He sees the light dim from her eyes like the sun disappearing behind a cloud during mid-morning. His words that he half expected to be received with some type of elation appear to be floating somewhere along the precipice of disappointment and doubt. His heart picks up pace again, concern shooting through his entire being with every minute that accentuates her trepidation. So he begins to tell her, "If you need some time..."
"No," She pipes up suddenly without a trace of readable emotion in her voice.
Robert blinks back at her dubiously as though not fully understanding. "No?" He echoes with surprising disbelief, "You don't wish to marry me?"
Her eyes widen and she practically gasps in horror, "No! Oh no! I didn't mean it like that." Watching his confused expression she giggles nervously before seeking to explicate the meaning behind her words. "I meant, 'No, I don't need time to think it over.' Because..." She takes in a deep breath, the familiar glow reappearing in her brilliant azure eyes. "I would like to marry you..." Lowering her gaze to the floor she mutters an addition he can barely hear, "...very much."
Robert exhales deeply as if he'd been holding all the air in the room inside his chest whilst waiting for her formal answer to his pathetic attempt at a formal question. She must notice his complete relief at her response because he catches her throwing a quiet, sideways smile in his direction. Reaching for her hand, he squeezes it generously. "I'll do what I can to make you happy," He promises with as much sincerity as he can muster, hoping against everything she believes the words he means to uphold.
Feeling her cool fingers curl around his, she replies confidently, "I don't doubt that." She skips a beat in the conversation before adding as an afterthought, "And I'll do what I can to uphold the honor of your family. I'll make you proud to have chosen me."
"I don't think you'll have to worry about that." He extracts his hand from hers, and captures the fullness of her cheek against his palm. His thumb gently runs across her soft skin as he offers the first bit of assurance she's often longed for, "You've already done a fine job."
His knuckles rap lightly at the door adjoining their dressing rooms. He hears a faint, 'Come in,' and steps into the room rather unceremoniously. She sits in front of her vanity, rearranging her hair pins to her liking. He lifts a questioning brow that she must notice from the reflection since she explains calmly, "O'Brien wasn't feeling well, so I sent her down to get some rest."
"Always the independent American," He comments playfully.
She hums with amusement, her shoulders lifting slightly at his words. Brushing away some stray hairs from her forehead, she whirls around in her chair and peers up at him. "Don't poke fun." Her eyes glitter daringly.
Robert crosses the room until he's by her side. His knuckles stroke her cheek gently before he turns to the chest of drawers pushed against the wall adjacent to her. His absence at Downton over the last several days prompts a certain curiosity regarding the wedding he must somehow pay for with dwindling prospects. Leaning against the piece of furniture he inquires about such matters, "How are things with Mary?"
"Fine," Her voice lilts on a positive note. Cora moves back to face the mirror above her vanity, pulling on a pair of black gloves.
"Suffering from any pre-wedding nerves?"
"No more than is natural," He sees a bemused smile cross her face as places the finishing touches on her outfit. Through her curved mouth she remarks coyly, "I honestly believe she's more eager to end my reign of chaperoning, than things not progressing smoothly with Matthew."
He chuckles with a slight nod, comparing little of what he knows about his wife's duties now that once belonged to his future mother-in-law. "Your reign can't be nearly as imposing your mother's was."
"Well it's a good thing I'm not like my mother then," She retorts with an impish quality dancing across her expression.
Robert mutters under his breath, "In most ways."
"What do you mean by that?" She intones swiftly, her mouth fixing into a confused frown.
The severity in her voice catches him off guard. He immediately averts all eye contact, feeling a heat pulse through his ears at the knowledge she's actually heard the throwaway comment. Robert clears his throat and shrugs it off, "Erm nothing."
"No," She stands quickly, crosses her arms over her chest, and slowly glides towards him, "tell me what you meant by that."
It soon becomes clear he can't as easily negotiate the course of this conversation as he had hoped. He feels her face angling in to meet his as she steps into his personal space, her eyes probing inquisitively. She arches a brow, anticipating his response that refuses to flow out with an eloquence. "Well for one thing, bossiness is certainly a Levinson trait..."
He finds himself pausing whenever her brow lifts to new heights and her mouth nearly drops open at this second misstep in communication. Robert's hand grazes the outside of her arm in an affectionate gesture, while he continues on more carefully, "...a most endearing Levinson trait that you so easily display when necessary." He pulls her into his arms, brushing his lips at the center of her forehead in a final effort to salvage the previous moment of flirtation that's nearly been compromised.
Whenever she looks up at him, he notes some apprehension lingering in her gaze. "I'm sure," She remarks dryly, finally yielding to his silent request of drawing him nearer as her arms encircle his neck. Tilting back her head, she retorts swiftly, "And the Crawley's have no faults of their own?"
"None whatsoever," He jests before allowing his arms to fully wrap around her waist.
Cora merely shakes her head at him. Lifting her eyes to the ceiling and letting out an exasperated sigh, she remarks. "What am I going to do with you, Robert Crawley?"
He declares boldly, "Love me until I'm old and senile?"
"Well you're practically there and I love you still." She smirks, running her fingernails along the back of his neck and unknowingly sending chills down his spine. Cocking her head to the other side she admits coyly, "I can't foresee that changing when you grow older and more senile than you already are now."
"How lucky for me," Robert replies sarcastically with a roll of his eyes.
"Yes," She leaves a chaste kiss at his cheek. Retracting herself from his embrace she then pats the back of his shoulder before turning back to her vanity. "I forgot to ask," She begins while reaching for a pair of black dangling earrings to match her ensemble, "how was your meeting with Murray the other day?"
He tenses whenever she mentions the precarious nature of their financial state he only just revealed to her several days earlier. "It went well," Robert states evenly.
She regards him from the mirror and asks casually, "Will we be alright for the wedding? Or should I curtail Mary from continuing to build her going away wardrobe?"
The tension inside of him eases up once he realizes she's trying to be as diligent as possible to sustain their lifestyle. It calms him to have her in the know, makes him realize that hiding it and watching their prospects float away was never the right decision at the forefront of it all. So he explains to her in simplistic terms, "Murray seems to think we could carry on as we always have for another year or so. That is, if we don't try to fix it."
Cora pivots and glances up at him anxiously, "But you're going to fix it?"
"I will certainly try, my sweet."
He sees a comforted smile cross her expression, and he's glad to know that in spite of everything she doesn't harbor any resentment towards him. It takes everything in him not to let her in on all of his secrets, to tell her everything he's wanted to from the moment Mary and Matthew announced their engagement. But he takes a moment to reconsider. Instead he broaches the subject through another avenue, "That reminds me, I also went to see Rosamund while I was away."
Cora's interest and tone peeks, "You went to Eaton Square and didn't tell me? I would have called on her for tea whilst you were in London. She's been writing me nearly everyday with all sorts of questions. A visit surely would have put an end to that."
"Oh?" He tries to remain relaxed while asking, "What sort of questions?"
Cora shrugs, "About the wedding. What she can do to help."
"What did you tell her?" He asks again, eyes fixated on his wife's absentminded demeanor.
Brushing a hand along the back of her chair, Cora informs him with a sharp edge in her tone. "I told her she could arrive with her own ladies maid this time, that way O'Brien and Ana don't have to split even more of their time helping her get ready."
"Cora!" Robert exclaims at her boldness when discussing matters that are rather sensitive to Rosamund.
"What?" She echoes swiftly, "It's no secret your sister still acts like this is her house."
"It's her old home," He reasons, knowing more about his darling sister's loneliness in such a big place so far away from the people who once surrounded her daily.
Cora asserts with an exasperated air, "Well I wasn't rude if that's what you're worried about."
"I have no doubts about that." And of course, he hadn't really doubted. His wife's ability to remain cordial in even hostile circumstances remained unmatched.
Her mouth upturns pleasantly at his confidence. She saunters back towards the chest of drawers and tells him curiously, "She also seemed very interested in what our plans were following the big day."
The thumping in his chest accelerates at this seemingly natural inquiry, but his expression doesn't alter. His mouth fully rounds as if to mimic a feeling of surprise. "Oh?"
His wife nods, leaning her back against the front of the dresser. Playing with the fabric of her gloves she then casts a sideways glance at him, "I was wondering if you had said anything to her about that. She seems to think we are paying a visit following the wedding."
Robert hesitates for several moments before affirming, "Oh yes, we did speak about that briefly." Cora stands up straighter and he takes her hand, "But nothing's confirmed yet. I wanted to ask your opinion on the matter first."
"Where would we stay?" She asks softly.
Robert responds without a trace of doubt in his mind, "With Rosamund, of course."
"Wouldn't it be a bit...crowded? What, with Mary and Matthew being there as well?" Her mouth twists at the insinuation her eyes probing his demurely.
"It's a large house." He states matter-of-factly, "I think we could manage easily."
She thinks for a moment before piping up with more concerns, "And what about Downton? Who will see to it that everything's put back to normal?"
"Carson and Mrs. Hughes are more than capable of doing so," He promises.
Her eyes narrow, a hint of suspicion passes through her next question, "Why are you so keen on going?"
"I don't know," His shoulders lift before he reaches for her other arm and draws her body into his again, "it might be fun." Robert whispers the last bit into her ear in a throaty tone, "Something you seem to think I no longer am."
"I never said you were no longer fun," She replies defensively, pushing on his chest until she can properly look him in the eye. "I only said you weren't as fun as me," Cora chuckles.
"Well give me the opportunity to prove you otherwise."
"As you wish." Rising on tiptoe she kisses him slowly before placing her heels back on the ground. Angles her face to the side, she muses teasingly, "Who said bossiness was just a Levinson trait anyway?"
He opens his mouth to protest whenever their bedroom door that leads out into the hallway opens suddenly. Mary pokes her head in to discover them still in their partial embrace. Cora lets go of Robert's arms and waits for the inevitable, annoyed sigh to escape their eldest daughter. "Honestly Papa, can't you be on time for dinner just once? Instead of making eyes at Mama, and holding everybody up? Isobel and Matthew are waiting downstairs." She closes the door on her way out, leaving Robert and Cora rooted on the stop.
Robert feels his wife's eyes on him, and notices from his peripheral the creeping grin dancing at her lips. "No, she doesn't appear nervous at all. In fact, I think she's rather calm." He grumbles with a flush of embarrassment overcoming him.
"Try to cut her some slack. Pre-wedding jitters and all," She leans in to steal one final kiss from him before moving towards the door. Turning with her hand on the knob she can't help but add flirtatiously, "You coming? Or are you too busy making eyes at me again?"
Robert's sighs haughtily before following her out into the hall. As they descend the staircase he mumbles in a voice only she can hear, "You know I can't help but make eyes at you darling, particularly in those new clothes of yours."
"Oh Robert," She reproaches with a slight blush creeping up the sides of her ivory face, "don't embarrass me."
"I thought you never got embarrassed," He rejoins, clearly satisfied with the effect his words still have on her after all these years.
"Hardly ever," Cora distinguishes while the join the rest of the party gathered in the main entrance.
There's barely a moment of hesitation between their arrival and Isobel targeting Cora for updates on the wedding plans. While they were initially abrasive towards her strong minded presence, Robert recognizes his wife's gratitude whenever Cora divulges to Isobel the latest news that wouldn't spoil any significant surprises.
Matthew strides up to Robert and outstretches a hand for him to shake. As they step in closer Matthew wonders in hushed tones, "Well? What did Cousin Cora say about the trip?"
Glancing over Matthew's shoulder to reaffirm that Cora is out of ear shot, Robert replies with a slight nod. "I think she's warmed up to the idea."
"Hopefully she warms to the other one as well. Everything else is riding on it." Matthew remarks anxiously, casting a sideways look at Mary's who has taken the liberty of joining in on their private conversation.
"Don't worry," Mary intones knowingly, placing a hand on her fiancee's arm, "Mama isn't one to shy away from romantic gestures."
Robert lets out a deep breath, "Let's hope that holds true."