Downton Abbey - The Story of Emma Barrow

Barrow's Plan (May 1920)

"Mrs. Hughes," Mr. Carson cleared his throat, "I believe this highly pressing matter falls under the purview of the butler. I will attend to it after supper."

Emma wasn't sure if this was a good or bad thing. Mr. Carson definitely had a soft spot for her. The butler liked her, even if he didn't show it in front of the other staff. Anyway, Mr. Carson kept his word. After supper, the Barrows found themselves in Mr. Carson's office.

"Well, Mr. Barrow," Carson began, "I've heard that you might be overwhelmed with your role as a father and the duties of a valet."

"Mr. Carson, I don't quite understand," Thomas wondered. "Does Emma appear unkempt and neglected, or am I not performing my duties meticulously? Did His Lordship complain about me?"

"No," the butler shook his head after scrutinizing the child from head to toe. "However, Mrs. O'Brien expressed her concerns that you might be overwhelmed with parenting and valet duties. She suggested that Alfred could take on some of your tasks, which I do not approve of. We can't keep changing valets for His Lordship."

"Mrs. O'Brien, you say?" Thomas said, taking a moment to think. It should have been clear to him that Emma was merely a means to an end. O'Brien was less concerned with tarnishing Emma's image and more interested in taking his job.

"As you've surely noticed over the years, Mrs. O'Brien doesn't have a good relationship with Emma," Thomas glanced down beside him, where Emma nodded in agreement. The girl looked infinitely sad and confused. She had a knack for fake crying on demand. Thomas took this as an opportunity to continue his story, "Can't you see that my daughter is afraid of her? I don't want to deny that Emma spent the afternoon upstairs – Emma has already been reprimanded – but she assured me she wasn't playing..."

"I visited Mr. Matthew," Emma blurted out. She didn't want to interrupt her Dad, nor did she want to involve Mr. Matthew in the story, as that wasn't the truth. However, Mr. Carson would have a hard time grasping the truth. "That's why I was upstairs."

Thomas tried not to let his surprise show on his face.

"It's true. I did fall against the sculpture, but it wasn't intentional. Mrs. O'Brien tripped me." Emma added.

"Emma sustained a knee injury from the fall," Thomas added, pointing to the large bruise. Emma was surprised by Thomas's claim because she had actually gotten the bruise earlier in the week while playing, and he knew it. But since she had been wearing tights all week, none of the staff had seen it. Her Dad had cleverly chosen her outfit earlier, opting for a knee-length dress and short socks, which made the large bruise quite visible.

"I'm afraid I was told something different. Why would Mrs. O'Brien do such a thing?" Mr. Carson inquired.

"I can only speculate. Maybe she's sad about not having a child herself. But I'm sure Mrs. O'Brien probably didn't want to risk any trouble thats why she is lying," Thomas lied.

"Very well," Mr. Carson nodded in agreement. "However, Emma Grace was given the task of cleaning up the mess..."

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Carson! Very sorry. The fall hurt so much, and then Mrs. O'Brien said many naughty words that a young girl like me shouldn't say," Emma sniffled, looking at the butler with her innocent, sweet puppy eyes, "And then she also claimed I was adopted – all of that really confused me - that's why I hid. " Emma added.

At the mention of 'adopted,' Mr. Carson's gaze went completely bewildered to Thomas, who placed his gloved hand on Emma's shoulder and bent down to her level. "As I've said, Emma, don't listen to Mrs. O'Brien. None of what she said to you is true."