But Papa! Why? Chapter 17

“Is Mama coming in today?” Robert stepped inside his father’s office.

“A very good morning to you too, son.”

Robert sighed. “Good morning, Papa.”

“How is Cora doing? I heard she was sick.”

Robert suspected that Rosamund had told his father. “She is doing better; I think we will see her at the office today. Can you please answer my question?”

“Your mother will not be in today.”

“Of course not,” Robert said frustrated. “She ruins my life but does not have the guts to show her face.”

“You do realise, it is your mother you are talking about.” His father said awfully calm.

With disbelief, Robert looked at his father. “So, you support her in this? What has she told Martha? What lies has she told? And why did you agree with this? What was the purpose of all this?”

Patrick stood up and walked passed Robert to close the door. He gestured to a chair. “Please sit down.”

Robert did as he was told and waited for his father to start.

“You know, we always have tried to expand our company, and this seemed to me the best way to start in America. In the process, I have learned that the American market is not fitting for our business. I have had several conversations with Mr. Levinson. He told me that they never wanted to start here in England. It was all set up to get Cora to this country. If I had known the real reason, I would never have agreed.”

Robert looked at his father in disbelief. “You are telling me, that you did not know about the marrying into money thing?”

Now his father looked at him puzzled. “I am not sure; I know what you are referring too.”

Before Robert could answer, the door opened, and Rosamund stepped inside. “Robert, you are the one I was looking for.”

“Rosamund, can it wait?” Robert said, eager to hear his father’s side of the story.

“You and Papa are talking about the ‘Levinson and son’ business, right?”

“Uhm, yes, so please can it wait. I want to hear Papa’s story.” Robert got annoyed.

“I have something to add to it, but I will wait for Papa to finish.” Rosamund sat down and looked at her father. Who looked a little bit confused at both of his children.

“Robert, I honestly do not know what you mean with marrying into money.”

“Oh, come on, Papa. Stop treating me as if I am a child. You know perfectly well what I mean. You and Mama wanted me to marry Cora for her money. Or at least, the money she will inherit once she marries.”

Patrick’s confusing only got bigger. “Why would I want you to marry Cora for money? We have our own and are living a wealthy lifestyle. Why would I want you to marry into money?”

“Mama, never told you.” Rosamund said softly. “Robert.” she continued. “Mama, told Martha you are engaged to Claire. And that is why she blew everything off and is calling Cora back home.”

“Claire? Who is Claire?” Patrick asked, looking at Robert.

“A girl I went out with once. Why did Mama do that?”

“I guess that the fact that our title does not mean much anymore, was not enough for Martha to call the whole thing off. So, she invented a fake fiancée, to get her to agree you two were not going to be married.” Rosamund said.

Robert sighed. “Well, they failed.”

Rosamund’s head shot in Robert’s direction. “What are you saying?”

Now Robert felt his cheeks burn. “We are not marrying, not yet, or maybe never. But we are going on a date as soon as she is fully recovered from her cold.”

“I thought you did not like Cora?” Patrick now said.

Rosamund laughed out loud. “Something Robert thought himself too. But he fooled us all. I believe he is head over heels in love with her.”

“Son, I am going to talk with your mother. If I had known she was interfering with your life this much, I would have stopped her. You know I love your mother, but sometimes she has to be stopped. Oh, before I forget, did Cora accept my offer?”

Now Robert started smiling. “She did, Cora would love to work for you.”

“That is one positive outcome out of all of this. We will have a great new employee.”

+++

Cora heard the phone ring multiple times; it took a long time before it was picked up. But when she was about to give up, it was answered.

“‘Levinson and son’, how can I help you?” A very friendly voice sounded.

Her phone got connected to the receptionist. “Hello, this is Miss. Levinson speaking, can you please connect me to Mr. Levinson senior?”

“Good morning, Miss Levinson, I am very sorry to tell you, but your father is not at the office today.”

“When will he be in?” Cora asked.

It stayed silent on the other side, this worried Cora. “I do not know miss, maybe you could call Mr. Levinson?”

Cora took a deep breath. “Thank you, I will do that.”

Without any hesitation, Cora dialled her brother’s number. “Cora, I was about to call you.” He answered.

“Harold? What is going on? Papa is not in the office and the receptionist told me to call you.”

“Papa, will not be in the office for a long time, I am afraid.”

Cora got cold all of a sudden. “Harold, what do you mean?”

“He is in the hospital; he had a heart attack, and it is not looking good.”

“Oh no, no, no, no. Please do not tell me he is dying. Not while I am this far away.” Cora cried.

“I am so sorry, but I wish I had better news.”

“Please tell him to hold on, I am coming as soon as a plane is leaving. Please, please let him know I am coming.”

“Be safe, darling sister. Please be safe.”

Cora put her phone down and for a minute she could only stare at it. This must be a nightmare, a horrible nightmare. Not her darling Papa.

Drabble – cake

Robert walked into the great hall when he saw Cora come up from the kitchens. That was a weird time to discuss the menus with Mrs Patmore he thought. They were not expecting any special guests, were they?

She had a weird expression on her face. It made him stop in his tracks, should he let her know he saw her? Before he could decide, Cora walked up the stairs. Her face was directed to the floor. Something was bothering her, Robert knew. The way her shoulders bent forward and how she tried not to look up, so she would not make eye contact with anybody walking by.

Robert gave her a minute before he ran up the stairs. He needed to know, what had happened in the kitchens. He knocked on her door and without waiting, he opened the door.

He found Cora standing in front of one of the windows, staring outside. Her small figure looked even smaller than normal. Her chestnut brown curls were neatly put up in an updo. She had not reacted to him stepping inside the room. Had she not heard him knock? Quickly he closed the distance between him and her. Gently he placed his hands on her shoulders. “Cora?” He asked.

This startled her. “Oh, Robert. I did not hear you come in. I am sorry.” He saw how she brushed over her cheeks, to hide the tears probably. He could see in her eyes, that she had been crying. She quickly turned her face back to the window.

“What is wrong my dear?” Robert squeezed her shoulders and started massaging them. He felt her react to his movements. He did not like all the fabric between his hands and her skin. He reminded himself that he should give her a proper massage, tonight after they retreated to bed. When he felt Cora let out a deep sigh, he stopped and stepped next to her. “Cora? Can you tell me what is wrong?”

Cora gave him a soft smile. “I just got reminded of how fast the time goes by and…..” her voice stopped, she lowered her eyes and tried not to cry.

Robert got worried, what was making her so upset? He saw her glimmering eyes when she looked up again.

“This war…….” her voice broke again. “Now our youngest is also involved. And what if something happens to Matthew? Or even Thomas.”

“I know, darling. I know.” Robert said while taking her hands in his. “Sybil will be alright, she is a strong young woman.” Suddenly he saw Cora’s face light up.

“She is.” Cora said. “Carson took me down to the kitchens, where I saw her in the kitchen with Mrs. Patmore and Daisy. I think you will like the cake we will eat this afternoon tea.”

Robert looked at her a little bit confused. “What do you mean, darling?”

“Sybil baked a cake.”

“She did? Truly? our Sybil?”

Cora smiled and squeezed Robert’s hands. “I was worried, but I am not anymore. I still wish Isobel had not suggested her to become a nurse. I do not want to think about all the horrors she is going to see. But I also know she is resilient. Carson brought me down, to scold Mrs. Patmore or even Sybil, but I will not. Our little one has grown up and I am proud of her.”

Robert kissed the back of her hand. “You raised three strong woman. It feels like yesterday when you showed me Mary for the first time.”

“Twenty-six years ago, can you believe it?” Cora answered.

Robert stroke with his hand over Cora’s cheek. “Looking at you, I cannot believe almost thirty years have passed, since the first time I saw your beautiful face.”

A smile played around Cora’s mouth. “We should go downstairs; it is almost time for afternoon tea.”

But Papa! Why? Chapter 16

Cora let the water rain on her head. It was a wonderful feeling to have enough energy to take a shower. She could not place how she was feeling. Waking up with Robert next to her was a very pleasant experience and something she could get used to. But she was not sure what his motives were.

Hopefully, he had found some answers on why her mother was calling her back home. She hated the fact that her mother and, also her father were not giving her explanations. As if she was a little child who should just listen to her parents. They forgot that she was an adult.

She decided to wear jeans and a big fluffy sweater. She was not feeling well enough to dress into something more elegant. But at least she would appear without her sweatpants. Her temperature was back to normal, it was only the stuffiness that was bothering her. She checked herself in the mirror, should she apply some make-up?

Robert put some bread in the toaster when he heard Cora’s bedroom door open. He put down some beans and eggs on a plate. And looked up when Cora stepped into the kitchen. “Good morning.” She looked refreshed, she was wearing mascara he noticed, it made her blue eyes pop.

“Good morning,” Cora answered while sitting down at the table. “It smells nice. Thank you for making us breakfast.”

“I hope you like the English style of breakfast,” Robert said, suddenly insecure about his decision to make her a full English. “You did not have all the ingredients, but beans, bacon and eggs are close enough.”

“Can you tell me why you have bought my house?” Cora ignored his remark about the breakfast.

Robert looked at her before he answered. Did he hear an angry tone? “I wanted to make sure, that if you leave London, it would be your own decision. And not that of your parents.”

Cora nodded.

“Rosamund found out why you were sent to us in the first place. It seems you mother and my mother were planning together. Your mother wants you to marry into a title and my mother wanted me to marry into money.”

“Basically, we were married off, before we even met. Is that what you are saying?” Cora asked.

“Let me tell you everything Rosamund told me.” Robert told her, while she ate her breakfast.

+++

“You know.” Cora started when Robert came back from his shower. “There is one thing I do not understand. What did your mother tell my mother to make her call me back home?”

Robert sat down on one of the big chairs. “That I have not figured out yet, I hope Rosamund has found something. If not, tomorrow I am going into the office to talk with my parents. We need answers.” Robert now leaned forward. “But Cora, I want to make one thing very clear. I did not know anything about this. The reason why I came here, was because I wanted to make sure you were alright. And as I said earlier this weekend, I like you.”

Cora felt her cheeks colour. “I did not mean to paint you off as a bad person.”

Robert cut her off before she could continue. “You did not do that; I fully understand why you may have thought that. Here I am suddenly on your doorstep, and to top it off I bought your house.”

Cora chuckled. “Most man come with flowers, but you come with chicken broth and the house I am living in.”

Now Robert also started to laugh. “We had a weird start, so why would we do it the normal way now?”

Cora looked down at her hands and then back up to Robert. “Can I ask you something?” She said shyly.

“Of course, whatever you want.”

“Why did you give that harsh treatment?”

This time Robert’s face coloured bright red, Cora almost felt guilty asking that question. “I do not think that whatever excuses I have, will make it right what I did. I am also not trying to make it right, because I treated you in a horrible way. I thought you would take my place in the company, that you would be better than me. But at the same time, I realised, that you were a very beautiful woman, and I did everything to prevent me from liking you. I was just scared for what it would bring.” He paused and looked at her. “It is the worst excuses ever and I should not have done it. Can you forgive me?”

“Yes.” Cora said soft. “I think I can. But how do you think we can go from here?”

“My father already offered you a place in our company. He wants you in his team. We also do not want to lose Miss. Baxter, you two are a genius team. The way you both handled Sky Garden is outstanding, and we cannot wait to see more of your work. You will get a decent salary and well, you can stay in this house without rent.”

“Oh no, I cannot accept that, Robert.”

“What do you mean? You do not want the job?”

Cora shook her head. “I cannot accept the living here rent free.”

“My father will only raise your salary, so it will not make any difference.”

“And what about your mother and Rosamund?” Cora asked.

“Rosamund loves you, she is the one who figured this out. And Mama, that is something we will have to deal with on a daily basis. Hopefully Papa can talk some sense into her and maybe she will soften down when you and I start dating.”

Cora’s head shot up and she looked Robert in the eye. “Are we dating?”

Robert started to stutter, and Cora took him out of his misery. “I am only joking. I would love to go on this adventure together with you.”

“Are you sure? My title is more honorary then it does something other than open doors to luxurious parties.”

“Oh, you Donk, do you think I care about that title?”

“Donk?” Robert asked surprised.

“Since I am miss Pretty, we need a name for you, and I think Donk sooths you.”

Robert got up and sat down next to Cora. “Well, miss Pretty.” He took her hands in hers; he could feel that her temperature had gone back to normal. “Do you want to go on a date with me?” He brought her hands to his mouth and kissed her knuckles.

“I would love that.” Cora smiled warmly, fighting again not to kiss him. Her stuffiness was still not fully gone, and she did not want to take the risk of him getting sick. He was already lucky to not have caught her germs after being with her this weekend.

But Papa! Why? Chapter 15

A little fluff in between the drama

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It was dark in her room when Cora woke up. She reached for her phone; it was four in the morning. She was surprised to see it was Sunday, she must have slept most of the Saturday.

Her mouth was dry, but the cup next to her bed was empty. Cora got up, put her slippers on her feet and wrapped herself in her dressing gown that was lying on the chair next to her bed. With the cup in her hand, she walked towards the kitchen. Passing by her living room, she heard snoring. Then she saw Robert, who was asleep on the sofa.

It warmed her heart that he was still here. For a moment she thought it had been a fever dream that Robert told her he liked her. But seeing him sleeping in her house, told her, it had not been a dream. Cora walked towards him and lowered herself in front of his sleeping figure.

She pulled up the blanket he had draped over himself, to cover him better. This made him stir. “Just sleep, it is alright you can sleep.” She said softly.

But Robert did wake up and he looked at her disoriented, but then he jerked up. “Cora? Are you feeling worse? Do you need something?

With her hand on his upper arm, she pushed him back down, and she made a sussing sound. “I am alright. Calm down.” She noticed that her voice was not as stuffy as it was before, although her nose was still blocked.

“Are you sure?”

Cora put her hand on Robert’s cheek. “Positive. I woke up and needed some water. Then I saw you sleeping with the blanket half on the floor.”

“I hope you do not mind that I am sleeping here. I did not want to leave you alone. You had two very hard days.”

Cora smiled; her thumb was brushing over his cheekbone. “Why would I mind? I can only be grateful you were here to take care of me. I am feeling better now, the fever is gone.”

Robert pressed his hand on her forehead and nodded. “You are warm, but not boiling as you were yesterday. That is a relief.”

“It cannot be comfortable, sleeping on this sofa,” Cora said a bit shy. “My bed is big enough for two people.”

“Are you sure about that?” Robert asked, he rested his hand on her shoulder.

“I cannot imagine you want to make a move on me, while I am this snotty.” It was as if her body wanted to prove her point because she started sneezing.

Robert frowned. “You still sound very congested. I will lie down on the other side of your bed if you promise to try and get some more sleep.

Cora nodded before she turned away to clear her nose. She wished she was feeling better, she wanted to know how Robert’s lips felt. It was a good thing her face was not visible for Robert, because that thought made her cheeks burn.

+++

Robert wanted to stretch, but when he felt a strange sensation in the palm of his hand, he stopped. With only her fingertips Cora’s hand was resting on his. Sunbeams fell on her and he had a perfect view of her face. Her lips were slightly parted, and she was breathing through her mouth. Her face was relaxed, he had to fight the urge to follow the lines of her cheekbones and jaw with his finger.

He closed his hand around Cora’s, who squirmed content. He saw she was waking up, he waited for her to open her eyes. But she did not, instead, she got closer and curled herself up into a ball. Robert hesitated, but then he wrapped his arm around her and rested his hand on her lower back. He felt Cora sigh content.

Who had thought that him making her chicken broth would lead to them cuddling in bed? There was a lot they had to figure out. But for now, he wanted to enjoy this peaceful feeling. It was something he could get used to. Sleeping and waking up next to this beautiful woman.

He felt Cora sneeze multiple times. He chuckled, she tried to sneeze so softly, that he only felt it, and did not hear it. “It does not want to go that cold of yours.” He said, while he stroked over her hair.

“Sorry.” Cora started to apologise.

“Cora!? What for?” He pushed himself back a little so he could look at her.

Cora’s hand moved over his chest; her hand covered with the sleeve of her shirt. “I once again made a mess.”

Robert laughed. “This weekend has a theme: try to get every shirt that Robert has with him dirty.” When he saw how embarrassed Cora looked at him, he quickly pressed a kiss on her forehead. “I am only kidding. Do not worry about that. I will put it in the washer, and it will be clean. Please, do not worry. I am sorry you are still this sneezy.”

“There is one positive note on me being ill.” Cora smiled. “My parents will not book my flight home.”

“They can book what they want, I am not letting you go back to New York. Not yet.”

“It is sweet of you to say, but I do not really have a choice. The collaboration is cancelled between the two companies, the house is sold. I cannot stay here in London without a job and without a roof over my head.”

“The house situation is covered, as I told you, Rosamund made sure it would not be sold to anybody else.” Robert took her hands in his and brought her knuckles to his lips. He pressed a kiss on them. “I will make us breakfast and then we can talk about the rest.”

This melted Cora’s heart. It was such a sweet and gentle gesture. She felt butterflies in her stomach. “Is it alright if I take a shower first?”

Robert pressed another kiss on her knuckles, since he could not kiss her lips, he had to do with this. “Breakfast will be ready when you are.”

But Papa! Why? Chapter 14

After Robert made sure Cora ate something for lunch, he sent her to bed. She had a fever and needed her rest. They could not do anything at the moment, he needed to figure out why her mother wanted Cora to come home. He had a feeling that his mother had a hand in this.

He called Rosamund. “Have you secured the house?” He asked when she picked up.

“I have, it is yours. I did the transaction anonymously.” She answered

“That is smart, thank you.”

“What time are you coming to the office, it is easier to talk in person,” Rosamund asked.

“I am still at Cora’s place, I am not coming to the office today. I cannot leave her alone now.”

“Alright, we will discuss this over the phone. I think I know what happened and why Mama called Mrs. Levinson.”

Robert almost choked on the sip of water he just took. “Wait, what did you say? Did mama call Mrs Levinson? Why?”

“She has not kept her eyes in her pocket and she has seen how you look at Cora. She also saw the result of her work and she is a threat.”

“A threat? What do you mean by that?” Robert was flabbergasted by Rosamund’s words.

Rosamund let out a deep sigh. “Oke, let me start at the beginning. I found out why we have this collaboration between the two companies. Mrs. Levinson, I will call her by her first name from now on, Martha. Wanted her daughter Cora to marry into a title here in England. She believes that with a title comes an estate and a lot of respect from other people. She did not know that being a Lord in these times was not the same as back in 1920. Cora must have told her mother about our title and Downton being like it is now.”

“So, I can understand why Martha wanted Cora to come here, but why did Papa go into business with them, what were we, as a company, getting from her coming here?” Robert stood and started pacing around.

“Mama is the brain behind that plan. She had found out that whoever Cora married, will get her dowery. There is a large amount attached to her name and with that money, we would be able to rebuild Downton in its full glory.”

“Wait, just wait, there is one thing I do not understand. Why Cora? Mama does not like Cora. She is against her American heritage.”

“I guess that money makes her forget about those things?” Rosamund laughed.

“You also said, Cora is a threat. What did you mean by that?” He looked into the hallway, the door to Cora’s bedroom was still closed. He could only hope she was still asleep.

“It is a bit harder to explain. But in the end, it comes to this. You are a Mama’s boy.”

Robert started to protest, but Rosamund continued. “You are, you cannot deny that. You always listen to what Mama wants and then make sure it happens. But now Cora showed up, and you started to follow her ideas. For the outside world, you made it look like, you were against that idea with SkyGarden. But we all could see that you liked it. Mama tried to get this idea out of your head, but she failed. And then Cora proved that it worked, it worked out better than we could have dreamed of. We gained so many new potential clients in just the one day the advert is out.”

“We did?” Robert asked surprised.

Rosamund sighed annoyed. “Since when do you not read your emails on a workday?”

“I took the day off to take care of Cora, so no I have not read any emails today.”

“I thought Cora had a cold? Why do you need to take care of her?”

“Her cold turned into a head cold and she also developed a fever. She is a mess at the moment, especially with these developments. Her flight would have been booked, if she was not this sick.” Robert answered. “But I still do not understand why you say Cora is a threat?”

“With Cora at our office, Mama is losing her control over you. You will stand up for Cora’s ideas and less and less for Mama’s ideas.”

“Mama has to accept that there are other people with good ideas.”

“At the moment that is the least of our worries. We need to stop Mama and Martha. They managed to get this deal going, but they will also be capable of stopping everything again. What I have learned in these couple of months, is that Papa and Mr. Levinson are very much alike and they listen to their wives.”

“I have to think about what we can do. But one thing is very clear, Cora is not leaving. I like her too much and I need to know if there is more than a friendship.”

Rosamund chuckled. “You can focus on courting Cora, I will try and safe what I can.”

“I am not courting Cora. She is sick and needs someone to take care of her.”

“What ever you say my dear brother. What ever you say.”

Robert stared out over the river, what a disaster this had turned into. He was glad to finally understand why everything happened. It felt like he walked into a very bad movie, with a terrible plot. How could Violet and Martha do this? They used Cora, both of them did. He was curious to know what his mother told Martha to convince her to call Cora back home.

+++

Robert poured hot water in a big mug, put a tea bag and some honey in it and walked to Cora’s bedroom. There was no sound coming through the door, which meant she was still sleeping. As quietly as possible he opened the door and walked to where he saw her small figure under the covers.

While he put the mug down, he took the tea bag out. He stroked a curl out of Cora’s face. She was still feverish he felt. He hoped her fever had gone down after a couple of hours of sleep. But she had caught it badly. Not sure what to do, he sat down on the mattress. She had slept for a couple of hours now and if she slept longer, maybe she would not be able to sleep tonight. Was he going to wake her up?

He did not have to make that decision because Cora stirred. She blinked a couple of times and then she fully opened her eyes.

“You are still here?” Her voice cracked.

Robert helped Cora to put her pillow behind her back, while she sat up. Her hand went directly to the handkerchief that was lying next to her to blow her nose.

“I am going to make you dinner. I will put enough spices in, to get your stuffy nose to open up.”

Cora laughed. “Thank you for still being here. You did not have to do that.”

Robert took Cora’s free hand. “I am not going anywhere as long as you are feeling like this.”

Cora pulled her hand back and lowered her eyes. “I knew you were only here because you are feeling sorry for me.”

“You misunderstood.” Robert put his hand under Cora’s chin to make her look up. “There is only one reason why I am still here.” He bent forward and kissed her forehead. “And that reason is, that I like you very, very much.”

But Papa! Why? Chapter 13

Cora dragged herself to the kitchen. Her cold had only gotten worse overnight. But she had to make her shopping list and also have some breakfast. She wrote her list and send it to Robert.

For her breakfast, she settled for a simple buttered toast and a cup of tea with honey. Her throat felt like sandpaper, while her nose kept running. It was a good thing she did not need to go to work today, she was a real mess.

She had just poured herself a cup of tea when her phone rang. To her surprise, it was her mother. Cora looked at the clock, it was 10.00 o’clock. That meant it was 05.00 o’clock in New York. Why was her mother up this early?

“Mama?” Cora coughed the moment she spoke. It took her a minute before she could say more. “Is there something wrong?”

“According to your cough, something is wrong with you.” Her mother answered. “You sound like you are a heavy smoker.”

To Cora’s annoyance, she started sneezing. “I have a head cold that is all.” She sniffed.

“I am amazed that, it did not happen earlier, with the cold and wet weather in England.”

“Mama, why are you calling this early.” Cora croaked.

“Your father decided to stop the collaboration with ‘Crawley Advertisements’ we are booking you a flight home.”

Cora did not know how to react. “But I like working here in London.”

“You are coming home and that is final.”

“Can I please talk with Papa?” Cora noticed she was on the brink of tears.

“I will ask him to call you, but it will not change anything. Let me know when your cold is over so we can book your flight. In this state, you cannot fly.”

Cora said goodbye and stared at her phone. She did not want to leave London. She loved the city and she also really liked working for Mr. Patrick Crawley. Why could her mother not make this decision earlier, before she started to develop feelings for Robert?

That last thought scared her a little bit, she had indeed developed feelings for him. And it seemed he had too. Him bringing over the chicken broth and doing her groceries said enough. It was weird, he had treated her horribly, but from the moment she saw him, she found him attractive. And since he got hit by that guy in the pub she had fallen for him. She knew it was foolish, how could she like Robert? He had moved her desk to a different room, to not have to be in her presence. Then it dawned on her, he had not moved her because he did not want to see her. He was constantly down-talking her, to cover his feelings. Had he liked her longer than she liked him? She needed to talk to her father soon and she waited impatiently on his call.

+++

Robert was relieved when he received Cora’s shopping list. He had been anxious all morning. What if he misjudged the whole situation and Cora was only nice to him because she was sick and did not have the energy to tell him differently?

He felt his phone buzzing in his pocket when he took it out he saw it was Rosamund. He decided she could wait, he had finished his shopping and was ready to go to Cora.

He had added some bananas and crackers. They were not on the list, but he had read that they could help when somebody had a cold and was not feeling well. He also bought some chili peppers, he was going to cook her dinner and spicy food could help break up mucus and clear out sinus passages, he had read on the same page. It even could help with her cough.

When he arrived at Cora’s apartment building, his phone rang again. Annoyed he put it away, why did Rosamund need to bother him again? He said he was going to take the day off, he was not available for any questions.

He greeted the concierge, who looked at him suspiciously but did not try to stop him this time. The elevator took way too long he thought and it felt like ages before he reached Cora’s front door.

Like yesterday it took a while before the door was opened. He was greeted by an even bigger mess than yesterday.

“Oh my, Cora! Hurry up, back to your bed. You look terrible.” I will put the groceries away.”

Cora lowered the handkerchief that she had pressed against her nose and looked up to Robert. “I am sorry, I……” She started coughing.

Robert was unsure what to do, but he quickly closed the door and moved closer to pat her back. Her eyes were awfully red, her cold had gone bad real quick he thought.

When her coughing slowed down she suddenly wrapped her arms around him. It was like he was holding a hot coal in his arms. He felt her body jolt and he was not sure if it was from her coughing or that she had started to cry.

He held her until she pushed herself back and muttered an apology. “I smeared snot all over your clothes.” She tried to clean his jacket with her handkerchief. Robert put his hand gently on Cora’s to stop her movement.

“Come, let us sit down, and then you can tell me what is wrong.”

Cora looked at the grocery bags Robert had put down. “We should put these away.” She gestured to the bags.

Robert put his hands on Cora’s shoulders. “You are going to sit down, and I will put these away.”

“Thank you.” Cora walked towards the living room, She sneezed, the sound was very congested. Robert felt sorry for her.

+++

‘Robert, please call me. Mama is on a collision course and she says Cora is called back home. Her apartment is already for sale.’ Robert read Rosamund’s text with horror.

‘I am with Cora at the moment. Give me a moment to get this cleared up. Cora is not going anywhere if she does not want to. I will buy her apartment, can you make sure it will be mine right now? He texted back.

+++

“And did they give you a reason why you have to go back home?” Robert put another cup of tea in front of Cora. She had just told him what happened, before he arrived earlier.

“Papa says that Mama decided I have to come back. He does not mind if I decide to stay here, but I will not work for ‘Levinson and Son’ anymore. And Mama says that everything has failed and if I decide to stay here I will not be in Papa’s will anymore.”

“Did your father say that? Or only your mother?”

“I spoke with my father very briefly. Before you arrived. He says it would be alright if I decide to stay here. For now, he is willing to give me my monthly allowance. But Mama is against that too. Oh Robert, I do not know what to do. I cannot leave, not now.”

Robert was seated on the other side of the coffee table, but he got up and sat down next to Cora when he saw she started crying again. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. “Do not worry about that now. Let us focus on getting you well.

“But Papa is selling this apartment.” Cora turned away from Robert to blow her nose. She did not want to repeat the mess of earlier.

Robert moved his hand over her back in a circular motion. “Rosamund made sure the apartment will not be sold to anybody else than me. She texted me when I was making your tea.”

Cora looked at him in disbelief. “So you knew about this?”

Robert looked back in shock. “No, I did not. I promise you I was not aware of what was happening. Wait.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and showed Cora his text history with Rosamund. “I did not know about this, but I cannot let you go this soon. Not now I realise that I like you.” He handed Cora his clean handkerchief when she sneezed. “We will fix this, I am going to figure out why your mother is calling you back home and what my mother’s hand was in this. But now I am going to heat the chicken broth I left in your fridge, and for tonight I am going to make you dinner. I bought some things that can help with your stuffy nose.” He brushed with his finger over the bridge of Cora’s nose.

“I like you too.” Cora said quietly.

Robert put his hands on her face and kissed her forehead. “We can talk about this later. Go lay down please, you need your rest.”

Drabble – Wedding coat.

“Darling, do not let this upset you. You did not mean to be harsh towards Mrs Hughes. You just did not know and also just came back from that horrible meeting.” Robert leaned forward in his chair.

Cora seated on the settee, sighed, her shoulders were bent forward and as far as her clothing let her, she leaned forward. She rested her head in her hands. “Still, I acted badly. Especially Mrs. Hughes does not deserve that.

“Try to let it rest. What is done, is done.” Robert saw Cora was stubborn.

Cora shook her head and put her shoulders back. “No, I cannot let this rest. I need to fix what I did. I think, I remember what coat Mrs. Hughes was wearing when I stepped in.” She got up and walked to her closet.

“What are you going to do?” Robert asked surprised.

In the meantime, Cora found the right coat and walked to the door. She turned half around and said. “I am going to make a mend.”

+++

Cora walked downstairs, it was already late, and most staff had gone upstairs. She hoped Mrs Hughes would still be downstairs. To her relief, she heard her voice and that of Mrs. Patmore through the door. She knocked and waited for an answer.

“Yes?” Mrs. Hughes voice sounded.

Cora opened the door and said: “May I come in?”

“Please.” Mrs. Hughes stepped back.

Cora started. “Mrs Hughes, I won’t beat about the bush. I behaved badly earlier.” She paused. “I hope you’ll accept my apology.”

“It must have been strange to find us all there, My Lady.” Mrs. Hughes answered as kind as she always was.

Cora now only felt more guilty for the way she treated her. “Nevertheless, I have no excuse to behave as I did.” She said and then made sure to look Mrs Hughes in the eye. “Not to someone who deserves our loyalty as you do. Please forgive me.”

Mrs. Hughes answer was quick “Of course.”

“I can only say I was angry about something quite different. I allowed it to cloud my judgement.”

We’ve all done that, My Lady.” Mrs. Patmore chipped in.

“Finally, I’d like you to have this coat.” Cora handed Mrs. Hughes the package she was holding.

“I… I’m not sure it was a good idea.” Mrs. Hughes stuttered.

Cora smiled. “Please. Or I’ll feel I’ve spoiled the day, which is the very last thing I’d want to do.” She looked at Mrs. Patmore and back to Mrs. Hughes. “Furthermore, I want you to keep it.”

Mrs. Hughes hesitated “Well, I…”

Cora did not let her finish her sentence. “I’ve asked Baxter to fit it for you tonight. She’s happy to do that.” She smiled again.

“Very well, My Lady. I am very grateful. I am not sure when I will wear it again. But you never know.” Mrs. Hughes stroke with her hand over the coat.

Cora chuckled. “You never do.” She started to turn around and opened the door. “I’ll say good night.”

“Good night, Your Ladyship.”

Cora walked back upstairs; she was happy with this gesture. Mrs Hughes deserved her kindness. The hospital business did not make her a nicer person and she hated that about herself.

+++

“How did she take it?” Robert asked when Baxter finally left the room. Cora had entered her room with her lady’s maid. He was already in bed on his side and had waited in silence for Cora to finish her night routine.

Cora got up from her dressing table and walked over to the bed. She dropped her dressing gown at the end of the bed, pulled the covers back and sat down to take off the rest of her jewellery. “I think I was able to make a mend.”

Robert hummed.

Cora´s shoulders bent forward, and she let out a deep sigh. “I truly was out of line today towards our staff. This hospital business needs to end.”

Robert got up on his knees and got closer to Cora. He put his hands on her shoulders and started massaging. “You could pull out of it?”

Cora turned halve around. “What?” her tone was hard.

His movements stilled; he had not calculated she would react in this way. “I mean, you can let Isobel and Mama fight this out themselves.” He felt Cora stiffen.

“It is also my hospital, and Mama need to learn that not everything will go her way.”

Robert tried to calm her down by starting his movements again, but she shrugged his hands off.

“Robert, I mean it.” Now Cora looked him in the eye. “Mama thinks she can rule the world.”

“That is my Mama.” Robert laughed.

“You can laugh, but I am serious. This time I am not backing down. This change can be good for our hospital and the system.” She pulled on the duvet cover. “Can you move? I want to lay down.”

Robert quickly scooted back to his side of the bed and waited for Cora to lay down. She turned on her side facing away from him and turned off her light. Robert waited a minute, but Cora stayed in that position. He moved closer again and put his hand on her upper arm, softly he kissed the back of her head. “I will support you in this.”

Cora did not react, she knew he was only trying to calm her down and when it came to it, he would stand behind his mother, as always.

Robert squeezed her arm and moved his hand up and down. “I promise you; I will support you.”

“Do you mean that? Can you do that? Can you actually not back your mother up, but face her?” Cora’s voice was full of disbelief.

“I know, I have let you down a lot in the past, especially in the first years. But I believe you are right, and the hospital needs this to survive the changing times.” He wrapped his arm around her and pressed her against him. “You made the right decision by giving Mrs. Hughes your coat, she will look wonderful tomorrow when she marries Carson.”

“Mr and Mrs Carson, that will be weird.”

Robert let out a deep sound, what made Cora chuckle. “Another change, no more Mrs. Hughes.” She felt Robert breathing out. With another chuckle she turned around in his arms. “We will also survive that change.”

Robert gave her a smile. “We will get used to it.”

Cora stroke with her hand over his cheek. “Now, let us get some sleep, tomorrow will be a long day with the wedding.” She kissed him and nestled against his chest, safely in his arms.

But Papa! Why? Chapter 12

Robert got out of the car, he reached in to pick up the container. He had gone home directly after he had seen that the advert was perfect. His chicken broth needed at least 3 hours on the stove. It was now just after 19.00 o’clock. He hoped Cora had not eaten yet, other wise she could eat it tomorrow.

Before he walked up to the building he paused. Was he going to do this? What if Cora rejected him right on the spot? He was not even sure why he was here and what he hoped for. He would love to know Cora better. He had seen that she was a very smart woman and a hard worker. Something he appreciated in women. She also knew how to show respect and how to behave in public. How she managed to get that deal with Sky Garden was still a wonder to him. And besides all that, she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. Her chestnut brown curls and blue eyes made him go weak when he looked at her.

He walked towards the elevator, but was stopped by the concierge. “Where are you going sir?”

Robert turned around, he had not even seen that man. He remembered him being there when Cora took Rosamund and him to her apartment. “I am here for Miss Levinson.”

“What is your name?”

“I am Robert Crawley.” He answered.

“Is Miss Levinson expecting you?”

Now Robert was getting annoyed, why was this man stopping him? “No, she doe not know I am coming. But we work together. Miss Levinson works in my office.”

The concierge raised his eyebrows.

“She works for ‘Crawley Advertisements’.” Robert paused and took out his phone. “If it makes you happy, I will call her right now to announce that I am coming up.”

“I guess it is alright. You can go up.”

When Robert finally stood in front of Cora’s apartment door his heart started racing. What if Cora would be mad he was there? Well whatever her reaction would be, he was here now and would take the change of being rejected.

It took a while before the door was opened. He looked into two watery eyes. Cora was wrapped up in a big fluffy bathrobe that she closed high up her chest with her hand, and in the other hand, she clutched a handkerchief. Her cheeks and nose were even redder than when he saw her this morning. The skin between her mouth and nose was shaded red, probably from blowing her nose.

“Robert?” Cora rasped.

“I…. I…..” Robert stuttered, he held up the container in his hands. “I made you some chicken broth.”

Cora only looked at him.

“I figured, that you would be alone, without anybody to cook a meal for you. When you are sick it is important to get healthy food inside your body. And well, as I now also can see, you are in no state to cook a meal yourself.”

Without saying anything Cora stepped back and gestured to Robert that he should come inside.

“Do you want me to heat some of it now for you?”

“Thank you. Is it alright when I sit back down again?” Cora’s sad weakly.

Robert walked to the kitchen and searched for a pan he could use. What a turn of events, he thought. How did they go from hating each other to him standing in her kitchen making her dinner? He was not complaining, he loved this development.

He found Cora curled up on the sofa, with a blanket covering her. She looked up when he stopped before her with a cup filled with soup. “I hope you like it.”

“Did you make it yourself?” Cora asked with a nasal voice due to her blocked nose.

“I did.” Robert saw the surprised look on her face. “I know, not something you would expect from me, but I love to cook.”

Cora brought the spoon to her mouth. “My taste is weird at the moment, but I can tell this is very good. Thank you.”

“I am pleased you like it. There is enough for the coming days, I put it in your fridge.” He sat down on the other side of the sofa.

“That is kind of you. You did not have to do this.”

“It is nothing. Oh before I forget. I have to compliment you. The advert you made is outstanding. Even Mama complimented your work.” Robert coloured when he realised he had said Mama, instead of Violet.

“That is a first, I think, that she said something nice about me.” Cora started to laugh.

Robert gave her a worried look when her laugh turned into coughing. When he noticed she could not catch her breath, he moved closer to pat her back. “You should be in bed.” He said once Cora stopped coughing.

“I have to finish your soup.” She reached for the cup that Robert took from her.

Now Robert laughed. “You still have an appetite, that is a good sign.”

They were silent while Cora finished her soup.

“Is there anything you need?” Robert asked.

“I need this cold to go away.” She sniffed.

“Anything else ma’am?” Robert joked. “Is there enough food in your fridge?”

“I was planning on going grocery shopping tomorrow, but I will order online.”

“Do not be daft, make a list and I will get it for you.”

“Do you have time for that?” Cora asked surprised.

“I will make time. That is why you have friends.” Robert felt his cheeks burn when he saw the look on Cora’s face.

“Are we friends?” She asked.

“Cora.” Robert took her hand in his. He noticed how warm her skin was. “I have to apologise for the way I welcomed you into the company and how I treated you. I do not have a good explanation for my behaviour.”

Cora’s blue eyes stared into his. “It was not very welcoming, no.”

Robert lowered his eyes. “I behaved incredibly badly and I cannot apologise enough for that. You have shown me today, that you are more than just a pretty face.”

“Miss Pretty, is it not?”

Robert pulled his hand back and wanted to sink into the ground. He felt ashamed.

Cora leaned against him and took his hand back in hers. “It is alright. I think I can forgive you.” She padded his hand. “If you do not mind, I am sending you home. I am tired and need to go to bed.”

“I will clean up in the kitchen for you and will let myself out afterwards.” He watched how Cora walked towards her bedroom and disappeared behind the door.

Robert put the dishes in the dishwasher and cleaned the countertop. He then made some tea with a good scoop of honey. Walking towards Cora’s bedroom, he heard her sneezing. She was still awake. He found her already in bed.

“I made you some tea. Get some rest, I will come back tomorrow morning for your shopping list.”

Cora’s eyes closed, and she nodded. “Thank you”

Robert let himself out, he had a weird feeling. Had they just started something? A friendship maybe?

But Papa! Why? Chapter 11

“Mama, why are we working again with ‘Levinson and Son’ I think I forgot the reason, or you never told me. It just does not make any sense to me.”

Violet rolled her eyes. “You do not need to know why your father makes decisions.”

“Well, if I take over the company one day, I will need to know his strategies, do I not?” Robert felt he was getting angry. His mother always avoided his questions. He needed to know what was going to happen, he was liking Cora to much to screw her and her father’s company over.

“As sad before. Trust your father, he will tell you everything you need to know when it is your time to know those things.”

“I just want to know what you want to do to ‘Levinson and Son’ As I see it, it is a big company and we do not stand a change to buy them out.”

Now Violet started laughing. “You truly have no clue from what is happening. Talk to your father, see if he wants to tell you.”

Robert sighed, why was his mother treating him this way? She still treated him as if he was a little child. He walked out of Violet’s office and walked over to his own. He stopped when he passed the reception. He looked down and saw Cora come inside, her cheeks and the tip of her nose were rosy he saw. Was it that cold outside? He had not noticed, but he had to admit, he had been lazy again and took the car. He had not been outside that long. The urge to wait for her to come upstairs and say hello was huge, but he knew it was better to just go back to his office.

“Good morning, Milo….. Mr. Crawley” He was greeted by Baxter.

Robert grinded his teeth, he had told Baxter to stop using their title, on Rosamunds request, but he did not like it. “Good morning Baxter.” He gave her a faint smile.

“We will have the advert ready this afternoon, sir.” She disappeared into Cora’s office.

A soft and quite cute sneeze made him turn around. It was Cora who had sneezed. “Bless you.” He said.

Cora dabbed her handkerchief against her nose. “Morning.” Her voice was stuffy.

She woke up this morning feeling off. If they did not have that deadline she would probably have stayed home. But the advert needed to be finished today. And she was not sick, it was just some sniffles. Probably from getting rained on last night.

Robert now saw that the rosiness of her cheeks and nose was from a cold. “Are you not feeling well?”

Cora still pressed the handkerchief against her nose. “It is nothing, I will get to work now, so we can hopefully finish up the advert. We need to get the magazine out.” She sniffed and walked into her office.

Robert felt bad, Cora did look quite unwell. But clearly she was determined to work on this project.

+++

Robert received an email from Cora, what surprised him.

‘Robert, hereby I am sending you the finished advert and magazine. Miss Baxter will be in our office if there are things that need to be changed. I will go home as soon as I send this email. My cold seems to be getting worse and I do not want to spread my bacteria any longer in the office. When it is alright with you, I will stay home tomorrow. By Monday, I probably feel better. Cora.’

Quickly Robert got up and walked to the front door, he could just see Cora leaving the building. He dropped his shoulders, he did not like it at all that Cora was feeling this way.

“Dear brother, you could offer to bring her some chicken broth.” Rosamund stood next to him.

Robert rolled his eyes. “Oh no, I cannot do that. I am not going to bother her while she is feeling like this.”

“It is up to you.” Rosamund stated. “What do you think of the finished product?”

To his shame, he had to admit that he had not looked at it yet. “I still have to look at it, will do that now.” Robert turned around and walked back to his office. He had been so desperate to catch a glimpse of Cora that he had not opened the attached file.

“We can do it together and then you are going home to prepare that broth for Cora.” Rosamund stomped his arm. “Do not pretend to be scared, you are a good cook and I know Coa will appreciate it. I know I like it when Marmaduke does things like that for me.”

“You and Marmaduke are in love and engaged to be married.”

Rosamund’s cheeks coloured a little bit. “I see the way Cora looks at you. Take that first step, you will not regret it.”

+++

Cora shivered while changing into her sweatpants and sweater. Baxter had insisted that she would go home and she was very grateful she had listened. Her cold was turning into a full-blown head cold.

She put on the kettle and set down at the kitchen table. She was tired, but it was to early to go to bed already. She also had to eat something.

She did not have the energy to cook a meal for herself, and ordering in would be a waste, she figured that she was not going to eat much. How she wished her mother or even her father was here. They could take care of her.

She was glad that they, Baxter and herself, were able to finish the advert early today. Cora looked at the clock, it was almost 16.00 o’clock. She would have still been sitting at her desk in the office. How happy she was being in her kitchen in more comfortable clothes. Not having to pretend to feel alright. She had felt miserable from the moment she stepped inside the office building.

Cora decided to toast some bread, toast with butter was at least something she could eat that would not cost a lot of effort to make.

Drabble: Waking up next to you part 2

Written on request. M Rated

+++

Cora blinked a couple of times; she had woken up from a very deep sleep. Next to her she heard snoring. Robert was still far away in his dreams. Cora looked at the fireplace and according to the glowing, it had to be in the middle of the night. The scullery maid had not come in yet, to light the fire up again, but they must have been asleep for a couple of hours, because there were no flames left.

Cora stretched and turned around, so she faced Robert. She prepared herself for the sharp pain she felt every time she turned around. But to her surprise, there was no pain. She stretched again, and again there was no uncomfortable feeling. And was she less exhausted? Did she feel more rested?

Dr. Clarkson had said it would take months for her to start feeling better and it would be a terribly slow process. Until now, both she and Robert were feeling hopeless, she was not improving at all they thought. But at this moment she felt different, as if something was lifted off of her and she was lighter.

She scooted closer to Robert. The moment she put her hand against his chest, his arm wrapped around her and pulled her close. He did this with the same care as he had touched her over the last months. Even in his sleep, he was programmed to be careful.

Cora put her nose in Robert’s neck, she loved his musky sleep smell. Deep down she felt something tighten. Her body had not reacted to Robert for months in this way. She had tried to force herself, but every time the result was that she was too exhausted to even lift her arms to touch him. Many attempts ended with her just lying on his chest or in his arms and him playing with her hair and whispering sweet words.

Would she have enough energy this time? Was she going to wake him up and then disappoint him later? She nestled herself a bit more against Robert’s body and her hand moved up to his jaw. She followed his jawline and could feel a light stubble. Robert moved in his sleep, and he let out a low rumble. It was the sound he made when he was comfortable.

This made Cora’s urge to feel him even bigger. She got up and pressed her lips on Robert’s, both his arms now wrapped around her and pulled her even closer. But before she could really kiss him properly, he pushed her away.

“Do not strain yourself to much.” He said, Cora could hear the disappointment in his voice.

Cora put her finger on Robert’s lips. “What if I tell you, I want this.” She could not see his face, but she almost knew what he looked like. Disbelief would be written all over his face.

“I do not want you to force yourself.” Robert’s hand was still resting on her back, she herself was half on top of Robert.

She climbed on top of Robert and sat up, she stared unbuttoning his shirt and caressed his bare skin softly. Once she opened his shirt fully, she bent down and placed kisses on his chest. His hands were resting on her hips and very faint, she felt his fingers move. As if he was assessing, she really wanted this and had enough energy. To encourage his movements, she rolled with her hips. Instantly she felt him grow underneath her. She moved herself down and her kisses reached him. She pulled down his pants, Robert lifted his hips, so she could slide them down easier. She caressed his manhood and felt him getting harder, once she knew he would not grow more, she started pleasing him with her mouth. His hands moved to her hair and his fingers interlocked with her curls. Just before he reached his high, she stopped and moved her kisses back up over his stomach to his chest, once she reached his lips, he hungerly answered her kiss.

Robert was the first to brake the connection, he gasped for air. “I missed you so much.” He murmured, pressing another kiss to her lips.

“I missed you even more.” Cora pressed her lips on his again and pushed her tongue inside. She needed to be one with him, more than ever. “I want to feel you” She panted. Cora guided Robert’s hand to her warm spot and encouraged him to touch her. Robert rolled off, of her and leaned on top of her. Careful and slow he started to lift the hem of her nightdress. His fingers touching her skin as soon as it came bare. Cora raised her hands above her head, so he could slip the dress fully off her. She felt his gaze staring down on her. How she wished the fire was still roaring, she could have seen his face. But now, she had to go off what was in her mind. She knew his face so well. Every line was imprinted in her memory.

Robert stopped with his movements and leaned off her for a second. Suddenly the light on her bedside table was turned on. “I want to see your face.” Robert said breathless. He moved his hand back down again, Cora’s whole body shuddered when his fingers slipped inside. She did not know how to move; she wanted him deeper inside her and she tried to move her hips so he would touch her everywhere. She whimpered when he found her spot where she liked it the most, he touched her.

“You like this.” Robert’s voice was horse and deep in his chest.

Cora tried to say yes, but only a moan left her mouth. She pushed her hips up, Robert’s answer to that was even faster movements.

“Are you ready?” His hot breath against her skin.

Again, Cora could not answer, she was overtaken by pleasure, and she could only rock her hips with his movement. When he pulled his fingers back, she almost cried out. But directly she felt his stiff part push against her, when he found his way in, she did cry out.

Robert got chills when he heard Cora’s deep sound. His thrusts were strong and deep and before he knew it, they both reached their high. Content he rolled of her and laid himself next to her.

Cora felt a deep exhaustion come over her, she turned on her side and pressed a kiss to Robert’s chest. “That was wonderful my darling.” She was very content, she had not felt this good for months and this had been perfect, but now she only wanted to sleep. She could not keep her eyes open any longer. Her arm wrapped around his chest en her head rested against his chest.

“I love you. My Cora, my dearest, my everything. I love you.” He felt Cora started to fall asleep against him. Very gently he stretched to turn of the light, pulled up the duvet and cradled her closer to his chest. This was a wonderful surprise, but he could only hope she did not waist to much energy, and she would not regret this in the morning. Although he could not imagine there would be any regret, it had been heavenly to be together again after all these months. He pressed a kiss into her hair and closed his eyes for some more hours of very peaceful sleep. He had been one with his wife. His wife was heeling and there was no better feeling in the world, then what he was feeling right now.