Downton Abbey - Last night's Lady Violet scene stealer [SPOILERS]

In last evening's episode of Downton Abbey, former-chaffeur-turned-Irish-patriot Tom Branson arrives in the pouring rain under desperate and mysterious circumstances. In an after-dinner grilling by the Crowley family, Branson reveals he was involved in the terrorist torching of an ancestral great house in Ireland.

Branson: "They turned everyone out of the castle - Lord and Lady John Gahool, their sons and all the servants. And then they set fire to it."

Lady Edith: "Oh, what a tragedy."

The Dowager Countess: "Well, rather yes and no. That house was hideous. But, of course, that is no excuse."

Lord Grantham (with exasperation): "No, it is not."

Branson answers further questioning about his wife Lady Sybil's whereabouts and the reason behind his involvement in the attack.

Branson: "Those places are different for me. I don't look at them and see charm and gracious living. I see something horrible."

The Dowager Countess: "Well, with Gahool Castle, I rather agree."

Lord Grantham (with further exasperation): "Ma-ma, you are not helping."

Watch Downton Abbey Season 3, Episode 3 on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.