Robert was sitting in the library. He had moved from his desk to the big red couch in front of the hearth, discarding his forgotten paperwork after a failed attempt to focus on it. He wasn't really distracted, but he felt slightly disturbed by a feeble hint of annoyance. He knew deep down why he felt like this, but the sole idea of admitting the reason for being upset had the only effect to make him feel worse.
It was the end of fall; he could see from the big windows the beauty of the light brown lawn spreading around his estate and filling the room with a warm and cosy atmosphere. Autumn used to be the most busy time of the year in his long life as the Earl of Grantham. The tennants and the farmers needed instruction and support for the big preparation before the long english winter and Robert has always been keen on visiting all the cottages and farms to be sure that he would have been able to provide everything that his people needed. He has always been so proud to be the polar star of the county, the man full of answers, the caring lord, the good and merciful Earl, looked up by everybody.
Today though, finding himself alone in the library with no company apart from his novel and a snoring Tiaa sleeping on the rug, he felt old and useless.
Mary was officially the lady of the day at Downton, working brilliantly in order to assure the good future of the estate. Edith was the marchioness of Brancaster castle, doing a great job in supporting and guiding her novel spouse in his new mission as brand new english nobleman. His two sons in law were settling their new modern activity in the motor world and then there was her, the woman who has been the inevitable end of all his thoughts for the past 36 years: Cora.
He hated to admit that,but he thought wistfully at the times when she was just his wife, the Countess of Grantham, the perfect hostess whose name was always interwoven with his own. In 1926 infact his dearest one wasn't just the mistress of the house, the mother or the grandmother but also the beloved new president of Downton Hospital, the guide for the doctors and the investors and the nice lady ready to meet the people of the county and to inform them enthusiastically about the new plans of the new medical organization between Downton and York.
Robert was sure she was enjoying her new role and he had witnessed himself how good and natural Cora was in her job, but nevertheless he couldn't help himself by thinking about what they could have had at this point, if she wasn't busy all the time.
At 56 years old Robert Crawley would have loved to have some free time to enjoy his life with his wife, travelling again as they used to do before the girls were born or just relaxing at home, spending time playing with their beautiful grandchildren and retiring for some wild weekends in London, dining out and dancing in fancy places.
Cora though, who at 54 looked more modern and beautiful than ever, was as always so much modern than him, and had happily embraced a new adventure, refusing to give up everything she was in order to stay at home to be just "Mama" or "Granny".
Robert woke up from his daydreaming and looked at his pocket watch again. Half past six. It was far past tea time and he was getting impatient. Wasn't Cora's meeting supposed to end at half past three? She had to go to York in the morning, but has declined his offer to drive her there and now the protective husband in him regretted to not have insisted.
Might she have lost the train? Did she meet someone who bothered her along the way? Has she been robbed? Hurt?Kidnapped?
He couldn't finish his long list of tragical possibilities when he heard Tiaa making a sound of excitement,before leaving her place in front of the fireplace to run happily towards the door.
Few minutes later Cora was in the library making her presence clear by the quick clicking of her heels on the wooden floor.
Robert stiffened immediately on the couch, taking hurriedly the book from the pillow next to him and pretending innocently to have been completely focused on his reading for the whole time. Cora saw him with the corner of her eyes and stopped behind him coughing slightly.
"Hello darling" she said softly, sitting on the couch in front of her husband.
Robert raised his eyes for less then a millisecond, mumbling a grumpy "Hello" without loosing interest in his novel.
Cora smiled, knowing exactly why he was behaving like this and after a few minutes she left her place on the couch to go sitting next to him.
"Sorry if I came home that late" she added, running her hand in Robert's hair.
He grunted and finally put his book away without really looking in Cora's eyes. "Oh have you been late? I have been so busy that I haven't got the slightest idea about what time is it"
Cora could barely contain a small laugh before cupping her husband's cheek in her hand, turning his face to make him look at her.
And it was then that Robert really noticed her, widening his eyes at the sight before him.
Cora's hair was shorter and neatly arranged in soft waves around her face. Instead of being tied in an intricated hairstyle, her dark curls were gently resting on her left shoulder, while on the right side of her face they were combed tightly, revealing her long and elegant neck and a pendent earring of diamonds and pearls.
Even her make up was different in some ways. Her lips were coloured with a dark mauve lipstick, while her blue eyes looked more deep than usual because of a black line following her upper eyelid.
The last thing that Robert noticed was her dress. Not that he was an expert in women's fashion, but he was quite sure that the item she was wearing wasn't something she has ever dared wearing before.
It was one of those modern cocktail dresses with a cream colour on the base and some lilac flowers embroidered on the left side of the bust and of the wide skirt full of plaits. It has a thin belt tied at her waist, which accentuated Cora's pretty figure, just the smallest hint of two short sleeves and a squared necklace.
Robert looked at her with an interrogative expression, which showed both confusion and irritation.
Cora took his hand in hers and smiled again at him.
" Have you lost your tongue?"
Robert lifted himself from the couch as if it was burning with flames. "No, but you have surely lost your mind!"
"Why ever are you saying that to me, now?" Cora asked raising her eyebrows.
"Oh don't play naïve with me now, Mrs. President! You left me this morning telling me you would have had a long day of work ahead and now you come back home looking just like an actress from the pictures!"
Cora stood up and touched her hair lightly. "Like an actress? Oh golly! Does it mean that you like my new attire?"
Robert lifted his eyes to the ceiling, before looking back at Cora with angered eyes. "It's a quarter to seven, Cora!"
"I know, darling. I am sorry, but I finished early at York and I decided to go to the hairdresser and to visit the new american boutique of Mrs. Seringers!"
Robert huffed soundly "I should have imagined that there was something having to do with America, behind all this!"
Cora put her hands on her hips getting closer to him and stepping further "Oh and what, pray tell, is wrong with America, now?" she asked teasingly. "You have always appreciated it in the past years, didn't you?"
Robert felt a little intimidated by her slight flirtation, so he changed his attitude, turning to a softer tone. "I was worried, Cora! I have spent the whole afternoon worrying about you, you know!"
Cora changed her expression, feigning surprise. "Oh really! Silly me to have believed that you have been busy all the afternoonso that you lost track of the time..." she replied with a jolly grin.
Robert furrowed his brows going back to the couch, falling heavily on it once again and looking at his wife with a red face filled with annoyance.
"At the matter of facts I had a ghastly day here today! First of all Mary decided to go and see the new tennants without me, leaving a message in which she claimed that it was better for me to rest instead of spending the whole morning in a damp and muddy field. Can you imagine? Stay at home and rest? Me? I have been all my life in the muddy fields of this land, for God's sake!"
Cora rolled her eyes and had to do her best to not laugh at his stoic and exaggerate reactions to this.
"Later on I spent a boring luncheon all by myself, because nor even Tom or Henry were here and when the children came downstairs to see me in the afternoon, Sybbie begged me to take part to a tea party for her dolls in the nursery, because 'You shouldn't be busy, since you don't work as daddy or granny'."
At this Cora couldn't help but burst into laugh. "That girl is so deliciously clever and sweet!" she said, coming to sit next to Robert on the couch and taking his hand in hers, ignoring his attempts to retract.
"And tell me, Robert dear, do you know what Sybbie's question means?" she asked softly.
"Of course I know what it means! That even Sybbie, my little love, thinks that I am an old and useless man!" he answered dramatically.
Cora shook her head squeezing her husband's hand once again. "No, you silly! That means that among all of us, your little granddaughter sees you as her favourite person to spend time with. Because she loves you very very much. Just like our daughters, Henry, Tom... and especially me."
Robert indulged in a small smile. "It's so american of you to turn every bad thing into something positive to show off" he joked, looking at Cora.
"And it's so very english of you to complain all the time about every nonsensical little detail" she replied, looking at him like if he was a baby.
"Do you really believe that the fact that your husband has turned in an old grandfather without anything to do apart from napping on the sofa is a nonsensical detail?" Robert asked seriously.
"Oh I am just saying that getting old is not always a bad thing. It's inevitable, Robert. We all are aging, you know? You would notice that if you weren't always as adorably self centered as you are. I am an old granny too. And I love being that!"
"You couldn't possibly be an old granny. Not when you're looking so dashingly young and beautiful." he said, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand, an old habit of his since their courtship.
"Thank you, darling. But you know something? Being an old granddad suits you very much as well!"
"Oh don't joke about it. It's so boring here. You're all busy around the estate while the only occupation of the sixth Earl of Grantham is walking the dog and reading again and again the same books." Robert added looking down at his shoes
"Oh but there are plenty of things to do! I know I am busier than in the past, but haven't you notice how I am dressed now? Do you really think I made all this effort just to stay at home tonight?" she smiled, caressing his forearm.
"What do you mean?"
"It means that tonight we are going out" she announced gladly "The meeting with the investors today was really successful and the things will be surely simpler from now on. I will have more free time and we could spend our time napping and being old grandparents together"
Robert laughed, leaving all his bad mood behind " Surprisingly when you're around I never feel like napping"
"You better not!" She said, coming closer to leave a quick kiss on his lips. "Come on now darling, you need to change!"
"Cora, darling, are you sure? There's no need to go out..."
"Oh Robert, don't be a donk! Can't a wife offer a fancy dinner to her beloved and terribly dashing husband?"
"Oh now it's you taking me out and offering me dinner, Mrs President?" he joked "Should we all bow at your magnificence?"
"Of course I am, sweetheart. I am the one busy working right here, ain't I? And by the way...I have always been the one with the cash since the beginning!" Cora teased, taking him by his hand towards the stairs and looking back at him with a playful glance.
Robert couldn't help to feel lucky. He wasn't too old at the end, if he could still feel that lump in his throat and that flicker in his stomach every time that his Cora was around. He followed her running up the stairs and decided that for tonight the time wouldn't pass, because every time that he looked in his wife's eyes he magically saw the young and bold american of 36 years ago, who, with her freshness and loveliness, took away his heart .