When they came home after the 12 weeks scan, Cora got into the kitchen to put on the kettle. Robert followed her. He put his hands on her abdomen. "How I wish we could have told our mum's this news, Mama would had been excited!" Robert said.

Cora turned half around. "Are you sure? She wasn't very keen when I was here 24 years ago."

Robert blushed. "I know, but if she was still alive, she would had welcomed you with open arms." Robert knew, that Violet would not have been so easy with accepting Cora. His mother was very strict with the old fashioned rules, marrying a divorced Woman was not done. "And your mother? Would she accept me?"

"To be honest? I don't know. Although she was upset when I married Daniel, she would have loved for me to move to London, or in her words: marry a man with money. She didn't like the fact, Daniel didn't come from a wealthy family, she is the reason, we never married in community of goods. And I am so thankful, she made me do that. Although he basically lived from my money, his income wasn't even enough to pay the mortgage." Cora shrugged her shoulders. "Enough about him, he is in the past."

Robert pulled her a little bit closer, with his hands still on her abdomen. "Are you sure you don't want to know if this little one will be a boy or girl?"

"Darling, you don't want to know, so I don't want to know. Our little one will be a surprise.


Cora was sitting in front of the fireplace. "Darling, I wish I could come, but I cannot fly back to America."

"Oh right, that stupid baby!" Victoria said.

Cora gasped. "Victoria!"

"Mum, really, you and Robert have the worst timing."

"You think we calculated this? So I would miss your graduation?" Cora swallowed away her tears. She felt Robert standing behind her. He softly laid his hand on her shoulder.

"Mama, I don't know. I will talk to you later, I have to run. Bye."

Cora took in a deep breath. Her hand caressing her slowly growing belly. Robert squeezed her shoulder. "She didn't take that very well, I guess?"

"No." Cora's voice was shaking from her held back tears.

Robert sunk next to her and wrapped his arms around her. "You know, there is another way to go to New York, besides flying."

Cora looked at Robert with red eyes. "You cannot possible mean by boat?"

"I definitely mean that. There are cruise ships making that trip, so it is possible. I will look into the options. Maybe we can hire a yacht with crew. Her graduation is in 2,5 months. A trip by boat will take us around 8 days, we can go there early, so you have time to recuperate from the trip. And we can leave after her graduation, so we will be back way before the baby's due date. And of course, we aren't telling anything to Victoria."

"Darling, that will be so expensive, and how can you be away from work for so long? We will be away for a month."

"Don't you worry about my work, John can step in and Rosamund. And the money part, I told you before, you will never have to worry about that, it is there!"

Cora leaned her body into Robert's "I love you!"

"I know you do, and you also love your daughters, so you need to be in New York when your eldest will graduate and will start her full time job at 'Cadwalader'." Robert's hand moved to her belly. "This one isn't stopping you from doing that."


Robert had indeed taken the time of from work and arranged a yacht with crew. They would sail day and night, so the trip would only take 6 days.

Unfortunately the trip had been hard on Cora. The third day she got motion sickness.

Robert found her next to the toilet, she had lowered herself to the ground. "Darling! I will help you up." He took her arm.

"No, please just let me sit here. I know I will be back here in minutes."

"Please get up darling and sit on the cough, I will bring you a bucket. And please take Dramamine."

Before Cora could answer a wave of nausea hit her. Robert brushed her back and held up her hair. "I won't take anything, what if it hurts the baby. I will be alright." Cora gave Robert a faint smile.

"The captain expects the sea to be calmer the day after tomorrow."

"I hope he is right." Cora took Robert's hand and got up from the floor.

The captain knew the sea and he was right, the rest of the trip was a lot smoother and Cora didn't experience any motion sickness again after those two days. Although it had worn her out, Robert made sure she rested a lot. "There isn't much else we can do on this boat, so just rest."


Robert helped Cora out of the taxi. She was almost 5 months pregnant and clearly showing. Cora steadied herself for a minute before climbing the stairs towards the front door. When they reached the front door, there was a scream from the street.

"Mama! What are you doing here!" Olivia came running towards them. "Oh my, look at you! Wait I thought you couldn't fly?" Olivia hugged her mother tightly and gave Robert a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Let your mother go inside first." He said

Olivia took Cora's arm and togheter they walked in.

"I am not allowed to fly, you are right. My blood pressure is to high." Cora saw Olivia's scared face. "Not dangerously, but to high to fly safely." She reassured her youngest. "So my dear Robert arranged a yacht and we came by boat."

"Oh, how romantic and old fashioned." Olivia's face beamed.

"Well it wasn't that romantic." Robert chuckled.

Cora gave Robert a look. "Don't tell everything." She smiled.

"Does Victoria know you are here?"

"She doesn't it is a surprise. Is she home tonight? Do you know?"

"In fact, I do, she isn't home." Cora's face got sad for a second. Olivia continued fast. "She and Dan are dining with me and Max. You should come and join us."


Robert rang the doorbell, they heard Olivia's voice:'Victoria can you please open the door, I am busy with the unions'

Victoria opened the door with an annoyed face, that quickly changed into a big smile. "Mama! You came! I can't believe it, you said you wouldn't" She wrapped both arms around Cora. "And look at you, you are so big already!" Victoria touched Cora's belly.

"You have to thank Robert for that. He had the brilliant plan to come by boat."

"No, you didn't. That must have cost you a fortune." Victoria said with big eyes.

"We don't talk about money." Robert said. "Your mother needed to be here."


The trip back to England had gone a lot easier, before they left, Cora made a visit to a doctor who said it was perfectly alright to take some Dramamine. Cora had really enjoyed the trip back. They even were accompanied by a group of dolphins one day.