Downton Abbey - The Story of Emma Barrow

Barrow's Plan (May 1920)

Thomas could hardly believe what he heard. His heart raced as he looked at his daughter. "How did you come up with that?" he asked cautiously.

"Is it true?" Emma pressed for an answer. The fact that her father was avoiding the truth saddened her.

"What were you told?" he inquired. Emma bit her lip. Why didn't he just answer with a yes or no? Was he dragging it out? "O'Brien said you adopted me and then realized it was a big mistake."

Thomas held his breath. Setting her dirty shoes on the floor, he returned to the bathroom. He gently placed his ungloved hand on her shoulder. "None of what she told you is true. You are my child," he said, turning Emma towards the mirror. The girl looked in the mirror and saw her own reflection, but also the image of her father, who still stood behind her with his hand resting on her shoulder. Their eyes met in the mirror, and Emma felt an overwhelming connection to her father.

"You are my little dwarf. The resemblance between us is undeniable," he said softly. The relief on Emma's face was unmistakable, as was the resemblance between them. She had his eyes, and some of her smiles resembled her father's. Only the little freckles on her nose, she got from her mum.

"Of course, I have more proof like your birth certificate," Thomas said. Emma turned around and surprised her father with a tight hug. "I'm sorry I doubted. I believe you," she said.

Thomas returned the hug warmly. "You are the best thing that ever happened to me," he confessed and planted a kiss on her cheek. He couldn't shake the feeling that O'Brien was planning to sow conflict between him and his child. After all, O'Brien and the rest of the staff believed that the adoption story was true. But that's where the lie about Emma's origins began. Emma was his own flesh and blood. His child. And this was made even clearer in the mirror, where she also possessed some of her mother's features. Anyway, this was the truth: he was Emma's biological father.

Emma smiled as she rested in her father's arms. Her doubts and fears had vanished. She felt safe and secure in his embrace, but Thomas quickly broke the hug. "Never listen to that nasty witch," he advised, looking at his pocket watch, "5 minutes," he noted with a sigh. The shoes were still dirty, and he hadn't come up with a plan yet. "I don't want to hear any more swear words, understood?"

"Uh-huh," Emma nodded. Thomas now reached for the dirty shoes. There wasn't enough time to clean them in the backyard, so he grabbed some washcloths instead.

"Look who decides to show up for supper," O'Brien hissed. The Barrows had just made it in time and scurried to their seats at the dining table, just before Carson. The glances from the staff, especially Alfred, O'Brien, Hughes, and Carson, did not escape them. The old, stern butler was certainly informed by Mrs. Hughes.

"With the tension in the air, one could almost believe something happened," Mr. Molesley said with a joking wink before looking at their faces and realizing that the situation was indeed serious.

Emma wished she could disappear under the table. O'Brien's eyes were positively malevolent. A quick glance at her father confirmed Emma's suspicion. Thomas was waiting for someone to bring up the afternoon's events. He was probably also waiting for O'Brien to make a misstep.

"How did His Lordship react to the destroyed sculpture? Surely he's already spoken to... the child. His Lordship can't be kept waiting," O'Brien began discussing the incident. She paused for a brief moment before using the word 'child.' Emma was pretty sure O'Brien was once again about to refer to her as a brat, but neither Mrs. Hughes nor Thomas wanted to hear that term.

"No, His Lordship hasn't been able to resolve the matter yet because Emma preferred to spend the afternoon in hiding," Mrs. Hughes muttered. Emma swallowed hard. Since when had Mrs. Hughes become so irritable and bad-tempered? She was always on her side.