A/N Thanks for all of your wonderful reviews for the last chapter. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update this. When I first started writing this I thought, "Pssht! This'll be easy!" Let me tell you how wrong I was... I think I've finally found my groove with this one so hopefully, the next chapter won't take so long.

Mary is 7 years old now.

Carson held his hand lamp aloft as he made his nightly rounds of the house. It had been almost three weeks since Mr. Finch had retired and Carson had been promoted to butler of Downton Abbey. He was still getting used to his change in position, but his nightly walks through the house while everyone slept had soon become his favorite part of the day. The quiet gave his busy mind time to unwind from the pressures of the day.

Tonight Carson was making doubly sure that all of the windows and outside doors were firmly shut and locked. A great storm was raging outside the Abbey's walls. The steady pouring of rain was interspersed with violent flashes of lightning and booming claps of thunder. Carson stood for a moment in the great hall admiring how the sounds of the storm echoed through the room when he heard the sound of shuffling feet behind him. He spun on his heel raising his hand lamp higher but saw no one.

"Who's there?" he called in his sternest voice. Suddenly a great clap of thunder shook the house and Carson felt himself tackled at the knees. He looked down to see the dark head of a small child clinging to his legs. "Miss Mary?"

The little girl was crying almost hysterically and with every clap of thunder, her grip on his knees tightened. Carson placed his lamp on a nearby table and knelt down to try to comfort the frightened child. As soon as he was eye level Miss Mary wrapped her arms around his neck pressing her face into his jacket. Carson held her until her until her tears calmed enough for him to look down into her face. He pulled his handkerchief from his pocket and began to dry the tears from her face.

"Now, Miss Mary," he began, gently smiling at the little girl, "what are you doing out of bed, child?"

Miss Mary sniffed. "Cousin Patrick said there were ghosts in the Abbey. I was proving him wrong."

"You were?" Carson asked surprised that the older boy would be telling such tales to Miss Mary.

"Yes, I told him there were no such things as ghosts," she said matter-of-factly. "Edith didn't believe me either so I was proving them both wrong but…"

Carson smiled at her tenacity. "But you got frightened."

Miss Mary leaned back from him to cross her arms defiantly. "I wasn't frightened. I just got lost."

Carson bowed his head to hide his smile. "Of course, my Lady."

Carson stood and looked down at the little girl. "Well now, Miss Mary, do you have more rooms to search for ghosts? Or would you like me to escort you back to the nursery?"

"There's no such thing as ghosts, Mr. Carson," she said while reaching sheepishly for his hand, "but I wouldn't mind if you walked back with me."

"Of course, my Lady," Carson said again and began to lead the way back up the stairs to return Miss Mary back to her bed.