But Papa! Why? Chapter 31

Cora touched Robert’s knee. He had fallen asleep soon after they left. Cora had felt nervous when she realised she would have to drive. It would be her first time driving a stickshift car, but Robert was a wonderful teacher, she had discovered. And he had so much confidence in her driving skills that within minutes he doozed off.

“Darling, wake up. Your navigation says we are here.” Cora had parked the car alongside the road. She had expected to drive up to a hotel or at least a place where they could stay. But it felt that they were in the middle of nowhere. She nudged Robert again, who did not seem to want to wake up.

“Hmmmm” Robert moaned and slowly opened his eyes. “Are we there already?”

“I am not sure where we should be, but the navigation said: ‘You arrived at your destination’

Robert had a foolish smile on his face.

“Did you put in the wrong address? Did we drive two hours in the wrong direction?” Cora asked.

“No, no.” Robert was still smiling. “I did put in the correct address, where I wanted you to drive. I tried to keep our destination a secret.” He leaned forward and started to type in a new address. “Fifteen more minutes and we will be at our destination.” He put his hand on Cora’s knee. “You still do not want to know where we are going?”

“As I said, I like surprises. And from what I can see, you brought us to a beautiful area. I did not know your country had such beautiful nature.”

“I will show you every part of this country if you let me.”

Cora laughed. “I hope in a decent way.”

Now Robert’s cheeks coloured, he did not realize what he had said exactly.

On Cora’s face was now a cheeky smile. “I cannot wait for you to be fully recovered.”

Robert looked out of the window, trying to keep his feelings contained. Her words made heat come up in his groin.

+++

“Are we dining here?” Cora exclaimed enthusiastically. She had driven up the driveway of a castle and now parked the car.

Robert gave her one of his foolish smiles. “I booked a suite. We will have a room with a window seat inside the wall, a luxurious bathroom and a four-posted bed.”

“Oh Robert, that is so romantic.” She leaned towards him and kissed his lips softly. “Let’s go inside, I want to see the room.

Robert took Cora’s arm and together they walked into the lobby of Langley Castle Hotel. Cora was a bit overwhelmed with the luxury inside. They stepped back in time but with today’s luxury. “This is beautiful,” Cora said under her breath.

She waited for Robert to check-in. There was a sign with the history of the castle. ‘It was built in 1350, during the reign of Edward III, the castle has retained its architectural integrity and is regarded as one of the few medieval fortified Castle Hotels in England’

Cora knew England was an old country, but it was hard to grasp how old this building, actually was, over 600 years.

“Shall we go to our room? You can rest a bit before we have our dinner reservation.” Robert rested his hand on the small of Cora’s back.

This was a very calming gesture she noticed. Every time Robert touched her, her heartbeat slowed down, except when he put it lower on her bum. She looked at his face, would he have enough energy to explore each other? She was ready to get closer to him. She had always thought she would wait after marriage, but she knew she would not be able to withhold Robert for much longer.

+++

“I do not think I ever had a better meal than what we got just now.” Cora leaned back in her chair. Robert reserved a table for the relaxed dining experiment. This castle also offered a fine dining experiment, but Robert said they would eat there tomorrow evening. For tonight, he did not want to be dressed up in his tailcoat or tuxedo.

Cora was glad he had told her to put some nice dresses in her suitcase at the last minute. He said she would have to dress for a white tie evening, so she packed a long-sleeved, lace dark blue, gown. Tonight she was wearing an emerald green jumpsuit with high heels. She loved dressing up for Robert. Back home she would easily go outside in sportswear, but since she lived in England her wardrobe changed into a more stylish and formal style. She had only seen women in sportswear who were actual being active.

“We could order another glass of wine, but we could also let that be a room service.” Robert looked at her with smouldering eyes. Cora’s hand was resting on the table, Robert put his on top and brushed with his fingertips over the back of her hand.

Cora had kicked off her heels when they were seated. She stretched her leg and found his calve. Slowly she moved her feet over his leg and stared back at him. “I am fine with one of those two options.” She kept her voice low.

“Wine in the restaurant it is then,” Robert said and tried to get the waiter’s attention. “Can you bring a bottle of Riesling to our suite?” Robert asked, winking at her and Cora was relieved he chose that option. She wanted to be close to him. There was only a table in between them at the moment but it felt unbearable not touching him.

Cora’s chair was pulled back, quickly she got back in her heels and waited for Robert to offer her, his arm. As close as she could, she walked next to him. Once the door to their suite closed, she turned towards him and pressed her lips on his. She tasted the wine on his tongue, it was a slow but firm kiss. She was trying to get his dress shirt out of his trousers, when there was a knock on the door.

“Room service.”

“Ugh” Cora moaned and reluctantly stepped back, so Robert could open the door.

But Papa! Why? Chapter 30

Molesley entered with the tea.

“We can help ourselves from here on. Please take the afternoon off, as you were planning on.” Cora said walking towards him. She had helped Robert down the stairs and made sure he sat down on a comfortable chair. “What can I offer you?” She asked Violet, while she poured tea in a cup for Robert.

“Tea is fine.” Violet answered.

Cora poured herself a cup and sat down, next to Robert.

“How are things going here?” Violet started.

Robert gave Cora a glance before answering. “I think we will be back in London soon. Dr Clarkson has said that I do not need to come back for check-ups, as long as I am not getting more pain. For now, my leg only hurts when I walk up the stairs.”

“Why would you do that? There is a bed downstairs. Do not tell me Cora is forcing you to sleep upstairs.” Violet’s eyes shot fire when she looked at Cora.

“Mama, why would you say that?” Robert was shocked by his mother’s outlash.

“Did you not come from upstairs, when I arrived?”

Robert sighed. “Mama, it is very easy to jump to conclusions, but no Cora is not forcing me to sleep upstairs. On the contrary. I wanted to be up there with her myself and I will need to learn to walk the stairs again without pain, so this was a good practice. Why are you here?”

Cora looked at Robert in shock, that was a very direct and blunt question. She adored him for how he stood up for her. It had stirred something deep inside her. She knew she had made the right decision to stay with him here in England. A man who was standing up for his girlfriend was a keeper.

“Your father wants to know how things are standing with the Abbey.” Violet answered.

“Does Papa want to know, or do you?” Robert’s voice sounded annoyed.

“Robert.” Cora said very softly, trying to calm him down. She did not want to be the reason he and his mother would fight.

Robert looked at her and back at his mother. “Mama, I am done playing games. We had enough of that. We know by now why Cora is here in England and although it is the best thing that has happened for me, we do not like to be played. The Abbey is still standing and one day we will start the renovations, but when that will be? I cannot tell you.” He had put his hand on Cora’s when he said she was the best thing that had happened to him. “Now, if you do not mind, Cora has a deadline she needs to work on, and we were planning on going on a little trip this afternoon.”

Violet’s eyebrows raised, Cora was nervous about, how she would react. “Very well, I understand. I will leave you two to it.” She got up. “Let me or your Papa know when you will be back in London.” Without saying another word, she left the room.

Cora felt nervous giggles coming up and she tried to suppress them, she failed miserably when Robert looked at her.

“That felt liberating.” He said, with a sheepish smile.

Cora’s giggles turned into a belly laugh and she let herself lean against Robert. “I was scared she would rip your head off, the way she looked at you was scary.”

Robert wrapped his arm around Cora and laughed with her. “I must admit, I was not sure if I would live to see another day.”

With her eyes full of love, Cora looked up at him. Her hand moved over his chest. “I am glad you will.” She leaned in even more and pressed her lips on his.

Robert covered her hand with his and softly brushed over the back of her hand. “I meant what I said.” He said when they broke the connection. “I cannot imagine my life without you in it anymore. Even though we met in a strange way, and I rejected you from the beginning. I know how stupid I was for not seeing you. The real, sweet, caring and smart you.”

Cora’s cheeks were now burning from embarrassment. “Stop it, Robert.” She said.

With his finger her stroke over her cheekbone and rested his hand against her face. “With what? Telling you the truth? I will never stop telling you how amazing you are. How beautiful you are and how much I love you. My dear Cora, you do not know how much I love you.”

A radiant smile appeared on Cora’s face. “My dear Robert. You may act as a Donk sometimes; you are my Donk and I love you.” She pressed another kiss on his lips and then pushed herself back. “I should start working, are you sure you want to go somewhere this afternoon?”

Reluctantly he let go of her. “I could not be more certain about that.”

---

“Molesley, we will not be home this weekend. If you want, you are free to go away yourself.” Cora heard Robert talk to Molesley. She was surprised by his words, she had not expected to go away for the weekend, but the thought warmth her. She hoped Robert would not overdo it, but she decided to not mention it. Robert was old enough to know his own limits.

The door opened and Robert stepped into the hallway. “Oh Cora, have you managed to hit the deadline?” He said when he saw her standing there.

“We did, I was searching for you to tell you we could go.”

“Good, you should pack somethings, for let’s say, two nights. And I suggested a warm jumper.”

Cora smiled at him. “What time do you want to leave?” She decided not to ask to many questions and let him surprise her with this trip.

“How much time do you need to be ready, do you think?”

“Give me thirty minutes and I will be ready to go wherever you want to take me.”

Robert slid his arms around Cora’s waist. “You are not going to ask where we are going?”

Cora shook her head. “I like a surprise.”

Drabble – Anniversary

“Mary?” Robert hurried down the great hall to catch his eldest daughter before she left the house.

“Papa?” Mary turned around with a surprised look on her face. “I was about to go to the stables.”

“I know, I know,” Robert said apologetically. “This will not take long.” He stopped and checked if they were alone. When he made sure nobody was listening he continued. “I have a request for you. You know your mother and I will have our anniversary soon.”

“Thirthy nine years, can you imagine.” Mary answered.

“Since your mother is feeling better, I want to do something special. Taking her out dancing, and I want to make it even more special by arranging a new dress for her. But there comes my problem and where I need you.” He smiled at Mary. “I do not know where your mother buys her dresses and how that all works. Can you help me with that?”

“Oh, Papa. That is so romantic. Tell me what you want and I will make sure Mama has a new dress.”

Robert felt his cheeks colour. “I hoped you would want to take me to get a dress. I would love to be the one who picked it out for her.”

“Papa, I have to run now. But we will talk about this later. I do not think you understand how it all works. But I will help you get Mama a perfect dress.”

“Thank you.” Robert turned around to go back to the drawing room.

“What was that about?” Cora’s voice sounded suddenly, making Robert jump. He looked in the direction the sound came from. Cora came walking towards him. She was wearing a dark skirt with a white blouse on top. The blouse was decorated with black flowers. He was glad to see colour on her cheeks again. The last months had been rough, especially for Cora herself. The treatment she was receiving was far from pleasant, but Cora hardly complained. There had been days when she could not get herself out of bed. On those days, Robert carried her to her settee so she would not have to stare at the ceiling the whole day. He had not left her alone during those days. She constantly dozed off but he had stayed in her room. Bates had placed a small table in Cora’s room, so he could work, while she was sleeping. The last couple of weeks, she was starting to feel better and every afternoon she came downstairs to join the family for afternoon tea.

“We were talking about the estate, nothing special.” He stepped closer to Cora so he could kiss her cheek. “Good to see you downstairs.”

Cora hooked her arm in Robert’s mostly for stability, but she also took every opportunity to be close to him. “Did I hear correctly that Tom and Lucy are visiting today?”

Robert’s face lit up, that visit meant his favourite grandchild would come too. His darling Sybbie. “They will be here tonight, Tom said they would join for tea.”

“Does Mrs. Patmore know? I know she likes to make something special when they visit.”

Robert padded Cora’s hand. “She knows, do not worry about that.”

Cora lowered her eyes, it was not easy, not being in charge of everything. Her eldest and husband were taking over where she usually was in charge. The months she had spent upstairs in her room, she had not been aware of it. But now she moved around in the house again, it was apparent and hard to get used to.

“You will be running everything yourself soon.” Robert padded Cora’s hand again.

Cora looked up and leaned against his shoulder. “Mary will take over one day, maybe it is time to let go now and give her the chance to be the lady of the house.”

“As long as you and I are Lord and Lady Grantham, she will not take over from you.”

Cora pressed a kiss on his cheek. “I think I can get used to having some more time with you.”

Robert stopped walking. “Do you think you have enough energy for a short walk?”

“But it is snowing?”

“That will make it even better. We will stay close to each other for warmth. And when we come back, we will ask for some hot cocoa and warm ourselves in front of the fireplace.”

Cora saw the childlike excitement in Robert’s eyes and even though she was not having the best day pain-wise, she could not deny him anything when he looked like that.

+++

“Will you be home tonight?” Cora asked with a sleepy voice. Robert woke her up early this morning.

“We will, I promise to be home tonight. I asked Mrs. Hughes and Baxter to look after you today. Try to sleep some more, my love.” He bent down and kissed her forehead.

Cora sighed. “I wish I knew what you were going to do in London.”

“Some business, nothing special. Now please go back to sleep.” He pressed his lips on Cora’s.

+++

“I like this royal blue colour.” Robert was standing next to Mary in an atelier in London. Mary had explained to him, that all Cora’s dresses were made for her. Robert had expected to go to a shop and buy a dress off the shelve. He never had realised how much work there was in her clothes. Everything had to match and was thought out.

Mary and the dressmaker explained everything that was needed for the dress. He had to make decisions about the colour, the shape of the dress and the type of buttons. Baxter had handed him one of Cora’s newest dresses so they knew her measurements. Without so many words, Baxter said that Cora had lost a lot of weight. Something he had noticed too. This dress should fit perfectly since there was no opportunity to get her fitted in.

After what felt like a lifetime there was finally a dress on paper, all choices had been made and Robert was content. He could picture his wife in it already. He had opted for a looser fit, especially around her waist. He knew how uncomfortable it was for Cora to wear clothes that were tight around her waist and stomach. The dress would be delivered at Rosamund’s, so Baxter could pick it up on the night of their anniversary.

+++

“Do we have to go today?” Cora asked a bit annoyed.

Robert turned around, Cora was still sitting at her dressing table, Baxter had made her ready for the day. She had gone down to put the suitcase in the car, and Robert made sure Cora would not notice that. “We do, Rosamund is expecting us and we cannot cancel this late.”

Cora sighed, did Robert forget about today? Why were they going to London and visit Rosamund on this day? There were so many other days they could do that, but Robert had chosen this special day. Had he been too occupied with everything to remember? Had it been her illness that made him forget? Another sigh left her before she got up. “I hope we can have some alone time tonight.” She said while walking past Robert towards the door.

Robert did not stop her, something that surprised Cora. “The car is waiting outside, we should go. Did you say goodbye to Mary, George and Caroline?”

“We will be back tonight?” Cora gave Robert a surprised look.

“I know, but you never know. Why do we not go and say goodbye real quick? George loves to see his grandmother.”

This brought a smile to Cora’s face, she adored her grandchildren. “If you say so.”

Mary came to the front door to wave them goodbye.

+++

Cora had dozed off during the car ride. Robert had hoped to sleep some himself. He had not slept last night, he was nervous about the dress. What if it did not fit her? Or even worse, she would not like it? When they came closer to London, Cora woke up. There was always so much more noise, Robert loved being in London, but at the same time he missed the peace and quiet from home.

“Where are we going? This is not the way to Rosamund’s house?” Cora said, while looking outside.

“Is it not?” Robert acted surprised.

Cora’s head whipped towards Robert. “What is going on? You cannot tell me you forgot how we go to your sister’s house?”

“Maybe the driver is taking a different route?”

“What is wrong with you? Since last night you have been acting off, are you feeling alright?” She raised her hand to feel his forehead. Then she put the back of her hand against his cheek. “You do not feel warm, that is good.”

“Nothing is wrong.” Robert saw the worry in Cora’s eyes and decided to not play this game any longer. “We are not going to Rosamund’s?”

“What? Why not? Where are we going?”

“The driver will take us to the Ritz.”

“Oh no, Robert. I have not brought a dress with me to dine in the Ritz.”

Robert smiled. “Yes, you have.”

“Robert, you do not understand. I need a different type of dress to eat at the Ritz than I need to eat at your sister’s.”

“Do not worry about the dress, Baxter has the right one for you.”

Cora gave Robert a puzzled look, but before she could argue again. The car stopped and they stood infront of the Ritz.

“Let us go up to our room,” Robert said with a cheeky smile.

Robert hoped the dress would be there. Baxter and Bates had left the house earlier, so they could stop at Rosamund’s for the dress.

The door was opened and Robert let Cora go in first. She walked inside but stopped walking and froze. Robert tipped the staff member and quickly closed the door. He stepped towards Cora and put his hands on her shoulders. In the middle of the room, was a mannequin with Cora’s new dress on it. The dress was stunning, and he could already see Cora shine in it.

Cora turned around to face Robert. “Where did this dress come from?”

“I asked Mary to help me design a dress for you. We went to London to your favourite dressmaker and they made this dress for you. So you can shine tonight when I take you out dancing.” Robert took Cora’s hands in his. “Happy Anniversary my darling.”

“You did not forget,” Cora said softly, she wiggled one of her hands out of Robert’s and laid it against his face. “I thought you forgot. Oh my darling, I love you.” She got on her tiptoes to press her lips against his.

“I love you too.” He murmured.

The kiss was a long, tender kiss and once they broke the connection, Robert kept Cora close to his chest. “We have no appointments this afternoon, if you want you can rest.”

Cora lifted her chin. “I will only rest, if you rest with me. You have not slept much last night.”

“You noticed?”

“I can see it in your eyes. We can lie down together. If I want to dance the night away with you, I will need to take some rest now.

+++

After dinner, Robert guided Cora towards the dance floor. The dress fitted perfectly on her. The blue of the dress made her blue eyes shine even brighter. Cora turned towards him and placed one hand on his shoulder and the other in his hand. Robert moved his hand to the small of her back and pulled her a bit closer. “Tonight is our night.”

“I remember our first dance vividly.” Cora started. “Many men had waltzed me over the dance floor, but when you took my hand and placed your hand on my back, I knew. I instantly knew that I belonged to you.”

Robert slowed his movements so he could look her in the eye. “You belong to nobody, my sweet darling. But I count myself lucky that I can call you my wife. Thirty-nine years ago, you made me the happiest man alive.” He leaned his forehead against Cora’s. He suppressed the urge to kiss her tempting lips. They were curled up in a smile.

When the song ended, Cora suddenly got on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his. They were still in the middle of the dance floor, but the room around them faded away. Cora’s warm and soft lips, made his mind go blank. She pressed her body against his and murmured. “I want to dance our private dance.”

Robert was surprised, they had not done anything like that since they came back from France. Cora had not been well enough to do more than share a kiss and a cuddle. “Are you sure?”

Cora bit his lip. “More than sure.”

Drabble: Valentine’s day

Robert made sure he woke up early. He heard Cora snoring. Good, he thought, she was still asleep. Quickly he went to his dressing room and waited for his valet Burton to enter.

“Is her Ladyship awake?” Burton asked when he entered.

“No, not yet. We should let her sleep. It was difficult last night.”

“Are you still sticking with your plan?”

“Most definitely,” Robert answered. Last night his mother had scolded his wife while they were unexpectedly entertaining guests. He had noticed that his mother scolded her more regularly since she was pregnant again. He did not understand why. It should be a happy time. She could be carrying his heir this time. Robert adored his two little girls, but secretly he hoped this time it would be a boy. Especially after the long time it took to get Cora pregnant again. There had been some fall’s alarms. Every time they learned she was not pregnant he saw her shoulders bent a little bit more forward. But now with every month she was standing taller, her bump was showing, and she could not hide it under her dresses anymore. He had insisted she would stop wearing her corsets, but Cora had refused, she switched to special corsets made for pregnant women, but she said she could never appear in public without one. Last night however she had opted for an evening without her corset. His father had said that there would be no guests tonight and Cora took the opportunity to give her body some rest. How his mother had noticed and managed to get guests with such short notice, was a mystery to him. But she had and when Cora walked into the drawing room with her belly even more visible without a corset, she had gotten nasty remarks from his mother Violet. Robert did not know what to do, he felt angry when he saw his wife shrink under his mother’s remarks. He wish he could have said something right away, but it would only give gossip if he did.

He went down for his breakfast and left a note for Cora before he left.

+++

“Good morning, Milady.” Bridwell, Cora’s ladiesmade said, when she saw Cora was awake.

Cora pushed herself up, her belly was getting in the way. With her hand she stroked over her bump, which resulted in a kick as a greeting. “Hello, little one. Are you ready for a new day?” She said in a sweet soft voice.

“Do you want to wear your corset this morning Milady?”

Cora now looked up, her hand still on her belly. “I do not think I have a choice, do I, Birdwell?” She smiled at her maid.

“Are there guests coming today?”

Cora shook her head. “No. Or at least, I do not know. But I do not want to repeat last night, so you better put me in my corset today.”

“There is time for a warm bath this morning.” Birdwell said, when she saw how stiff Cora got up from the bed.

“Are you sure? I do not want to take too much of your time.” Cora looked at Birdwell. She appreciated her ladiesmaid, she was kind and caring and always there for her. Since she got pregnant again she had been even more caring.

“I will run you a bath right away.” Birdwell started to walk towards the bathroom when she stopped and turned around. “Before I forget, Burton gave me this note from his Lordship for you.”

Cora took the small envelope that was handed to her and let her fingers run over the ink. Robert’s handwriting was neat. “Thank you, Birdwell.”

She sat down on her settee, while waiting for Birdwell to run her bath and opened the envelope. There was an even smaller note inside. ‘Go to the breakfast room, before starting your day. R.”

Cora did not understand why he would ask that from her. If he was waiting there for her, he could just send Burton, or Carson, their butler.

When Birdwell finally finished her hair, Cora got up and walked towards the mirror. She had asked Birdwell to pull in her corset a little bit more than usual. It did feel uncomfortable, but anything to not get scolded again by Violet.

Carefully she walked downstairs, towards the breakfast room. She was unsure why, Birdwell brought her, her breakfast upstairs. When she opened the door, nobody was inside. She noticed another envelope on the table, when she walked closer she saw her name on it.

“Enjoy a morning, reading your favourite book. R.”

A smile appeared on Cora’s face, she wondered what he considered her favourite book. She hurried towards the library expecting to see Robert there, but again she encountered an empty room. On the table between the sofas laid a book. Weird she thought, Carson always made sure the librarian cleared everything at the end of the day.

It was ‘Emma’ by Jane Austen. This brought another smile to Cora’s face. Robert truly had an interest in her when he knew her favourite book. She had read this book since she first arrived here in England and loved it ever since. Slowly she sat down and opened the book. Her mother-in-law was not there to tell her to do something else, like her needle work. She figured she could read until the girls would be brought downstairs.

Cora hoped Robert would be back, when they came. Mary adored her father and she would be disappointed if only her mother was there to greet her.

Quickly she lost herself in the book and was only pulled back into reality when the voice of Mary and Edith sounded. She looked up and saw a little girl with blond curls enter the library, followed by a taller, dark-haired girl. The last had the same colour of hair as she had. Nanny was following and said. “Go and greet your mother.”

Cora put down the book and opened her arms to greet Mary and Edith. Edith dived into her arms, while Mary only quickly bent her head towards Cora. She decided to ignore her behaviour. “Did you enjoy your morning?” She asked. Cora saw how Carson entered with a tray, she looked at Mary. “I think Carsons will have some nice things with him you may like. Do you want to take a look?” Cora knew how much Mary adored Carson and she had noticed Mary was disappointed that her father was not present.

About an hour later Nanny gathered the girls. “It is time to go up.” She stepped towards Cora and handed her another envelope. “His lordship asked me to give you this.”

Cora took the envelope and murmured a thank you. What was Robert doing? Why all these envelopes, why today?

“Did you see the field of snowdrops already? You should take a look near the Temple of Diana. R.”

Cora rested her hands on her belly and slowly moved them up and down. “I think we will go for a walk.” She said smiling, Robert had planned this day without her knowing why. Had he thought of this last night, after Violet’s unkind words? She could not imagine he had noticed how much it had hurt her last night. It had been unfair, no guests were coming. Violet should have let her know, so she could have worn her corset. The one thing she had learned was, no more days or evenings without her corset.

She rang the bell and Mrs. Hughes entered. “How can I help you Milady?”

“Can you tell Birdwell that I want to go for a walk?”

“Of course Milady.” Mrs Hughes left, while Cora started to walk upstairs. She should wear a hat when she got outside. It was a cold February day, so she should ask Birdwell to help her into a warm coat.

“Anything else Milady?” Birdwell asked when Cora was standing in her warm coat.

“That will be all, I will ring when I am back.”

Still a bit unsure, why Robert wanted her to go on a walk, she headed towards The Temple of Diana,  one of the many follies on the grounds of Downton. When she came closer she heard music, it sounded like string players. She turned the corner and indeed saw four men playing their instruments in front of the Follie. The ground in front of them was covered in snowdrops. It was a magical sight, those white little flowers and the beautiful sounds of the violins. She stood still, soaking up this moment, when suddenly two arms wrapped around her. She recognized Robert’s scent and she let him pull her against his chest. His hands rested on her belly and he pushed his nose in her curls.

Cora rested her hands on his and moved with him on the music. They stood there rocking for a while, enjoying the moment and each other.

“Happy Valentine my sweet love,” Robert said when he finally let go of her and turned her around in his arms.

“Oh, Robert. You remembered this day.”

“How could I not? Since you came into my life everything has changed for the better and no better day than today to thank you for everything.”

Cora lowered her eyes. She had forgotten what day it was. She did not have anything with her to give to him. She had arranged a small gift, but that was still sitting on dressingtable in her room.  “I forgot to bring your gift.”

Robert put his hands on her belly. “You have your gift with you, right here.” He moved his hand over her swollen belly and smiled at her. When he moved his hand to her back, his smile faded. “Cora? Why is your corset so tight? I thought I saw it already when you came closer.”

“Your mother prefers it when I am not showing that much, so I asked Birdwell to pull the strings a bit tighter.”

“None of that.” Robert took her hand and guided her into the Follie. “Come here.” He had noticed that she was wearing a buttondress, he could easily help her out of it. He started to unbutton the dress, but Cora stepped away from him.

“What are you doing?” She said with a scared look in her eyes.

“I am going to loosen your corset. There is no need to hide your perfectly shaped baby bump. My mother is old-fashioned and will need to learn how to behave. I am not accepting her behaviour of last night any longer. Please step back, so I can give you a bit more comfort.” He continued the unbuttoning of her dress and loosened the strings on her corset. Robert felt a sigh of relief as soon as the corset loosened. He waited a little bit before he tied the laces again. But this time, he pulled just enough so the corset would stay in its place. He buttoned up her dress again and stepped in front of Cora. He lowered his eyes and rested his hands on her belly. “This is better, now this little one has room to move again.”

Cora did indeed feel better the instance Robert had loosened her corset. There were three months left, but she was showing as if she was in her last month. With Edith, she had already noticed that her belly popped earlier than when she was pregnant with Mary. Mindlessly she moved her hand over her belly, maybe this was a boy they would call the little one, Patrick, like his grandfather.

“Can you share your thoughts?” Robert asked while stilling her movements with his hands.

Cora looked up into his eyes and smiled. “How lucky I am with you as my husband.”

Robert moved one hand to her neck and pulled her in for a tender kiss. “You made me the happiest man on earth when you married me. You gave me two beautiful girls and we have a third on the way.”

“You think this is a girl again?” Cora tried to hide her fear slipping into her voice.

“I do not care, as long as you and the baby are healthy.” He kissed her again. “Now, let’s go outside again. The string quartet will play some more songs for us and Carson should arrive soon with our lunch.”

“Are we having lunch here?”

“As long as you are not too cold we are. Carson will bring chairs and some blankets. I wanted to do this in the evening at first, so we could look at the stars. Have a simple dinner with candlelight, some music and the stars.

“Oh?” Cora said surprised. “What changed your mind?”

“Well.” Robert took Cora’s hand while he walked back outside. “Stargazing is something you do lying on your back. I was not sure it would be comfortable for you to lay on the hard ground.”

“We will save that for after this little one is born.”

+++

Cora waited for the dividing door to open. She had gone upstairs a little while back, hoping Robert would follow soon. He was taking longer than she had hoped for. Should she go to bed? Or would he come soon? The moment she decided to get up and into her bed, she heard Robert in his dressing room. She was seated on the settee with the little package behind her. It was so tiny, that she was ashamed of it. Robert had made such a big gesture, by hiring musicians and creating a romantic atmosphere and here she was with a small gift.

Finally, the door opened and Robert walked in. He was wrapped in a fluffy nightrobe, the colour matched his pyjama and slippers. He looked rather handsome she thought.

“You are still up?” Robert said surprised.

“I still have to give you, your gift. So I waited for you.”

Robert walked towards her and sat down next to her legs. Cora was dressed in her nightgown, she had wrapped a blanket over her shoulders. Her curls were in a loose braid, tied together with a pink ribbon.

“I hope you will like it. It feels stupid now I am handing it to you.”

Robert took the package in his hand and kissed her cheek. “You have thought about this gift and that is enough for me to like it.” He ripped the wrapping paper and took the gift out. He was holding a small brown dog made of vilt in his hands. The dog had a red scarf around his neck. “Oh Cora, I love this. I can carry this with me wherever I go. And when I am away from Downton, it is something to remind me of you. Thank you.”

Cora’s cheeks coloured. She had not expected Robert to like it this much. “For the real one, we have to wait for a bit longer.”

Robert took Cora’s hands in his. “What do you mean? The real one?”

“The puppy is a bit too young to be taken from her mother. We should wait for another 3 weeks at least.”

“You got me a dog? A real dog?” Robert’s voice went up an octave from excitement.

Cora nodded. “Yes. Yes, I did.”

“My darling. My sweet, sweet darling, what did I do to deserve you?”

Cora tried to suppress a yawn, but Robert noticed. “Time to go to bed.” He said with a warm voice.

Cora let Robert help her into bed, he tugged her in and got in on the other side himself. He scooted as close as he could. Am wrapped around her, his hand resting on her belly. He pressed his nose in her hair, as he loved to do every evening. “You make my world a better place.” He knew Cora did not hear him, she was fast asleep.

But Papa! Why? Chapter 29

Cora looked at the bed, Robert was still sleeping. She decided to let him sleep for a while. Her anger had faded away, he looked so adorable while he was sleeping. And she cared too much for him to let this one instance ruin everything. Yes, he had been very unkind yesterday, but had it been that bad? No, it had not, she decided.

She could see the sun coming through the windows, it was still a bit chilly. Spring was on its way, but winter was not budging yet. She wrapped her cardigan a bit tighter around her body and walked downstairs.

Voices were coming from the backroom. Cora walked towards the sound and saw Baxter and Molesey standing in front of the window, that looked over the garden.

“If we finish early, we could go on a walk this afternoon,” Baxter said to Molesley. “I think we are mostly ready to hit the deadline early today.”

“That would be nice,” Molesley answered. “Too bad the temperature is a bit too low, still, to have a picnic.”

“We could walk towards the village and eat something there?”

Cora was not sure if she should make herself known or not. She decided to leave them alone. When she turned around, her phone rang loudly.

“Good morning, Mrs Levinson, I did not see you there, I am sorry. How can I help you?” Molesley said.

“No, no. I did not need you. I was just curious when I heard voices.” She felt her cheeks colour. She could not get used to the fact that she now had a servant. “Please pretend I was not here.” Quickly she turned around and walked back into the hallway. “Yes?” she answered her phone, she had not looked at the screen when she accepted the call.

“Are you still home?” It was Robert’s voice.

“I am only downstairs. What is it?”

“It seems I am stuck upstairs for now.”

“What? What do you mean?” Cora felt she was getting irritated, was he trying to play a game?

“I tried walking downstairs, but the pain was too much for me to do it on my own.”

Cora’s irritation grew, why did he not directly ask her, if she could help? She hated that he wanted her to offer her help. “I will ask Molesley to bring your breakfast upstairs.”

“Oh,” Cora heard the disappointment in his voice. She almost apologised, she stopped herself, just in time.

“I will be going for a short walk later this morning.” Cora continued, ignoring his unvoiced question.

“Can you help me downstairs? I could go with you on that walk?” Robert sounded insecure.

Cora sighed. Finally, he voiced what he needed. “Is that why you called me? Why did you not just ask that directly.”

“Cora, I do not know. Can you please come upstairs, so we can talk, facing each other?”

Cora opened the bedroom door; she had already walked upstairs the second he asked if she could help him. Robert was sitting on a chair, next to the phone. She laughed softly; he had known her phone number from memory. She had already wondered why he would bring his mobile last night, but he had not. He used the landline to reach her, she was touched.

“I am sorry Cora. I understand when you would go back to London. I am behaving badly.” Robert started.

“Robert.” Cora sighed, she stepped closer and squatted in front of him, resting her hands on his knees. “What is bothering you, why are you doing this. If you are tired of me and want me to go, you should say so.”

Robert did not look at Cora, his eyes were looking at the floor.

Cora took Robert’s hands in hers. “We should go somewhere together, today. Away from this village, away from the house. Just somewhere, you and me.”

“Would you still want that?” Robert now looked at their hands. Cora’s thumb brushed over the back of his hand. His hands were big compared to hers. Her small hands did fit perfectly in his larger palm.

Cora pulled one hand back and laid it against his face. “You are fed up with being held back, I understand. As I said last night, I had hoped you would not direct your irritations at me. But I do understand why you do that. Baxter and Molesley are planning on doing something together this afternoon, that gives us the perfect opportunity to sneak out ourselves and hide for a couple of hours.

Robert suddenly wrapped his arms around Cora and pulled her close to his chest. Cora got up on her knees, so she was resting with her head against his chest. She felt his fingers dig into her shoulders. Her own hands moved slowly up and down over his back. The shudders of his body told her he was crying. She held him in her arms until he pushed her back.

“I have no excuse for my behaviour. It is just, that.” He paused. “I had hoped that our weekend together at Downton, had turned out differently.”

“It turned into weeks.” Cora joked.

Robert looked at her, what made Cora stop. “We could have been at a different place in our relationship, if I had not been so foolish. Cora, I love you and I want to spend my life with you. But I do not understand why you would want to be with me. I am foolish and stubborn.”

Cora placed her index finger against Robert’s mouth. ‘Ssstt. That is enough darling.” She came close with her face to Robert’s. “I love you too. Although I also do not understand why you would love me. I do not offer you much. But.”

“You do not offer much? Are you joking?” Robert interrupted her.

“But.” Cora continued. “We will have to accept that the other sees things differently. And I like your stubbornness. It is kind of cute.”

“Cute?” Robert raised his eyebrows.

“Yes, cute.” Cora pressed her lips against Robert’s. She felt him relax and when his lips parted, she pushed her tongue in.

Robert was caught by surprise by the intensity of her kiss, but he did not resist. He eagerly kissed her back, his hands moved over her back, down to her curves. His hand fitted as perfect around her bottom as it did around her hand. He chuckled, how would he fit in her? He thought.

“What is funny?” Cora pulled back when she felt Robert chuckle.

Robert’s cheeks were now bright red and he started to stutter. “Well, I, uhm, I, my hand, well, uhm, I thought…………. Your body has the perfect size, and my hand formed perfectly around your bottom, and I thought. Uhm, I thought. How would it, uhm, fit, uhm………..”

Cora got up a bit more on her knees again and pressed herself against Robert. “You will need to make sure you are feeling well soon, so you can try it out.” Her cheeks got the same colour as Robert’s. The passion she saw in Robert’s eyes made heat shoot through her body. She did not know if she could wait any longer, she wanted to feel him so bad. Her hand moved to his leg and then inwards. She felt how he reacted, what encouraged her to move closer. “I think my hand will fit perfectly too.” Her eyes staring into his. Robert crashed his mouth on Cora’s.

The doorbell rang, what made Cora jump. “We should not do this.” She said. “Especially not during the day, while your employees are also home.”

“I love to take risks.” Robert said with a deep and low voice.

Cora had trouble not falling into his arms again, the way she felt his voice travel through her body was something she had never experienced. “Let’s get up and go downstairs, we should think of where we could go this afternoon.”

Robert took Cora’s hand and got up, her arm wrapped around his waist, and they walked towards the staircase. “I think I know a place, it is a bit of drive, but worth it.”

From downstairs voices were coming up, Cora recognised Molesley and Baxter’s voice, the other she could not place directly. It was a very familiar female voice. Cora looked at Robert when she noticed he stopped walking. “What is it? Does it hurt too much? We can stay upstairs if needed?” Her eyebrows drew together from her worrying.

“We better go downstairs, she will not like to be kept waiting on us.”

“Who?” Cora asked. She still did not get a face with the voice in her mind.

“My mother.” Robert answered.

But Papa! Why? Chapter 28

Robert was staring at the ceiling. Rosamund and Marmaduke had stayed for dinner, they had only just left. As soon as they left the house, Cora had gone upstairs. She did not offer to help him to bed. He had to admit, it was not necessary anymore, but he loved how caring Cora was during their night ritual.

He had been a real prick to her today. He knew that she did not deserve that treatment from him. It was not her fault he was still restricted in what he could do. It was not her fault Marmaduke was faster with asking Rosamund’s hand. To be fair, they knew each other before he knew Cora. He just had hoped to be further in the relationship with Cora.

He turned on his side, something that he could finally do, after weeks of lying on his back. Was he honest now? Was their relationship that shallow? Cora had stayed with him here in Downton. Something she had no obligation to, but she had not even considered going back to London and let him fend for himself. There had been no talk about his own family coming to Downton to help him. Or even worse, hiring staff. No, Cora had stayed with him, she even asked Baxter to come and work in Downton for the time being. Why did he react his anger at Cora, instead of himself?

Robert turned back on his back. The first thing he would do tomorrow morning was apologising to her. She had looked so lost when she went up to bed. What if she decided that she did not want to be with him anymore? He gave her enough reason for it today. He felt his heart racing at the thought he could lose his darling Cora.

Quickly he got up from the bed, which resulted in him grabbing a nearby chair because he got dizzy. He was going to talk to her right now. She deserved his apology now, not in the morning. He had not walked up the stairs yet, but if he took it step by step, he should be able to go to her room.

Once he was upstairs, he needed a minute to catch his breath. The pain in his leg was almost unbearable, but he ignored it. It would go away, it was the same pain he felt after walking too far or too fast. Dr. Clarkson had warned him about it and said it was normal.

What room would she be in? He did not know, there were several bedrooms on this floor. What if he walked into Baxter’s room?

At random he opened a door. The room was empty. It wasn’t until the third door that he saw a bed with a sleeping woman in it. He had to look carefully to see if it was Cora, but then he saw her bathrobe and knew it was the right room. He walked to the bed as quietly as he could. Cora was snoring softly. She had tied her wild curls in a braid. The covers had fallen off of her, her pyjama shirt was half open and he could see her perfectly shaped breast. His whole body reacted and he found it hard not to dive on top of her. Instead, he carefully sat down next to her and pulled the duvet up over her shoulder.

Cora moaned and curled herself up under the duvet. Robert sat and stared at her. Her face was relaxed and she had an angelic look over her. It was a relief that she had fallen asleep. He would have felt even more guilty if she had still been awake. He did not want to wake her, but he had to if he wanted to apologise. Maybe he should wait until the morning, as was his first plan.

He was trying to get up from the bed when he felt Cora’s hand against his back.

“What are you doing upstairs?” Her sleepy voice sounded.

Robert turned back to face her. “I need to apologise, I have been a real jerk today.”

“Robert, it is late.” Cora sounded annoyed. “Please go back to sleep.”

He was not sure what to do. He understood why Cora reacted the way she did. She had every right to be angry. It was better to just listen and try again tomorrow. He got up and walked towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Cora now sounded surprised.

Robert turned around, he saw Cora sitting up. “Back to bed. We will talk in the morning.”

“You know that this is a king-size bed, don’t you? Do not act stupid and come sleep next to me. You are upstairs already.” Cora pulled the duvet back.

Robert got back to the bed and laid down. Cora immediately turned back on her side, facing away from him. He tried turning on his side, but his leg and arm hurt him, so he turned back.

He lay there for a very long time, again staring at the ceiling. His mind did not stop, he was allowed in the bed with Cora, which was a good sign. But the fact she turned to face away from him was not. How was he going to make her come back to him? He messed up, really messed up.

“Stop worrying and close your eyes,” Cora said while turning to her other side. She folded her hands under her pillow.

Robert let out a sigh and did as she said. However, he knew it would not make any difference, sleep would not come.

He felt the bed move and Cora’s hand slid over his stomach. She laid her head on his arm, hesitant Robert wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “We will talk in the morning. Can you now please go to sleep, it was a long and tiring day for you.” Cora angled her face upwards. “I know you are desperate to feel one hundred per cent yourself again and it is upsetting you that it is taking this long. I had hoped you would not direct your anger at me, but I guess it is the safest place. Now let it rest, I need to get up early and would like to get some more sleep.”

He felt her getting up and pressing her lips against his cheek. Another deep sigh escaped him, but this time it was from relief.