Cora woke up curled against Robert. After their talk with Charlotte, Robert had searched for her affection. Cora wasn't ready yet, but out of habit she must have scooted over to his side in her sleep.
Hearing Robert's steady heartbeat calmed her down immensely. Robert's hand rested against her back. The warmth of his hand was soothing.
Slowly she turned around and got out to take a shower. She needed Robert to face the difficulties they were facing with Charlotte. She knew this wasn't the end. But she also knew she wasn't ready to let Robert in, not just yet. She felt a cold breeze and knew Robert entered the bathroom. She finished quickly and wrapped a towel around her body. She saw Robert looking. When she walked past him, his hand rested for a second on her hip.
"What do you want for breakfast?" She asked, ignoring his effort.
Charlotte hadn't said a thing during breakfast. Edith chatted nonstop. Michael had offered her a full-time job as an editor. Mary was snappy as always and dismissed how amazing this chance was for Edith. Sybil had acted as a mediator. While Robert tried to catch Cora's gaze.
"Mum, I will be home for lunch today." Sybil said.
"What would you want to eat?"
"Just bread is enough, mum. Thank you."
"I will come home too." Mary said.
"Then I also will call in." Edith said.
"Charlotte what about you?" Sybil asked her sister.
"Please say you come?" Mary said. "We can have an all-girls lunch."
"When all you girls come home, I will make a proper lunch for us." Cora smiled.
"I guess I will lunch at the office?" Robert said with a semi sad face.
Cora looked at him, she wanted to connect with him so badly, but she couldn't.
"This is a girl's date, daddy. Sorry, but you are not invited." Sybil said.
Cora snorted out her tea and gave Robert an apologetic look.
Cora had a lovely afternoon with her girls. They chatted about everything, and Charlotte had talked a lot about Kieran. Cora was still not sure about him, but she decided to give Charlotte a chance and prove why Kieran was right for her. And Charlotte wanted to try out the sleeping over for a few days.
That evening Robert came to bed very late. Cora knew it was busy at the office. He scooted close to her. "How was your afternoon." He asked while wrapping his arm around her.
Cora laid still, not sure how to react. "We had a good afternoon. Charlotte is going to sleep over at Kieran this weekend."
Robert pulled his hand back, but Cora put her hand on his. "Robert, we both said she was allowed to do that."
"I know, but it is just hard. She is my little girl."
Cora woke up late, she heard voices in the kitchen, when she got downstairs. She stopped to listen because the voices sounded angry.
"You promised!" Charlotte's voices sounded smothered.
"You were allowed a few nights to try out, not a whole month."
"You can't keep me here! I am not staying."
"Oh yes, you will." The door opened and Charlotte stormed out. "Charlotte, come back here!" Robert shouted.
Charlotte stormed passed Cora up the stairs. She reached for her hand. "Darling?" She asked. But Charlotte shook her off and walked on.
Cora walked further down and into the kitchen. Robert was drinking a cup of tea standing at the counter. His breathing was fast, and he was using the cup of tea to calm down.
"That worked well." She said.
"Don't you start!" Robert's eyes shoot fire. "It was your idea that sleep over."
"Robert, this will not help. You are making it worse. Please, we will lose Charlotte this way."
Robert looked at her with disbelief, put his cup down and walked out.
"Rosamund?" Cora asked when she picked up the phone.
"What happened this morning?" Rosamund said. "Robert came in steaming like a wild bull."
"He had words with Charlotte, and it got out of hand."
"Do you want me to talk with him?" Rosamund asked.
"I don't know. I don't know anymore what to do. All we do is make things worse."
"I will look what I can do. Don't worry to much."
Cora hung up and walked to Charlotte's room. She was busy packing her bags. Cora stood still in the doorway, looking at her. Every range of emotions went through her body. She scraped her throat. Charlotte looked up.
"Mama, can you please leave me alone? I don't want to talk."
"We don't have to talk. Not if you don't want to." Cora sat down on the chair in her room
Charlotte went on with packing her bag, "I am sleeping at Kieran tonight. What ever you and dad say"
"I will not stop you." Cora lowered her eyes. Then she stood up and wrapped her arms around Charlotte. "I love you, I hope you know that."
"I love you too mum." Charlotte hugged her mum intense. "Thank you."
Mary woke Cora up. "Mum? Are you alright?"
Cora opened her eyes and saw Mary and Edith next to her bed. "What's wrong?"
"That is what we wanted to ask you. Are you ill? Do you have a headache?" Mary sat down on the edge of the bed and touched Cora's arm.
Cora pulled herself up a bit and saw the clock, it was 10 in the morning. "I just overslept, why are you girls at home?"
"We never left, when papa left for work and you were still not up, we got worried. Sybil is on her way to Kieran and Charlotte."
Cora took in a deep breath. "I couldn't sleep and must have fallen asleep early in the morning. Did you girls hear anything from Charlotte?"
"Charlotte texted this morning, that she will stay with Kieran today and will not come home." Edith said, she also sat down on the bed. "She is really serious about living together."
"Thank you for telling me. I will get up, I need to start the day
