But Is It Love?
AN: the characters do not belong to me. This is my first modern AU Cobert story, but I think it works in this context of the given prompt. My prompt was a story about Robert falling in love with Cora during their first year of marriage from Littleprecioussmile on tumblr. I hope you enjoy it! Thank you as ever to my awesome beta GranthamFan! You're the best! xx
Robert Crawley sighed stormily as he sat in the airplane heading for Glasgow. He usually found joy in watching the view of fluffy white clouds from his window seat. Before he had married Cora Levinson, he'd used flight time to relax and clear his mind before yet another business meeting. Since their marriage was more a business arrangement than love match, Robert hadn't anticipated any kind of distraction from his usual routine, but something was changing.
His mind flashed back to their wedding day only three months before. How guilty he had felt as he watched Cora's father Isidore walk her down the aisle as she stared at him the entire time, all the love she had for him pouring forth from her brilliant blue eyes. It wasn't as if he disliked Cora. On the contrary, he found her a most pleasant companion. No one but Robert and his father, British real estate magnate Patrick Crawley, knew that Robert's purpose in marrying Cora was in large part to join her family and fortune to their flailing, sinking business. For all of the prestige the Crawley name had behind it, there was hardly any money to keep the real estate enterprise going. The truth was that they had been nearly broke until Robert and Cora had started to date. As they grew closer, Cora's family was impressed enough that Isidore Levinson had decided to invest in Patrick's company.
It had taken every ounce of fortitude for Robert to get through the wedding ceremony, as his conscience was nagging at him the entire time. He had even started to resent Patrick for encouraging Robert in his relationship with the clearly smitten Miss Levinson. But little by little, things had started to develop between them. He wouldn't exactly call it love, but how would he know? He'd had a few flings in college and in his first few years of working for the family company. But Robert's focus had been on relieving boredom; having a girlfriend with whom to attend events and have fun. Marriage had never crossed his mind.
The night he met Cora was the first time their families had been involved in the same charity fundraiser for underdeveloped nations. He had always been quite reticent in a crowd, making an excuse to go to the bar and pretend that small talk wasn't quite necessary. But on that night he had spotted Cora across the room, wearing a red dress as vibrant as her personality. She was talking with a group of people he didn't know, and Robert could tell that she was enjoying the conversation without even hearing what was being said.
"That's the heiress to Isidore Levinson's fortune," the bartender commented.
"Really?" Robert was awestruck by her beauty and vivacity.
"Yes; she's quite a looker, isn't she?" The bartender winked at Robert. "Maybe you'd be better off socializing tonight."
Robert found himself agreeing with the bartender as he hopped off the barstool and walked across the room. The closer he strode toward her, the more interested he was in getting to know her.
"Miss Levinson," he said when he had finally caught up with her group. "I'm Robert Crawley. I thought I should introduce myself as our families are running this party."
"It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Crawley," she said, extending her hand to him.
"Please call me Robert," he said, fumbling for a minute in his effort to not get lost in her eyes.
"Only if you'll call me Cora. The rest is too formal."
He sighed as another passenger getting into his row on the plane interrupted his reverie. Within a few minutes, his focus was back on his marriage. Things had become informal and stayed that way during the time they were dating, but it alarmed Robert to see how much Cora appeared to be falling for him. He wasn't sure how to take anything beyond a casual affair, but she seemed intent upon getting to know him, seeing the real Robert Crawley. Of course she had been delighted to receive and accept his proposal, though once the festivities ended and she moved to London, everything began to take on another dimension.
Robert had begun to truly enjoy his time with her. They set up house together once back from their week-long honeymoon in Greece. He found it easy to be around her, but was it love?
Cora seemed to think so. Their love-making was passionate, full of mutual desire. She often murmured those three words in his ear after they had made love, lying there so sheltered in his arms. Robert liked the feeling of being able to imagine that they were the only two people in the world when they lay in bed together, wrapped into each other as one.
As time went on, Robert loved waking up in the morning because he saw Cora as soon as his eyes opened. He was happy to come home at night, no matter how late, because she'd be there. Sometimes Cora would try to stay awake on the sofa on his latest nights, discovered asleep with the television on low volume or with a book set to tumble from her slumber-loosened grip. Other nights, she would wait up for him in their room. Waking her with kisses was becoming his favorite activity outside of making love.
He agonized over whether or not to tell Cora that he loved her. To his credit, Robert had never spoken those words to any of his past girlfriends. It would have rung hollow and false, as if trying to give a surface relationship more gravity than it deserved. But now he was married to Cora and didn't want it to be a mistake. Robert had no doubt that she meant it every time, so she ought to have equal sincerity given back to her.
Was it love? How could Robert describe the way he felt for Cora? He certainly liked her, admired her, adored her and was very attracted to her. But love?
All through the week of business meetings in Glasgow, Robert couldn't stop thinking of Cora. He nearly spoke to her aloud when he glimpsed anything in a shop window that he knew she'd love. Instead, he went inside and had it beautifully wrapped for her and began counting down the minutes until he could give it to her. As the week went on, he found more and more things to give to his wife.
The nights were long without her. Exhausted from a day of meetings, he still could not sleep easily without her beside him. Mornings brought him less joy because he could not share breakfast with her or tease her about her American love of coffee.
Was it love? Robert suddenly knew the answer when he found just the right gift for Cora in another shop window. It was a bright red plaque, the words I Love You written in white calligraphy across the front. He was ready to say these precious three words, and this gift was the perfect thing to help him do it.
Suddenly he could not wait to return to London. He knew he would not smile until she was in front of him, gazing at him with love as she always did. His heart felt so very light because he finally had discovered to whom it belonged.
The End