamund in Turn would like to accompany her during her months away. Later on at dinner, Edith and Rosamund tell the family of their upcoming trip to France, which they claim is to strengthen their abilities of the French language and culture.

Mary kept her promise to Anna and attempted to stop Lord Gillingham from bringing Mr. Green over to Downton, but unfortunately he was already heading over to the estate when she phoned him. Mary warns Anna that Mr. Green may show up at the house after all. Though she keeps collected in front of Mary, Anna breaks down crying in the hall soon after the conversation. After Anna exits, Tom enters and asks to speak with Mary. He tells her that he caught Rose on a date with Jack Ross, but says no more on the subject, claiming it is not his place to speak.

After learning of this, Mary asks Rose to speak with her in her room. Mary cautions her about her relationship with Jack Ross, but Rose does not want to hear Mary's opinions. She laments about how much she loves Jack, and how she fully intends to marry him in the near future.

Lord Gillingham and his valet Green arrive at the estate. Green takes part in the servant's dinner, and expresses his desire to leave Scotland and return to London. Bates casually asks him where he lives, which is a tad bit suspicious. Anna appears to be extremely uncomfortable in his presence, and rightfully so.

Evelyn and Blake finally have completed their work, and make plans to leave Downton. Lord Gillingham offers to drive them to the train station. Gillingham briefly speaks with Mary on his way out, and informs her of his intentions to break off his current engagement. He is still in love with her, and makes it clear that his actions will be fully because of her. Mary once again rejects his advances, but he appears unscathed.

In the kitchen, Mrs. Patmore spills the beans to Daisy about Alfred's proposal to Ivy. Daisy is clearly hurt, but mostly angry. To make things worse, Alfred writes Mrs. Patmore to inform her that he will be coming up to Downton to visit on the day of the bazaar. Mrs. Patmore suggests ot Daisy that she take the day off on that very day, and Daisy agrees that would be the best option for her; she makes plans to visit Mr. Mason that day instead.

Meanwhile, Violet has grown suspicious of Edith and Rosamund's plans to travel to France for a few months. She demands to know the true purpose of their trip. In the garden of the Dower home, Edith confesses that she is pregnant, and plans to give the baby to Mr. Drewe. Violet is honest with her, and says she will be much better off keeping her distance from the baby.

Back in the library of the estate, Rose excitedly tells Mary that she is now engaged to Jack Ross. "Coincidently", Mary decides to take a trip to London the next day, denying Rose's company when she asks to go with Mary. Mr. Bates also plans a trip of his own to York, and Carson grants him the day off given that Bates does not have much to do with Robert gone.

In London, Mary hunts down Jack and speaks with him privately. She warns him that if he wants to be with Rose, he needs to be prepared for the swarm of people that will undoubtedly try to tear them apart. Surprisingly, Jack claims that while he does love Rose, he is not going to go through with the wedding because he does not want such a difficult life for her. The two both agree that Rose may be pursuing Jack with such force in part to upset her uptight mother.

While heading to town to run an errand, Tom comes across Mrs. Bunting pulled over on the side of the road; her car is broken down. Tom offers to take a look at it for her, and while making the repairs, Mrs. Bunting tells him she knows of his wife's death. While she doesn't approve of the lifestyle the folks at Downton lead, she believes the family was very kind to let Tom and his daughter stay with them.

Some time afterwards, Mary meets for lunch with Lord Gillingham. She had promised Anna that she would ask Gillingham to dismiss Green, and she stays true to her word. Mary will not provide him with any sort of reasoning, but Gillingham agrees to dismiss him because he is in love with Mary. His engagement has officially ended, and he is now fully available for Mary.

The day of the bazaar finally arrives. Rose has received word that Jack no longer wants to see her, and blames Mary for interfering; she mopes by herself. Violet and Edith share a moment together as well, and discuss Michael's whereabouts. Edith has pretty much accepts that he has vanished for good, and Violet advises her to remain strong through this tough situation. However, to the surprise of the family, Robert arrives back from his trip to America. He reunites with the family, including a very sweet moment with Cora in which he kisses her in front of everyone.

Meanwhile, Daisy has a picnic with Mr. Mason. Though she came to avoid Alfred, the two end up talking about him; Mason believes she owes Alfred a proper goodbye, and urges her to return to Downton and end things on a good note.

Mysteriously, Lord Gillingham arrives at the bazaar. Mary goes to him, and he tells her the shocking news that Green is dead. Apparently, he stumbled into the street and a car hit him, killing him. Mary obviously tells Anna this news, but assures her that it could not have been Bates because numerous people on the street saw the event unfold. Despite this fact, Anna approaches Bates and questions him about what he did in York. Bates dodges the subject, but claims he would not do anything foolish unless he had a good reason to.

True to his plans, Alfred attends the bazaar as well. He apologizes to Ivy, and says he will stop pushing her to feel for him as he does for her. Just before he is about to leave, Daisy arrives with a basket of food and goodies for Alfred from herself and Mason. In a heartfelt scene, she proudly states that she is no longer in love with him, and they mutually depart as friends, and on much better terms than they have been in quite some time.

Mr. Blake also shows up at the bazaar. He confesses to Mary that he cannot stop thinking about her, hinting towards a romantic interest. But Mary rejects him, saying that she still does not feel ready to be involved with another man. However, Mary's walls appears to be breaking, and it seems possible that the two could pursue a relationship in the future.