Chapter 1: April, 1912
Cora's room was a complete disaster. It was hardly identifiable as a room at all. There were dresses tossed haphazardly on lampshades, shoes in singles and in pairs were strewn about the floor, and hats and hatboxes took up residence on the bed, chairs, and settees. In the midst of all this chaos sat a large travel case with a frazzled Cora Crawley rummaging through it. "Now, where could that darn thing be?" she huffed as she flung additional articles of clothing left and right, adding to the pre-existing heaps on the floor.
Exhausting her patience with the trunk, she stood and walked over to her vanity. She tore open drawer after drawer, growing increasingly flustered with each one. Jewelry and perfume found their way to the masses on the floor. Cora had one compartment left in her vanity to check, and she went about this task in the same way as she had done with the others. She was so entranced in this task, in fact, that she hadn't heard the door of her bedroom open.
Sidestepping chemises and nightgowns, dodging flying trinkets and potentially fatal hairpins, Robert crept up behind his harried wife and slinked his arms around her waist.
"Oh!" she exclaimed at the unexpected contact, bringing a hand up to her chest. Robert chuckled and rested his chin on her shoulder.
"Looking for something?" he whispered in her ear.
"Robert! You gave me quite a start!" she breathed.
He chuckled again and kissed her ear before letting her go. "Yes, I gathered as much." he replied. Cora turned to face him, smiling. "I didn't hear you come in."
"Naturally." Robert smirked, "I feel as though I've stepped back into the Boer War! Honestly, Cora, I know you told me you would be preoccupied today with the packing and such, but never in my wild imagination did I envision you turning our room into a war zone." he scanned the room in disbelief.
"I know, I know." Cora picked up a stray handkerchief from her vanity, examining what lay beneath.
"Enough of that." Robert said, playfully snatching the handkerchief from his wife's hand and holding it behind his back.
"Hey!" she giggled, attempting to grab it from him, not caring about the cloth itself, but wanting to humor her husband's childish side.
"Nope," he teased, "not until you tell me what on earth you have been doing in here! I ask again, darling, have you lost something?"
"Oh," she waved a hand in the air impatiently, remembering what she had been doing before Robert had sneaked up on her. "I've just been looking for something and obviously haven't had any luck locating it quite yet."
"Obviously." Robert grinned, grabbing Cora's waist with his free hand and pulling her to him, his groin pressing against her middle. Cora felt her heartbeat quicken. Even after all these years his touch still made her heart race and her temperature skyrocket. Her eyelids fluttered involuntarily and her breath hitched. "What are you looking for, anyway?" his lips were nearly on hers, his voice low and husky.
"I-" Cora breathed, struggling to get her thoughts in order. Robert's grin widened, knowing full well the effect he was having on his wife and loving every second of it.
"Yes, my dear? You...what?" he baited.
Aware that this was one of her husband's favorite games to play, Cora tried to muster up enough willpower to strike back and give him a taste of his own medicine. She breathed deeply and cleared her throat. "I am looking for that locket you gave me on the night of our wedding, dearest." She had hoped she looked and sounded like a pillar of strength, in her mind she certainly did, comparable to Joan of Arc. In reality, however, she had barely managed to croak out the words.
"Mmm..." Robert nuzzled into her neck, breathing in the scent of her intoxicating perfume. "Surely you don't mean the one you're wearing?" his voice was muffled against her soft skin. He dropped the handkerchief to the ground and began caressing her jawline with his thumb.
"Robert..." Cora moaned, dropping her head back in compliance as he rained kisses down her neck. All at once, a sudden realization dawned on her and her head shot up, colliding with her husband's.
"Ow!" he cried. "Cora-" he whined, rubbing the affected area of his head.
"Did you say-Oh, sorry, darling," she absentmindedly patted the hand Robert held to his head. "Did you say-" she began again, "that I'm wearing..." she reached down feeling around her collarbone for the chain of her necklace.
"Yes, you're-" Robert attempted.
"Ah!" Cora shrieked excitedly as her fingers landed on the locket hanging around her neck. She turned to examine this discovery in her vanity mirror. "I'm wearing it, Robert!"
"Yes," he pouted, "imagine that." Cora looked at him in the mirror, saw him frowning like a child who had been caught stealing a cookie before dinner. She smiled and turned back around to face him.
"Ohh..." she cooed, running a hand up and down his arm. "I'm terribly sorry to spoil your fun, Robbie darling, but you see-"
"What-Robbie? You've never call-"
"I thought I had lost this necklace and," Cora continued, ignoring Robert's comment, "I wanted so desperately to take it with us on our trip. I mean, I want to bring it with us on this anniversary, the way I have done every year." She was speaking animatedly and Robert couldn't help but be amused. He grabbed her hand, carefully leading her to the chaise longue on the other side of the room. He tossed a few hats out of the way before he could sit down, guiding her to sit on his lap, his hands resting comfortably on her small waist.
He looked up into Cora's sparkling blue eyes. "Excited?" he asked.
"Oh, yes, darling!" she exclaimed, "I've been packing all day-and, well, unpacking, lately. But O'Brien has been such a dear, helping me decide what I should take and what I should leave. Of course, I do believe she's a little upset that she can't accompany us, but-oh, Robert, I can hardly wait!"
Robert chuckled. "Well, it looks like you'll have a time of it repacking everything. You've done some serious damage, I daresay. O'Brien will not be too happy, I imagine." he teased.
"Oh, I suppose you're right! I would hate to upset her after all she's done for me!" she proclaimed. "Will you help me pack, dearest?"
"It would be my utmost pleasure, your Ladyship." Robert bowed his head.
"Why, thank you, your Lordship." Cora nodded. "Now," she nestled into his embrace and rested her head on his shoulder, "tell me more about this trip we're taking."
"Well, as you know, your Ladyship, we are setting sail for New York in one week. New York-that's in the United States." he jived.
"Oh, the United States, you say? I've never even heard of such a place! It must be awfully small." she played along. "And we're going by way of boat? That is very strange."
"Very strange indeed." he agreed. "You see, this place to where we are headed is not just down the road. We must cross this little body of water called the Atlantic Ocean in order we should get there." He twirled a lock of Cora's hair around his index finger as he 'explained' this to her.
"My, my," Cora mock-exclaimed, "what a trek! I do hope our boat is capable of handling such a journey!"
"Oh, yes, I have the highest confidence that it'll manage just fine. She's brand new and there's none in the world that can match her." Robert was still going along with their little charade, but there was now an underlying tone of seriousness in his voice.
"How wonderful." Cora sighed. "What did you say was the name of the ship, again, Robert? I know I've asked you so many times already, but it just doesn't seem to want to stick." She looked up at his face.
"Not to worry, dear wife of my bosom," he answered, placing a kiss on her lips before continuing, "I'm sure she'll prove noteworthy after her maiden voyage next week. Darling, in one week, on the tenth of April, we will be sailing westward from Southampton to New York on the R.M.S Titanic."