AN: Thanks for all the reviews, they've really kept me going through revision. Just a reminder, as a guest reviewer did ask, I update on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Enjoy!
Cora awoke in the middle of the night to another of her dreams. She kept having the same dream over and over again. The dream was of her and Robert in the gardens each holding one hand of a little boy, their boy, his hair a beautiful hazelnut colour, his blue eyes the image of his father's. Despite the coolness of the October night she was all over hot and her skin was sticky. She sits up and carefully, wrestling Robert's arm from her stomach and throwing the offending blanket he'd draped over her to the floor with a loud huff. She turns to face away from him and puts her head exasperatedly back onto her pillow, hope of sleep far from her mind. She tries for a few minutes to ignore the need to visit the toilet as the baby presses against her bladder. It had been a recent occurrence, only since she'd entered her seventh month that she was waking regularly in the night needing the toilet. She gives up trying to ignore the sensation and slides from the bed, padding slowly to the bathroom.
Robert turns in his sleep and something in his subconscious mind forces his eyes open. A quick look in front of him worries him, where is Cora? He hears a little noise in the bathroom and rather worried heads to the door, barely registering the moment when he climbed out of bed.
"Cora, are you alright?" The door opens to reveal her face a few inches from his.
"Perfectly fine, I didn't mean to wake you, I just needed to visit the bathroom."
"The baby is sitting on your bladder now then?"
"Yes, she has been for a couple of weeks."
"Have you been waking every night?"
"Yes, but it's not a problem, it happened with the girls too."
"I know that, but you should be staying longer in bed in the morning, to make up for the sleep you're missing."
"Robert, don't worry about me, I've been tending to nap in the afternoon while you've been working. Now, are you going to unblock the bathroom door so I may return to bed?" She punctuates her request with a kiss, quite amazed at how they'd managed to stand so close without touching.
He moves from the doorway at her request and shadows her across the room to the bed, making sure she doesn't trip on the blanket she'd thrown to the floor. He tucks the sheets back around her and walks to his own side of the bed. When he moves to get in he opens his mouth to chastise Cora on having pushed the blanket to the floor again when she sits up.
"Darling, I'm hungry." The sensation had come on rather suddenly but she now realised she had a deep need for biscuits. The same biscuits she has been consuming for a few months now. They were cinnamon cookies and she knew Mrs Patmore had been making them in batches every day ever since she had developed a craving for them. Robert sighs, he should have seen this coming.
"I suppose you want me to go and see if there are any cinnamon cookies in the kitchen?"
"I won't make you go alone, we can go together. Besides the corridors are dark and we don't have a match to light a candle."
"Very well." In the time it takes for him to retrieve his dressing gown and put it back on, Cora had donned hers, got out of bed and made her way to the door.
They negotiate the corridors together and when they reach the steep stairs leading to the servants work area she lets him descend them first, for the first time in her pregnancy a little wary of falling. She takes the rail firmly and watches only the steps as she descends. Robert holds out his hand to her at the bottom and she kisses him gently on the cheek.
"I'm sorry about all this."
"Your wish is my command, remember?" Cora nods at the phrase Robert had coined since the few months of her pregnancy. Pleased that he still felt it stood when she was wasting his sleep with long trips to the kitchen. They trail into the kitchen and are both a little shocked to see a plate of the cinnamon cookies seemingly waiting for them in the centre of the big table. Cora frowns.
"It seems Mrs Patmore has been expecting us." Robert laughs as Cora makes a grab for the biggest cookie on the plate and he hears the decisive munching from his position behind her.
"Yes, no doubt she remembered your cravings from the girls and once she'd found what you craved this time has been expecting you to wake hungry."
"But how did she know it was going to be tonight?" Her question comes from her bulging mouth and Robert laughs again as she makes a grab for another cookie. He steps towards her and wraps his arms around her waist, just below their baby. When she turns to face him he lifts her onto the table, eliciting a small squeal from her full mouth.
"I can't answer that my darling. How are the cookies, nice?"
"Delicious." She takes another greedy bite from the one she holds. Still holding her waist he makes a grab for the cookie she holds with his teeth. She snatches it away. "You're not having any until I'm full, then you can have what's left you naughty man."
"But I'm hungry Cora, please." He's pathetic pouting expression makes her giggle, just as he had hoped and he rubs his nose slowly over hers.
"I'm sure that this will curb your hunger." She leans forward and kisses him, her lips and tongue still taste of cinnamon and for the moment that is all Robert will have of her cookies. She's determined to stop him form eating them. But for Robert that's all he needs, the taste he thinks is so much better when it comes second hand from her delightful mouth. "Better?" She breaks her lips from his ever so slightly.
"Much, thank you." He kisses her again and marvels in the feel of her tongue, tasting of not only her, his darling Cora, but Mrs Patmore's stunning cinnamon biscuits. They both lose themselves in each other, so much so they don't hear the clattering of a small pair of feet on the stairs and Daisy enter the room until she gasps. The couple instantly spring apart, their faces stained pink with embarrassment.
"I'm so sorry." The girl stammers and Robert looks at Cora.
"No, we are. I am. Daisy, isn't it?" Cora's relieved when the girl nods. "I awoke hungry and his lordship helped me to the kitchens." The couple exchange a glance when the girl laughs, then suddenly stops, obviously remembering she is in the presence of her employers.
"Beg 'ur pardon m'lord, lady. It is just Mrs Patmore said you'd likely be downstairs one day in the next few days, hungry. We've been leaving the cookies out every night for a few weeks. I think she was getting a little worried that you hadn't appeared yet."
"That explains why the cookies were waiting for us then darling." Robert's voice cuts between the two women and he lifts Cora gently from the table. "We best be getting back to bed." Cora blushes as Robert lifts her from the table and she turns and takes the plate of cookies, her hunger still very much burning in her stomach.
"Thank Mrs Patmore for me Daisy. I'm going to take these upstairs, O'Brien will return the plate in the morning." They walk to the door, Robert's hand resting on her back when a sudden thought occurs to her. "Daisy, do you make these cookies?"
"Yes, yes, m'lady I do."
"Well they are quite wonderful."
"Thank you." Daisy blushes a little which pleases Cora, it's good the girl gets the recognition, she'd noticed the couple of times she'd been in the kitchen to discuss menus that Daisy was bossed around rather too much for her ability by the ever agitated cook. As they reach the stairs Robert turns to Cora, shocked at the last part of the exchange with the kitchen maid.
"How did you know she made the cookies?"
"Just a hunch, she seemed really pleased when I announced how much I liked them, and she wasn't nervous about telling us that they'd been leaving the cookies out for me. That suggested she'd been hoping every morning to find them gone."
"You, are so ridiculously clever. And I love you." Cora blushes as she sees Daisy turn to face the other way in the kitchen doorway behind Robert as his hands find their new favourite place on their baby and his lips seal hers.
