She raised her hand to his cheek and brushed some dirt away. “You were incredibly brave tonight.” Cora said when they finally retrieved themselves in Cora’s room.
Robert sighed and took off his housecoat “I am glad everybody is alright, and nobody got hurt.”
“I just do not understand how it happened, Edith was asleep, how did that fire start?” Cora wet her thumb with her tongue and brushed over Robert’s nose. “Baxter is bringing up a bowl of water, so we can clean your face.” She said.
“We will probably never know how it happened. I saw you thanking Thomas. I will talk with him tomorrow, to give him proper compensation for raising the alarm.”
Cora was still focused on cleaning Robert’s face, she had her handkerchief between her fingers now.
Robert put his hand on Cora’s arm, to lower it. “Do not ruin that handkerchief, Baxter will bring the old cloth’s any minute now.”
The moment he said those words, the door opened and Baxter stepped inside, Robert let go of her arm. “Thank you Baxter. You can clean it up tomorrow and go up to bed now.” Cora said.
“Are you sure Milady? Do I need to bring anything else?”
“Can you ask John to bring me clean pyjamas?” Robert asked her.
Cora saw the confusion on Baxter’s face and remembered Mrs Hughes’s request. “Edith is in your dressing room, Bates cannot go in there.” She looked at Baxter. “Never mind Baxter, I will get them myself out of his Lordships dressing room. Good night.”
While Baxter left the room, Cora put the cloth’s in the lukewarm water. “Sit down here please.” She said to Robert. “You are too tall for me to clean your face properly while you are standing.”
Robert put his hands on Cora’s arm, to stop her movements. “I can do that myself.” He said it with a soft voice.
Cora saw the exhaustion in his eyes. “Darling, please sit down and let me do this.” She said as softly as he had spoken.
Without further hesitation, Robert sat down and let Cora clean his face, neck and hands. Her movements were slow and caring. The warm water on his skin was nice. And he noticed he finally started to calm down. The fear of losing his beloved house had put him under a lot of stress.
Tom had once more proved himself. He had made sure the children were outside and then he started to try and put out the fire. He was a brave man he thought.
Cora moved the cloth over Robert’s skin, the dirt was not easy to clean off, but she managed with the water and soap Baxter brought. Robert was taken away, she noticed, in his thoughts. No wonder, she thought. He had been in the room with all those flames. He and Tom had been incredibly brave tonight. And Thomas saved Edith’s life and quite frankly the whole house.
When she felt Robert letting out a deep sigh, she put the cloth back in the water and lowered herself next to him. She took his hands in hers. Under his nails, there was still some dirt she saw. Softly she brushed her thumbs over his hands. “It was a hard night, but Downton is still standing tall.”
Robert let out another deep sigh. “I do not know what we would have done otherwise.”
Cora squeezed his hands. “Let us not think about what could have happened. The damage stayed in Edith’s room. Downton is still standing.”
Robert nodded, but he could not speak due to a sudden lump in his throat.
Cora saw Robert’s bottom lip tremble. She got up a little and wrapped her arms around him. One hand moved up to his neck, and she massaged his neck. “All is well, darling. All is well.”
She pushed herself back. “Now, let me get you clean pyjama’s.” She started to get up, when Robert pulled her back down. This made her lose her balance and she ended sitting on his lap.
Robert immediately wrapped his arm around her waist and she felt his fingers digging into her skin. She cupped his cheek with her hand and kissed his lips briefly. “You had quite a shock tonight darling.” She said, and she felt Robert’s fingers dig even deeper, she knew he was getting aroused. Stress did sometimes have that effect on him. But with Edith in the dressing room, they could not do anything. What if she heard them? Just the thought of Edith overhearing them, made the upcoming heat inside her, due to Robert’s touch, calm down. She brushed his lips again with hers. “Darling, you need to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a busy day, with all the paperwork that will follow after this fire.
Cora had hoped, that the thought of paperwork, would calm him down, but it did not have the effect she had wished for. On the contrary, he moved the hand that was resting on her leg towards her innerleg
Resolute, she put her hand on his and pushed it back to the top of her leg. “Edith is in the room next to us, and we had an exhausting night. We should get some sleep.”
Robert’s fingers relaxed. “You are right. I am extremely tired.” It was as if Cora’s words made him aware of how tired he was, and all of a sudden he could not keep his eyes open.
“Take of this dirty clothes, I will get you clean ones.” She kissed his lips again, before she got up.
+++
“Mama?” Edith said surprised when Cora opened the dividing door.
“I am sorry, my darling. I hope I did not wake you, but your father needs some clean clothes.” Cora stepped inside the room and closed the door behind her.
“I am sorry for sleeping here.”
“No, darling. No, no need to apologise.” Cora said quickly, walking towards Edith. She bent down and kissed Edith’s forehead. “Are you sure you are alright darling?”
Edith nodded. “Yes, mama. I only feel so stupid for setting the house on fire.”
Cora brushed over her cheek. “Do not worry about that darling. We do not know what started the fire.”
“But it was in my room.”
Cora pulled up Edith’s covers a bit more and said. “It does not matter, go try and get some sleep.”
“Can I sleep with you tonight?”
Cora was surprised by this question. The last time one of her girls slept in her room, was when they were little. “I cannot send Papa away, darling.” Cora felt awful, she would have loved to have Edith next to her. She needed her mother’s comfort and she could not give it to her. But Robert needed her too.
Before Edith could respond she said. “The bed is big enough, you can sleep on my side, I will sleep in the middle.” Cora saw Edith getting up. “Just wait a little bit, I will tell your father first and will give him time to change his clothes.
+++
Cora walked back into her room and for a second she could not find Robert. But then she saw his figure already lying under the covers. A very soft snoring came from the bed. She chuckled, put down his pyjama on his chair and walked towards him. She shifted the covers a bit and saw he went to bed without his pyjamas on. This complicated the situation a little bit. Could she bring Edith to sleep in their bed, while her father was only wearing his underpants? It was already unheard of that a father would sleep in the same room as his daughter.
It did not matter, Cora decided. Edith needed her, and her husband needed her. Cora walked back to the dressing room.
“Papa is already asleep, give me your pillow and covers and you can sleep next to me.”
Edith did as instructed, Cora walked back, made Edith’s side of the bed ready and got in herself. She shifted closer to Robert, so there was enough space for Edith. Robert immediately put his hand on her hip and pressed his nose in her hair.
“Mama, are you sure?” Edith said softly when she saw her mother lying in the middle of the bed.
Cora pulled back the covers. “Come on, we all need our sleep.” She waited for Edith to settle before she closed her own eyes and drifted off to sleep.
+++
Robert woke up, he was surprised to find Cora this close to him. He wanted to wrap his arm around her and kiss her awake, but when he heard a different sound than normal, he stopped. It was as if two people were sleeping next to him. He pushed himself up and saw Cora had her arm around another person. According to the hair colour, it was Edith.
Immediately he was aware that he was not wearing anything else than his underpants. As quietly as possible he got up. He did not kiss Cora, it would probably wake her up. He tugged his side of the covers in, as if he had not slept there.
The moment he closed the dividing door behind him, he let go of the breath, that he was holding. He felt slightly embarrassed, he had slept in the same bed as his grown-up daughter. That was unheard of. Cora was the only person who would make a decision like that. It showed that she still had some American left in her. And to be perfectly honest, he did not mind. She had made the right decision, to be there for him and also for Edith. He could not love her more, than he did in this moment.
Robert rang for Bates so he could start his day.
+++
Cora woke up from the light that came into the room. Baxter had entered and opened the curtains.
“Good morning, Milady.” She said.
Cora pushed herself up and felt instant relief when she saw Robert’s side empty and the covers tugged in, but when she saw his pillow she knew Baxter would know he had slept here. Did it matter? The staff knew they slept in the same room for many years now, and if they judged her for letting Edith sleep with them, she did not care about that.
“Good morning, Baxter. Thank you for waking me. I overslept.”
“That is alright, Milady. His lordship had asked to wake you and Lady Edith. He has left for a meeting already, but he will be back for tea. I have breakfast for you and Lady Edith ready.”
Cora smiled, she could not have wished for a nicer maid. Baxter never judged her, and when she did, she would never let Cora know.
Verhalen van Traan 