The upper halls of Downton were strangely quiet. The long corridors lit by large heavily draped windows, which usually heard the chiming voices of the Crawley family and their servants, remained still, save a lone maid or two. The Lord and Lady of the house were in London while the young Viscount and Viscountess were walking the grounds together on a surprisingly warm October day. In London a warm, rain free day was a rarity, especially at this time of year. The young Viscountess had excitedly begged her husband of just under a year to go to the lake on the grounds. Her husband, having become quite enthralled with his wife as of late, had been unable to deny her request.
Cora walked slowly, savoring the warm air that hung around her like a blanket, her arm intertwined with that of her husbands. She loved fall; it was her favorite season. The cool crispness of it, the beauty of the nature; it all assaulted her senses in the most delightful way. Winter, on the other hand, was her very least favorite. Although, the fact she was married in the winter season did seem to brighten the season for her. She found that even the worst, most blustery and awful day of the year could have occurred and the fact that she would have married Robert Crawley that day would have somehow changed her outlook on the whole day. But aside from that fact, winter did not bring her much great satisfaction. So,the surprisingly warm day that invited her out had been too much too resist. Too soon the biting coolness of winter weather would keep her shut away inside the walls of Downton. She knew that technically she should have been preparing for their impending guest, but she had given the cook the proper instructions and had instructed the maids on how she would like the house to look, as well as asking the groundskeeper to make sure everything was just so. Robert's friend from childhood was coming: Mr. Edward Blake, a man whom she had only met once at her and Robert's wedding, and she wanted everything to go perfectly. Mr. Blake was often traveling for business, thus even though she and Robert had been married almost a year, he had never come to call. He had seemed nice enough, and Robert was excited at the prospect of seeing his old friend. Cora hoped she would be the perfect hostess. She so wanted Robert to be proud of her.
Suddenly, Robert interrupted her musings with a surprising halt.
Cora looked at him in surprise but then saw the scene before her. On the ground there lay a picnic.
"Robert Crawley! You devilish man! How did you prepare this when only an hour ago I asked you to walk the grounds?" She exclaimed in surprise, removing her arm and marveling at her grinning husband.
"What can I say? I know my wife," Robert replied with a smile, gesturing her to sit.
Cora smiled but her smile quickly turned into a frown of concern. She spoke her next words carefully, obviously trying not to hurt Robert's feelings for the nice gesture he had put forth.
"You know, you shouldn't have asked the new cook to do all of this when she already has a dinner to prepare tonight," Cora chided lightly.
Robert took no offense but instead smiled at his wife. She was such a caring person; she always thought of others even those who no one else in their class usually did. He wasn't sure if it was her American upbringing (a place where class seemed to matter so much less) or a trait all her own. He was inclined to believe it was just her heart.
"I know darling, but I couldn't help myself. Today may very well be the last day we are able to do this before the harsh winter ahead and I just wanted us to enjoy it." Robert paused then added: "I did tell her to make it simple, though."
Cora took his hand in hers and kissed his cheek.
"It's wonderful, darling. Thank you."
They sat in companionable silence, a few small chats here and there, simply enjoying being together and the lovely weather the day had granted them. Cora felt lighter than ever; knowing that finally she and Robert seemed to be reaching a point in their marriage where they both enjoyed being around each other and nothing seemed forced. He had finally said he loved her just a few weeks before and Cora felt happier than ever within their marriage. Sometimes, though, this newfound reciprocity in their marriage frightened Cora. What if she did something wrong and suddenly everything was revoked? She knew everything was going well. It was a dream world compared to the early months of the previous year, when she and Robert were barely able to stay in each other's company for more than a half hour. Even then, it had been mostly for the purpose of their martial duty in the evening. But that seemed to have changed as of late, too. There was a greater feeling of connection and she was discovering that far from being a chore, there could be terrific fun involved. But she still remained in trepidation. Months of longing seemed to have made her gun-shy in the business of marriage.
Robert, for his part, could sense something off about Cora lately and tried his best to make sure she knew she was secure and loved. When they had finished and had packed the basket back neatly, they set off for the house. It was a quiet walk back and Robert had slipped his hand into hers, twining their fingers together. Mama would frown upon this luxury, but luckily she was in London and so Robert did as he well pleased.
Mr. Blake would be arriving in a few hours and they needed to make sure the house was running smoothly and they both needed to make sure they had time to bathe and dress properly.
As they neared the house, Cora leaned in and kissed her husbands cheek.
"Thank you again for a wonderful afternoon. I have just remembered a few things I would like to remind the cook of for this evening, and also I would like to tell her thank you for the impromptu picnic. I will see you in a few hours, my love," she said as she made her way toward the door leading to the downstairs.
Robert nodded and bid her good luck.
A few hours later, the carriage holding Mr. Blake arrived and Cora and Robert waited to greet their guest. Robert looked anticipatorily towards the approaching carriage and Cora gave his hand a light squeeze, letting him know she was happy for him to see his old friend once more. He smiled down and her and then looked at the carriage stopping before them. As the door drew open, Cora had to hold back a gasp as the man stepped out. The vibrant, handsome young man who had mercilessly teased Robert at their wedding seemed to have aged thirty years. His face was pulled taut and his body seemed far too thin for a man of his stature. Robert's face immediately registered the change and a look of quick panic flashed in his eyes.
"Robert!" Mr. Blake called cheerfully, and clapped his old friend on the shoulder. "How are you?"
Robert seemed stunned for a second but quickly regained his sense of decorum and smiled in return.
"I'm doing very well. You remember my wife, Cora?" He gestured towards her, a look of confusion and fear still gracing his features, however much he thought he was hiding it.
"Oh course!" Mr. Blake replied, taking Cora's hand in his and kissing it. "You are just as stunning as I remember and as Robert always writes," he exclaimed jovially. Robert's face immediately took on a scarlet hue.
"Thank you, Mr. Blake. You are very kind. Shall we make our way inside?" Cora asked, glancing at Robert. He still seemed to be shocked at his friend's appearance but nonetheless seemed to be trying to keep composure and not mention the radical transformation.
"Yes, shall we?" Robert asked, once again remembering himself.
Mr. Blake motioned for his valet and they made their way into great hall of Downton. As Carson instructed the valet where he would be taking Blake's things, Robert invited Blake to freshen up before dinner, a invitation the man seemed to jump on. As their guest made his way to his room, Cora seemed to be at a loss for words. What had happened to Mr. Blake? Just as she began to broach the subject, Robert cleared his throat.
"I'm going to freshen up as well. I'll see you for dinner," he said quickly, walking away and obviously hoping to avoid any mention of the oddity of his friend's appearance.
Cora stood in the middle of the great hall for a moment before deciding that while it was a little off putting that Robert's initial reaction would be to exclude her from what he was feeling, it was Robert's decision whether to speak about his friend, and thus she should wait until he wished to speak about it. She went upstairs to follow in the same manner and freshen up before dinner.