Thank you very much for all your comments. I'm delighted to be able to read your thoughts again and again. This chapter is, I believe, a bit shorter than the others, but enjoy it nonetheless. We will spend a few more chapters in Season Three before jumping to Season Four in terms of the timeline. Anyway, if you have any ideas and suggestions, feel free to share them with me.
Emma will probably never find out that John Bates did, in fact, help them. After learning the truth of the turmoil from Mrs. Hughes, scheming with Mr. Carson, and speaking with his lordship, the only thing missing was the appropriate weapon to deter Mrs. O'Brien from her plan to drive the Barrows away.
"The prison changed you," Thomas observed with astonishment. "There were times when nothing was bad enough for me as far as you was concerned."
"The prison changed me," confirmed Bates. He entered the Barrows' room for the very first time. He never would have expected Thomas to give so much space to his daughter. Emma's painted pictures brought color to the bare room and radiated a certain coziness.
"Do you know that Mrs. O'Brien is behind this?" Bates inquired.
"I knew it was someone. Jimmy would never have figured it out on his own," Thomas admitted meekly.
"Don't you mind that she achieved her goal?"
"Not really," said Thomas. "The past few weeks have clearly shown that we should start anew somewhere else. Where my daughter will be respected by everyone."
"Without any reference, after 10 years here, you'll never find work again," Bates explained.
"Not in England. I have a cousin in Bombay. Maybe we'll go there. I like the sun."
"Emma doesn't want to leave Downton," Bates emphasized.
"She'll make new friends."
"Don't you understand? It's not just about her friends, but the fact that she knows no other home. This is her familiar environment. She feels comfortable and safe here."
"Do you really think I wouldn't know that? Downton is also the first home I found," hissed Thomas.
It pained Thomas deeply to know that he was responsible for Emma losing her home. He should never have kissed Jimmy. He should never have started a war with O'Brien. He was to blame for the entire situation, and now his child would have no home in just a few days, forcing them to travel abroad. Despite his reluctance to admit it openly, he had grown attached to Downton Abbey. Over the years, he had experienced so much here. Downton had become his home as well.
"What should I do? Mr. Carson won't give me a reference, pushing for my departure, or else the police will be involved! You've been in prison, Mr. Bates. That's not a place for a young girl to visit her father. In other words, I have to leave without a reference to be there for my child."
"There must be another way. You must know something about Mrs. O'Brien that you can use against her!" Bates urged.
"You know the saying. Know when you're beaten. I'm beaten, Mr. Bates. I'm completely and utterly beaten."
"Then give me the weapon, and I'll do the job. What can I say to make her change her mind? So that you can get a reference." Thomas looked at Mr. Bates with wide eyes. Why did Bates want to help him? What benefit did Bates want to gain for himself?
In the end, Thomas gave in and handed Mr. Bates the appropriate weapon. It was her Ladyship's soap. John Bates will probably never find out what it had to do with anything, but it worked, and Mrs. O'Brien backed down from her plan. The Barrows were allowed to stay.
It was the day of the cricket match when Emma also learned the good news. However, before that, she overheard a conversation that was certainly not intended for her ears. Emma knew she had a talent for eavesdropping. But most of the time, she didn't want to eavesdrop; she just happened to be in the wrong place at the most inappropriate moment. She just wanted to get the jump rope from the shed so she could jump rope with the other girls.
"But I know exactly what I saw, Milord. And it wasn't right," Alfred defended himself.
"I'm not asking you to abandon your convictions, Alfred," Lord Grantham spoke, "Just to include a little kindness in the reckoning."
"Don't I have to stand against evil?"
"Evil?" he asked, surprised. "Thomas didn't choose to be the way he is," he added with a deliberate pause. Emma pondered his words. Did Lord Grantham know about her father's difference? Why was this such an important issue? Why couldn't her Dad love whoever he wanted?
"And what harm has actually been done that one should destroy his life for it?" he pondered, "Or that of his daughter? Have you thought about what will happen to Emma if Thomas goes to prison? Is it fair to her? Hasn't she suffered enough? Do you want to turn her into a full orphan?"
Alfred stood in silence like a little boy in front of Lord Grantham while Emma held her breath. Prison. Emma would have liked to jump out of her hiding spot and scream at Alfred. Why couldn't the stupid giant servant mind his own business? Why had he turned into the male version of Mrs. O'Brien?
"Emma will be placed in a workhouse, and I hope I don't need to explain to you what her future will look like then," Lord Grantham added. "All I want is for you to understand what happens to the Barrows if you insist on sticking to your story."
"I stick to the truth, not to some story," Alfred reiterated.
"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Are you without sin, Alfred? I most certainly am not. That's why I now ask you to go to the police and insist that it was a harmless prank and misunderstanding. Thomas Barrow is a widowed man and a single father. Whatever you may think, Alfred, this man has a child."
Emma breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Alfred nodding, intimidated, and Lord Grantham escorted the servant outside without further comment.
However, Emma's mood plummeted rapidly. She had lost interest in playing jump rope with her friends. Instead, she was on the lookout for her Dad. She looked around. Up ahead, Mrs. Hughes lingered with Mr. Carson. Anna and Bates sat in the umpire's booth. Mr. Molesley boasted about his cricket knowledge.
"Come here, Emma," Lady Mary called out with a smile. She sat on a rug with the little baby lying on her legs. Emma couldn't refuse the invitation. She knelt down beside her, gazing at the little girl in fascination.
"She's still so tiny!" exclaimed the 8-year-old. Miss Sybbie reached for Emma's small finger. The little baby had quite a grip when it came to holding onto tiny fingers. "When will Miss Sybbie be old enough to play?"
"I think you'll have to wait a little while for that," laughed Matthew, who appeared behind them, squatting down to Mary's eye level as well. Resting his hand on Mary's shoulder, he observed his little niece.
"I don't really like waiting..." Emma said.
Matthew stood up again. With a few swift movements, he lifted the 8-year-old up and twirled her in the air, causing Emma to giggle with delight. Matthew set Emma down gently.
"Would you like to hold her, Emma?" Lady Mary offered, carefully passing baby Sybbie into the 8-year-old's eager arms. Emma cradled the infant with a mix of awe and tenderness, realizing the responsibility that came with holding such a tiny life.
Matthew, sensing Emma's hesitation, reassured her, "Just support her head like this, and you'll be great." He gently demonstrated, guiding Emma's hands to cradle Sybbie securely.
"Have you thought about what games you'd like to play with Miss Sybbie when she's a bit older?" Lady Mary asked.
Emma pondered for a moment, her imagination running wild. "Maybe hide and seek! Or we could read stories together."
"It's only a matter of time," O'Brien whispered directly into his ear, "The little brat has chosen her family, and surely, that's not you."
Thomas swallowed hard. He had tried to avoid the maid. Ridiculous, considering they lived and worked in the same house.
"Emma knows where her roots are," Thomas said confidently.
"The question is for how long," she winked.
Externally, he gave the impression as if he didn't care about what O'Brien was telling him, but internally, he harbored slight doubts. Of course, Emma would never leave him. The child stayed by his side when it learned his deepest secret. Emma had had numerous opportunities to leave him, but she never did. No matter how he treated her on some days, Emma always remained by his side, and she would continue to do so in the future, wouldn't she?
Emma's gaze wandered around until she suddenly saw Mrs. O'Brien next to her father. She hurried to him and said, "You played well, Dad," praising him with a grin.
"Thank you," Thomas grinned. The opportunity had been perfect to enlighten his little dwarf about the latest news, "By the way, I have news about our future... we're staying in Downton", Thomas said.
Emma's grin widened even more, "That's fantastic!"
"And the best part is that I've been promoted to be the under-butler," added Thomas.
While O'Brien had just stood next to Thomas with a confident, sly grin, she now only showed great indignation. Emma didn't care, of course. She was thrilled for her dad and wrapped her arms around his waist.
In that moment, Emma was simply overjoyed. They would stay together, like a family. They would stay in Downton, where all her friends lived. On top of it all they won the cricket match.
Thomas returned the embrace of his little dwarf, flashing a self-assured grin at Mrs. O'Brien.