As the first rays of dawn's light crept through the windows of Downton Abbey, Daisy the maid stood frozen with fear. Her stare was fixed on a dark lump under a chair in the main hall. "Is there a problem, Daisy?" Mrs. Hughes asked as she came out of the library.
Daisy pointed a shaky finger at the heap in the shadows under the chair. "I think it might be a rat," she whispered nervously.
"A rat? It this house? Not while I'm housekeeper!" Mrs, Hughes said indignantly. "Now go over and get whatever it is." The girl grimaced. "Well, go on!"
She took a few tentative steps before turning back and nervously fidgeting. "Oh, but what if it is a rat?" she said.
"It isn't moving, Daisy," Mrs. Hughes pointed out.
"A dead rat then," the young maid whined.
Carson heard the fussing and came over to find out what was going on. "What's this I hear about a rat?" he asked in a hushed voice.
Mrs. Hughes took a deep breath and explained the young maid's concern to the butler. "There's something under that chair and Daisy is afraid to pick it up because she thinks it might be a rat." Daisy stood by nervously by eyeing the mass with disgust.
Carson looked over at the dark shape against the wall. "It isn't moving."
"Yes," Mrs. Hughes said. "Daisy thinks it could be a dead rat."
"Couldn't we get Thomas to get rid of it?" Daisy asked.
Carson and Mrs. Hughes exchanged an amused look and the butler barely held back a comparative statement regarding Thomas and a rat. "I'll take care of this," he said. Slowly he approached the chair before quickly pulling it away from the wall. He kicked the offending object into the middle of the floor. Daisy and Mrs. Hughes both shrieked. Carson sighed as he reached down and picked up the item that had caused all the commotion - a lady's black dinner glove. Mrs. Hughes smiled and Daisy looked sheepish. "Go and see to your duties, Daisy," he said with a chuckle. After Daisy was out of sight, he handed the glove to the housekeeper. "Her Ladyship's I'd wager," Carson said shaking his head.
"Yes," Mrs. Hughes said. "I found the other one in the middle of the floor last night." Carson groaned. "What's the matter, Mr Carson?" Mrs. Hughes asked with concern.
"I found some articles of clothing last night as well," Mrs. Hughes' eyes widened in a mixture of shock and amusement as Carson continued. "His Lordship's waistcoat was draped over the lamp on the table by the stairs, his dress coat was on the second floor railing, and," Carson cleared his throat "Her Ladyship's dinner dress was in a heap on the stairs."
Mrs. Hughes giggled in spite of herself. "Well then, that must've been quite a party! The Dowager Countess requiring help climbing the stairs to her bedroom at the Dower House and His Lordship and Her Ladyship behaving like a couple of young lovers without a care in the world? Ha, that must've been quite a party, indeed!" She smiled.
"I thought you said you spoke to His Lordship and her Ladyship last night. How could this have happened?" Carson asked.
"I did speak to them in the drawing room - twice - and I never saw any sort of impropriety taking place, but," she paused recalling the Earl and Countess' rosier cheeks and heavier breathing, "I did get the sense that I was intruding upon some urgent, private business."
Carson groaned. His brow was furrowed and he shook his head again. "This kind of behavior at Downton Abbey - and from the Lord and Lady of the house no less! It's disgraceful," he grumbled.
Mrs. Hughes touched his arm and gave him a kind smile. "Please, don't hold it against them. After all they've gone through over these last several years, they deserve a bit of romance and even a little passion after so many difficulties and so much pain." Carson's brooding expression softened slightly. "I hate to think what the morning will have in store for them, though," Mrs. Hughes said and both she and Carson shared a gentle laugh before leaving each other to their duties.
Robert lay in bed and waited for Cora to wake up. It was getting late and people would start to notice if they stayed in bed too much longer. Still, he couldn't bring himself to nudge her awake. He reached over and caressed her shoulder lovingly. "Cora," he said quietly. She rolled onto her stomach, squirmed, and sighed in her sleep. As she wiggled around to get comfortable, his eyes settled on the fuller, rounded section of blankets that was covering her bottom and he smiled. Maybe he'd just decided on a better way to wake her. "Oh, Cora," he softly called again as he moved closer to her. He reached under the bed linens to carry out his version of a wake up call. He gently slipped his fingers between her legs and his expert touch made her cry out as she was jolted awake in a most intimate way. "Shhhh!" he said chuckling," Do you want the whole house to know what we're up to?" His fingers continued their ministrations unabated until Cora was mewling into her pillow and Robert watched her body shudder for a third time. "Good morning, my dearest." he said as he grinned and looked very pleased with himself.
Cora rolled onto her back as she panted heavily. "Oh my heavens," she gasped once she'd found her words. "Robert! What's come over you?" she asked both bewildered and excited by he actions.
Robert chuckled. "You haven't looked that surprised since Matthew stood up from his wheelchair."
"I don't know," Cora said finally starting to catch her breath "you had quite a few surprises for me last night as well." He played with her hair as he tried to avoid her questioning look. Finally she took hold of his hand. "Robert, please tell me what this is all about."
Robert sighed and pulled her close. "I think you summarized it perfectly last night," he said.
Cora looked away from him a little ashamed. "I'm afraid you'll have to remind me. My mind was very focused on conversation."
Robert smiled and kissed her forehead. "You asked me to kiss you the way I did before The War." There was a silence between them that would never have been there in years past. Eventually Robert continued. "We didn't go to the battlefield, but we seem to have been wounded just the same. Our relationship was wounded and I don't want what we have between us to become another casualty. I wanted you to know that I still love you and desire you and that I'm sure we will be alright." He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. And then another. And another. When he kissed her again it was deeper and more passionate.
As their lips parted, Cora gave Robert a coy look. "Darling," she cooed "do you think we could have one more go before we get up?"She playfully stroked his chest with her finger.
Robert was surprised. "I thought you'd be suffering the after effects of a night of Dionysian excess. Are you sure you're feeling up to it? " he asked. She grinned and nodded 'yes' as she wrapped her leg around his waist. "Well, a true gentleman never keeps his lady waiting," he said with a devilish smile. Cora giggled in anticipation as her husband rolled her onto her back.
"Where is Mama?" Edith demanded as she marched up to Mary as she was leaving her bedroom. "I can't find her or Papa."
Mary gave an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes as she walked right past her sister who trailed after her. "Well that's not my fault. It's not like I'm hiding them. Believe it or not, I am not the architect of each and every one of your daily disappointments."
Edith stalked after her elder sister as she approached the stairs. "Well, where do you think they are?" she complained.
It never took very long for Mary to tire of her younger sister's whining. She turned around and threw up her hands dramatically. "I don't know," she snipped. She looked up at the ceiling. "Mama," she called. She looked down at the carpeting. "Mama." Just then something caught her eye. She stooped and picked two small items up off the floor. "Here, Edith. Evidence." she said coolly as she held out her hand. "The black crystal one is from the dress Mama was wearing last night." She turned the other, smaller, plain, black button over in her hand. "I don't know whose this is, but I'll give it to Carson when I see him. I'm sure one of the servants will know."
The two girls heard a commotion in the main hall. It was Isobel and she was demanding to see Cora at once. Something about refugees and "the moral charge to assist those in need." Edith and Mary looked at each other and smiled. Watching Mama and Isobel argue was some of the best entertainment at Downton and they hurried downstairs to go and say their hellos so they wouldn't miss the eventual fireworks. Mary was secretly pleased to see Matthew had accompanied his mother. "Good Morning, Cousin Isobel, Cousin Matthew," Mary said with her eyes set only on the handsome young Matthew Crawley. "What a lovely surprise. We hadn't been expecting you until dinner." Edith tried to say hello to him as well, but he didn't notice.
Matthew smiled at Mary. "Well it seems my mother has an urgent need to speak to Cousin Cora, but hasn't managed to find her." He leaned in close and lowered his voice, "It seems she's on another of her crusades to alter life at Downton and Cousin Cora is about to all about it. In detail, I'm sure."
"Don't worry," Mary said with a smile, "Mama is stronger than she appears."
"Oh, I almost forgot," Matthew said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a black silk sash, "I saw this in the pot of that fern over there and I thought that perhaps you might be missing it." He gently handed it to her and they smiled as their eyes met.
Mary shook her head. "That was ever so sweet of you, Matthew, but it isn't mine, it's Mama's."
"Perhaps I should hang onto it then and have my mother return it to her as a sort of peace offering." Matthew said with a teasing smile. "Poor Cousin Cora will get no rest with Mother like this."
"Mama gets nothing but rest most of the time," Mary said, "and besides, you have to admit they are entertaining to watch." The two laughed. As Matthew was letting Edith in on the joke, Mary noticed Carson speaking to O'Brien by the door leading downstairs. She excused herself from the group and went over to the two servants. "I found these upstairs, and Cousin Matthew just discovered this in that fern by the door," she said handing the buttons and sash to O'Brien. "I know the crystal button is from one of Mama's dinner gowns, but I'm not sure about the other one. I figured one of you would know what it belongs to."
The ladies maid looked at the buttons. "I'll see to Her Ladyship's dress straight away, but I'm afraid I've no idea what the other one goes to." That was a lie. She seen buttons like that one in Her Ladyship's bedroom plenty of times attached to the garments they went on, but she felt strangely awkward about telling Lady Mary what these garments were. "Maybe Mr. Carson will recognize it?" she said and handed the button to him.
Carson reddened and, despite all of his training and discipline, his words got away from him. "That's a button to His Lordship's trousers," he said with barely supressed shock.
"Well," Mary said with raised eyebrows, "he'll certainly be needing that then." She gave a slight smirk as she turned back to her sister and their guests. O'Brien had to cough back a smile.
"Oh, Carson," Isobel called, "I need to speak to Cousin Cora regarding a matter of some importance. Might you be able to tell me where I might find her." Isobel said with a notable edge of irritation in her voice. Try as she might, she could never view Cora's afternoons spent laying around reading or doing needlework as anything other than the laziness that came with feeling as if the world revolved around her and her daughters.
"She hasn't rung for her maid yet today, so I assume that her Ladyship is still in bed." Carson answered.
Isobel's jaw tensed at the thought of Cora sleeping into the middle of the day. "Thank you, Carson," she said as she pushed past everyone and headed for the stairs.
Carson and the others chased after her. "Mrs. Crawley, please," Carson said insistently, "if you will wait in the drawing room, I'll send O'Brien up to wake Her Ladyship at once and she will be down to see you shortly. With all due respect, Ma'am, I can not allow you to march up to her bedroom like this."
"And why not," Isobel snipped.
"Because it just isn't the way things are done here." Carson said calmly.
"Well, Carson, that's part of the reason I'm here, actually." Isobel said, every word strengthening her resolve. "Things will be changing at Downton. I plan on making certain of it." She caught a glimpse of something white in the branches of a potted plant at the base of the stairs. "Here, Carson, take care of this, please. I'll deal with Cousin Cora myself."
Everyone stared at the white bow tie in Carson's hand. "Is that Papa's?" Edith asked.
"My god, we're finding bits of them everywhere. It makes one wonder what they were doing last night." Mary said as Matthew and Edith held back laughter. They followed Carson as he hurried after Isobel who was absolutely set on pulling the lady of the house, who she saw as spoiled and a tad self-absorbed, right out of her stately bed and hoped the incident would embarrass her into a grater sense of civic involvement.
Matthew noticed something in the corner by a cabinet and broke away from the group to investigate. He retrieved the object and caught up with the rest of them as they approached Cora's bedroom door. Carson was once again making his plea for Isobel to go downstairs to wait in the drawing room for Cora to meet her there. "Do these belong to either of you?" he whispered to Mary and Edith as he held out his find.
"Where did you get those?" Edith gasped. She gave her sister a look. "Are they your knickers, Mary?"
"Absolutely not! They're too big and far too frumpy. I assumed they were yours." Mary retorted icily. "Where did you find them, Matthew?"
He pointed to the corner. "Over there near that cabinet. I didn't mean to get you both upset. I just thought they seemed of too high a quality to be servant's things, and I thought you wouldn't want them lying in the hallway, so I figured I'd return them. You're both saying they aren't yours, so…"
As the group stopped outside Cora's bedroom door, Mary's eyes widened and she gasped as the whole thing came together in her mind so clearly. She pulled Matthew and Edith close and whispered, "If they aren't your knickers, Edith, and they aren't mine, and they can't be any of the servants', then whose must they be?" The three blanched as they watched Isobel dismiss Carson's call for decorum once more.
"Carson, I will be doing Cousin Cora a favor. It's long past time she had some real activity taking up her day - something to do." As Isobel's hand reached for the doorknob they heard Cora giggling.
"You don't think ... " Edith said horrified.
"Dear God, I hope not," Mary replied looking slightly repulsed.
The five froze when they heard Robert's voice in the bedroom as well. "Come here, my saucy, little minx," he said and then Cora squealed in delight a second later.
"Ugh!" Edith groaned as she winced.
"I feel ill," Mary grumbled. Carson stood silently turning redder and Matthew coughed.
Isobel turned from the door and straightened her posture. "Apparently, Cousin Cora's days are more active than I had first assumed. I will talk to her about my ideas for Downton Abbey when we come for dinner." With that she turned and went back down the stairs like nothing ever happened.
Mary took a deep breath and looked at her sister. "Come on, we should invite her to luncheon. I dare say Mama and Papa won't be making an appearance."
"I don't think I could face them if they did," Edith said and she and her sister started off to catch up to Isobel.
Mary turned back to Matthew. "You're invited too, of course. If you feel up to eating, that is."
He laughed. "It might be easier to manage if we suffer through it together. It'll be good practice for dinner," he said. Then he remembered the knickers he was holding. He bunched them up and stuffed them into Carson's hands. "I found these by a cabinet," he stammered and then rushed off after his mother, Mary, and Edith.
Carson held up the article of clothing he'd just been given and was appalled. He only became more uncomfortable when he noticed that the ribbon trimming matched some ribbon he'd found in the pocket of His Lordship's waistcoat and that the knickers seemed to be missing their drawstring. Then the butler heard noises from the bedroom he was standing outside of - Cora crying out and Robert calling her name. "Good gracious!" he said and made his way downstairs as quickly as he could.
When Cora and Robert walked into the drawing room for the usual pre-dinner socializing, the stares they got were hard to ignore. Cora became self conscious and fidgeted until Robert squeezed her hand reassuringly. She smiled sweetly back at him. Across the room Mary caught Matthew's eye, gestured in her parent's direction, and made a face. He be barely held back a laugh. A few minutes later Carson entered the room to announce the last of the evening's guests. "The Dowager Countess and Lady Rosamund Painswick." Rosamund flitted into the room with her usual style. Violet, meanwhile, looked tired and a little pale.
Isobel eyed the Dowager Countess with concern. "Are you quite well?" she asked Violet.
"I'll be fine," Violet said. "I'm just getting over a bit of a virus." Isobel began to pepper Violet with questions about the 'virus' she claimed to have contracted as Rosamund, Robert, and Cora smiled knowing. Violet was doing her best to try to change the subject but Isobel continued stubbornly. "It was just a strange sort of one day flu."
"What kind flu?" Isobel questioned the increasingly exasperated Dowager Countess.
Finally, she could take no more of Isobel's enquiring. "The Gin Flu," she growled.
As Violet explained her hangover, Robert watched Cora as she walked across the room. He studied the sway of her hips and pondered whether it was unseemly for him to be so anxious to get his hands on his wife after they'd spent the whole of the afternoon tumbling around in bed together like young lovers instead of a married couple who had been married for decades. He was so preoccupied by thoughts of Cora and passionate lovemaking that he'd forgotten to keep his ogling of his wife's posterior discreet. Everyone noticed what his attention was fixed on and the sly grin curling his lips. Matthew joined Mary in the corner of the room. They watched as Cora, obviously feeling the heat of her husband's gaze, looked over her shoulder and gave him a smile. "This is unbelievably uncomfortable," Matthew whispered.
Mary gave a sigh. "How do you think it is for Edith and me? Somehow you never think of your parents as creatures of passion. You're quite happy to go through life thinking they really did find you in a cabbage patch or receive you in a bundle from the stork." Matthew and Mary chuckled as Edith looked over at them miserably.
Cora had noticed the way her daughters and Cousin Matthew had been looking at her with thinly veiled embarrassment and she couldn't figure out why. She had also become aware of the way her husband was staring at her every time she turned her back. Her surreptitious fidgeting with her skirts had made her confident that they weren't caught up in her corset laces. Perhaps the back of her dress had torn when Robert had accidentally backed her up hard against the corner of the dresser in her bedroom just before they came downstairs. She was still a little sore, both from their literal run in with that piece of furniture and from all of their escapades of that afternoon, and the later part of the morning, and the night before. She would most likely have bemoaned the impropriety of their night and day spent in lusty excess - especially given their age - if she weren't so pleased with herself. As she approached her favorite chair, she took a long look at her husband. Even after all of their years together she still found him deliciously attractive and he could still set her blood on fire. She wondered if another round before bed would be asking to much of him. As she sat down, she wondered what he might have in mind for her when she suddenly felt something sharp poke her in the bottom. She yipped and jumped to her feet She hoped that the prod to her backside hadn't been a sign from the cosmos. Robert rushed to her side and he couldn't hold back his smile when he looked down and saw her diamond brooch on the seat of her chair. "I guess it didn't land on the table after all," he said.
Carson came in to announce that dinner was served and everyone began to leave the room. Cora moved to follow them when Robert grabbed her by the wrist. "Carson, we'll be along in a minute." he said. The butler nodded and left the room. Robert smiled down at his wife. He picked up the brooch and carefully pinned it to her dress. "We've had quite a day," he said teasingly as he held her hands in his.
"A happy day," she said with a smile as she inched closer to him.
"I wish it weren't nearly at an end," he said gently and hoped she would understand the request hidden in his statement. He wanted more, but he didn't want to pressure her. She was still only newly recovered from her bout with Spanish Flu after all. she deserved to be treated with extra care.
She smiled brightly. "It doesn't have to end, darling. In fact, I had hoped you might want to continue it after dinner," she said in a seductive tone.
He said nothing but pulled her closer for a chaste, proper kiss that a husband would give his wife at dinner. He gave her a second and a third and was about to go for a forth when Carson entered the room to remind them that everyone was in the dining room and awaiting their return. Robert and Cora walked together to dinner where they knew they would be stared at and whispered about.
They didn't care.
A/N Yes, The epilogue rivals the length of the story itself, I know. Sorry.
I wanted to thank krisnreine for accepting my challenge and writing and excellent story - Better Served Cold - for her part of it.
Update - I've gotten a couple reviews that are disappointed to see this story end. Well, since the whole idea of it was born out of a response to a review, it should be no surprise that they're starting to spark ideas. No promises, of course, but a few ideas. We'll see. Maybe something will come of them.