But Papa! Why? Chapter 25

I am so incredibly sorry for taking this long again. I lost my inspiration, and do not know where I want to go with this story anymore. This is the last chapter. I am also not starting a new story soon. I will be back one day, if I get new inspiration. But I am trying to write a book in my native language, Dutch, and I want to focus on that. I will try to put some drabbles out from time to time.

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“Mrs. Levinson, can I talk to you for a moment?”

Dr. Clarkson stopped Cora before she walked into Robert’s hospital room. “Of course.” She smiled.

“I had told you that Robert should stay here for at least a week. But I got a phone call from Lady Grantham, you are staying in ‘Dower house’? Is that correct?”

Cora needed a second to understand he meant Violet. She got a call from her last night, where she offered her to stay in the Dower house. She was expecting to get scolded by her, but it turned out differently. She had been sweet and asked how Robert was doing, but also how she was doing. “I indeed just moved all the things into ‘Dower house’.

“That is good news, I had told you that Lord Grantham, should stay in the hospital for at least a week. But now I know he can stay with you in Dower House and there will be staff helping you, I am sending him home with you.”

“Oh?” Cora raised her eyebrows. She was happy Robert did not need to stay in the hospital, but it surprised her.

“I monitored his vitals and there does not seem to be real head trauma. He will need a lot of more rest, to let his ribs, arm and leg heal properly. But I am sure, you will take care of that?”

“It is a relief to hear this. I will make sure he will take his rest. Thank you doctor.”

Cora walked into Robert’s room. His eyes were closed, Cora was not sure if he was sleeping, or listening to music. He had headphones in, she saw. When she reached his bed, she softly kissed his cheek.

Robert opened his eyes and smiled at her. “You are back, I was scared you would have left me alone here.”

Cora sat down on the bed. “Did you really think that? Or are you teasing me?” Without answering Robert took Cora’s hand in his. She noticed that the movement hurt him. “I moved our things to ‘Dower House’, your Mama called me to tell me where I could find things, and she hired a butler?” That last part she asked.

“Oh, I think I know who she asked. Mr. Molesley. He is a good guy and will be a great help.”

“If you say so. Dr. Clarkson informed me, that you are allowed to go to ‘Dower house’ with me. He is preparing the papers to sign your release.”

“That is a relief, I do not like being in this hospital on my own.”

Cora looked at him with played surprise. “And you think I will be there to entertain you during the day?”

“Entertaining me at night is not possible at the moment.” Robert replied, but his cheeks blushed in the same instant.

Cora scooted a bit closer and kissed his lips. “That will have to wait for later.”

His hand moved to her upper leg. Softly he squeezed her flesh and moved to her inner leg. “I had expected this weekend to be different and I had hoped to get to know you better.”

“We have enough time to talk the upcoming days, so you do not have to worry about getting to know me.” She smiled.

“I hope that this time you are teasing me?” Robert said with raised eyebrows.

Cora leaned in for another kiss, this time a bit longer. Her hand went up to his neck and she played with his hair. She made sure not to lean on him. “I had hoped for more myself, but it will have to wait. At least you will not run away from me.” She chuckled.

+++

Molesley rolled Robert inside. He was brought to ‘Dower house’ Cora had made sure a bed was moved to the tearoom. This way Robert could look into the garden while lying in bed. She had put all the pillows she could find on top of it, so he could be comfortable.

Molesley helped him on the bed and left to get some tea. Cora put away the things she had brought him in the hospital. When Molesley left them alone again, she got on the bed and carefully laid down next to him. Very gentle she put her hand on his stomach.

“I can use a nap, what about you?” She said, while angling her face towards Robert.

“I am happy you suggest this. The ride here has worn me out.”

Cora pushed herself up again when she felt Robert winch. “Do you want me to nap on the sofa?”

“Are you mad?” Robert said. “I love having you next to me. I have missed you these days and your body so close to mine is soothing.”

“If, you are sure.” Cora nestled herself next to Robert again. She felt his hand brush over her hair, and she had trouble keeping her eyes open.

“I cannot wait to grow old with you.” Robert murmured.

Cora pressed a kiss on Robert’s chest “The future will be ours, darling. I love you.”

“I love you too, my sweet, sweet Cora.”

Cobert winter fanfic exchange 2023

Theme: Hurt/comfort

My one-word prompt was: ‘Seclusion’.

And my dialogue prompt was: “I’m here. Don’t worry.”

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The family had gathered for Christmas Eve. Violet insisted that Cora would host this year’s Christmas Eve dinner. It was her first Christmas as a Viscountess. She was still figuring out what was expected of her and adapting to the British culture. She did not understand why Violet had insisted she would host this dinner. Violet was the Lady of the house and should be the one hosting dinners.

Rosamund had stepped in and gave Cora some tips on who to invite and how. She had spent hours writing the invitation letters and setting up a menu with Mrs. Patmore. For after the dinner she arranged a string quartet to play in the great hall.

The evening was going well. To Cora’s surprise, the table seating had gotten Violet’s approval. All the guests enjoyed the food and were lively talking with each other. Cora had two men next to her, whom she had never met before. They did talk with her, but she noticed that the way they talked with her was different from the way they talked with other Ladies. It had hurt her, that she was treated differently. She could feel the looks people gave her.

Cora had hoped that by now people would be used to her being American. It had been ten months since she became Viscountess, ten hard months she had to admit. Robert visited her regularly at night, he even spent a full night next to her occasionally. During the day, she hoped he would give her more attention. Be there for her, but it was like he did not genuinely love her.

She had questioned that from the moment they said yes to each other, she had accepted the fact that there was no true love. Even though, she hoped he would stand up for her more. Violet scolded her a lot as if she was a little child. She had gotten looks from her during tonight’s dinner, that she could only hope the guests would not notice.

Robert looked at Cora across the table, when you looked at her briefly, you would not think she did not grow up in this environment. She fitted in perfectly, for the fast eye. But Robert knew better, she was not fitting in, at least, the people were not letting her fit in. They secluded her a lot, he could see it in the way the man next to Cora spoke with her. It did not help, that his mother was openly criticizing his wife.

He did not understand it, she asked him to marry for money. He did, there was not a richer, available woman, to be found in England at the moment he married Cora. But his mother had not wanted that woman to be American.

The American in Cora was what attracted him the most to her, besides her stunning appearance. There was a sense of freedom surrounding her, and he loved that. Although the marriage was not grown out of love, he started to feel more and more in love with her. Cora was beautiful, her face was that of a porcelain doll. And her body was irresistible, he loved touching her in every way possible. Robert felt his lips curl up; he could not wait to see her body change in the coming months.

+++

All the guests were in the great hall. Violet and Patrick opened the evening with a dance, Robert and Cora followed. Robert held Cora close, he could see in her eyes, that she was anxious. He could also feel it in her body, she was tense. He could not blame her, the moment they entered the great hall, not a single guest had started a conversation with her. Was there anything he could do to change that?

He felt Cora let out a sigh, he stopped worrying and looked down at her. Did he see a tear in her eyes? It could not be, she was always so strong when they were in company. “What is wrong?” He asked while he kept twirling her around.

Cora got spooked when Robert spoke, she looked up and had to lower her eyes directly. The look in his eyes made her choke up. She felt his hand on her back pull her closer to him. “Never mind.” she said, he would not understand how it hurt her, that the guests were talking about her. She overheard two men: ‘You see that, she cannot even dance properly’ ‘Does she even know how….’ the rest of that sentence she did not hear, Robert had twirled her around at that moment.

When the music stopped briefly, Robert took Cora’s hand and guided her off the dance floor. They stepped outside the great hall.

“Robert?” Cora said surprised. “Where are we going? We cannot leave. Mama will be furious!”

“What happened just now on the dancefloor?” He put his hand on her cheek.

Cora felt her eyes burning, but she was not going to cry. Her emotions were normally not easily to see, but since a couple of weeks, it was hard to supress her emotions.

“Cora, I do not like, that Mama is taking credit for tonight. You organised an incredible Christmas eve dinner and the string quartet was a fabulous idea. Look at everybody dancing.”

“Oh, Robert, I will never be good enough, no matter how hard I try.”

“Why do you say that?” Robert knew it was a stupid question, it was obvious why she felt that way.

Cora looked at him and gave him a faint smile. “We should go back. I do not want to be scolded in the morning or even worse in front of everybody.”

Robert put Cora’s face in his hands. “I love you” He saw doubt in Cora’s eyes. “I mean it. Darling. I love you.” All of a sudden, his eyes lit up. “You know what would make this evening even merrier?”

Cora was shocked, did he say he loved her. Did he honestly say that?

“We should announce our little secret tonight.” He put his hand on Cora’s abdomen. She was carrying his child, and he could not be prouder of her.

Cora’s hand covered Robert’s. “Are you sure? Do you think Mama will like that?”

Robert snorted. “I do not care. I like it. This little one will be the next Viscount of Downton and I want the world to know that you made me the happiest men alive.” He kissed her passionately and then started to walk back to the great hall.

Even though her mind was racing, she kissed him back. What if there was a little girl growing and not a little boy. Would Robert still be happy?

Robert turned around and stretched his arm out. “We are going to tell this together and you will be the talk of tonight but this time in a positive way. I just know. Come….”

+++

Cora had crawled into a ball; the night had not turned out like Robert had predicted. She had been the talk of the evening indeed, but not in the positive way Robert had hoped. The gossip had only gotten louder and harder after they announced her pregnancy. As soon as she could excuse herself, she rushed upstairs and went to bed.

She heard her bedroom door open and recognised Robert’s footsteps. A sudden chilly wind over her back told her he lifted the covers to crawl next to her. Before she knew it, he pulled her against his chest. She tried to stop her tears. It was such a relief that he was with her at this moment. He could have gone to his own bed, but he made the decision to be with her.

Very softly he said: “I’m here, don’t worry. You are going to prove to all those stuck-up people that you are better than all of them together.” He lowered his hand to her abdomen. “You are growing our little wonder, and we will be a family. Just the three of us. They can seclude you all they want, but one day you will be the Countess of Grantham. The first American-born Countess of Grantham, my wife, my Cora, my pride.”

Cora turned around in his arms and faced Robert. “Do you think that I will make you proud one day?”

“One day?” He said surprised. “You cannot understand how proud I am already. You hosted a perfect Christmas Eve dinner; you stood strong while they were gossiping about you. You did not falter, not one second. But Cora, I want you to know, that I do not care about their opinions. I know why I chose you.”

“For my money.” Cora murmured, lowering her face.

“That was one of the reasons. Yes, you are correct.” He put his hand under Cora’s chin to lift up her face again. “However, your beauty was what attracted me to you. And when we first started talking, I knew you were an intelligent woman, and I knew I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life.” He pressed a kiss on her lips. His hand was still on her abdomen, Cora curled her fingers around his. “And God willing, we will have many more of those wonderful announcements to make in the future.

Cora chuckled. “Let us first see how this will go and then we can see.”

Robert crashed his mouth on Cora’s. “As long as I can have terrific fun with my beautiful wife, I am alright with one little wonder.” He said when he pulled back for air.

But Papa! Why? Chapter 24

“Do not try to move. Keep still.” Cora said as calm as possible. She was scared to touch Robert; he had his eyes closed. “Where does it hurt?” She asked when Robert started moaning. His leg was lying in a weird position, as was his arm.

Robert was confused, what happened? Where was he? Why did his body hurt this much? He heard a woman’s voice. He tried to lift his arm; a loud yell escaped his mouth when he felt the sharp pain. There was that voice again.

“Where does it hurt? Robert, please tell me where it hurts.”

Robert blinked a couple of times; his vision was blurred. A face was hovering over him, he was not sure he knew the woman. Her voice sounded again.

“I rang for an ambulance; they are on their way. Try to lay still, they are coming.”

He did not dare to move again, the sharp pain he felt just now was not something he needed to feel again. His head was throbbing, one of his legs seemed to be out of place and he could not move it. Breathing was difficult as if his chest was restricted. He closed his eyes again, he felt darkness coming over him and he wanted to give in.

“Oh Robert, please keep your eyes open. I need to see your eyes.”

A soft hand touched his cheek.

“Can you open your eyes for me?”

He loved the sound of her voice. It was soothing and it sounded remarkably familiar. He opened his eyes again and looked at the woman.

“That is better. Can you tell me where you are hurt?”

He wanted to shake his head, but even that motion did hurt him. “Everywhere.” He said softly.

“The ambulance will be here soon. You will get something to help you with the pain.”

+++

Robert was in a hospital bed; his leg and arm were in a cast. He had bruised his ribs and got a concussion. They gave him strong painkillers, so he did not feel much. The casts were mostly uncomfortable. He looked to his side and there was Cora, she was reading a book. How long had he been in this bed? Robert scraped his throat.

Cora turned her head upon hearing that sound. “You are awake.” She said with a smile on her face. “How are you feeling?”

“Alright, I think.”

“Does it hurt?”

“At the moment I do not feel much. It is mostly discomfort.”

“I was so scared. The moment you disappeared; my heart stopped.”

“What happened? I do not remember. One moment, I was on a horse and the next I wake up here.”

“You wanted to show me, how you jumped over a ditch when you were younger. But I do not know exactly what went wrong. Everything happened so fast. I was so relieved when you started to make sounds. You could have broken your neck.”

Robert got frustrated, he saw Cora’s eyes shimmer, but he could not reach for her hand. “Can you please come closer?” He said.

Cora walked around the bed, to his good side and sat down on the mattress, very carefully. She took his hand in hers and brushed with her thumb over his hand. “You will need a long time to recover from this. Dr. Clarkson said that it would not be an easy recovery.”

“Dr. Clarkson?” Robert exclaimed. “Is he still working in this local hospital?”

“You know him?”

“Everybody in this village knows Dr. Clarkson.” Robert grimaced.

The look on Robert’s face alarmed Cora. Robert’s eyelid twitched, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “You should close your eyes and sleep some more.”

“Could you ask if I can get some more painkillers?”

+++

“I am not sure what to do,” Cora said through the phone. Robert had fallen back to sleep, and she took the opportunity to call Rosamund. “Dr. Clarkson said, he will need to stay at least a week in the hospital.”

“You have a deadline coming up right?”

Cora sighed. “I have, and I did not bring my laptop. So, there is no way, I could work from here. But I cannot leave Robert here on his own.”

“No, no of course not. Let me see.” Rosamund was silent for a minute. “Is Baxter capable of finishing on her own?”

“I could ask her; I feel bad for asking her though. I also will need to find a place to sleep. The pub where we have a room now, does not have a room available for the next week.”

“That is not a problem, we know enough people in the village to get you a place to stay. The dower house is empty at the moment. Let me call some people.” Rosamund took a deep breath. “Before I forget, Mama will call you tonight.”

Cora got scared. “What for?”

“I cannot say. I tried to talk her out of it, but she was adamant. Do not let her get to you. It is not your fault. Robert was stupid, to think, that he could still make that jump. He has not been riding for years.”

Cora sniffed.

“Are you alright?” Rosamund asked.

“I am, only.” Cora swallowed. She had been really scared. “What if he had broken his neck or something.”

“Cora, do not think like that. He did not and he will be all right. And do not be scared for Mama. It will all turn out to be nothing.”

Cora stared at her phone. She took a deep breath, she waited for Rosamund’s text, with the information she needed to arrange her stay here for the rest of the week. For now, she would go back to the B&B and grab some things, Robert might need or want.

But Papa! Why? Chapter 23

The last days were crazy busy, it took me a little bit longer to write this chapter, but I finally finished it. Hope you all will like it.

Cora was listening to Robert’s breathing. She woke up early and had trouble falling asleep again. She was worried about her mother’s reaction to Robert. She had expected her to be happy, but it was far from that. Martha had ignored Robert most of the time. And she even said on the day, they left that Cora should think about what she was doing.

But Cora knew she did the right thing, she wanted to be with Robert although Violet was not very welcoming. Patrick and Rosamund were. Rosamund texted her yesterday that she needed to meet Marmaduke soon. It meant a lot that Rosamund was such a kind friend.

Robert stirred and moved; Cora looked at him. He was still fast asleep. She looked at the clock, four in the morning. A deep sigh escaped her, and she turned on her back, she needed some more sleep. Robert had not said much about tomorrow, only that he wished the weather would be good.

How would the house look like, was it as big as Robert and Violet said? And how bad was the state of the house? Did the fire only burn the inside, or was it more like a ruin?

Suddenly Robert wrapped his arm over her stomach, and she got pulled closer to him.

“Tomorrow will be a long day, try to sleep.” He murmured while pressing his face into her loose curls. She had put it into a braid before going to bed, but due to her tossing and turning, it had gotten loose.

Cora turned on her side and curled herself up. Robert’s arm was still wrapped around her. But he had not fully woken up. Cora pressed herself a bit more against his chest. She felt her eyes getting heavy again.

+++

“Do you know how to ride?” Robert asked while cutting into the sausage on his plate. The pub offered a full breakfast with the room.

“I never learned how to drive a stick, but I think I can learn,” Cora answered, sipping her tea.

“I was not talking about driving. I asked if you ride.”

“You will have to clarify. I do not understand what you mean.” Cora felt her cheeks colour.

Robert chuckled; Cora looked adorable with her red cheeks. “I was asking if you know how to ride on a horse?”

Cora’s eyes grew and she got a wide smile on her face. “I love horseback riding.” She answered. “We have our own horses back home.”

“That is amazing.” Robert tried not to laugh. He liked how different Cora said things somethings. He would say horse riding, but she added ‘back’ to it. Probably an American thing. “We will go over the estate on the back of a horse.”

“That sounds amazing.” She looked out of the window. “The weather is perfect for it.”

+++

Robert helped Cora to get on her horse, then he mounted himself. The stable boy wished them to have a fun day and then they rode off.

They enjoyed the wind in their hair. Together they galloped over the green fields.

“If you look closely, you already can see the contours of Downton.” Robert pointed in front of them. They were now riding towards the house. Robert always felt butterflies, the moment the house came into sight. He looked sideways to see Cora’s reaction. Her face showed her excitement he felt.

“I was not sure what to expect, but I was not expecting a house this big.” She said.

Robert sped up the pace, and Cora followed. She enjoyed this morning to the fullest. Being together with Robert, and she had not seen Robert this free and without worries before. Waking up this morning next to him, was already a very good start of her day. This morning was the first time, she wanted to be closer to him, then just lying next to him in bed. She had been very nervous about that part of the relationship. Would she be good enough, and would she be Robert’s first? He would be her first and that scared her. What was expected of her? She did not know. She could not think about this for long, the house came into full view now and she was stunned again by the size of it.

Robert slowed his horse down and looked at Cora. “What do you think?”

“It is a majestic house. Incredible, the size, it is so big!”

“Can you picture yourself walking through that front door every day?”

Cora had not thought that far into the future, she had not realised that rebuilding it, would mean they had to live there. “It does not look like it needs rebuilding?” She said quickly, to hide her shock.

“The outside is not damaged; it is all inside. It is a disaster inside, and we are not even allowed to go in, due to the state of it. But we can go closer and try to look in through the windows?” The childlike excitement was back on his face, and he got down from the horse.

Cora followed and stepped next to him; his face was pressed against the window.

“This is the library, one of the rooms, that was untouched by the fire. We got very lucky, because there are quite a few rare books in this collection. Come, look at this.” Robert took Cora’s hand and pulled her with him. “Through this window you can see the grand staircase, even though the fire raged through the building, that beautiful staircase is still standing.” Robert pulled Cora closer and wrapped his arm around her. “One day you will be able to walk down that stairs.” He kissed her temple.

Cora could not resist, she brushed with her hand over his cheek and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. “One day my love, one day.”

“Come, we will get back on the horses and ride around the building.”

Cora had to hurry; Robert was already riding off.

“When I was younger, we used to go jumping here at the back of the house.” Robert exclaimed looking backwards to Cora.

‘Just be careful.’ Cora thought, but she did not say it out loud, she gave Robert a smile. She saw him speed up again and preparing for the jump. The horse jumped and when it landed on the other side of the small river, Robert was not in the horse anymore. She heard a loud scream and he disappeared.

“Robert!” Cora yelled and quickly got to where he fell of his horse. “Robert.” her voice full of worry.

But Papa! Why? Chapter 22

A couple of weeks had gone by. Cora and Robert stayed in New York for the funeral. Robert made sure everything was arranged before he took her back to London.

Cora was settled in her new position and together with Baxter they worked on many new advertisements. Patrick gave her freedom in how she wanted to work. All the clients loved her work.

“Cora?” Robert popped his head around the corner.

She looked up and upon hearing his voice a big smile appeared on her face. “Yes?”

“What are your plans for this weekend?” He asked, stepping further inside. When he noticed Baxter was not in the office he walked over to Cora’s desk and planted a kiss on her lips.

Since they were back in London, they had gone on several dates and the relationship was getting more and more serious. They said, that in the office they would not show too much affection towards each other, but Robert loved these stolen kisses.

Cora raised her hand to Robert’s cheek. “Hi.” She said with an even wider smile. She pulled Robert in for another kiss. “I do not have any plans besides doing laundry and vacuuming.”

“Good.” He said, his face close enough to press one more kiss on her inviting lips. He then walked back around the desk and sat down. “I want to take you up north to show you the estate and the house.”

“The house my father’s money will rebuild,” Cora said.

Robert leaned over the desk and took her hand which was resting on the desk, in his hand. With his thumb, he brushed the back of her hand. “You showed me your family home and the home you grew up in. I want to show you mine.”

Cora squeezed his hand. “I know, I am sorry. I would love to see it, when do you want to leave?”

“I was thinking, tonight.”

“Tonight?” Cora exclaimed. “I have so much work left and need to pack. What time do you want to leave?”

“It is a two-hour drive, I thought to have an early dinner and then leave around 20.00 o’clock.”

Cora looked at the clock, and felt the colour drain from her face. “I love you for your spontaneous idea, but I cannot be ready tonight. There is so much work left.”

“You love me?” Robert teased. “What is the deadline of what you are working on?”

Cora raised her eyebrows. “Friday next week.”

“Good.” Robert got up. “I will pick you up around eight.”

+++

Cora stepped outside, Robert could arrive any moment. She realised that she did not know what kind of car he drove. She had only been in the company cars, with John as their driver. But Robert said he would come with his car, without a driver.

A luxurious-looking car stopped and Robert got out. Cora had to force her mouth shut.

“What do you think?” Robert said with a beaming face.

Cora was not sure what to say. It was adorable how excited Robert was about the car. But she had no idea how special the car could be. She knew Rolls-Royce was a luxurious brand, but not if this was a special model or something. “Nice car.” Was all she could say before Robert continued.

“It is the ghost Ékleipsis brand new. This will be the first trip with this car.”

Cora smiled, Robert looked like a kid in a candy store.

“Welcome, Milady.” He opened the car door for her, put her trolley in the trunk and got in on the driver’s side. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Are you excited for this trip?”

Cora put her hand on Robert’s knee. “I am.” Robert’s excitement was enough for her to forget her worries. She had repacked her trolley several times. Did she bring the right nightwear? The right clothes? She did not know what they were going to do, so she packed nice clothes for a fancy restaurant, but also clothes to wear for a day outside.

It did not take long for Cora to dose off, Robert looked at her sleeping figure and he could not be more content. How did he get so lucky to have Cora in his life?

It was a shame they would arrive this late in the evening. It was not worth it to drive up to the house now. Robert drove to the pub where he reserved a room. It would be weird, he never slept somewhere with less than four stars, but it felt romantic.

Robert parked the car and gently woke Cora up. “We arrived.”

Cora needed a minute to wake up. “I was far away. I am sorry.”

“For what?”

“Well, I was not what you call an entertaining travel companion.”

Robert leaned in for a kiss. “No, but you were a very cute one.”

Cora scrunched her nose. “I bet I was snoring.”

“Oh, but your snoring was cute.” He brushed his nose against Cora’s. “Let us go inside, I could use some sleep too.” He paused and suddenly looked scared, leaning back in his chair.

“What is wrong?” Cora asked worried.

“I booked one room, but I forgot to ask if that was what you wanted.”

“Are you kidding me? I hate it when you sleep at home during the week. I sleep better with you next to me.” Her hand went to his knee.

“Good.” Robert was relieved, he hoped to get closer to Cora this weekend. They still had not done anything else than kissing and cuddling.

Robert got out and walked around the car to open Cora’s door, he loved that she waited for him to open the door. She was not expecting it from him, but when she noticed his intention she waited for him. She let him be a gentleman to her, and he adored her for it.

Cora took his arm and they walked to the pub. “Do you think my Mama, will one day be happy for us?”

Robert stopped walking, her question surprised him. “Both our Mamas need to understand, that they started all of this. I am at the point where I do not care about their opinion. Your father was happy for us, and so is my father. Our mothers have to accept the fact that I love you.” He turned towards Cora. “I mean it. I love you.”

Cora got on her tiptoes and kissed Robert. “I love you too.”

But Papa! Why? Chapter 21

Nervously Cora opened the door to the living room. Her mother did not look up, only Harold turned around.

“Where is Robert?” He asked.

“Robert has gone up to his room,” Cora answered stepping further inside.

“You need to call him. I want him here for this conversation.” Martha said, she still did not look at Cora.

While Cora walked back, she heard Harold say: “Mama, this is what Papa wanted. Let us follow his wishes.

“Robert, you need to come to the living room,” Cora said when Robert picked up his phone. Cora did not want to walk to his room, this was a lot faster. She waited for him outside the living room. When he came close he slid his hand over her lower back and kissed her temple. “It will all be alright” he said.

Cora felt strong with him next to her and was ready to face her mother. She leaned against him. “Thank you.”

They entered the room together and when Martha turned around, Robert’s hand left Cora’s back. She took a deep breath and took a seat opposite her mother. Robert took the one next to her.

“You know you were Papa’s little princess.” Martha started.

Cora felt tears well up in her eyes.

“He always made sure you and your brother had everything you wanted. Even now he is dead, he is still taking care of you. As promised you will get your allowance.” Martha paused and looked up. “I want to make this very clear. This decision is your father’s. Even when you decide to work for Crawley Advertisements, you will not lose your part of Levinson and Son.”

Cora saw Robert’s head turning towards her, but she kept looking at her mother.

“But there is more. There is a fund that was meant to get you into a good marriage. If there was a Lord in England who wanted to marry you, you would have a large sum to bring into that marriage. But things have turned out differently.”

“Mama,” Harold said. “this is unnecessary.”

Cora looked at Harold, he was usually not standing up to their mother. She was thankful he did now.

Martha gave Harold a harsh look. “Am I wrong?” Her eyes now pierced into Robert’s, who swallowed visibly.

“I do not want to speak in a disrespectful manner, but I am afraid you are wrong,” Robert said very polite.

Now Cora’s head, shot in Robert’s direction. What was he saying?

“We are not at the point where we talk about marriage, but I am a lord and I even own an estate.”

“And that is why we called you down here.” Martha interrupted. “You are engaged to be married to another lady, are you not?”

Robert shook his head. “I am sorry, but again I have to correct you. I am not engaged to be married.”

“Mama, Cora already told us, Robert was not seeing someone else.” Harold said.

“Are you willing to marry Cora?”

Robert looked at Cora, he reached for her hand and squeezed it softly. Then he looked back at Martha. “We will see what the future has in store for us. I would love to get to know your darling daughter better. I can say at this moment, that I like Cora, very, very much and she makes me very happy.” He looked at Cora again and smiled at her.

Cora got all warm inside. Robert was such a gentleman. In a very polite manner he put her mother in place and protected her.

“I think, we need to come to the point of this conversation. Robert already proved he likes Cora, by being here at this moment.” Harold tried to redirect the conversation. “Papa has left a lot of money, and you and I get to share the biggest part of it. He left Mama enough for her to live comfortably. But there is one problem, he tight your money up and there is a prenup. You will only get the money if you marry a lord and it is invested into an estate.”

Cora’s hand was still resting in Robert’s big strong hand and it felt incredibly safe. She looked at Harold, expecting that there was more to come.

“As you already told me, Mr Crawley here does not have a house on the estate. So there is no way the money will come to you. If you decide to move to London, you will have to do with the allowance.” Martha sneered.

Robert squeezed Cora’s hand. “Harold and I have talked about this, this morning. And we think we have found a solution.” He turned his body towards Cora. “You already have a place to live. The house is yours and will always be yours. You also have a job, with a decent salary. We are going on this journey together and if it is up to me, one day, I will put a ring on your beautiful hand.” He paused and locked his eyes with her. “And if that is going to happen, we will rebuild Downton as the glorious building it once was, with the money your father sat aside for you.”

“Oh, Robert.” Cora’s voice cracked and she felt tears burning.”Are you sure?”

“My darling, I have never been as sure of something as I am right now.”

“I think that is settled then. Cora, there is one more thing.” Harold looked at Robert and then at Cora. “In case you two are not ending up together, I made Robert sign a legal document.”

“What for?” Cora said surprised.

“He will sell the house back to us, so you will never have to leave that house if you do not want to.”

Now Cora could not hold back her tears any longer. “Thank you, Harold. Thank you.” She sniffed. “Mama? Are you alright with all this?”

Martha shrugged her shoulders, got up and walked out of the room.

“Give her some time. She is grieving Papa and knowing you will also leave this country for ever is hard on her.”

“See, I do not understand that. She wanted me to go to England and find an English lord. Why is she now preventing me from doing exactly that?”

Robert put his other hand on top of Cora’s hand that he was still holding. “Wanting something and realising it is truly happening are two different things. Also, the sudden death of your father changed some things.”

But Papa! Why? Chapter 20

With a deep sigh, Cora turned on her back, staring at the ceiling. She had been tossing and turning for a while now. She was thrown from feeling deep sorrow thinking of her father to utterly excited remembering the kiss she and Robert shared.

Martha had insisted Robert got a room on the other side of the house. Cora had tried to convince her mother to let him sleep with her. But she had refused to listen.

The look of disgust on her mother’s face was almost scary. When Robert introduced himself. Martha had gone to bed directly after, pulling up her nose.

Cora turned on her side and tried to fall asleep. But she felt instantly that it would not work. She threw the covers off her and got up. Her nightgown was lying on the chair next to her bed. But she did not find her slippers. Cora did not want to turn on the lights and decided to leave them.

Barefoot she walked into the hallway and crossed the length of the house. Harold had told her where Robert would sleep. Very soft she opened his door and heard his snoring. As quietly as possible she walked towards the bed Robert was sleeping in.

She crawled under the covers and scooted closer. His back was turned towards her. Cora was not sure if he was still asleep, his snoring had stopped. She pulled the pillow closer to his and rested her hand against his back.

“Cora?” Robert’s sleepy voice sounded, while he turned around. “Is everything alright?”

“I cannot sleep and I wanted to be with you.” She answered, resting her hand on his arm.

“Can I help you to fall asleep. Do you want to talk?”

Cora scooted closer, so her body was touching Robert’s. She pressed her lips on Robert’s. “No, I do not want to talk.” With her finger, she moved over his jaw and neck. She then continued her movements down over his chest, pulling at the buttons.

Robert stopped her movements with his hand. “You need your sleep darling.” He squeezed her hand.

Cora moaned, why was Robert holding her off? Was he doubting his decision? “You do not want me?” her voice cracked.

“Cora, there is nothing more that I want than to be together with you. But you just lost your father and there will be very busy days ahead of you.” He paused and stroked with his hand over Cora’s cheek, and pressed a kiss on her nose. “Besides that I want our first time to be special.”

“I guess you are right,” Cora said reluctantly.

Robert pressed his lips on Cora’s. “We will have so much to discover together, let us not rush things.” He kissed her again, a little bit longer.

Cora bit his lip playfully. “My father always said: ‘Do not let any moment get to waste.’ So we could follow his advice to honor him.”

Robert could not help it and laughed out loud.

“What?” Cora said annoyed, pushing herself back.

“Well.” Robert started a bit unsure how to formulate this without hurting Cora.

The it dawned on her and Cora felt her cheeks colour. “It is maybe a little awkward.” She chuckled.

Robert could not resist pressing another kiss on Cora’s perfect lips. “You are irresistible, that is one thing I can tell you. But let us get our much-needed rest.”

Cora kissed Robert once more, curled herself into a ball and closed her eyes. Robert shifted a little bit, so he was lying more comfortably.

+++

“Can we have a chat, after you finish your breakfast?” Harold asked.

Robert and Cora were still eating their breakfast. It was late in the morning. Robert had set his alarm at 07.30, but Cora turned it off once it rang. Cuddled into Robert and they slept for several more hours.

“What is it about?” Cora asked.

Harold looked confused, shook his head and said. “I did not mean with you. I want to have a chat with Robert.

Cora saw Robert’s eyebrows rise and a worried look dawned on his face. Cora winked at him and said very softly. “He will not bite.”

Robert got up while walking out of the room, he briefly put his hand on Cora’s back. This gesture made her choke up. She quickly turned her head, so Robert would not see her glistering eyes.

+++

“Do you want something to drink?” Harold asked while offering Robert a seat. Harold took him into an office, he suspected it was Isidor’s office. Although Robert was not sure Harold moved out, so it could also be his own office.

“I am alright, thank you.” He answered.

“We have a kettle, so tea will not be made in the microwave.” Harold joked.

“In that case, a cup of tea would be nice.”

Harold rang for tea and then turned back to Robert. “I told the maids to keep quiet about last night.” He winked.

“Cora came to my room, I did not invite her.”

“Even if you had, I would not mind. It is my mother who would disagree. But that is not why I asked you here. As you know by now, Cora was sent to England to find a guy with a title.”

“That is why Mrs. Levinson picked my father’s company, I know,” Robert answered, unsure where this conversation was going.

“Let us call her by her first name, Martha. When Cora told her that your title was not important and then your mother told her you were dating someone else, it was an easy decision to call Cora back home. But we now learned that that last part is not true. As I can see now, you like my sister.”

“I like her very much and would do anything to protect her. I will be the last person on earth who wants to hurt her.”

“If you do, I know where to find you.” Harold smirked. “Can you tell me more about the estate?”

+++

Cora was walking back to the home when she saw Robert approaching. Her heart skipped a beat and butterflies started to move around in her tummy. He was a very handsome man. Robert was wearing a dark brown suit, with a light blue dress shirt. It fitted him perfectly. When he came closer she could see that the colour of his shirt made his eyes pop.

Quickly she took her phone out and snapped a picture. That made Robert stop walking. Was he offended that she took a picture without asking?

“I am sorry.” She murmured. “I will delete the picture.

“Oh no, I thought that it would be better for the picture if I was not walking and I want to take one of you. You look stunning.”

Cora looked down, she was wearing dark blue jeans with a white blouse on top, nothing special. Her curls were in a half-up do. She smiled at him and that moment he took the picture.

“Perfect!” He exclaimed, walking towards her. When he reached her, he took her face in his hands and pressed a tender kiss on her lips. Cora felt her knees go weak, and she had to grab his upper arms.

“Are you alright?” He asked worried.

Cora nodded. “I am, you just surprised me with this kiss.”

Robert pressed another kiss on her mouth and murmured. “I will kiss you many, many more times if it is up to me.” His hand glided towards the small of her back, pressing her close to him.

“What did Harold tell you?” Cora asked, her hands now resting on his sides.

“You, your mother and Harold will need a very good talk. I am afraid, they need to be the one telling you this and you need to decide if you agree or not.”

Cora felt her heart grow cold. “Robert, what do you mean? Please can you tell me? You worry me.”

Robert shook his head. “I cannot. This is not up to me to tell you.” He saw Cora’s face getting very pale. He cupped her face with one hand. “Please do not worry, it is nothing bad. And I think we can work with his proposal. But again, it is not up to me to tell you this.”

“I wanted to go for a walk with you and show the garden.”

Robert brushed with his nose over Cora’s. “You can show me later, you better go inside and talk with them.”

Cora put her hands on Robert’s stomach and looked up to him.”Will you still take me back to England?”

“At this moment that is up to you. Now,” he softly pushed her towards the house. “Go inside and hear what they have to say.”

But Papa! Why? Chapter 19

“Robert? I was not expecting to see you again today.” Rosamund said when Robert walked to his office.

After dropping Cora at the airport, he decided to go back to the office. He would only worry at home. It was better to try and focus on work.

“I better try and get my mind on other things.” He answered.

“I thought you would be on your way to New York right now.” Rosamund said.

Robert looked at her and then shrugged his shoulders. “It is not my place to be there.”

“Maybe, but Cora could have used your support.”

“Rosamund do not try and talk me into a guilty feeling. There is no way, I was going to walk into that hospital room with her, explaining to her dying father who I am.” Robert paused. “High Mr. Levinson, I am Robert Crawley. I have treated your daughter horribly for months. But now I changed my mind and want to date your daughter.”

He could see Rosamund tried not to laugh.”That is one way you could have done it. If you ask me. I would have waited outside for her to come back. And then just be there for her.”

Robert slowly started to realise that Rosamund made a lot of sense. He hit his forehead with his hand. “Now it is to late.”

“Papa has a private jet, and I think that if you explain why you want to use it. That he will be more than happy that you go to New York with it.

+++

Nervously Robert walked up to the gate. Should he have texted Harold or Cora? Were they coming home today? When he pressed the bell, a woman answered.

“Hello, I am Robert Crawley and I am here for Miss. Levinson.”

“They are not home, please come back later.”

He heard the sound of the line disconnecting. What should he do now? He did not want to call or text them, what if he disturbed them? He better call for a cab and go and find a hotel for the night. While he took his phone out of his pocket, a car approached the house.

Robert looked up and saw the car coming closer. He hoped Cora was in the car, or at least Harold. He waited for the car to come closer and it was indeed Harold who got out of the car.

“How long have you been standing here?” Harold asked.

“Not that long, I was about to call for a taxi to bring me to a hotel.”

“You are not staying in a hotel.” Cora’s voice sounded.

Robert looked over Harold’s shoulder and saw Cora standing behind him.

“Hi,” Robert said, all of a sudden insecure. He noticed that the gate had opened and the car drove towards the house.

“You better come inside.” Harold said, he looked at Cora and then walked towards the house.

Cora stepped closer to Robert. He saw her red eyes and frail figure in the light of the lantern. He wanted to wrap her up in his arms, but he was not sure she would like that. Instead, he stood still and felt dumb for not knowing what to do.

“Thank you for being here.” He could hear in her voice, she had been crying.

“Always.”

“I was not expecting you here. How did you manage this?” She looked up to his face.

“I used my father’s plane.” He saw Cora’s bottom lip tremble and realised his mistake. Robert gently put his hand on her cheek and brushed a tear from under her eye. “I am sorry. I should not have said that.”

Cora shook her head. “It is alright. I just miss him so much already.” She looked up again. “Oh, Robert. Why did he go so soon?” She started crying.

Without hesitation, he pulled Cora in his arms and pressed her against his chest. He felt her arms wrap around him. He murmured soothing words and moved his hands over her back to calm her down.

They stood there for a while until Robert felt her calming down. This was the second time within a week he held a crying Cora in his arms. Gentle he pressed a kiss on top of her head. “We should go inside.” He said. “It is getting late, you must be exhausted.”

Cora rested her head against his chest and yawned. “I could sleep for days.”

“Well, let us not wait any longer and bring you to bed.”

Cora moved her hand up to Robert’s chest, her fingers playing with the fabric of his jacket. “It feels like I am a weak woman. You have taken care of me this whole weekend, and here I am crying in your arms, again.” She lowered her eyes. “This was not how I would have thought our relationship would start.”

Robert put his hand on top of Cora’s and softly brushed over it. “Are we in a relationship? Are you sure?” He moved his hand to lift Cora’s chin, so he could look into her eyes. His other hand was resting on her lower back. “Let me say that in a different way. I am very happy that you fell ill.” Robert felt his cheeks burn from shame when he heard Cora’s soft chuckle. “No, I do not mean, I was happy you were ill. I meant, oh, how do I correctly say this……”

Cora got on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss on his lips to stop his stuttering. “I know what you mean. Even though I was sick, I loved having you around.”

Robert was surprised by her move, her lips felt even better than he could have imagined. So soft and warm. “Just to make one thing very clear.” He pressed another kiss on her lips. “I do not think of you as weak.”

Cora leaned heavily against him now, her arms wrapped around him.

Robert pushed her back. “I love this feeling of you so close, but I think we need to make sure you will get some sleep. The coming days will be busy and emotional.”

“Will you be here?” Cora angled her face up. “Will you stay with me and than bring me back to London?”

“If you are very sure about that, I will.”

Cora did not answer, but she pressed her lips once more on Robert’s. This time longer and more intense.

But Papa! Why? Chapter 18

Robert was surprised to see Cora was calling him. Was she not well enough to come to work? Last night when he left her place, she seemed to be fine. “Cora?” He answered.

“I need to go to New York, as fast as possible. I am sorry. My Papa…” Cora’s voice broke and Robert could only hear her sob.

Robert clasped his phone with both hands. “Cora? What happened? What is wrong with your father?”

“He is dying. My Papa is dying and I need to go home.” Cora sobbed.

“Wait, what?” Robert had trouble understanding what Cora said. “Where are you? Are you home? I am on my way.”

Robert passed Rosamund’s office. “Something happened with Cora’s father, I have to go to her.” He did not wait for a reaction and rushed to Cora’s house.

+++

“Please call or text me when you arrive in New York.” Robert had booked a flight ticket for Cora while she packed her bag. John drove them to the airport. She had just checked in and was now ready to go through security.

“I hope that I will be on time.” Cora’s voice was soft.

Robert took Cora’s face in his hands and pressed a kiss on her forehead. “Be safe.” He saw tears in Cora’s eyes. “I will be here waiting for you.” He continued.

Cora nodded and whispered a thank you.

He watched how she passed security, her small figure even smaller. How he wished he was going with her. He did not like it, that she was travelling alone. She had been very sick and now was going to lose her father.

He booked her a first-class ticket. This way she had her private little suite on board. Harold would pick her up from the airport, which made Robert feel a little bit at ease, knowing she was with her family the second she stepped outside the airport. He had asked Harold to keep him updated.

+++

“Harold, how is Papa?” Cora said when she saw her brother standing in the arrival hall.

“He is still with us, but we need to hurry. He is waiting for you.” Harold took her suitcase, and with his other hand, he pressed her against him. And started walking to the car. He had used one of the company cars with a driver.

The trip to the hospital felt like ages, but finally, they arrived. Harold gave the driver instructions to bring her suitcase to their family home and then walked to the front doors. “Are you coming?”

Cora felt nervous entering the room. Her father was lying in a hospital bed, surrounded by machines. Her mother sat next to him. His face was peaceful as if he was sleeping. She was happy to see his face without tubes sticking out of his mouth or nose.

“Cora, please say goodbye to your father. He is waiting for you.” Her mother said when Cora stepped closer. Her mother had dark circles under her eyes.

Cora took a seat on the other side of the bed and took her father’s hand in hers. Softly she pressed a kiss on it. “Oh, Papa. I have to thank you for everything. You did so much, and because of you, I am standing where I am right now. Thank you for giving me the chance to explore London and for letting me go.” She felt a soft squeeze in her hand and looked up. “Because of you, I met the most wonderful man, Robert would have made you proud.” That last part she said very close to his ear so her mother would not hear it.

Her father had opened his eyes and gave her a soft smile. “I am proud.” He said almost inaudible.

Cora felt a tear escape her eye. She pressed her father’s hand against her cheek. “I love you, Papa.”

After a long time sitting like this, his hand started to feel heavy but she did not want to let go of him.

Harold touched her shoulder. “Cora, you need to let go. He is gone.”

Cora stared at her father’s face. He was peaceful, it was something that made her feel a little bit better. He had not been anxious and she had told him about Robert. He knew she had found someone.

“Cora, let us go home. We cannot do anything else here.”

It surprised Cora how cold her mother sounded, but she had never shown a lot of emotions. In that regard, she did fit in with the English people. Cora felt her own eyes burn from all the tears, she was the opposite of her mother. Her emotions were always visible.

When they stepped outside, Cora noticed it was already dark. She looked at her clock and saw hours had gone by. She saw a text message from Robert. Her heart melted when she read it.

*In my heart I am with you.*

She looked at his profile picture, a dapper man in a light grey suit. His blue eyes sparkled, she still wondered who he was looking at when this picture was taken. Was it a former girlfriend? Cora took a deep breath before she answered his text.

*My father passed away.*

Tears rolled over her cheeks when she hit send. Harold wrapped his arm over her shoulder and pressed her against his shoulder.

“I am glad you made it in time dear sister.”

Martha turned around in her front seat. “You and Harold will make him proud, I know.”

Cora raised her eyebrows. What did she mean by this comment?

Harold’s grip loosened. “Can we discuss this later?”

Now Cora looked at Harold. “What do we need to discuss?”

“It can wait. Let us first have a good night’s sleep. It was an exhausting day.”

“Who is that man at the gate?” Martha asked, pointing at the gate infront of their house.

Cora tried to look through the window, but she could not see the man clearly. They were too far away.