Anticipation over the upcoming season of the hit TV series, Downton Abbey, continues to build, as the latest info may serve to worry the show's loyalists.

While Michelle Dockery, who dons the role of the now widowed Lady Mary, stated that she's prefer not to make a future exit from the program, she did somewhat insinuate that her character does have a means to an end, according to Harper's Bazaar.

"There's a part of me that doesn't want it to end, because I love it so much and once it's all over, I'm sure there will be a period when I feel slightly at a loss. It's like this love affair that I have with my job," she said.

Although the respective comments do little to validate a Lady Mary exit, they do give fans some food for thought to ingest on whether such a scenario indeed a possibility.

Downton Abbey is slated to kick off in the U.S. on Jan. 5, 2014, and run until February 23, 2014. Only time will truly tell what lays in the cards for Lady Mary.

Be sure to keep checking back for more of the latest details on the British-American period piece. For more Downton dirt related to the upcoming season, a video clip can be viewed below.

Tags: television downton abbey PBS iTV Michelle Dockery