December 21st, 1900

Robert Crawley, his beautiful American wife Cora and two of their three little ladies, Mary and Edith were all trudging back to the great house, Downton Abbey, their home. They had spent nearly an hour indulging in some rare playtime for both the kids and the adults without assistance and a snowball fight had broken out in the garden. Mary and Edith walked ahead of their parents, talking excitedly about Christmas which was now only four days away and what they hoped to receive.

"I hope for my very first tiara," Mary said loudly, glancing over her shoulder at her parents while trying to walk gracefully through the snow as a lady should.

"You're still too young Mary!" Edith replied adamantly.

"Not as young as you though," Mary rounded on her younger sister.

They approached the front of the house and the big doors opened to let them in with their faithful butler, Carson standing to attention and the children's maid, Grace, not far away. Robert, Cora, Mary and Edith filed into the house and stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

"Take Mary and Edith upstairs Grace," the Earl of Grantham commanded. "We had a snowball fight that got a bit out of hand so they will need to be cleaned up and in new clothes for dinner."

"I can attend dinner Papa?" Edith lit up excitedly.

"Yes my little lady, you may. It is just us tonight." Edith was so excited she skipped up the stairs and overtook Mary and Grace who had already started the ascent.

"Shall we?" Robert asked his wife. Cora turned to him and smiled as they joined hands and followed in their daughters' wake up the grand staircase.

"I still can't believe you hit me in the head with a snowball Robert," Cora said conversationally. "I really am incredulous. You said no shots above the shoulders!"

"It was an accident! I apologized to you as soon as it happened."

"Yes, while looking mirthfully gleeful," Cora finished for him. "My hair feels half frozen with icicles."

"You look beautiful to me," Robert countered innocently as they walked along the landing and reached their room where O'Brien stood outside, waiting patiently. They all trooped through Cora's door and she immediately made a beeline for her vanity to study the damage of Robert's snowball in all its glory. Letting out a groan at her very wet appearance and messy, half-loose hair she turned to Robert.

"Please lay out some fresh clothes for Her Ladyship O'Brien," Robert instructed the Ladies' Maid.

"At once Your Lordship," she said in a neutral tone and headed for her employers' closet. Robert, meanwhile, disappeared into the bathroom and started running Cora a hot bath to freshen up. After testing the water until it was just the right temperature and letting it run until it was sufficiently deep, he returned to the bedroom to find Cora sitting at her vanity while O'Brian was making a big fuss over her hair.

"Thank you O'Brian that will be all now." The look on his face was enough to send the maid very quickly out the door without hesitation despite her mistress not confirming it.

"Honestly Robert why did you have to go and send her away? She was fixing my hair which might I reminded you that you ruined." Cora shot him a beady look in the mirror. Her husband ignored her comment and instead approached the vanity and ran his fingers through her hair which was still quite damp. Cora was starting to notice a chill from it being wet and cold so long and visibly shivered. Without a word, Robert lifted her off her chair and into his strong arms before turning and taking her into the bathroom.

Cora found herself being lowered onto the bathroom floor and watched as Robert shut the door behind them. She then gaped at him as he quickly returned to her side and began to remove her half-dried garments, piece by piece until she stood before him, fully exposed with a blush creeping up her neck. Even after all these years of marriage, he still had a powerful effect on her while he couldn't help but admire her for a moment longer.

Robert motioned for her to get into the bath and he gripped her arm as she stepped into the water in case she should slip. "Thank you," Cora murmured as she settled down into the wonderfully warm water, letting it wash away the chill in her bones. Cora reached over for the soap to begin washing herself but movement out the corner of her eye ground her arm to a halt in midair.

"Robert what are you-" Cora turned back to her husband and her breath caught in her throat. Robert was now standing beside the bath totally naked himself having half ripped his clothes off and tossed them over to where hers were on the floor. Cora managed to clear her throat and steady her breathing.

"What are you thinking?" she enquired, finishing her question though she easily guessed what his intention was. Her husband flashed her a nonchalant smile.

"Will you not show a little sympathy? I too am a little bit cold after our efforts in the garden." He adopted his puppy eyes technique, betting it would easily have the desired affect but he was wrong.

"That isn't my problem," Cora snipped. "You have a short memory. After that snowball you are not getting in here." She then maneuvered to the center of the bath, trying to take up all the available room.

"Well I am not the only one with a short memory," Robert huffed. "Funny that you have already conveniently forgotten that large quantity of snow you stuffed down the back of my neck. That was freezing Cora!" Before she could begin to think of any more objections, Robert darted around to the other side of the bath behind her and ungracefully stepped into the bath, causing some of the water to splash her. He had moved too fast because just when he shifted his weight onto the foot that he had planted in the bath behind her, he suddenly slipped and lost his balance. His backside hit the tub wall and he slid down behind her unceremoniously with his legs parted on either side of her hips, all the while coughing in surprise.

"This is one reason why men don't take baths Robert," Cora smirked. Robert felt his pulse beginning to calm down again and shrugged behind her. He hadn't planned such a dramatic entry but he had achieved his goal.

"Oh well, I am in here now," he returned her smirk over her shoulder with a casual expression. His arms surreptitiously found their way around her small waist and he shifted her wet hair so it draped over her right shoulder. Then he gently began to kiss and suck on the back left side of her neck. He pulled her back against himself a bit more and blew into her ear in fun. Cora squealed at his unexpected actions but she was firmly placed in his arms and couldn't wriggle away.

Robert spotted the cake of soap which Cora had never picked up as she tried to unpeel his arms from under her breasts. He let her go and picked up the soap, working it in his hands until they were very frothy. Cora had only looked away for a moment but that was all it took for Robert to seize is chance and she felt his soapy hands beginning to massage her back. The sensation of his touch, much softer with the aid of the froth caused Cora to let loose a satisfied groan.

For another couple of minutes, Robert focused his attention on her back, running his hands over her shoulder blades and tracing the outline of her womanly curves with his finger tips. His hands then sneaked under her arms and up over her chest which was above the water. Cora shivered slightly, not from the cool air but from Robert's ministrations as he explored the density of her breasts. His fingers started teasing her nipples and that familiar tingling sensation washed over her, heightening her arousal.

Just when Cora thought relief was at hand, she looked down to see Roberts's paws stealthily trailing over her abdomen so lightly she involuntary leaned right back against his chest. Crying out in surprise, Cora struggled for air as she felt Robert's own arousal prodding into her buttocks. Robert moaned as her close proximity started to play with his own thinking and he quickly began to lava his hands up again.

Unable to resist temptation any longer, Robert tenderly dove beneath the water and started to stroke her bush, dipping in to rub her little pleasure spot with his second finger. The effect of her husbands' hands, much softer and gentler thanks to the warm bath water and the soap soon had Cora sensually overwhelmed. He felt her body start to tremble and she hollered his name none too quietly. Robert hummed happily at her reaction and made quick work of washing her silky, alabaster legs. He swished his hands in the water so as to rinse the soap off them and proceeded to draw lazy patterns up her inner thigh with one hand at a pace he knew would torture his wife. Cora was now panting as her blood ran through its routes at a lively speed. Much to Cora's chagrin, Robert stopped just short of where she craved him the most and made a small noise of disappointment from somewhere in her throat. Robert's lips curled upwards at her reaction.

"I haven't done your hair het," he reminded her. Cora let out a sigh. He had really worked her up, only to stop short and leave her desperate for more. Hoping to speed up the process, Cora took a deep breath and plunged under the water. With her eyes firmly shut, Cora was unaware of her dark brown hair flowing spiritedly in all directions around Robert's manhood, catching him by surprise.

Robert jerked back against the side of the bath as he experienced a wonderful, pleasurable sensation despite its bizarre trigger. Cora was starting to run out of oxygen and re-emerged from beneath the water. Rubbing her eyes open with her fingers, Robert's outline focused in her vision and she realized that he was breathing hard and his cheeks were red.

"What's the matter darling?" she enquired with some degree of concern.

"Your hair!" Robert muttered. Cora gave him a quizzical look so he explained to her what had happened to him. Cora listened intently but by the time he had finished it she was wearing a dangerously devilish grin on her face. In a flash, Cora was once again under the water and, using her arms to guide her, she purposely rubbed her hair over him.

"Oh God!" Robert yelped. Cora still had plenty of air this time as she was more prepared than last time. She eased around until she located her target. Carefully, she pulled herself closer under the water and sucked the head of Robert's manhood. Robert let out a sob of ecstasy and barely maintained his self control. He reached under the water and helped Cora up for air.

"Thank you!" Robert half-choked out.

"That's alright," Cora purred. "I am glad you enjoyed it. Have I earned the rest of my turn now?" Robert mutely agreed with her and washed her hair, partially playing with its satiny after-effect. He then gladly returned his attention to her sensitive bush. With one hand stroking her lovingly, he brought his other one around her waist from behind and slowly pushed his middle finger inside her, moving it around her soft inner walls.

"Lord Robert!" Cora gasped as his fingers continued to work their magic on her. She keened back against his chest, the warm water flooding over her breasts and lapping up towards her neck. Her head came to rest against Robert's shoulder and he saw a golden opportunity. Her eyes were closed and she was whimpering under his touch.

Robert bent down and reached her soft lips, assaulting them with his love until she was extremely flushed and her body was giving off incredible heat. After briefly nibbling her bottom lip he drew back to let her recover her senses. His hands also retreated and he wrapped his arms securely around her upper waist, one cheeky finger tracing the underside of her breast as they relished being in each other's arms for a few minutes in a state of post-orgasmic bliss. It was Robert who opted to break the contented silence.

"Alright, now it is my turn again."

"You have already had your turn," Cora rebuked in half-hearted haughtiness.

"I meant for a wash before this water gets any colder. We've been in here for ages," Robert observed. The water had indeed cooled off and was now murky from Cora's wash.

"Oh right, fair enough darling," Cora agreed. With his wife safely on side, Robert made for the soap but Cora had other ideas and swooped in first.

"Well you did wash me," she explained, giggling at his astonished expression which soon morphed into a wild grin.

Cora's hands moved over the cake, surrounding it and gripping eagerly before she deposited it back to the tray and twisted around so she was on her knees facing him. Her eyes wandered over his broad, muscular chest, his abs and biceps, drinking in every detail. Then she chanced a peak at his manhood through the misty water, blushing furiously. Robert let out a chuckle as he followed her gaze south.

"I do believe my gorgeous bride is blushing," he teased.

"I'm sorry," Cora said, startled out of her reverie.

"You don't ever need to apologize my dearest," Robert replied seriously. "…For making your husband feel loved and appreciated," he finished quietly. Cora lifted her face up to his as she anchored her palms on either side of his hips, his bathing session quite forgotten. He leaned forward to meet her halfway, rapturous energy for her engulfing him. After a few blissful seconds he broke away and propelled himself out of the bath with the intention of fetching the towels. He hadn't banked on Cora following him. Just as he bent over to pick them up she jumped on him from behind and her ankles locked around his hips while her arms snaked around his neck.

"Arhhhh!" Robert shouted out as he fought to keep his balance. "Cora what on earth are you doing?"

"I have no idea," she replied honestly and began to howl with laughter in a most unladylike way at her own antics. Robert stood still for a moment with his wife on his back, clinging to him and giggling uncharacteristically. Water droplets fell to the floor unnoticed.

"What has come over you darling?"

"It must be the Christmas spirit," she suggested. "It has been known to be contagious I hear."

"I see," Robert said slowly. He then released his support of her legs on his hips and pirouetted to face her. He drove her back against the wall passionately, pushing his wet body against her own. His arousal knocked against her womanhood and she cried out, half breathless.

"Robert…" she groaned as an excited surge of energy dashed through her. After spending an extended period of time in a heighted frenzied state at the sight of his naked Cora, the feel of her and what she had done to him he was close to spending. He grabbed her securely by her bottom and lifted her up before driving into her strongly. Cora let out a yell at the impact and slumped against his chest, trailing feather kisses over his Adam's apple and down his collarbone, barely aware of her own actions. Robert growled in pleasure and pushed her back against the wall firmly as he set a commanding pace, stirring deep feelings of love and desire inside of her. His own undoing was watching her lose control of herself in his arms. Release of all their pent up pressure wasn't long in coming and he thrust deeply, bursting and rushing into her as she closed around him, pulsating firmly.

Later in the evening after dinner, their limbs were entwined together and they just lay in bed together appreciating all that they had created as a couple. A strong marriage based on love and mutual respect, three beautiful daughters, successfully succeeding the Earldom and running the estate as a team and growing as individuals for their mutual benefit.

"I love you so much Robert," Cora sighed happily.

"As I love you," he returned softly and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "And I have so enjoyed our day together," he added, pulling her more securely to his chest.

"Just think of it as an early Christmas present," she joked.

"I shall. And I will always cherish it as one of your best presents." Robert's voice was lowering to its most husky. "Perhaps it would please my love to bestow a Christmas present of my own on her?" he hinted.

"Robert what are you suggesting?" Cora asked, playing along with her husband.

"Just wait and see," he whispered and rolled her onto her back.

Merry Christmas everyone!