Downton Abbey - The Story of Emma Barrow

Secrets & Eavesdropping (April 1919)

Emma nodded enthusiastically. She followed Lady Sybil along the narrow corridor. They continued until they reached a small staircase that led them up until they stood in front of a wall.

"That's it?" asked Emma disappointed.

Lady Sybil smiled and crouched down in front of the wall, revealing a small crawl-through door. They entered and found themselves inside a linen closet, filled with bed sheets, pillows, and blankets.

"Do you know where we are?" Lady Sybil asked.

Emma nodded eagerly, "We're in the laundry room, near the servants' bedrooms."

"That used to be a servant's passage, but I guess it has been forgotten," she revealed.

Emma showed Lady Sybil her modest room. It was small and simply furnished, but Emma loved it nonetheless because it was her own little realm – at least during the daytime when Thomas was downstairs. Her self-painted and crafted pictures adorned the walls, making the drab room much more cheerful. Proudly, she showed her self-built dollhouse inside the dresser.

"This is really clever, Emma!" praised Lady Sybil.

Emma beamed with joy. "Thank you, Lady Sybil! It was Dad's idea."

"You are lucky to have Thomas as a father. He is great, isn't he?" Lady Sybil said appreciatively. Emma rarely heard this phrase, and sometimes she overheard conversations between Mr. Bates and Anna, where Mr. Bates spoke poorly of her dad. Yet, her Dad made great efforts to always be there for her. But it seemed that only a few among the servants shared this view.

Emma nodded in agreement, "He is the best Daddy."

The two of them spent the rest of the afternoon playing with the dolls in Emma's dollhouse and creating stories together. Lady Sybil told fascinating tales that left Emma in awe.

As evening approached, Lady Sybil returned to her room, as she had to be punctual for dressing up. Emma, eager to share her eventful day with her father, ran down the stairs, only to come to an abrupt stop in front of the door to the servants' hall.

"You can't expect to live here for free forever," O'Brien said.

"I didn't expect to get a kick," Thomas mumbled, a glowing cigarette between his lips.

"You need to find some work," O'Brien urged.

"It's not that simple. Everyone is looking for work these days. Not everyone has a hand that looks like a Jules Verne experiment..." Thomas took a drag from his cigarette. "And then there's the problem with Emma," he exhaled the smoke slowly. "No one willingly employs a single parent."

"Why did you keep it then?" O'Brien wondered.

"What else could I have done? I owed it to the child," Thomas replied annoyed, taking another big drag from his cigarette and blowing the smoke out.

"You don't owe that brat anything," O'Brien smirked, "Orphanages aren't that bad. You can take her there anytime. Don't let your life be ruined by a child."

"I can't believe I didn't think of that myself... I would have taken Emma to an orphanage long ago," Thomas responded with an eye roll. "I really have no idea why I decided to keep her," and he put the cigarette to his lips again, "But I suppose I can still take her there. A bit of hard work and slavery won't hurt her."

Unaware that Emma overheard the conversation and put two and two together, she was the problem that prevented her Dad from finding employment. When Carson spoke of the generosity, he meant her. She was also the reason why her Dad couldn't find a new job, because no one wants to take in a child. And apparently, her Dad didn't even want to have children, as he kept her out of pity. One thing was for sure: she would never want to live in an orphanage.