These days 3- this chapter won't just be Cora and Robert but the rest of the family too, I will try and get back to just those two next time unless you prefer it like this?

It had been a week since Patrick Crawley had passed away. The family were of course distraught and the house had never seen darker days. All the staff were equally upset as they have lost a great leader. Even the village had gone into a state of mourning for the Earl of Grantham.

Since Patrick had passed away and the house seemed all to quiet to Cora, she had loved Patrick like her own father and knew it would take the whole family time to recover from this. Earlier that day Robert had travelled down to London along with Rosamund and Marmaduke who were going home after the funeral two days ago. Robert really didn't want to go and leave Cora but he knew he had to as it was about his father's will. He had promised to be back late this evening and that she was not to wait up for him, however he knew his wife and he knew that she would be wide awake until he arrived home.

After Cora was dressed she decided to go and take Mary out of the nursery for a little while and maybe take her for a walk around the grounds. She walked past Violet's wing on the way to the nursery she hadn't seen her much as Violet mainly kept to her room at the moment and ate up there too. When she finally reached the nursery she could hear a soft voice through the open door. She stopped at the door when she realised whose voice it was. It was Violets. She could hear her mother in law talking to her daughter like she knew wanted to let her go.

"Now just remember that your Granddad loved you very much, ok and you must never forget this" Violet whispered and Cora's heart broke as she heard this. It made her think of what it would be like to lose her husband, however she quickly pushed this thought out of her mind. She gently pushed the door open hoping to get a better look and hope it would creak, luckily it didn't and Cora saw something she never thought she would see. Violet was set in the rocking chair facing the grounds with Mary lying quietly asleep in her arms. Cora could feel her heart bursting and her eyes were filling up with tears. She quietly snuck out of the door deciding that she would come back later as she didn't want to spoil this moment and she didn't want Violet to know she had been watching from the door. She then remembered that she needed to meet with Mrs Patmore to tend to this weeks menu. Beryl Patmore was new to the job but everyone agreed she was one of the best cooks Downton had ever seen. It was coming up to Robert and Cora's two year wedding anniversary and Cora had a special request she wanted to ask Mrs Patmore. When she reached the stairs to the kitchen she smoothed her skirt down and made her way downstairs. She reach the bottom of the stairs and headed straight for the kitchen, as it was the middle of the day there were people running around everywhere but they all stop when her Ladyship walked in.

"Ah Carson, I wonder if you know where Mrs Patmore is?" Cora couldn't find her in the kitchen so instead she asked the friendly butler.

"I believe she is in the stock cupboard milady sure I go and get her for you?" Carson was a kind man and he particularly liked Cora not just because she was beautiful but also because she had warmth about her that the other Lady Grantham didn't, but he would never tell anyone that.

"Thank You Carson" She nodded to him and walked off to wait in the kitchen, normally Cora would meet with the cook in her sitting room but this was the first time of meeting the new cook properly and Cora wanted her to feel comfortable so decided it would be better to meet in somewhere the cook found familiar. Not long after Beryl Patmore appeared at the door.

"I do apologise milady, I hope you weren't waiting long" Mrs Patmore had a scared look on her face at the prospect of meeting her employer for the first time to go over the menus for the week. Although Mrs Patmore was young she was older than Cora but eve so she did feel somewhat intimidated by her.

"Oh no not long, here is no need to look so scared I am only here to go over the weekly menus and I also have a special request to make" Mrs Patmore instantly relaxed, "I'm so sorry please sit down" Cora extended her arm to a chair nearby.

"Thank you, I do hope last nights dinner was up to standards?" Mrs Patmore was hopeful and easily pleased by praise

"Quite delicious, but I want to ask you something" Cora looked quite worried at the prospect of asking something even though it was her house and she was in charge, " You may know that it is myself and his Lordship's two year wedding anniversary coming up" Cora looked at the cook to test her reaction

"Oh yes Milady I was aware of that"

"Well I was wondering if you could make some of your delicious pear tart on that night as I know it is his Lordship's favourite"

"Milady it would be my pleasure" Cora face instantly relaxed too

"That is wonderful now about this week's menu"

About an hour later Cora had finished with Mrs Patmore, the menu's had been decided and she had made her way back upstairs. She thought over to Mary and wondered if Violet was still up there. She decided to go up and check. All was quiet outside the nursery so Cora pushed the door open and found Mary was cooing to herself quietly in the cot.

"Hello my darling" Cora lent down and picked her daughter up, "There's a good little girl" Mary smiled at the sight of her mother and giggled to herself. Cora took Mary in her arms and made her way over to the very same armchair she had seen Violet sat in earlier. She sat down and settled Mar onto her chest. She looked out of the window and saw Isis running across the Lawn. She was a puppy so was very energetic at the moment. Robert would normally walk her over to the cottages and back but as he was in London he had instructed his valet to do so. She laughed as she saw one of the footmen running after her, she couldn't tell who it was however. Cora watched Mary and stroked her body as Mary cooed and nestled down back to sleep. Cora suddenly felt quite sleepy, she had to wake up three times last night because Mary was hungry or just needed her mother so she closed her eyes and relaxed her body into he rocking chair. She felt her eyelids grow heavy and she fell asleep listening to Mary's soft breathing.

When Mary's nanny came in a few hours later she was quite shocked to see her Ladyship asleep with Lady Mary resting on her chest. She wasn't quite sure what to do and how to wake her ladyship, in the end she just went over and gently touched her Ladyship on the shoulder, finally she awoke.

"I'm so sorry Milady but the dressing gong has just rung and I thought you would want to be woken" Jones watched as her ladyship's eyes widened

"The dressing gong! When I fell asleep it was only a while after luncheon!" Cora seemed quite shocked at how long she had slept for" I only shut my eyes for five minutes"

"Not to worry Milady the gong has only just rung, and it's just you and the Dowager Countess this evening" Cora carefully sat up and placed Mary into the kind nanny's arms

"Oh right thank you Jones, I'll be back to say goodnight to Mary once I am changed" Cora kissed Mary on the cheek and left the room. Cora made her way back to her bedroom, she missed Robert although he had only left early this morning, but she didn't get to see him. It would feel strange at dinner with just his mother and no Patrick or Robert. Patrick, she thought back to the last meal she had shared with him. It was the one where she had brought Mary down to the library, the one in which her and Robert has been so shocked by his mother maternal instinct.

Half an hour later Cora was ready to go down to the dining room. For some reason she felt nervous, as if she was being sent to the Head teacher's office, she didn't know why though. When she reached the end of the steps and walked through into the library to wait for Carson to announce dinner was ready she was quite shocked to find Violet already sitting there by the fire.

"Good evening Mama" Cora wasn't really sure what to say to a grieving woman

"Cora dear" She looked up and gave a slight smile. Cora returned it but wasn't really sure what to do know

"How are you?" Ok now she felt really stupid, you don't ask a grieving woman how she is!

"I'm ok, I have to be" Violet could feel her eyes misting up with tears but knew that she shouldn't be crying in front of an American.

"Its ok, you can show your emotions mama, you don't need to hide them from me, I understand" Cora smiled gently at the older woman.

"Oh you understand do you? Of course because you know what its like to not have a husband any more, you understand what its like to be a widow. Forgive me Cora but I really don't think you do! Violet snapped, but then instantly regretted it; in the end Cora was only trying to be kind. "I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that" Cora was rather taken aback by all this and then had to regain the strength of answer.

"No its fine don't worry, but I do understand what its like to live without out a husband, Robert fought in the war and those nights when he wasn't here was the hardest thing I have ever done, so thank you but I really don't think you can tell me what its like to miss your husband" She hadn't meant it to sound quite so powerful but it just had.

"Of course I'm sorry I hadn't meant to cause offence, please can we change the subject as I feel that talking about this isn't going to help much, how's Mary?" Violet asked trying to cover up her mistakes.

"Oh Yes she is fine thank you" Cora was pleased she had changed the subject, she wanted to say something about when she saw Violet in the nursery earlier, but then decided against it.

"Good, we still need to sort out her christening" Mary was just over a month old but in all the other things that had happened, it had been forgotten.

"Yes we must, I spoke to Robert about it and he said sometime after all the funeral and will is all sorted out" Cora knew Violet was keen to have Mary christened but it felt inappropriate to do it at such a time. Suddenly they were interrupted by Carson.

"Dinner is served Milady" Carson held open the door as the two women made their way through to the dining room. Dinner passed with no drama, and soon enough it was over. Violet had decided to go straight up, however Cora made her way back through to the library. She could never really sleep when Robert wasn't there no matter how tired she was. She settled herself down into one of the chairs and pulled her book from the shelf. There was no point going up to Mary now because she was asleep and she didn't want the hassle of getting her back to sleep again. Then she remember that O'Brien would still be up waiting for her to change into her nightclothes.

"Carson would you please tell O'Brien that I won't be needing her tonight as I am going to be late up" Cora didn't want to tell anyone that the real reason she wasn't in bed is that she couldn't sleep without her husband.

"Of course you ladyship" The butler nodded and left the room. Cora quickly hurried after him.

"Oh and Carson, you can go downstairs now to, I appreciate that it is very late" Cora smiled at the butler who was only about ten years older than herself.

"If your sure?" Carson would worry about leaving her upstairs by herself at night even though he knew it was safe

"Quite sure, goodnight Carson"

"Goodnight your ladyship" With that Carson made his way downstairs and Cora went back to the library.

It was sometime when Robert came home, he walked into the library to find Cora asleep under a blanket, she looked beautiful when she was asleep with her hair all over the place. He walked over to her and gently scooped her up into his arms.

"Robert" She whispered and a small smile came over the lips

"Yes dear, now go back to sleep I'll carry you upstairs" Robert looked down at his wife in his arms and couldn't believe that they had been married for nearly two years. He felt a twinge of guilt because Cora knows he didn't love her then, but looking back he was so stupid, and when he finally confessed his love he knew that he was meant to be married to Cora. Finally he had managed to carry all the way to their bedroom, she wasn't normally so heavy, but he was tired too. He gently placed her down onto their bed, she was wearing her evening dress he had brought her only a few months ago, and the price it had cost meant there was no way she was sleeping in that! Cora looked exhausted so he began manoeuvre her dress off, but it wasn't really working in the end he just nudge her slightly and hoped she would wake up.

"Cora darling, wakeup I need to get you undressed" Robert watched as his wife blinked at him a few times.

"Robert, there are buttons on my back help me?" Cora turned and felt his strong hands working their way down her back. He softly took the dress down fro her shoulders and pulled it to the floor. She was stoop their in her underwear, while he went off to get her nightclothes.

"Thank you darling" Cora said when he handed then to her. "You go and get changed and hurry up" With that Robert sped into his dressing room

When he had finally finished, he returned back through and found Cora was already snuggled in bed. He walked over, pulled back the covers and climbed. Cora moved over towards him and laid her head on his chest.

"How was London?" Cora began drawing invisible patterns on his chest.

"Oh yes, it was alright we got everything sorted luckily, any longer and I thought I was going to explode from boredom!" He chuckled at this, "How was yours, I trust everything was alright with Mama at dinner"

"Yes it was fine although I really must tell you something that happened today regarding mama" Robert groaned at this

"Oh no what did she do?" Cora smirked at this.

"No nothing like that, it was just I walked into the nursery earlier and found mama sat on the rocking chair with Mary in her arms talking about your father, I stood at the door for a while just listening but then decided I shouldn't make myself known so went back to my room"

"Well I never" Robert looked astonished, Cora laughed at his face, and then a she let out a yawn. "Come on sleepy head its time we went to sleep don't you think, we can talk about Mama in the morning" Cora moved so that she was snuggled in his arms, she felt so safe when she was there.

"I love you Robert"

"I love you too Cora, so very much" With that they snuggled down to sleep together, they were young with a family and blissfully in love. Robert couldn't remember being happier.

However in another wing, Violet was still awake, she had cried fresh tears and didn't really know what to do, the room seemed so big with just her in it. Earlier she had seen Robert carry Cora upstairs to her bedroom, luckily they hadn't seen her but it reminded her of the time when she would wait up for Patrick. It was that night she decided its time to move to the Dower House. There were to many memories of her and Patrick.