Lessons to Learn

Chapter 8

A/N: I want to thank you all for the lovely support I receive from you, my dear fellow Cobert shippers! The motivation it gives me makes me optimistic that I can keep up a continuous (maybe a bit slower) progress on this story, even in the busy times that I have ahead of me. This chapter mainly contains a flashback scene. Progress on the present plot will come in the upcoming chapters. I hope you enjoy it! Please review!

Quickly Cora entered the house and she had to pull the door shut with full force, because the heavy wind, which grew into a storm, did everything to hinder her from sealing their warm house. With a swish, the last breath of warm air escaped from the hallway into the London street, and with a snap, the door finally locked. Exhaling, Cora stood on the doormat, and droplets of water hit the ground after running down her drenched figure. God, how she despised London sometimes! She hadn't seen any weather other than the grey, pouring sky for weeks. With pointed fingers, she took off her wet coat, and the hair at the base of her neck stood when the smacking noise of her feet slipping out of her soaked boots reached her ears.

After working in her first position as a teacher for a few months now, the first holidays were dawning today. The last months working had been intense. Cora had been everything from panicking about lessons at 2 am, waking Robert with pacing the carpet beside their bed mutteringly, to euphoric for no particular reason just because life seemed so generous at the moment. It had been intense, and Cora was grateful for the educational time. Now, however, she was glad for the break she was allowed. Robert wouldn't have the same break from work as she did, but together with her, he had anticipated these holidays for the last week. And after all, they had a splendid weekend ahead of them. They had excitedly agreed on a no-work weekend. Cora would not look into the marking she had to do over the holidays, and Robert would let all demands from the bank rest. He had told Mr Carson, his assistant, to be responsible this weekend because he would turn off his work mobile. He and Cora would lock all work-related stuff in their studies and weren't allowed to open them until Monday morning.

Even the English weather couldn't dampen Cora's spirits at this prospect. Still quite wet, she entered the living room where she suspected Robert to be.

"Hello, darling!" he greeted enthusiastically. "I was already beginning to think about going in search of you and rescuing you from this horrid rain." He approached her, and his eyes wandered down her soaked form. When he was in front of her, he reached out to gently stroke her upper arms.

"I can handle myself, Robert. I am in no need of rescue," Cora gave back a little snappy. Right after the words had left her mouth, she began feeling slightly bad for her tone, but before an expression of guilt could creep up on her face, Robert chuckled lowly.

"Of course. I know that. That's why I waited here, patiently and confidently." His warm gaze settled upon her features, and despite the cold stickiness of her clothes on her skin, his warmth succeeded to root in her core. Her expression became softer. Robert's arms snuck around her body and his hands came to rest on the small of her back. He pulled her into his embrace and his lips brushed her forehead.

"I am soaked, Robert," Cora whispered, her eyes falling close.

"I know. Therefore, my preparations have to wait, and we will make sure that you take a hot bath first thing," he replied and pulled back to see her reaction.

"Preparations?" she inquired. "What preparations?" Robert nearly had to chuckle at her wide eyes and impatient expression.

"First the bath, then my surprise," he chided mockingly, trying to stir her out of the room and up the stairs to their bathroom. He tried to block her view on the coffee table next to the settees where parts of his efforts were arranged.

"Oh, Robert! What is it? Let me at least have a quick look at it!" Cora implored. She tried to get a glance past his broad figure, dodging her head under his arms and from side to side. "Uh! Champagne!" Her head snapped back up to him. Robert saw how she pressed her lips together to hold back her elated grin, but her eyes were big and brimming.

"You are as happy as I am about this weekend, right?" she asked while finally letting him lead her to the bathroom.

"Yes, of course." His hand on her waist they climbed up the stairs.

Upstairs, Robert ran a bath and lit the scented candles around the bathtub. Cora slipped out of her wet garments before taking off the large barrette that held her hair together.

"Take your time. I will be waiting for you next door," Robert said after checking the temperature of the water that was covered in foamy bubbles. Cora opened her mouth to argue, but he held up his index finger.

"It's alright. We have all the time in the world. We don't have to hurry anything, Cor. Warm up in the bath and then it will be just us," Robert spoke and his voice had this tone that always soothed her deeply. Cora nodded and hurried to enter the bathtub because more and more goosebumps crept up her body. The bathroom door clicked shut. Slowly Cora slid deeper into the comforting warmth until the foam reached to her neck. She stayed in the tub nearly motionless until her limbs had adopted the higher temperature. Afterwards, she didn't even notice how she dragged her time in the bathroom while blow-drying her hair neatly, manicuring her nails and plucking her eyebrows. She often rushed through her routine, her mind set on the tasks ahead. But right now, Robert's words seemed to have worked, and her inner peace had listened to him. Wrapped in her dusky pink bathrobe and her hair tightly braided, she finally checked the time and decided to not let Robert wait any longer.

When she entered the bedroom, Robert laid on top of the sheets lazily, skimming a magazine he must have found on her bedside table. The bottle of champagne and the two flutes rested on his bedside. He looked up at her entrance, a gentle smile playing on his lips.

"Cora, are you reading horoscopes?" he asked casually, but Cora could see that the soft smile transformed into a grin. She turned away busying herself at the armoire.

"No, what makes you think so?" she replied, trying to adopt a disinterested tone. She fumbled with the different nightdresses in the drawer.

"You dogeared the page in the magazine." Robert tilted his head expectantly while she was still facing away from him. Cora closed her eyes and turned around slowly. She inhaled deeply and looked at him a little timidly, her head bent down a trifle.

"It's fun, okay?" she gave back. "It is like the cartoons or caricatures in the papers. Or like the joke page," she tried to explain.

"Oh, it's all right. I don't judge you," Robert stated. But when Cora noticed his still grinning expression, she didn't believe his words. She rolled her eyes and approached his lounging figure on the bed. She reached out her hand.

"Give me my magazine!" she demanded annoyed. Robert evaded the gestures of her hand. "Give it to me!" Cora now crawled onto the bed, the sash on her robe getting looser and looser with every move she made.

"I only want to know if you believe in what they write there," Robert inquired. He opened the marked page and quoted, "'This week, great luck will find you.' Is that true, if this is what it says here?"

Cora sank back into the pillows on her side of the bed with a huff, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "No, I don't believe in what it says there. I told you I think it's fun, and it's even more fun if it turns out to be true sometimes," she replied. Robert nodded satisfied, but he seemed to be absorbed in skimming the different horoscope entries.

"Robert?" Cora questioned after a few seconds. An incomprehensible "Hmm" from her husband was the only answer.

"Robert, can you please give me my magazine?" she asked softly this time, slightly dazzled by his sudden calm demeanour. He looked up at her.

"Yes, I'm sorry," he apologized and handed her the booklet. "But don't you want to read our horoscopes together? I promise not to mock you. We could just have fun together," Robert proposed gingerly. Cora returned the magazine to her bedside table and shook her head at Robert.

"No, Robert. I don't want to right now. I want you to pour us some champagne. You're losing the focus here, my dear." At her last statement, she caressed his cheek with her knuckles and grinned at him promisingly. Her other hand opened the sash around her waist, and her robe now revealed a narrow vent from her sternum to her abdomen. Her crossed legs prevented Robert from having sight on her private parts, and on her breasts, her robe rested precariously just beside her nipples. Robert's eyes roamed her body with full attention. When he realised that nothing more would happen until he had poured the two of them their champagne, he tore his gaze from her form and turned to the bottle behind him. The fizzy sounds of the drinks sounded in the room as only noise for a moment.

"To my beautiful and most brilliant wife, also known as Mrs Crawley, the world's best teacher," Robert spoke while handing her a sparkling flute. Cora chuckled and slapped his arm playfully.

"You're a mad man, Robert," she rebuked, but clinked glasses with him nevertheless. The champagne ran down their throats tingly and easily. The raising of her arm, when Cora downed her drink, resulted in the robe slipping open to one side. Robert's darkened eyes observed it over the rim of his flute without fault.

When Cora lowered her glass, she uttered, teasing him, "And is this all the preparations you made for this evening?" She raised an eyebrow at him and held out her empty glass for him to refill it. The drink flowed into her glass and Robert didn't miss to attend his glass as well.

"Well, I wanted something more for this evening, but I recalled I needed you for this, so I hadn't been able to prepare it," he explained with an earnest look and tone.

"Oh, and what is that?" Cora asked in mock innocence, slipping the robe off her shoulders casually. "Shall I help you prepare it now?" Robert grinned at his exposed wife and after restraining himself for quite a while now he finally reached out his free hand to touch her soft and provoking skin gently. His fingertips brushed across her narrow waist and he felt her shivering a little under his tentative touch.

"I think preparation is done. We can start right now," Robert whispered. He saw Cora's eyes widening instantly in slight shock. He chuckled. "No, I mean we can start here," he added and took both their glasses away to encircle her waist for real and draw her in for a kiss. Their lips met softly. Cora's hands came to rest at his neck with her fingertips brushing his jaw. And Robert showed her how calmy he intended to start. He hadn't said for no reason that they had all the time in the world.

Cora's arms drew tighter around his neck and she pulled him down into the pillows with her until she leaned back against the headboard comfortably. Their lips worked slowly, savouring every move against each other. Once Robert started nibbling at her lower lip, Cora hummed in appreciation. She ran her tongue across his teeth, trying to gain entrance after a while. Robert's hand meanwhile stroked her side, and he relished in the feeling of satisfaction at pressing his fingertips into her supple skin. Cora seemed to enjoy it just as much, because she lifted her body into his hand, and her hums mingled with moans she emitted into his lips. Their slow kiss became more passionate when Robert allowed to deepen it. Cora's hands started wandering across Robert's shoulders and back, and when they broke the kiss for a moment for the need of air, she huffed annoyedly at the extent of restricting material beneath her hands. Her hands pressed against his chest now, fiddling with the buttons.

"Well, that's right," Robert murmured and came to her help. "We're not on equal grounds. We have to change that."

With a smooth motion, Cora pushed the shirt from his shoulders as soon as Robert had opened the last button. Her fingers now roamed the broad extent of his chest and arms eagerly, before she started playing with his chest hair lazily. She nodded at his belt and Robert needed no further explanation. With a click, the belt was unbuckled. At the signal, Cora's hands found their way to his buttocks and pushed down his trousers and pants. She was about to press her fingertips into his backside when Robert moved away to shrug off all offending garments. With an express look at Cora, Robert pulled off the socks from his feet, before he joined her again at the head of the bed. Cora had sprawled out on the sheets, and a few curls had already escaped from her braid. Robert rested on his side next to her, propped up on his elbow. His hand ran across her skin lightly, and he watched the goosebumps he evoked there. When he began to apply more pressure to her breasts to knead them gently, Cora grabbed his face and pulled it down, crushing her lips on his impatiently. While Robert continued his attention on the soft skin of her bosom Cora arms wandered around Robert's body to scratch his back and keep him close. He moved to hover above her again and started kissing down her jaw and neck. Cora tilted her head when his wet kisses hit the sensitive spot beneath her earlobe and she let out puffs of warm air, her breathing greatly affected by his ministrations. Her fingertips stopped moving on his back, and her palms pressed softly into his shoulder blades while Robert moved the kisses to her chest. His lips caressed the rounds of her breasts, and Cora's hums sounded in the bedroom.

"Mmh…" One of her hands found its way into his curls and began tugging at his hair.

When Robert encircled her hardened left nipple with his lips, both emitted low moans, "Oh…" His teeth grazed her aroused skin, and Cora's legs clutched his hips firmly. Still moaning, Cora let one hand wander down between their bodies and she grabbed his hard member as he attended her other breast. But when she began running her hand up and down his length, Robert lifted his head and pulled back her hand determinedly. His eyes were locked on hers while he slowly took both her arms up and pinned them above her head.

"Be patient, Cora," he whispered in a raspy voice, and Cora had to gulp at the apparent arousal in his tone. She nodded and felt the flush spreading on her chest and cheeks. Robert held onto her hands, their fingers intertwined, and his lips returned to her right breast. Without hurry, his tongue languidly ran over her warm skin. Cora arched her back when he finally turned his attention to her nipple, and aroused noises escaped her lips as his teeth lightly sank into the hard tip and nibbled cautiously.

"Ah, Robert. Please!" she breathed and lifted her body so that his hard member pressed against her thigh. His head pulled up and Cora could see his dilated pupils as he looked at her imploring face. His eyes fixated on her agape lips that drew quick breathes, and his lips found hers in a heated kiss. Their teeth clicked and their tongues searched the other's familiarity immediately. Cora looped her legs around his lower body and pulled it closer. Heavily breathing, Robert broke the kiss and his eyes searched hers. He didn't move and waited for a further sign or call from her.

"Robert…" her voice was low and held a warning tone. "Maybe you have all the time of the world but I do not, apparently," she breathed while attempting to lift her hips. A swift grin appeared on Robert's face, and he squeezed her hands before he situated himself correctly between her legs. One of his hands let go of hers, but the other now fixated both her hands on the mattress. Cora let him adjust the position of her legs. She sighed when his fingers touched her folds. Tentatively his fingers pressed at her entrance, and he was content with the wetness between her folds. At the hiss Cora emitted, Robert positioned the tip of his length at her entrance. When he pushed into her, his hand found its way back to hers. He moaned at the anticipated union.

"Ah… yes," Cora sighed, and Robert watched how her eyes fell shut. Her dark lashes rested just above her red cheeks, and Robert had to peck her flushed cheeks before he pressed his lips on hers again. He set a pleasant pace and answered the request of her eager tongue gladly.

Cora felt herself being delightfully stretched, by his hardness inside her tight walls and by his strong hands holding her arms firmly over her head. Her legs clutched his hips frantically as she tried to match his moves. He groaned into her mouth and their kisses became sloppier. Robert took one of his hands down and ran his fingers along her body, giving her left breast a gentle squeeze in passing, before holding onto her hip.

"Mmhmm," Cora mumbled something between their locked lips. Robert pecked her lips one more time and then he pulled back to allow her words to be heard.

"… touch me," she breathed between pants. Her dark eyes tried to keep eye contact with him from beneath heavy lids. His fingers wandered between their bodies and found their coupling. He softly stroked her outer labia first before he began circling her clitoris slowly.

"Ooh…" a deep moan was elicited from Cora's unattended mouth. Robert watched her reaction mesmerised. She threw her head back and was no longer able to keep her eyes open. He only briefly saw her eyes roll back before her heavy eyelids closed. The quick succession of pants, that heaved her chest rapidly, caused Robert to emit a groan through gritted teeth. He moved faster inside her, and his fingertips allowed more pressure on her clit.

"Yes, Robert," Cora moaned as she started clenching around him. One more deep thrust and she cried out whimperingly, her hands pressing against his strong grip and her whole body growing rigid. Robert bent his head down to kiss her soft cries from her lips while his hips stilled for a moment. When the tension left Cora's muscles after a while, he moved again passionately until his excited arousal climaxed in her tight walls. He collapsed on top of her and his grip on her hands loosened so that she could extract her hands and hug him. Her hands moved lazily across his back before he rolled to his side, pulling her with him. Cora nestled up to his side and rubbed her face against his chest as he tried to pull the blankets over them loosely. They recovered in each other's arms but it didn't take long until Cora made a provoking trail of kisses down Robert's side, and Robert pulled down the covers again for her to climb on top of him. Their 'no-work weekend' was without doubt marked by a great prelude. The night was already well underway when the lights were switched off and goodnight kisses were breathed into each other's hair.

Robert's alarm sounded early the next morning on accident. Mutteringly Robert crawled out of Cora's loose embrace and tried to mute the annoying alarm blindly. He wasn't ready yet to open his tired eyes and slapped the alarm clock a few times until silence returned to their bedroom. They kept sleeping for a few more hours. When Robert had enough hours of sleep, he went to finalise the second part of his surprise. A sleepy Cora followed him into the kitchen. The dressing gown hung loosely on her slender frame, and she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands. With a wide grin, Robert positioned himself behind the kitchen counter. Cora's gaze wandered across the items he must have arranged there the day before. A bouquet of pink roses stood in a bulbous vase, and cooking utensils were placed next to it. Cora took another step towards the counter to see all the items. There was a bowl that held a whisk and a ladle.

"Are these… are we having pancakes for breakfast?" Cora looked up at his expectant face. He nodded eagerly. Cora mirrored his grin and gave him a peck across the kitchen counter. Before she went around it to sink into his arms, she said, "And you know what? These flowers are so lovely. You're a very sweet man, and I am very lucky."

"Well, actually, I am the lucky one. How you fell for me so easily and unconditionally, I still don't know." She was in his arms by now and hushed him with a kiss.

They started preparing the pancakes, but Robert told her she could dress up if she wanted to. Cora declined his offer to make the pancakes on his own, but her mind seemed to be preoccupied with other things as she fetched the ingredients for him.

"Cora, what shall I do with cornflakes?" Robert inquired when she placed the pack of cornflakes next to the milk with a far-away look.

"Hm? Oh, I'm sorry," she mumbled and went to put it back. "Maybe I should really freshen up first." She looked at him sheepishly.

"Yes, dear. Do that," Robert replied softly, and she left the kitchen. At the bottom of the stairs, Cora halted in her tracks. Her gaze wandered to the key hooks in the hallway. Still making up her mind, she slowly moved to the keys. On a usually empty hook hang two room keys Cora now eyed thoughtfully. They had placed them there together yesterday morning. Cora had never doubted that they would stay there peacefully until Monday. But now, inner unrest had taken control of her. Her mind tried to assume how long the marking would probably take her. She wasn't sure how many essays she had to mark and she could just have a quick look. Swiftly she grabbed the key and quietly made her way to her study at the end of the hallway. She unlocked the door and approached her bag which rested on her chair. She put the key on the tabletop and rummaged in her bag, looking for the folder of essays. Browsing the papers with her index, she started counting the essays and the pages that were to be marked. When she was nearly at the end, she miscounted and muttered under her breath a quiet "Damn…" before starting anew.

"Cora?" She spun around and saw a surprised Robert standing in the doorway.

"I… it's just… I had to check something," Cora stumbled, looking at him foolishly. A light blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Yeah, so much I gathered," Robert replied amusedly. "May we find a way to get your mind off of work topics completely this weekend?"

"I just wanted to check the extent of the work I'll have to do so I can plan my break accordingly," Cora explained. Her fingers fiddled absentmindedly with the sash of her dressing gown. "My mind will be more peaceful when I know how my holidays will look like. So, there won't be any more work topics this weekend if I just count the essays."

Robert nodded. "Alright." He leaned against the doorway and waited for her to do as she'd said. With a soft smile, he let her pass a moment later and he stroked her upper arm encouragingly when she locked the door again. Then he took her hand, which held the key, and his eyes searched hers to deliver the next message.

"The weekend will be great, Cora. And it won't affect your work badly," he spoke calmly.

"I know," she responded. And with a smile, she added, "I am so excited about everything!"

Cora sat at the dining table in front of her opened laptop on Thursday morning.

"I guess there is no hot chocolate today," Sybil affirmed as she put down her bowl of cereals and lifted the pot of fresh coffee with a scrunched nose.

"No…" Cora mumbled while scrolling frantically through the different websites of art museums and galleries. She was planning the excursions for the art classes but unfortunately, some of the usually chosen sights had changed their conditions about tours for school classes. So, now she was working on a plan B, still trying to make as much of her initial plans work as possible. She took her cup of morning coffee and brought it to her lips but it was already empty.

"Sybil, dear. Would you pour me a coffee, please?" Cora asked, with her eyes locked on the screen. Sybil hummed her agreement while munching on her cereals and filled her mother's cup. She took a little of the coffee herself and sipped the hot beverage, she had diluted with a lot of milk, tentatively. Her face contorted in slight disgust and she eyed her mother with an expression of alienation. Cora drank the black coffee by the way, totally distracted by the tables on her laptop.

"I don't get how you can down this without batting an eyelid," Sybil stated, shaking her head at Cora.

"Hm?" Cora hummed, without losing her attention on her task at hand.

"I think this shouldn't be considered as a drink but–" Sybil lamented when the ringing of Cora's phone disrupted her.

"I am sorry, darling," Cora said with an apologetic expression. Her gaze finally lifted from the screen and she answered her phone. It was Rosamund.

"Rosamund!" Cora exclaimed surprised. Her eyes sought the clock. It was unusual to get a call from Rosamund before work had started.

"Hey, Cora. I hope it's not untimely right now," Rosamund sounded from the other end of the phone.

"No, I still have a moment before I'm heading to school. What's on your mind?" Cora inquired.

"I have some news on Susan's and Shrimpie's case. Although, I wouldn't have called just now if it would only be that," Rosamund chuckled shortly.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, well, things are escalating Mama told me and they want to take some time off together to sort things out. But the thing is I agreed to take care of Rose in the meantime…" Rosamund told and went silent.

"What, really? That is exciting!" Cora exclaimed, slightly dazzled by the unexpected news.

"Well, kind of. I heard she is quite the bundle of energy, but I hope we will get along well," Rosamund said. "Cora, the point that is bothering a little at the moment is that she's already coming next week," she explained with emphasis.

"Next week? Golly! When exactly?" Cora questioned.

"… Monday."

"Monday?! Well, this is all going faster than I can follow," Cora stated as Robert entered the room. She tried to catch his attention with a wave of her hand.

'It's Rosamund,' she mouthed at him. He nodded but his gaze left her when his phone buzzed at an incoming message that he started to answer instantly.

"Yes, it is rather unexpected for me too. And for Marmaduke as well, of course," Rosamund responded. "Cora, what do I need to prepare for hosting a teenage girl the next weeks?"

Cora sighed. "… well, that's a good question."

"Cora Crawley, I called you because I was sure I can rely on your expertise. Don't act all unaware now!" Rosamund insisted and her tone tilted, a sign that she was getting annoyed.

"Look, there is no standard guideline for that. I will surely try to help but I can't give you an easy solution right now," Cora tried to explain. "We should discuss this with more time."

"Alright. When is that?" Rosamund inquired expectantly.

"Uhm… I don't know. I will find some free time on the weekend for sure," Cora pondered. She heard her sister-in-law emit a slightly irritated sigh. A look at the time told her she had to hurry now. "I will message you, okay?"

"Yes, alright."

Cora closed her laptop and downed the rest of her coffee before she rushed out of the room. "Bye, Ros."

"Bye!"

Robert sat at the breakfast table in front of Sybil who took the last spoons of her cereals. He went through the calendar on his phone to not forget any important appointments. He knew he had to schedule the time slots for the employers of the computer system company to work on the bank's servers, and if he was clever, he would already start it by now. If he did it at the dining table instead of in his study, he might be able to get a bite between his teeth on the side. So, he fetched his laptop and opened the charts and different time calendars.

"Robert?" Cora popped her head in from the hallway. Robert turned to look at her. She seemed to be just on the move.

"Yes?"

"I remembered I have a conference late today. Maybe we will have to eat something cold for dinner. We've got enough bread, right?" she inquired while pushing a loose curl behind her ear swiftly.

"Yes, I think so. Should I pick you up?" he asked. His attention was now fully directed at her. Her impatient hopping in the doorway ceased when she immediately opened her mouth to answer but then took her time to speak. Her features softened and she smiled gently.

"Do you have the time?" she asked, with a hint of surprise in her voice.

"I always have the time for that, dear," Robert assured.

"Well, I won't decline that offer," Cora answered elatedly. A tiny grin appeared on her face. "It ends at 6 pm," she mentioned, and then she hurried back into the hallway.

"Thank you, darling! I have to go now. See you!" she called. In a matter of seconds, she was out of the house.