Downton Abbey - The Story of Emma Barrow

Peace (October - December 1918)

Joyfully, Emma went home. On today's school day, she found a best friend, Ruby. Both girls played together after school, but her father's one-hour rule was simply too short to play with her new best friend. And especially now in the darker season, her father became stricter with the curfew, only allowing her to stay out until the beginning of dusk.

In the backyard, she stopped and looked critically over at Thomas and O'Brien. The cigarettes were smoking in their hands, and they seemed to be having a serious conversation. Thomas glanced over at her now, his face showing only that tough 'servant facade' - utterly indecipherable to Emma. It didn't take a minute, and O'Brien left the backyard. Her father now stood alone, leaning against the wall behind him. At least he extinguished the cigarette as Emma approached slowly. "Dad?" she asked nervously, her hands tightly clutching the strap of her school bag, "Why can't I play with my friends for longer? I think it's silly that I always have to come home so early. The others are all allowed to play longer."

"All the other kids live in the village. House by house."

"Still..." But before Emma could finish her explanation, she was interrupted by Thomas, "You know the conditions. You have until it's dark to come home. If you dawdle on the way, you have to leave your friends earlier. If you hurry, you can stay with them longer."

"How generous," she muttered, rolling her eyes. Thomas took this as an opportunity to raise his eyebrows in surprise. He smiled slightly at Emma's eye-rolling because he knew she sometimes teased him, and he couldn't resist her little jabs.

"Yes, I am indeed very generous," he replied with a wink.

Emma looked at him with her famous pout, "Daddy, please! I found my very best friend today!"

"You shouldn't always use that puppy look," Thomas admonished with a slight smile on his lips.

"But Daddy, it always works!" protested Emma with a sweet smile reserved specifically for such moments.

Thomas shook his head slightly, but his smile betrayed that he couldn't really resist her puppy look. "Alright, you win," he conceded. He took out his pocket watch from his pocket, "This is an absolute exception!"

"Thank you, Daddy."

Thomas fastened his pocket watch to her coat, "Be back home at seven sharp. Not a minute later," and stowed the watch itself in her coat pocket.

A smile spread across Emma's face, "Promise, Dad!" and she hugged her father tightly. Thomas warmly returned his daughter's hug and held her close. "Take care of yourself, my little dwarf. I trust you, but I still worry about you."

"I know, Dad," Emma said softly. "But you don't need to worry; I'm a big schoolgirl now."

"I know," Thomas replied with an affectionate smile. "But still, be back on time, okay?"

"Yes, yes, I promise," Emma assured. She let go of the hug and ran off to enjoy the remaining time with her new best friend. The two girls played hide-and-seek, drew colorful pictures with chalk on the sidewalk, and played tag together.

As the sun began to sink slowly on the horizon, Emma knew it was time to make her way home. She wanted to keep her promise and be back home at seven sharp. She ran home, making sure not to dawdle to avoid wasting precious time.

Thomas was waiting in the servants' hall. The newspaper was spread out before him, and a cigarette glowed between his fingers. "Punctual to the minute," he observed, glancing at the large clock on the mantelpiece.

"As promised," Emma grinned proudly.

Thomas smiled and patted the empty space beside him. "To be honest, I had no doubt about that, but it's still an absolute exception."