Chapter 7:

At the Car:

Cora had no idea how long she had been singing but it had to be at least an hour. Mary was sound asleep now, her head on her mother's chest. Sybill was finally also dozing off on Mary's shoulder. Severeal times she had paused when her voice began to cracked, but each time her youngest had awoken again and begged her to continue. So she kept singing. It also distracted her from the coldness she was expierencing and the thoughts that came to her mind once in a while.

Cora had done a lot of thinking while sitting in the silence of the car with only her own voice gently interrupting. She had ignored Robert since their house had been turned to a hospital. They did not really talk about important things and she indeed had realized how he was looking at Jane. She could not blame him fort hat because since her miscarriage she had not really touched him at all. She had to admit that she avoided him and that the duties of managing a hospital seemed just to be right to keep the distance between them.

She had already given up hope that they would be found before dawn but she dearly hoped that Edith and Branson will manage to reach Downton had decided, that they should try to climb the slope in the morning and begin to walk anyway. Maybe they could stop a carriage or even a car.

On the slope:

Robert dashed down not caring if Matthew was behind him, not bothering if he scratched himself at the trees. Cora's beautiful singing voice kept him going.

He perfectly remembered this song and only his beautiful wife could sing it this way. She always had put the girls to bed with this song, not aware that he had been standing outside the closed door to listen.

„Sleep my child and peace attend thee,
All through the night
Guardian angels God will send thee,
All through the night
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,
Hill and dale in slumber sleeping
I my loved ones' watch am keeping,
All through the night…"

He could hear her clearly now and slowed down because he did not want to shock her rushing out of the bushes. Now Matthew was behind him again, breathing heavily. Anyway she must have heard something because suddenly she stopped looking in their direction. „Who is there?", she asked frightened when she saw two lights approaching her.

So if you do not know the song it is called: All through the nigt. There is a quiet famous interpretation from Cindy Lauper which I am sure you can find on youtube I will probably finish the story today or tomorrow.