‘Downton Abbey’ season 4 spoilers: How Allen Leech, Michelle Dockery could team up

At the end of “Downton Abbey” season 3, we know that there were these nagging fears and concerns among many diehard fans that for whatever reason, the death of Matthew Crawley and Lady Sybil was going to mean that we were going to see some sort of bizarre, straight-from-a-soap-opera hook-up take place between Lady Mary and Tom Branson. These two were single parents and alone for the first time in quite a while, so they could at least take some sort of comfort in that they had a few things in common; who knows what can come from that?

Luckily, Michelle Dockery, Allen Leech, and producers have all been quick at various times to dismiss the talk as mere speculation, and now we have another opportunity to really do so here. Speaking out per “Access Hollywood,” Dockery details how the two parties could actually have more of a professional relationship than ever before, as Mary plays a part in helping Tom run the estate in the position that was once inhabited by Matthew:

“They are very much friends and he is her brother-in-law, still. I think they become close because of what they’ve both been through.

“And also, Mary becomes far more involved in the running of the estate with Tom, so we do have a lot of scenes together. But romantically, I don’t think it’s going anywhere.”

It’s already been reported that both characters are going to have their romantic focus elsewhere when the series picks back up. when it comes to Mary, she will have a chorus of various love interests, including longtime family friend Lord Anthony Gillingham. Meanwhile, current rumor has it that we are going to be seeing Branson fall in love with his daughter’s nanny.

While there is no firm premiere date yet for “Downton Abbey” season 4 in Britain, the show will be back on in America come Sunday, January 5.

Photo: ITV