At Downton Abbey sweet nothings were not being whispered. As his daughter argued with him Lord Grantham regarded her. She was the best mix of himself and Cora: Stubborn, intelligent and beautiful. He only hoped Tom Branson knew what he was doing.
At the hospital Dr. Clarkson arrived late but no one seemed to notice. The Spanish Flu was taking it's toll on the village. Halfway through the week he was called to Downton Abbey. Lady Cora had been diagnosed along with a quarter of the servants.
At one of his checks Lord Grantham met him out in the hallway, "Would it be wise to hire a nurse?"
Richard couldn't believe what he was hearing and he stated clearly, "You already have one, Lady Sybil."
The dismissive look on Grantham's face had Richard wanting to give Sybil a ferry ticket to Ireland this very minute. Normally he wouldn't dream of giving a Lord a piece of his mind but the long days and this arrogance had stretched his limits. "With all due respect, this house isn't the only one to be stricken with this disease. If you want her looked after by nurses you can bring her to the hospital but it is nearly standing room only and we are stretched thin. Or by all means hire some nurses but I am hard pressed to tell you they are in short to supply due to this epidemic."
At his words Grantham backed down, "Yes, you're right Sybil would look after Cora most suitably."
When he came home that night he found Isobel waiting for him. Her legs were curled underneath her as she sat in his armchair, in her hand was a tumbler of whisky. The casual nature of how she was sitting coupled with the not-so feminine glass ignited his inner cave man. He dropped his bag by the door before taking three strides to where she was sitting. He took her glass from her before pulling her up and kissing her.
He felt her hands tangle in his hair. His hands wandered over her shoulders and back pulling her to him. He felt her moan appreciatively. Wanting more his hands roamed lower before cupping her backside and pulling her hips against his. Her mouth opened to elicit a gasp and he took the opportunity to plunder her mouth with his tongue.
Isobel thought with the small portion of her mind that was still working. While sometimes their lovemaking had a certain sense of urgency it had never delved into this raw possessiveness. At this moment Richard wanted her and she wanted to be wanted.
He moved away from her just long enough to drag his knuckles down her breasts. She mewled at his touches. He was surprising her, she had brief flash of vertigo as she was pulled to the floor. This was something new, all of her encounters had been in a bed. She had never been taken on a rug in the middle of a sitting room. Together they kicked off clothes and shoes, a soft ticking let her know that his vest was most likely thrown near where her head lay. She expecting him to cover her but he didn't. He kissed her top lip and whispered, "maxilla" then her bottom lip, "Mandible". "Sternum" followed by a quick kiss below her breasts, "Xiphoid process"
Isobel was beginning to tremble. Another kiss, "Solar plexus" his head was moving downwards and Isobel's trembling was starting to increase. He nuzzled a protrusion of her hip before once again placing his lips on it, "Iliac crest."
She had time to inhale sharply before his lips touched her again this time lower and he didn't verbally supply the location. He didn't need to for her mind sang it's name. Lips and tongue touched her causing her to buck. Warm hands held her hips in place as he continued his exploration. The sounds they were making were obscene and perfect. Richard could feel the muscles in her thighs tense and he redoubled his efforts. He was rewarded with a throaty cry. Isobel could only hear the rushing of her blood and Richard had moved away a bit from her. She reached out for him, needed to touch him, needing to see him.
He was with her in an instant threading his fingers through hers. With their hands bound she pulled him to her. His chest collided with hers and she moaned happily. Reaching above her he grabbed his shirt and stuffed in under her head to form a makeshift pillow. He could feel the heat radiating from her center and took a deep breath before joining with her. The hardness of floor let him feel all of her. A part of him was worried that he might be crushing her but the fact she was nibbling on his neck let him know that she was fine. His elbows and knees were being burned by the rug but he didn't care. He knew his back would complain come the morning but he simply did not care. All that mattered was the woman beneath him-his woman. A tingling at the base of his spine let him know that cliff was approaching and he flung himself off of it willingly.
Later on when they had moved to the bed he had told her of Lord Grantham, of the ugliness and dismissive attitude he had been witness to. He was thankful he had not been at that nightmare of a dinner that Isobel had endured.
Early in the morning he was woken by knocking at his door, it was a car from Downton Abbey. He hastily dressed, when he arrived at the Abbey all the lights seemed to be on and the windows shone eerily. Mrs. Hughes led him to Lady Cora's room, when he entered the stench of sweat and vomit assaulted him. Sybil quickly covered a basin with a cloth and directed someone to remove it. Not bothering to pack his stethoscope in his back he had simply slung it around his neck. A quick listen to the lungs and he called for his bag. Sybil was efficient in finding exactly what he wanted before asking for it. His practiced hands quickly drew up epinephrine and injected it.
Lord Grantham watched in all in a fascinated awe. His wife looking more like a creature from a horror novel and his daughter effortlessly handling it all. Dr. Clarkson held charisma, everyone seemed to relax a notch when he entered the room. As Cora was injected Lord Grantham did something he rarely admitted to-he prayed.
In the same hallway where they had exchanged terse words only a few days ago Dr. Clarkson had some sobering news, "I've given her epinephrine it should help her breathing. You must understand the only cure for this is time. If she lasts until sunset tonight she will live. You must prepare yourself."
Robert returned to his wife's bedroom and watched as Sybil tenderly cared for her. In that moment he knew whether or not Cora lived Sybil would leave. She would either leave happy with his blessing or not. He was going to give her his blessing and he prayed that Cora would live to see it.