She had insisted on being early. Not a second would be missed as far as she was concerned. Cora watched Edith and Sybil amble around the throngs of people on the platform while her ever proper eldest daughter stood to her left, discreetly scowling at her sisters' lack of patience. In the distance, a whistle sounded and Cora's heart skipped a beat. That was the whistle of the train that carried her husband back to her from the grips of war. Smiling in anticipation she called Edith and Sybil to her side and craned her neck down the track.
It was bellowing smoke high into the air and drawing ever closer, the powerful steam engine that represented the last obstacle of separation for Cora and Robert. Her senses were tingling in a state of frenzied anticipation as she watched the train slowly pull into the station. The guards opened the doors and a tidal wave of soldiers began to pour onto the platform and into the arms of their loved ones.
Vaguely aware of the sobs of relief, the excited chatter and the sounds of embrace that had quickly surrounded her and her daughters, Cora began to push through the crowds, holding Edith and Sybil's hands tightly. A gentle hand on her shoulder an arm slithering around her waist stopped her. Robert had come right up behind her and had made quick work of pulling her as close as possible.
"Papa!" Sybil squealed happily. Robert freed an arm and reached down to stroke his youngest daughter's cheek. His other hand had somehow made it to Cora's rear end without her noticing and he squeezed it.
"Robert, not in front of the girls!" his wife admonished. He patted her gaily. "We are in public," Cora protested weakly.
"I don't care and I doubt anyone else does. I have lived for this moment and I'm going to enjoy it." Robert released Cora and left her to her blush as he greeted each of his daughters in turn. It had been so long, so very long.