While there hasn't been much chatter as of late on the Downton Abbey front, new speculation surrounding the love life of Thomas (Rob James-Collier) has been lingering on the Internet.

Siobhan Finneran (O'Brien) recently made the announcement that she was departing Downton after the third season for greener pastures, which has posed the obvious question regarding whether or not he'll have a replacement.

James-Collier spoke to TV Guide about the dynamic between his character and O'Brien, which nabbed Favorite Feud honors on the Fan Favorites list.

"Our fans are obviously highly intelligent people. We thank them. There are just too many nice people in the Abbey. We're the complete antithesis," he said.

According to Wet Paint, Thomas and O'Brien had spent the majority of the first few seasons "smoking and plotting evil together" prior to the tiff over her nephew Alfred.

"You don't want to piss off O'Brien. She's an evil genius! Thomas was too arrogant and thought he could outwit her. He couldn't," James-Collier added.

When O'Brien pushed Thomas' crush on new footman Jimmy, it resulted in him being called gay. While Thomas and Jimmy (Ed Speleers) ended the season as friends, the former's tears over Lady Sybil's (Jessica Brown Findlay) death showed a more vulnerable side to his character. However, the website suspected that he'll most likely go back to being a villain.

Despite O'Brien's absence for season 4, James-Collier suggested that fans will be in for a treat nonetheless.

"Fans won't be disappointed next season," he said. "I'm pretty sure Thomas will find someone else to fall in line with him and start sniping. But no one could ever replace O'Brien. Never!"

Downton Abbey is set to premiere its fourth season in the U.S. on Jan. 5, 2014, according to The Huffington Post.

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Downton abbey, Television