His mouth went dry as he stood there watching her by the window. She was wearing a flowing dress that ended at the bottom of her calves, the muted yellow fabric hanging loosely from her waist down managing to emphasize the curve of her hips. Years of intimacy had engrained in his mind the arc and texture of what lay beneath the material and that knowledge was working against his self control.
Fascinated, he watched as she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The rise of her chest sent a jolt through him. Making an effort to take his mind away from where his body was trying to lead him, he lifted his eyes to her profile. She had such a lovely, graceful neck. Her porcelain skin was a stark contrast to her dark hair and when she turned to look at him inquisitively; her blue eyes nearly took his breath away.
"Robert?" she asked softly.
Suddenly overcome with emotion, he was speechless. All he could do was stare at her foolishly. A demure smile worked across her face as she realized his dilemma. "Darling?" she tried again.
He cleared his throat and tried again to speak. But the words just wouldn't come.
Stepping closer to him, she reached out her hand. "You're tired. Perhaps we should lie down before dinner?"
He went weak at the hint of mischief in her eyes. It had been years since they had indulged in an afternoon tryst but that was clearly what she was suggesting. And his befuddled mind could think of no reason why it wasn't an excellent idea. Smiling, he took her hand and they walked out of the library and headed upstairs.
A while later, as she lay curled against him with her hand over his heart; he let his mind wander as he gently stoked her soft bare skin. It was as if the last few years hadn't occurred, he mused. Where had they strayed from this…bliss? He heard her moan softly as she adjusted, her lips brushing over the sensitive skin beneath his ear. Grunting, he squeezed her closer into him, his lips brushing over her head. "Why did we stop doing this?" he mumbled lazily.
A sensuous chuckle rolled from her. "Something about having three children," she teased lightly.
"Mmmm," he remembered. "Well, they are grown women now. I think it should be safe to pick up the practice again…"
"Sometimes you are so very wise, my love," she agreed.
Lifting into his elbow so that he could look into her eyes, he felt his own filling. "You make me very happy, you know…"
She smiled up at him. "Well, after that….one would hope you are quite content," she answered flippantly.
Easing himself back down, he wrapped both arms around her and pulled her as tightly to him as he could. "Oh my darling Cora, I've missed you so much."
"I'm sorry, my darling. I got so distracted and you've suffered. But just so you know, I've missed you as well; I've missed this…" She paused and then snuggled against him more. "But I believe this should become our new practice, to rest in the afternoons."
"Yes, oh…yes," he said as he lifted her chin so that he could see her face. "It will most definitely become our routine," he said empathically before kissing her.
Two afternoons later, the Dowager Countess swept through the front door, passing Carson as she went. He followed her to the library and waited patiently for her to discover that it was empty. "Well where is everyone?" she asked sourly. "Surely the entire house isn't out?"
"Lady Mary is at Crawley House with Mrs. Crawley, making plans for the home. Lady Edith is out for a ride with Sir Anthony. And I believe his Lordship and Lady Grantham are resting," Carson ended quietly.
"Resting?" the Dowager exclaimed as she turned to face the butler. "In the middle of the day?"
Carson was amused by her shocked expression but did not let his inner amusement show in his face. "Yes, I believe so. Lord Grantham has been rather…tired lately," he supplied, managing to keep his expression bland.
"Tired? Oh, that is so unlike Robert. He is usually about the estate this time of day. I do hope he is not unwell…" she fretted.
Straightening stiffly, Carson looked over her head as he answered; it simply would not do for him to loose his composure as he felt he might do. Clearing his throat, he answered rather placidly, "I believe Lady Grantham has him well in hand."
Carson excused himself as he saw the dawning of understanding on the Dowager's face.
I do hope you will take the time to drop a line or two. There were lots of readers for Learning Curve but not much in reviews, so I don't know if I just totally missed the mark or if people were just too busy to review. I am enjoying Downton though, so stories will probably keep popping into my head, lol.