Cora woke rather suddenly the next morning. When she had gone back to bed last night she had managed to fall asleep, but a rather strange dream had pulled her out of her slumber. She had been in a large room; it had looked like a ballroom except there hadn't been anyone there. She had wandered around trying to find someone, but then someone found her. A gentleman had tapped her on the shoulder and asked her to dance, Cora recognised the man and looking back it looked as if it was Robert Crawley, but Cora didn't want to believe it. But she danced with him, for what seemed like an eternity. But then he murmured something and began to walk away. Cora didn't know what he had said, and just as she was about to ask, she woke with a start. As she rubbed her eyes Cora was thinking about what he might have said, she knew it was only a dream but in the back of her mind she couldn't help thinking that it meant something. As she got up to ring for Banks all the confusing thoughts from the night before caught up with her. What would she do about her marriage? And did this dream mean anything? Cora shook her head and sat down at her vanity and loosened her hair from its braid. Last night Cora had decided that she must speak to her mother, although she knows her mother wouldn't condone her swaying decision, but she had to voice her opinion to someone.
"Good morning, milady." Banks said as she swooped through the door.
"Good morning Banks." Cora yawned, still tired from her unsettled night. Banks took in the bags under her mistress's eyes and the deflated look on her face, and said, "Did you not sleep well milady?"
"No, I had a rather rough night actually," seeing her maid's immediate concern Cora shook her hand, "but nothing to worry about, nothing a brisk walk won't cure."
"If you're sure." Banks smiled and went over and began to brush Cora's hair. Cora caught her maid's reflection in the mirror and she noted how she still seemed to look rather concerned. She couldn't help but smile at this, Banks always seemed to have her best interests at heart, and was always neutral whenever Cora wished to speak with her about something. Maybe that was it, Cora thought, I need someone who's neutral in the matter of my marriage, and not someone who will try and influence my decision because they want something out of it. And with that Cora spun around to face a rather surprised Banks. "Banks," Cora questioned, "may I ask you a rather strange question?"
"Erm, of course milady."
"Well, it's just that," Cora tried to think of a way to speak of this without revealing too much of her inner thoughts, although she trusted Banks, she didn't want her knowing everything. So instead she opened with a question, "You've never married, have you Banks?"
"No milady," Banks now knew where the conversation was headed, "I haven't."
"Well, if you had the choice of who to marry, that is have to decide between two different people," Cora stuttered, "would you sooner marry someone with money and better prospects, or someone who made you smile, and seemed, well, to have a nicer nature?" Cora looked up expectantly, hoping she had expressed her thoughts clearly enough.
"Well, if it was me milady I would marry someone who I thought could make me the happiest. For some people that would be to have more money, and to others, including me, it would be to marry someone who made me smile and who was nicer to me." Banks smiled, and Cora could only guess that she may have been thinking about a love like this that she had experienced once, but she didn't dare probe any further. Instead she nodded and digested her words, before thanking her. Cora thought over what she had said whilst she got ready for breakfast. She knew that hers and Banks situation was different, but the concept was still the same; marriage. Although Edward did have more money, she had a feeling that he could not give her what Robert could. Robert could make her smile, he was kind to her in a way that Edward wasn't, and although her mother would say that you cannot base a marriage on that, Cora was different to her mother, she had different priorities. And it wasn't as if Robert was a commoner, he was still going to be an Earl, a very valued title among the aristocracy.
When Banks had finished getting Cora ready she again thanked her for her discretion, before going down to breakfast with her mother. During this time she would talk to her mother and tell her of her changed decision, thank goodness she hadn't let it get out of hand she thought to herself. "Good morning mother." Cora greeted as she seated herself next to Martha, who was intently reading a letter. "Is it from Papa?" Cora asked.
"It is, and you have one too." Martha smiled, nodding to the brown envelope on the silver plate in the centre of the table.
"How nice," Cora smiled, "I haven't had a letter from Papa for some weeks." She reached for the letter and took in the familiar picture of her father's hand in which he had written her name and their London address. When she opened it, it read;
My dear Cora,
I hope London is still to your taste, and that you are still enjoying the foreign splendour. Anyway, I hear congratulations are in order, your mother tells me you are engaged to a Mr. Edward Lawson, future Duke of Suffolk. I still couldn't believe it when your mother wrote to me and told me, it's quite extraordinary to think of my only daughter as a future Duchess. I'm sure the situations will give you much happiness. After all, this is exactly the title you aspired for when you went to London in the first place. What a success, my dear. I'm sure your mother is over the moon at this outcome. I must say, I look forward to the wedding, a grand celebration, which you would be the centre of. I am so proud, my darling girl, and I will see you when the time comes for your engagement to end and your marriage to begin.
Love, your Papa
Cora read and re-read the letter, trying to take in its contents. She looked up to her mother, with a haunted expression on her face, and then back down to the letter. It was filled with such pride at an engagement which hadn't even happened yet, and one which Cora wanted to assure her mother would never happen. How could she do this? How could she have written to her father telling him of this? "Is something the matter Cora?" Martha asked, as she saw her daughter's hands begin to shake.
"Yes mother, in fact there is." She snapped, shaking the letter for emphasis. "I have just received a letter from back home, offering congratulations for my engagement to Mr. Edward Lawson, future Duke of Suffolk." Cora turned to face her mother, who was wearing a rather guilty expression, but with a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Do you want to tell me about your involvement in this?" She threw the letter rather forcefully across the table so it landed in front of her mother. "Well?"
"Well what? I thought I should let your father know of your engagement, and-"
"Engagement?" Cora scoffed. "He hasn't even proposed yet mother, or has that slipped your mind?"
"Now now Cora, he will propose, there's no worry there, and I thought it right that your father should know before anyone else. Is that a crime?" Martha eyed her daughter with pursed lips.
"No mother," Cora tried to keep her voice steady, however angry she was, she didn't wish to scream in the dining room. "It is not a crime, but it is none of your business, it is my marriage."
"None of my business?" Martha laughed, and was just about to continue when Cora interrupted her.
"Yes mother, none of your business. It should be me to tell my father if I am to be married, and to whom I am going to be married to."
"Well I'm sorry," Martha laughed, still not understanding why Cora was so upset about it. "But what difference does it really make?"
This was it, Cora thought, this was when she had to tell her mother of her decision. "Actually mother, it does matter."
"Why? Why, does it matter?" Martha put down the coffee she had been drinking and instead paid full attention to her daughter.
"Well, I have been thinking, a lot I might add, and well, I've come to the decision that I don't want to marry Edward Lawson," Martha's eyes widened at Cora's words, "because, you see mother, I don't think he would make me happy as much as-"
"Robert Crawley!" Martha snapped. "Is this what this stupidity is all about?"
"Well partly, I just think that he might make me happier." Cora began to shrink into herself as her mother raised her voice.
"That is nonsense Cora, absolute nonsense. You cannot base a marriage purely on looks and charm, you have to look to the future."
"And what if that future holds nothing but misery?" Cora countered.
"Oh stop being so melodramatic Cora. Do you really think you would be miserable being a Duchess? Because I doubt that very much. And anyway, it is too late for all this rubbish. I have told your father, and other members of American society, if I withdraw now it will make me look like a fool."
"Well that is your problem, isn't it mother? Maybe you shouldn't have jumped to conclusions." Cora's voice was rising now, and she was so grateful that the butler wasn't in the room.
"Jumped to conclusions? You agreed that you would marry him Cora, don't forget that." Martha's stare bore into her daughter, and Cora knew that her mother was getting angry because her brow was furrowed.
"Yes, well that may be so, but I could have still changed my mind, my decision wasn't set in stone. People call of engagements all the time, even when they have accepted a proposal. Which brings me onto another thing, he hasn't proposed mother! How can you be so sure that he was actually going to ask me anyway?" Cora sat up straight in her chair, sure that she was right this time, but the wry grin on Martha's face told her different.
"Oh I can be sure Cora, because I have been conspiring with the current Duchess of Suffolk." Martha looked very smug at her declaration, and by the shocked look on Cora's face she knew that her daughter knew nothing about this.
"What? I didn't even know you were acquainted!"
"Well, we are. And have been for weeks now. After you and Edward showed a certain interest in each other, the Duchess thought it appropriate to become acquainted with the family. I thought that they got lawyers to do it normally, but she wanted to know firsthand. And anyway, in her last letter, she assured me that Edward is going to propose to you." Martha wore a championed look on her face at her success, and she marvelled in it.
"That may be so," Cora replied, "but I don't have to accept."
"Yes you do." Martha shouted. "You will accept, I have already given her my word that you will."
"Well you haven't given her mine." Cora retorted, standing up from her seat.
"That doesn't matter Cora, you will marry him." Martha stood so she was face to face with Cora.
"And if I don't want to?"
"Then you will learn to Cora, you will be a Duchess. And I want no more talk of Robert Crawley." Martha snapped, and turned on her heels and began to exit the room.
"Robert Crawley would still make me a Countess." Cora shouted back at her Martha and made her pause in the doorway.
"Enough Cora. Enough."
"But-" Cora said, almost pleadingly, taking a step towards her mother.
"No Cora, I forbid it. And so would your father. You know better than this." Martha looked upon her daughters slumping frame and knew the only way to bring her daughter around was through comfort. So she went over to her daughter and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You will thank me for this one day, I'm doing this for you. You don't love Robert Crawley, and under these circumstances you must chose a marriage that will most benefit you and your children. And this is it. Edward Lawson is going to propose, Robert Crawley may not propose, from what I hear he is quite keen on a Miss. Catherine Walker." Martha watched the remaining glisten in Cora's eyes extinguish. "So don't you see, we must go for a certainty?"
A/N- Sorry for the slow update, hope everyone's enjoying it so far, and I'm just warning you, this is going to be a long fic with many ups and downs