Robert stood before his wife stock still, a silent flood of tears swamping his cheeks and his eyes locked on her face. She stood in their bedchamber equally as still simply staring at him giving no hint of emotion at all and he felt his heart making steady progress up to his mouth.

Cora was having trouble putting her thoughts in a coherent order. Her money gone to goodness knows where because of a misjudgement by her husband. She knew how she would've reacted before the war. She would've flown off the handle undoubtedly leaving her husband feeling exponentially worse in the process. But this was a new world and the situation reminded her of the uncertainties that were running riot amongst the English aristocracy. And then there was their marriage which had lost its traction for the first time in the last few months of the war due to a number of factors. They were now back to how they were before the war and suddenly Cora's eyes came into focus and rested on her husband's hunched form. She did not want another strain on her marriage ever again!

It had seemed like a lifetime that Cora had been motionless before him and he almost jumped when she suddenly took a step towards him, and then another. His eyes read her expression anxiously. Her facial features were soft, even tender and her own eyes bore deeply into him. Before he had time to process what was happening she had slipped her arms around his back and pressed herself against him, raising her head to place a kiss under his left ear.

"Oh Cora," he gasped, realising he had scarcely been breathing properly.

Cora heard the note of relief in his voice and her heart broke for him. She knew how sorry he was and pulled back just enough to look up at him. She gently withdrew her right arm from his back and cupped his cheek and wiped his tears away. Robert had only cried once before after she had miscarried their son. He took her hand in his own and hung his head in shame.

"I'm so sorry. I don't deserve you Cora. I've undone what we have spent the last 30 years building on." He paused and looked down at her. "Are you not angry with me?"

"No."

Robert couldn't believe his ears. "I wouldn't blame you…"

"Robert darling, I know you are feeling awful about this. That in itself is punishment enough in my estimation."

"I don't understand. I thought…"

"Perhaps I would have been angry if this happened before the war but, after those last few months being," she searched for the right phrase, "well, distant compared to the rest of our marriage, I have no desire for that to happen again." At this, she wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his brown grey hair. Oh how she loved doing that in their quiet moments together. In that moment, Robert felt the world lift off his shoulders. What Cora thought meant everything to him and she had forgiven him. He now knew that they would brave this storm together. He placed one hand between her shoulder blades and the other hand at the back of her head and gently pulled her closer to him. Resting his forehead against hers he took a breath to steady himself before capturing her lips with his own.

They only stopped their deep kiss when the need for air became too great. Cora's heart rate had quickened and her face was now flushed. She looked at him intently, one of her hands trailing down to rest on his chest. "For better, for worse, it doesn't matter to me because I love you Robert Crawley which is what counts."

Oh how he wanted her. Their kiss had allowed her perfume to ignite his nostrals and her touch on the back of his neck had sent a punctuated ripple through his body. He wanted her, needed her. "There is no use trying to be an Englishman now, for the vale has long since dropped. I love you so much Cora, I adore you. Words are inadequate. You are my one and only."

Cora nearly leapt straight into his arms at these words, her body racing ahead of her brain. A knock at their bedroom door startled them causing Cora to instead loose her balance completely and fall towards the bedpost. Robert swiftly caught her in his arms and pulled her upright, holding her gaze for a tantalising second before slightly stepping away from her.

"Yes?" he called out.

The door opened revealing Bates. "Sorry milord for disturbing you, it's just that the dinner gong has rung."

"Has it? I never heard it." Robert was red around the collar and wondering if his valet had heard any of his and Cora's moment of intimacy.

"I'll wait in your dressing room your lordship."

"I shall be there presently."

"Very good milord," Bates said and shut the door with a soft click.

Robert turned to Cora and took both of her soft smaller hands in his. "Are you alright? You nearly took a tumble."

She blushed, her eyes flickering down momentarily. "Yes, I was just startled that's all."

"So was I my dearest, so was I."

"Better not leave Bates' in there for too long darling. And I'll wager that O'Brien will be here any second too." He reluctantly let go of her hands and made his way to the door that connected his dressing room to their bedroom. As he placed his hand on the doorknob he turned back to look at his wife. What a beauty, both inside and out. She silently acknowledged his approving caress of her by directing a sultry smile and a pronounced movement of her hips as she turned towards her mirror and sat down to wait for O'Brien.

Oh yes, he wanted her. Another knock at the door rendered him able to delay leaving her presence any longer and he quietly slipped out of their bedroom into his dressing room where Bates stood waiting. And to think that he had gone in there totally distraught and afraid of his wife's reaction.