It bothered Cora that part of what Robert said had been right, but she was barely ready to admit it to herself let alone anyone else, so she kept her righteous anger to herself and she and Robert remained mid squabble for another 3 days. Cora didn't think having a fight with her husband would be so unsettling and tiresome, but coupled with the fact that he was really her only friend here meant that she was left feeling irritated, sad, and terribly terribly lonely. She had no friends here whom she could call on to pass the time, she had not taken up any duties yet and had no charities to attend to. She had nothing but 24 hours worth of time per day to fill, with very little to fill it. She had taken to spending most of her afternoons going on long walks across the estate, which helped to both clear her mind and familiarize herself with her new home. She tried not to think how much better her walks would have been with Robert, she wanted to stay mad at him and thinking that way would not help. It was for this reason she had gathered her walking coat and gone into the gardens again this afternoon.
"May I join you Cora?" Patrick Crawley's distinguished voice interrupted her thoughts and she almost jumped. "I am sorry my dear, I did not mean to startle you"
"Oh not at all My Lord, I was simply lost in thought. Of course you may join me" Cora smiled at her father in law and took the arm he offered as they began to walk. She had not spent much time with him, definitely not alone at least and had not had the chance to get to know him, although she had observed him to be kind and fair.
"Please Cora, call me Patrick. You are my daughter now, one day you will be the mother of my grandchildren, I think you can dispense with the formalities" he chuckled good naturedly and Cora wondered if his wife would say the same thing. They seemed quite different and Cora wondered what had caused them to marry? Money? The right title? Love? Maybe one day she would get up the nerve to ask, today was not that day.
"Tell me, have you had the chance to visit the duck pond in the east section of the estate?" Patrick asked, "It is rather quaint and pretty"
"No My L… , Patrick, no I have not seen very much of the estate I am afraid" Cora felt herself relax in his presence and think of her own father, how she missed him and his silly jokes, the way he would pretend to be angry but broke into a smile when you least expected it.
"Well then, let's take a stroll shall we? It's a little ways across the estate, but you are young and sprightly … as long as you do not mind carrying me back, I am quite old" Cora laughed out loud and covered her mouth with her free hand. So like her father.
"I would love to" she smiled at the older gentleman and he steered them in the opposite direction. They walked for what must have been 30 minutes, talking about nothing in particular. Her family's homes in New York and Newport, the things she liked most in America, the things she missed. He spoke a little of his parents, a little about a few of the tenant farmers, some history of the village. Cora hung on his every word, he was fascinating to listening to. She felt she had come to know more about Downton, more about why it was so important to the Crawley's and it made her smile. He was a good man, he cared a great deal about his family and his estate and for a moment she thought of Robert. How like his father he was, so good and fair and kind. Coming around a bend Patrick announced with a flourish.
"There it is. Downton's own duck pond" he laughed and Cora smiled looking out at the vision before her. It was like a small mirage of water situated amid the lush green grass that seemed to go on for miles. The pond itself had a lush embankment of trees and several hedges of berry bushes secluding one side, but it was a large pond and you could avoid those if you wanted to. The sound of several ducks quaking and splashing as they walked into the water reminded Cora of her and Robert's own time spent feeding ducks in the park during their courtship. It seemed like so long ago now, and she sighed at the memory. Without thinking she opened her mouth.
"Robert and I used to feed the ducks at the park in London" she said sadly. She had not intended to voluntarily bring up her husband's name, but the view before her sparked the memory, and she had felt so comfortable it had just spilled out. Patrick patted the arm she had placed in the crook of his arm with his free hand and smiled at her, his eyes were so like Robert's it was disarming.
"Perhaps you two can feed them here too" he said gently. Cora wanted to cry. She had been so lonely this last week with no-one to talk to and nothing but her anger and frustration for company. It was wrong to burden her father in law with such matters, he did not need to know, but he was kind and he listened to her and asked her questions … and reminded her so much of Robert it was like a force not under her control.
"Oh, I don't think he wants to feed the ducks with me right now" she said softly, and quietly choked back a tear. She released her hand from his arm and turned her body away to hide her sadness. But when she felt Patrick's hand pat her gently on the back and tell his voice tell her it would be ok she lost it completely. He was so like her father, trying to protect her.
"I am so terribly sorry Patrick, I … this is most impolite of me, I …" Cora tried to make herself think of the right words but she couldn't form them. Finally after several minutes Patrick handed her a handkerchief and she dabbed at her eyes, the tears stopping but leaving her face red and tired looking.
"Cora, may I speak plainly with you?" Patrick asked kindly, she nodded. "My dear, marriage is a long, long business, and it will not always go the way you want it to. You and Robert have known each other only a few months, it will take a great deal longer than that to become accustomed to each other, to learn each other's moods and behaviors. What is important is that you talk to each other and try to make things right once they have gone wrong."
"I just don't know what to do to make things right? We said some awful things to each other" Cora admitted and lowered her head. Patrick nearly laughed.
"You have met my wife? Consider some of the disagreements we have had throughout the years" he smiled at his memories and Cora thought him to be the kindest man she knew, although did shudder a little at the thought of going toe to toe with Violet Crawley for as many years as Patrick had. "You will say things to each other that you don't really mean, and even if you do mean them … you will have to find ways to overcome them." Cora nodded her head understanding what his meaning and wondered if he had had a similar conversation with his son.
"Thank you, I never expected it to be this wonderful and horrible all at the same time" she confessed. She had no-one else to talk to, and he was here, she just let it tumble out. Patrick smiled a knowing smile.
"It is a very unusual business, but worth the trouble in the end." He looked out across the pond for a moment as if considering whether or not to share his thoughts, Cora looked at him hoping he would share whatever he thought, he was so helpful already. "Cora, I know you were disappointed at Robert's motives for courting you" Cora looked down and felt her heart pound in her chest once again, the pain seeping through her veins. "I know that you care for him a great deal"
"I love him" she said softly, correcting her father in law.
"Yes, I believe you do Cora, I can see that you do. You need to know that in all my life I have never seen Robert act the way he does with you" Cora's head shot up and she gave her Patrick a soft smile.
"Really?" it was a small thing, but it was worth the world to her.
"Yes Cora, really. I have never seen him care for someone else the way he does you. I have been observing him and he the first thing he does upon entering a room is look for you. He has been very protective of you to his mother, who can be rather overbearing I will admit, he gave her quite the scolding just the yesterday morning that she is still smarting from." He laughed at the thought of it "you mustn't tell her I was laughing about it though, I would be a dead man" he winked at Cora who stared at him in surprise, a grin forming at her lips.
"He did?" Patrick nodded in answer to her question.
"Oh yes, he told her to put away her claws and try teaching you how to be a Countess rather than trying to beat you into submission" Cora's mouth fell open and she covered it with her hand. "Of course she bristled at his words, but she knows she has been harsh on you"
"She does?" this was all news to Cora. She thought Violet could care less about how she treated her daughter in law, she thought Robert felt the same and was leaving her to fend for herself.
"Robert would not go up to bat against his mother for just anyone. He may not love you, but I believe he is on the verge of it and he doesn't even know it"
Robert had seen Cora looking at him during dinner and had looked over and offered her a quick smile before returning to his conversation with Sir Colby and Lady Aversly. Of all nights to have dinner guests of course it was tonight. Robert had spoken to his father this afternoon and he had helped him to see that his wife was all alone here, that marriage required time to get to know one another, and that perhaps swallowing a little pride would not hurt. He knew they needed to talk, and more than last time where they had simply apologized and moved on, they needed to actually discuss it so perhaps they could learn something about each other. Having her smile at him had boosted his confidence in this regard and he had the feeling that his father may have had a busier day than he had let on; perhaps Cora had been given a little marital advice as well. Either way, she seemed at least to have softened towards him and he was pleased, although it could have been for the benefit of their dinner guests, but he hoped not.
It was after the men had come through to join the ladies that Cora noticed Robert look over at her and offer a gentle smile. She returned it and looked back to Lady Colby who was finishing her thoughts about the latest gossip straight out of London. It wasn't that Cora was not interested in Lady Colby's conversation, in fact she had been craving feminine company and the idea of a friend, but with things having been so strained with Robert lately she was distracted and now he seemed to be responding to her clues that they should make up - it made it hard to focus. She wanted him to smile at her again. She wanted to talk to him. To feel his kiss and be held in his arms. She felt her cheeks grow warmer as she thought about it and she picked up the champagne next her and took a sip.
An hour passed with both Robert and Cora stealing glances and offering smiles at each other, neither leaving their post as host and hostess to talk with each other – what could they even say he wondered. He had observed her for the last hour, watched as she had blushed and drunk her champagne, watched her eyes flick to his direction, watched her stand and move to converse with another group of guests. He had observed the way her hips moved as she had walked to speak with their guests, appreciated the cut of her gown and let his mind roam to what he knew lay underneath. He knew they had a lot to discuss, but talking was the last thing on his mind as he watched his wife smile and laugh with Sir and Lady Aversly. Her eyes sparkled and she turned her head slightly to look in his direction, when she caught him looking at her she bit her lip and smiled before returning her gaze to their guests. It had been too many days of not speaking with her, holding her, feeling her against his body and he needed to be close to her. Excusing himself from Lady Colby and his mother he moved across the room towards his wife.
Cora had enjoyed the Aversly's company immensely; they were kind and interesting and enjoyed the way they interacted with each other. They had been married 5 years Lady Aversly had told her, she seemed to be in her mid 20's but her husband was definitely older than that, perhaps almost 40, yet their age difference did not seem to affect them as they cast eyes at each other and conversed freely. It was shortly after a comical story of Sir Aversly's that Cora spotted Robert making his way towards them and her heart did a somersault that reached all the way down to her stomach. He joined their group and together they moved into a discussion about their favorite places in France, and what artists they preferred. Cora was keenly aware of Robert's presence and felt herself growing warmer the longer he stood next to her. When after 10 minutes Sir Aversly excused he and his wife Cora and Robert were left standing at the back of the room alone. Robert leaned in and whispered in Cora's ear.
"You look ravishing tonight" Cora bit her lip and smiled, keeping her eyes straight ahead.
"You look very handsome as well" she said softly before leaning her head to the side and catching his eyes in hers. They were locked together in their stare, a thousand words spoken in one long gaze. Cora felt her heart beat faster her knees wobble at the intensity of his gaze.
Robert broke away from Cora's eyes and looked to the guests at the other end of the room. Everyone was busily engaged in conversation, backs to them, drinks in hand. It would be a while before they were alone, Robert needed to at least have the chance to hold his wife in his arms. Now was his chance, he didn't think she would rebuff him, but it was a risk. They had still not spoken about their disagreement, but he had a feeling she was eager to share some time with him too.
Thinking Robert had looked at their guests in order to indicate they should return to their duties Cora took a step in that direction, but was stopped by Robert's hand grabbing her arm and pulling her back. He placed a finger to his lips to indicate she should remain quiet and slowly backed them both toward the door that joined to the library. Cora looked at him confused, excited, unsure, but let him lead her through the door.
Robert quietly opened and closed the door and pulled his wife through with him. Once on the other side it took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, as no lamps had been lit in there. He prayed it was a sign they would not be disturbed. Turning to Cora he let go of her arm and stepped toward her backing her up until her back touched the first row of books and she could go no further. He closed the gap between them and stared down at her face, making out her sparkling blue eyes in the darkness.
"Robert" she gasped softly as he placed his hand on her stomach and ran it up the middle of her chest to her neck, then tracing his fingertip across her collarbone, along her shoulder and down her arm. Cora felt tingles throughout her body as his fingers brushed her skin and she thought she might tumble to the floor, he made her feel weak.
"Cora" he said softly, his voice soft and breathless. It was all he said before his lips came crashing against hers kissing her soundly. Cora returned the kiss eagerly and Robert was pleased he had read her desires correctly. Wrapping an arm up to his neck Cora invited him to continue with his kisses as she parted her lips and slid her tongue in his mouth, relishing the taste of him. Her other arms snaked up the front of his shirt and unknown to Robert was deftly undoing two of his shirt buttons. In the meantime Robert had let one hand drift to her side and slid it around her waist, the other slid up and down her left side sending a trail of sparks throughout her body. It was when he felt the skin of her hand against the skin of his chest that he drew back.
"Cora, what?" Cora silenced Robert pulling his head back to her lips and kissing him hungrily. She ran her hand gently across the hair of his chest and found his right nipple and rubbed it between her fingers gently. "Oh gosh" he exclaimed, pulling his lips from hers and moving them to her neck. Now it was Cora's turn to let out a moan of pleasure as he brushed his lips across the sensitive area around her neck and jaw line. She held the back if his head in her hand and brushed his nipple with the other. He moved both of his hands to either side of her slender waist and pulled her closer to him. Cora's breathing became more ragged as her husbands kisses moved down to her cleavage and he kissed the tops of her breasts just shown under her dress.
"We must go back Robert" she breathed with little conviction.
"I know" he said, his words came out muffled as he continued to taste her chest and pull her toward him. Cora slipped her hand out of his shirt and gently pushed him away, letting her hand slide from the back his neck, across his shoulder and down the length of his arm. Robert's hands slowly releasing her waist and coming to his sides. Looking into each others eyes and breathing deeply Cora was the first to move.
"Why don't you hold that thought" she said with a grin, and before he knew what was happening she reached up and kissed him on the lips and returned to the party, leaving him alone in the darkness. Finally, he thought he understood her a little better.