"Do you want us to move the location of the flower show to Downton?" Mrs. Hughes asked. She gave Cora a worried look.
She had found Cora leaning against the sofa in the library, with a painful face.
"No, no, we will have it at the community building. I am alright, just having some normal pains."
Cora was working at her desk when a sharp, shooting pain on the sides of her belly started. She remembered this from her first pregnancy, it would go away. It was because of the way she was sitting.
"I am going for a walk, will you tell his Lordship, when he comes home?"
Robert and John were out to another estate, Cora noticed it was a bit much for Robert. Managing the estate and the company back in London. More and more, he would let John call the shots in London.
"Do you need company, Milady?" Mrs. Hughes asked.
Cora touched the sweet lady's arm. "I will be alright, I am not going far."
Cora had walked for a while, walking was, besides lying down, the only time she didn't feel much discomfort. Her Braxton hicks settled down and also her back pain was less noticeable. She looked around and didn't know where she was. She only saw fields of green and trees. No buildings in near sight.
She was getting tired and felt stupid, for wandering off so far. She reached for her phone, but she forgot to take it with her. She scolded herself for being this stupid. Walking way too far and without her phone. She sat down on a bench, giving herself some rest before starting to find her way back home.
Robert looked for Cora. Around this time, she was usually in the drawing room or library. He didn't find her there, he got upstairs and checked their bedroom and bathroom, no sign of her. He then checked the nursery, Mary made a happy sound, when she saw her father and stepped towards him. She had recently started walking.
Robert picked her up and cuddled her. "Hello, darling, did you see your mummy today." He looked at Nanny when he asked the question.
"Not since this morning, Milord."
With Mary still on his arm, he went downstairs to look for Carson. He ran into Baxter.
"Baxter, do you know where her Ladyship is?"
"Mrs. Hughes told me in the afternoon, her Ladyship went out."
"Out?" Robert asked in surprise. "Where?" He wasn't aware of any appointments.
"I am sorry, Milord, but I don't know."
"Thank you." He had a slightly worried feeling.
He found Mrs. Hughes in the dining room. "Do you know where her Ladyship is?"
"She went out for a walk this afternoon." Elsie looked at her watch and lost all colour in her face. "But that's three hours ago. I knew I should have insisted on her taking company. She left her phone at home."
"She will be alright. I bet she ran into someone she knows and lost track of time." Robert didn't believe his own words, he knew she didn't have any sense of directions. "I will go look for her." He handed Mary to Mrs. Hughes.
It was getting dark, and Cora was feeling hungry. She was moving from bench to bench, but she had no clue in what direction she should go. With the darkness setting in, she was even more lost.
Finally, she saw a farmers cottage, and walked up to the front door. A friendly looking man opened the door and stared at her with his mouth open.
"I am sorry to disturb you, I hope you weren't eating your dinner." A lovely smell came out of the cottage.
"No, no, Lady Grantham. I was just preparing it. What can I do for you?"
"I am lost and would love to use your telephone to call my husband, Mr……." she looked at the farmer with a question in her eyes.
"Mr. Mason, and please come in." He noticed how tired Cora was and offered her a chair. "May I ask what you were doing so far from the house, on your own in your condition?" His eyes went to her heavily pregnant belly.
Cora blushed. "I needed a walk, but didn't realise I was so far, and then I got lost." She took the glass Mr. Mason handed her. "Thank you."
"I will call up to the house, to tell Lord Grantham you are here."
Robert drove to Mason's farm. He was incredibly worried, how did Cora end up there. Mrs. Hughes called him on his phone to tell, Mr. Mason had called.
He followed the farmer into the tiny living room. Cora was trying to get up from the chair she was sitting on, Robert offered her his arm. He thanked Mr. Mason and got Cora in his car.
The drive back home was in total silence. Robert wanted to know what happened, but he wanted to get her home first. He had asked Mrs. Hughes to make some sandwiches, so Cora would not have to sit at the dinner table and when they were almost home Cora said she wanted to go up when they were home.
He helped Cora upstairs, he helped her change her clothes and gave her a hand to sit down on the bed.
"That was stupid of me." She said once Robert put enough pillows behind her back, so she was sitting comfortably.
"What were you thinking?" Robert said with an angry voice. "You could…." he stopped, when Baxter came in with a tray.
"Mrs. Patmore made some sandwiches, Milady."
"Thank you, Baxter."
"Can I do something else for you?"
"I have Ro…. His Lordship with me, I will be alright."
Baxter left the room and Cora started eating the sandwiches, she was starving. Robert waited for Cora to finish eating.
"Don't be mad, please. I made a miscalculation."
"I try to understand. You are 8 months pregnant, and you decide to go walking on your own, without your phone and then wander so far off, that you get lost. What if something had happened, what if labour had started."
Cora took in a deep breath. "Darling, I am truly sorry. I wasn't planning on going far, but walking felt so good."
"Until it didn't feel good. You got me really worried." Robert looked at her with teary eyes.
Cora took his hand. "Oh darling, I am so sorry." She leaned forward, but Robert was faster and pushed her back into the pillows.
"Just don't do this anymore."
Cora put her hands in his neck and pulled him closer to kiss. He answered her kiss, passionately Cora felt her cheeks getting wet and pulled back a little. "Oh darling, you were really worried." She put her hand on his cheek and brushed a tear away.
Robert snuggled close to Cora. "I was afraid to lose you, but I have you back."