Just an intermediary chapter. The next one has multiple parts and I didn't want it to be too long :)


Robert opened his eyes and grimaced, the sun seeming to be the power of a million candles as they penetrated his tired and hungover eyes. The rays licked at the corners of his eyes, tracing their burning fingers over his soft lids. It didn't matter that the curtains had remained closed because it was still too bright. As he lay there, trying to get his bearings, he could feel the familiar warmth of his wife next to him so he reached for her. As he moved, it felt like suddenly the bed was on a sea of water and he had to hold his breath as he tried to force his mind to steady. Too much wine. Far too much wine.

Keeping his eyes completely closed he let out a groan and pulled the covers right up to his chest, clinging to them as tightly as he could, waiting for the ride to stop, his knuckles white as if he was holding onto the sheets as if his life depended on it. Bile bit at the back of his throat like a sour and bitter enemy, burning the fragile skin of his oesophagus, making its presence known.

"Oh, is my poor darling suffering?" he heard a soft voice from the side, and he moved his head in the direction and regretted it instantly. Everything began to spin. It was if someone had placed him on a very small merry-go-round and was spinning it as fast as they could. Could this be the first time in many years that he was going to vomit? How embarrassing. A man of his age should be able to handle the remnants of a heavy night of drinking, and it had occurred to him that he was past that age of regretting his decisions. Today was a stark reminder that it was not the case.

A hand slid up the inside of his bed shirt, and he felt Cora rub his chest softly, tracing the outline of an invisible pattern over his coarse chest hair. "Are you ok?" she said gently, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Robert peeped out of one of his eyes at the ceiling of his bed and groaned again. The headache had arrived. It sat heavily on the front of his head like an elephant was weighing him down. If he was to describe himself in his current state he would say that he felt delicate. Very very delicate. It was as if he had been thrown into a churning and angry machine, with his head having hit every side at all opportunities. Like the finest of flowers, a sudden movement could tear him to pieces. "My darling," he swallowed, pushing down some rising bile. "I think I got carried away."

"Oh, Robert, you did more than that," she giggled. "You had about 3 bottles of wine to yourself. Luckily for you that you didn't make a spectacle of yourself in front of everyone downstairs. You got a little tipsy, but then you came upstairs with Tom and carried on. I came to find you and you were in such a state. But you were smiling so much too."

"I was just so happy," he grumbled, feeling quite the opposite now.

"I know," she said, moving to nuzzle into his neck. "It's fine. You had a good time. Tom had to drag you up the stairs though. I don't even think you made it past midnight."

"C'est La Vie," he whispered, trying to concentrate on the feeling of his wife against him, rather than the cacophony of hangover ailments. It felt like he was hyper-aware of any noise around him, each sound grating through him and moving his head further and further into the agonising pain at the front of his head.

"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" she cooed gently in his ear, moving to brush his hair to the side and off of his face. It looked as if he had been dragged through a hedge by wild horses.

Robert could feel her writhe against him, and he suddenly regretted, even more, the lashings of wine that he had consumed. What he so desperately wanted was to roll over, take her in his arms and kiss her. To have her soft body nestled against his, to have his hands run through her hair and to appreciate everything that she was. Instead, he was trying to settle his body so that he didn't bring up whatever remained in his tight and unsettled stomach. "Darling," he said through gritted teeth, swallowing hard. "Can we just lie still for a while? I don't think I could manage much else. I do not feel good in the slightest."

Cora lifted herself on her elbow, her mouth set into a broad grin. It tickled her so much to see him in such a state. As she lay there watching him, she lifted her hand and rested it on his cheek so that she could rub his prickly skin with her thumb. Watching him as he breathed heavily in and out in between deep swallows she ran her hands through his hair. "Of course we can," she whispered, leaning forward to kiss him on his forehead.

"Ugh," Robert mumbled, bringing his hand up to his mouth. "Would you think it frightfully ill-mannered and tragic if I brought up the contents of my stomach?"

"Well," she smirked. "It wouldn't be the best, but if it needs to come out then I suggest you try and get yourself out of bed before you do it."

"Yes," he said sadly. "I think this could be a problem. I think even moving would make it worse. I don't think I should drink again for the rest of my life."

Cora giggled softly under her breath before moving her mouth down to his parted lips. If he was going to vomit, it was better for her to get the kiss in now because she most certainly was not going to do it after. The breath that washed over her face smelt heavily of stale wine, but it was alluring enough for her to lean in to kiss him again.

"I think you're mocking me," he groaned, carefully lifting his hand to rub her shoulder. Even that movement was enough to make the churning increase in ferocity. "You're mocking me because you know I can't do anything. I must lie here and do nothing through fear of making a fool of myself."

"It wouldn't be the first time I've let you lie there and do nothing," she giggled, rubbing her thumb over his ear, watching as he tried his hardest not to react. It was devilish, it was devious, and yet she couldn't help it. It was just one of those mornings. The man had been her everything for many many years, and it would be surprising for a lot of them to know that they still periodically maintained a full marriage. It had been better now than in some time, and it was that increase that had her desiring the touch from his hands so much more.

"Please my darling," he groaned. "I don't think I could possibly."

"I know," she smirked, leaning in to give him one more kiss before moving back to lying on her side. Putting her hand on his chest, she moved in closer to him, lifting her leg so she covered his. "We could go back to sleep?"

"I would very much like that," he said, instantly letting out a yawn.

"I think everyone had a good night," Cora whispered, rubbing her hand up and down his body gently with the tips of her fingers, gentle not to make him move too much now that she had noticed a paling of his cheeks. "Carson looked so happy didn't he?"

Robert felt the bed move as if it was riding a wave the size of the Abbey itself, making him hold his breath as he felt the hairs on his body stand to attention. "Mhhm" he agreed, taking in another deep breath.

"I've never seen him look so bright. There was such a glow to him. I really think that he enjoyed what we did for him. I saw him light up that evening, and I honestly don't think I've seen him so content. It was wonderful," Cora said with a happy look on his face. It made her feel so happy that she was able to genuinely do something that had an impact on people. Carson had done a wonderful thing for them and sacrificed himself to find Mary

"That reminds me," he whispered delicately. "Carson and Mrs Hughes are doing something with Mary today. It won't interfere with anything I've been told. Mary was quite forceful and if I'm honest I didn't want to argue with her. Then Carson wants to speak to me too. I don't know if I'll be up to the mark if I feel like this." Robert's voice trailed off as he braced for a wave of nausea. "I think Mary is doing well from what I remember."

"Yes, I think she'll be ok. I'm surprised you can remember any of that." Cora chided playfully. "How is your memory from the evening?"

"Patchy at best," he smiled. "I remember up to the point where I dropped Mrs Patmore's pork pie on the floor." A muffled laugh expelled from his throat which was then followed by a gurgle from his stomach. "I felt a little scared, I've never seen her look so angry."

Cora started to laugh. "I think if that was anybody else she would have lost her temper."

"I think that was when I decided to make myself scarce and head up to the library to carry on drinking. It was probably a good decision. Although, that pork pie was rather delicious and it was such a shame that I smashed it on the floor." Robert paused and braced himself. As if the forces of the world were propelling the contents of his stomach to the surface, he felt something begin to creep up the back of his throat. His whole body broke out into a cold sweat, and he could even feel the colour exit from his skin to leave him with a sickly pallor. It was no use.

"Robert," Cora said with an alarming tone to her voice. "Not here. No."

Robert looked at her with sympathetic and yet alarmed eyes as his hand came up to clamp his mouth as tightly as he could. Like a bullet, he shot himself to his feet, taking most of the covers with him whilst leaving his wife exposed to the cool air of the bedroom. Then he ran, as fast as he could, completely conscious that any movement he made exacerbated the speed at which it moved towards its only exit hole.

Cora thought about going with him, but then she was not the best at handling strong and acrid smells. So she grabbed the covers so she could straighten them out and slid into the warm spot that Robert had so dramatically left. It was always nice to do that because the warmth was different to your own and it felt more soothing against your skin. As she lay there, wrapped in the covers and the second-hand warmth of her husband, she let out a little chuckle. To think that just days before she had been worrying and feeling so shocked and upset, to now feeling as if the world was moving back to its rightful place. It was wonderful. There were still a few bumps ahead, especially if Mary was going to tell Robert about why she did what she did and let him read the letter. If Cora had her way she would leave her husband in a permanent state of ignorance. Seeing him so happy and content made her happy, and seeing that being removed, when there was nothing really to gain didn't sit right with her. Mary would do what she needed to do like she always had. A lesson in stubbornness that she had learnt and carried from Robert's side, although, her own Mama was most certainly one for that too. So, it shouldn't surprise her that her daughters all had a strand of stubbornness that manifested in different ways.

When Robert returned he looked as pale as a ghost, his hair all tousled and awry and a sad expression on his face. As he got closer Cora could see the sweat that lined his face, and his watering eyes from the straining. "Oh, my darling," she said with a smirk on her face. "Did you make it?"

"Just," he said quietly taking the covers and pulling them back so that he could get back into bed. As he waited for Cora to shuffle out of the way he lifted his hand to his head to rub it before moving it over his eyes. "I feel horrid," he croaked, lifting his leg and sliding in beside her.

Cora waited for him to settle before taking his hand and encasing it with hers. There was a clammy sense to his skin, and she gently pressed her lips against his knuckles. "You do look awful," she said, taking her other hand so she could straighten his hair.

"I gave my mouth a good clean after," he whispered beneath his breath. "I apologise if you smell something horrid." There was still a gentle sway beneath his body, and he felt his stomach churn unhappily. "I just need some more sleep," he said almost inaudibly.

Cora rolled over, keeping hold of his hand as she used her other to grab the glass of water at the side of the bed. "Try and drink some of this," she said.

"Ugh, darling," he said, his face showing the disgust at putting anything into his mouth at that moment. "I just need to sleep it off I feel. I think it's a little soon, even for water."

Cora put the glass back down. Adjusting herself so that she was as close as she could be without causing him too much movement, she gently rubbed his arm. "Close your eyes," she whispered, watching as he peered at her out of the corner of his eye. "Close your eyes."

Robert closed his eyes and let out a sigh, his head thumping with the beat of his heart. As he lay there, feeling awful, he felt her kiss him on the forehead and pull the covers up to his neck. Then she lay back down, her head close to his and he could feel her gentle breaths against his skin. "I love you," he whispered, sensing the impending sleep on the edge of his eyes. Then her arm gently moved over his stomach, her fingers gently running up his side as she tried to soothe him into a hopefully cathartic sleep.

"I love you, Robert," she whispered. Then she waited patiently for him to drift off to sleep.