Downton Abbey - Episode Four

This is such a wonderful series but I have to say I don't think the rapid time movement is conducive to the storyline.  This episode is set in May 1912, more than half a year after the end of last week's episode but the characters act as if only a week has transpired.  They are still talking about the issues presented the previous week.  nothing is resolved and no characters have actually progressed in all that time.  If they are going to jump in time so far, they need to present the characters changing. Or maybe that is their point.  That at this time of great change in the world, these people stayed the same and hence they became 'extinct'.
This week there is a fair in the village and all the staff attend along with the girls.  Mrs Hughes meets up with a past suitor who asks her to marry him (well actually he doesn't - maybe that was his problem?) but she decides to stay with the Crawleys.  Meanwhile Anna, the Head Housemaid, has come down with a cold and is consigned to bed so she cannot attend the fair.  Bates takes her some food, reminiscent of when she brought him food earlier in the series, and while nothing happens, the sparks are really flying between these two.  Let's hope they get a happy ending.
Young Daisy is falling under the spell of Thomas, who while gay, asks Daisy to the fair because William wants to ask her.  She starts to treat William like Thomas does, which is incredibly unfair.
The other story is between the Dowager Widow and cousin Matthew's Mother, Isobel.  When Molesley is suffering from an affliction on his hands, Isobel incorrectly diagnoses it as a disease and prescribes some medicine herself which does not work.  The Dowager takes one look and realises that he has been handling hedge trimmings which is just an allergic reaction and will settle down if he wears gloves.  This brings Isobel down a peg to realise she isn't a doctor and to best leave these things to others who may know better.

Meanwhile, the Dowager goes to Matthew to ask him to investigate how to get out of taking the inheritance if he does not want it.  He tries everything and there does not appear to be any way to do it.  when he goes to tell the Earl, the Dowager barges in and does not believe he has tried hard enough.
We are now over the half way mark of this first season.  What does the next three episodes have in store for us?