Robert looks out through the window and frown deeply, the sky is looking rather gloomy and it is quite late in the afternoon. He has just finished his meeting with Tom and the developers who are helping them build the cottages at the village.
The meeting was rather tedious but now he hardly can think of it. Instead, he is feeling rather worried for his wife. According to Baxter, Cora has been out walking by herself at the back of the house since a couple of hours ago and she has yet to come back to the house.
She did ask him to accompany her for the afternoon stroll, but Robert was too busy with his meeting with Tom that when Cora asked he barely looked up and simply shakes his head dismissing her.
And now with her going out for so long and has not return home Robert is feeling anxious. They usually only took half an hour of walking and sitting down on the bench near the big tree. If they had interesting things to discuss about it usually only took a full hour. But she has been gone for several hours now. What is she doing that it keeps her out there for so long?
Robert shakes his head and gulps down his brandy, hastily he leaves the library. He will take a walk himself and find her. He walks out to the foyer and put on his coat, for a moment he contemplated asking Tom to come along with him but he changes his mind. It has been a while since he last took a solitary walk by himself. Besides, once he found Cora later he will not be alone anymore. Robert smiles at the thought; he cannot wait to apologize for ignoring her earlier and to walk together with her back to the house holding hands.
It does not take Robert long to reach the bench near the big tree, but he cannot find Cora there. He knows there is only one more place she could have walked to; she must be at the little pond near the temple of Diana, a tower shaped folly. Cursing himself for letting her wondering alone in the first place, Robert walks with faster pace to the pond. They did sometimes feed the ducks in there. As soon as he reaches the little pond, he can see her white thin coat and the side of her hat on the bench near the pond.
As he approaches her figure he can see her closely, she is snoozing. His usually elegant wife is snoozing like a tired cat here on the bench near the pond. Robert sighs; she really should have waited for him instead of walking out here all by herself. Naughty girl he thought to himself. He will tell her to never do this again. At least she should have Baxter walked with her or one of their daughters. He does not like it when she makes him worry like this.
He sits himself next to her, observing her sleeping form. She seems so much more vulnerable like this, so ravishing. Robert feels silly feeling his cheeks flushing red. She is his wife for 35 years. He can think of things to do with her. Robert shushes his thoughts; he must wake her up it is really getting rather dark now and the rain is threatening to fall any moment.
He reaches out and strokes her cheek softly.
"Darling?
"Cora..
"Darling?"
Cora eyes flutters open. The blue eyes slowly focusing on him. She blinks a couple of times.
"Robert.. You came." she says softly and smiles.
He cannot help but smiles at her, "Of course darling, why are you sleeping here? You should wait for me we could have walked here together." he tries to sound more serious in his scolding but he fails in front of his smiling wife. He strokes her cheek again.
"I was waiting for you, I know you would come but I fell asleep. What time is it now?" She asks him.
Robert takes out his pocket watch; he takes a look at it and shows it to her.
"It's almost 5 in the afternoon Cora."
"Heavens! It's very late!" she shivers just realizing she does feel rather cold.
"That's why, come on darling let's get you back to the house."
Just as he offers his hand for her to take, the rain starts pouring down on them. Startled, Robert instinctively takes off his coat and makes an umbrella out of it. He then pulls Cora up from the bench, she yelps in mirth. They will never make it to the house without draining themselves.
"Good lord, See it's raining now!" Robert exclaims. Panics sets over him. He hates the rain. Well, he likes it but if they are actually inside the house, not out in the open like this.
Cora giggles at his panics.
"Cora it's no time for laughing. This is not fun at all." Robert says exasperatedly. "Come on let's take shelter at the temple of Diana."
"Oh, Robert it is just rain. Let's run to the house instead, why don't we?"
He stared at her and says, "Woman you are mad. I am not running to the house in this rain." Cora stares at him back and break into another fits of laughter. She does find him rather funny when panicking.
Robert then tugs on her and they both start to sprint to the direction of the folly.
As they reach the temple of Diana, Robert quickly opens the door and they both run inside. The folly might seem big from the outside but the ground level of it is pretty small with only some furniture being covered with white linens but the room is adequate enough to shelter them from the rain. Robert throws his rather drenched coat on the floor. It makes such a useless umbrella. He then takes off his drenched suit. Only his vest and white shirt are not wet. Cora at least has a dry hair thanks to her hat, but other than that her thin outer coat is pretty drenched too.
"Darling, I think we have candles and matches here?" Cora asks him struggling to open the cupboards. She is already starting to find a way to cozy in. It does get rather stormy out there; they might have to stay in here for a while.
"Here let me get it." Robert walks behind her to pull on the cupboard and retrieve the matches and candles.
While he lights up several candles around the room Cora is getting rid of her drenched coat and hat.
Robert then pulls on the white linen covering the desk and set it on the ground. He pulls another one which was covering the chair and shakes the dust off.
"Well, that will do. We shall be warm enough and will not be in the dark for hours, but I believe Carson might send a search party for us if this storm does not die down soon." Robert says and he feels her arms circling around his middle. "Cora.."
"I'm cold Robert." Cora is hugging him from behind. Her body is clasped tightly on his back.
"You are cold and wet." He turns her around; put on the white linens he was holding around her and wraps her fully in his embrace. Cora sighs. She always feels secure and warm in her husband embrace. Even the raging storm outside does not seems to matter to her. She is safe with him.
"I will not be taking a walk by myself anymore." She whispers to him. "Besides, it is no fun feeding the ducks without you."
Robert chuckles and says, "Good girl." He cupped her cheek and continues, "I am sorry for ignoring you at the meeting."
"It is okay, you were busy. I should have waited for you." She sighs again. "But you came for me, you don't know how happy I was when you woke me up." she leans up and kisses him softly.
Robert kisses her back harder. Her scent, the candle lights and the sound of the storm outside makes him feel intoxicated.
They ended up making sweet love on the floor inside that folly, engulfed in passion, above the white linens, among Cora's sweet scent, the candle lights, and the sound of the raging storm long forgotten.
After the storm passed by they walk back to the house, holding hands and giggling like little kids.
For weeks afterwards whenever temple of Diana is mentioned, they will both flushed red and clasped their hands together reminiscing about the evening they spent there in each other company.
Fin.