Downton Abbey season 6 episode 6: Rosamund and Violet share 'wonderful' relationship says Samantha Bond

ITV's Downton Abbey is full of turbulent relationships and various character arcs but rarely discussed is the bond between mother Violet Crawley and her daughter Lady Rosamund Painswick. As the much-loved period drama draws to a close, actress Samantha Bond, who plays widow Rosamund, reflects on the dynamic between the pair.

Since the death of her husband Marmaduke Painswick, Rosamund has busied herself with the family of her brother Robert Grantham, including nieces Lady Edith and Lady Mary. However, Bond, 53, is most fond of Rosamund's closeness with her mother, the Dowager Countess, played by Maggie Smith.

Speaking to the IBTimes UK about the relationship between the characters, Rosamund said: "I think the wonderful thing about both Rosamund and Violet – I think there is some element of Rosamund that is cut from the same cloth and she is her mother's daughter and the product of her upbringing.

"But what's gorgeous in both of them and our being able to play it is that they both reveal at various points, quite unexpectedly at times, a quite softer and warmer side. Mags [Maggie Smith] has incredible moments of modernity and a modern approach, which can be very surprising."

Watch the Downton Abbey season 6 episode 6 trailer:

Over the course of the sixth and final season, the Crawley family have been forced to keep a closer eye on their finances which has included making budget cuts. Addressing the family's plight, Bond explained: "It's more a case of tightening the belts.

"That's something that would have been happening right the way across that era because it was a very difficult time for the gentry. I'd like to think in the future they'd give up their London house because Rosamund spends much more time in the country in this series so her house becomes the London base for the family."

While Earl Robert, played by actor Hugh Bonneville, struggles to adjust to the family's new financial situation, Rosamund, like her niece Lady Mary, takes a more realistic approach. The actress said of her character: "She's very pragmatic but also she hasn't lived in that house for a long time and to be hanging onto traditions that one can no longer afford would simply be foolish."

Downton Abbey continues with episode seven on 1 November 2015.