A guest-star in the concluding episodes of season 3 of Downton Abbey will be joining the ranks of the regulars in the upcoming season.

TVLine has confirmed a hint from a recent EW interview with Downton Abbey producer Gareth Neame that actress Lily James has been promoted to a series regular in the fourth season of the British drama. James will reprise her role of Lady Rose, the 18-year-old great niece of Maggie Smith’s character Lady Violet. (What a bouquet those two make!)

Lady Rose first appeared in the penultimate episode of Downton Abbey‘s third season and made quite a splash with her penchant for wild, late-night jazz parties and a brief affair with a married man. Rose appeared again in the Scottish-set season finale (which aired as a Christmas special in the UK). Though still something of a rebel – Rose was seen smoking and wearing revealing formalwear – the episode cast her in a somewhat more sympathetic light, revealing her difficult relationship with her mother, as well as her genuine eagerness to help Anna work on a surprise for Bates. Near the end of the episode, it was arranged that Rose would come to live at Downton while her parents went off to do the Empire’s work in India.

It will be interesting to see which version of Rose takes prominence in season 4 of Downton Abbey; will it be the wild, petulant rule-breaker, or the sweeter, independent-minded girl trying to make her way in a changing world? And what impact will Rose have on the highly traditional (and tragedy-beset) life at Downton Abbey?

According to EW, Season 4 of Downton Abbey has recently begun filming. The season will air in the UK in the fall on ITV, and in January 2014 on PBS for American audiences.

Are you looking forward to seeing more of Lady Rose in season 4?

A few weeks ago one of our readers wrote an article speculating who will appear on the show’s poster for Downton Abbey series 4. May it be Lady Rose?