Downton Abbey - The Story of Emma Barrow

Run Away Kid & The Flu (April 1919)

A few hours earlier...

Emma rushed to their shared bedroom and closed the door behind her. In her small room, surrounded by her cherished stuffed animals and toys, she felt safer, but the words of Thomas and O'Brien still echoed in her mind. Determined, she grabbed her favorite dog and her school backpack, into which she packed a few clothes and her favorite books. She decided to run away. If her Dad didn't want her, then she would manage on her own.

With a pounding heart and tears in her eyes, she quietly sneaked down the stairs and slipped out of the big house. Raindrops fell from the sky.

"Hello Emma, out on your own? Where are you headed? Perhaps I could accompany you for a bit?" the elderly man offered.

"Hello Mister Mason," she greeted politely, "I don't know where I want to go yet, because I'm running away from home."

"Why don't you run with me to my farm then?" the old man suggested, "You can help me with the animals."

On the farm, he first showed her the animals, which Emma loved just as much as his William did. She got to know the horses and pigs. The cat and the chickens. She even got to pet the animals before settling down on a bale of straw with a cup of warm tea in her hand, observing the animals.

"So, now please tell me why you want to run away?" he asked and took a sip of his beloved black tea.

"Dad is losing his job and can't find a new one because of me."

"I hardly think you're the reason Thomas is losing his job."

"But he is, because he took advantage of the generosity because of me, and no one wants to hire a single-parent servant," she explained, "Dad needs money urgently because he lost a lot of money."

"But don't you think your father would be sad if you ran away?"

"I don't think so," Emma sadly shook her head, "Dad never has time for me anyway, and if I'm gone, he'll find a job. And he needs a new job."

"Emma," Mister Mason sadly shook his head, "Your father works 16 hours a day, sometimes he's too exhausted to play with you, but I don't believe you're a burden to him... there are other single fathers or mothers out there who work and raise their children. He'll find a new job. It just takes some time."

"But Miss O'Brien says brats like me belong in an orphanage, and Katherine from my class told me that's a terrible place," Emma started crying, "I don't want to go to an orphanage."

"Don't worry, Emma. This Miss O'Brien can't decide for you, and I hardly think Thomas would ever send you to an orphanage."

"But he would. Dad agreed with her! He wants to get rid of me! He only kept me because he thought he had no other choice," she sniffled.

Mister Mason pulled a handkerchief from his jacket pocket and gently dabbed it on Emma's cheek, "Honestly, I can't imagine it. Thomas wouldn't send his own child away," he comforted.

"That's the thing," Emma said, "Sometimes, Dad is really great and plays with me. He even gives me piggyback rides, but then he ignores me as if he doesn't want a child."

"I don't know him that well, but I believe your father finds it hard to allow or show emotions," he explained, placing his warm hand on her shoulder, "Nonetheless, Thomas surely cares about you very much."

The next morning, the staff sat somberly at the breakfast table.

"Any news about Emma Grace?" Carson inquired to the group.