Rating: K+
Petite Pictures #4
"I thought you were staying the night?"
What a sight, Robert thought as he crossed the threshold into Cora's bedroom. He could hear the roaring of the wind as it forced sheets of rain to splatter against the windows. In fact, he could still feel the biting cold left over from when he transferred from train to car not an hour prior. The warmth that met him, permeating both skin and heart, could not have been more of a disparity to the weather. A book in her hand, bathed in firelight, and practically cocooned in the plush covers, Cora's presence had Robert's muscles begging for sleep.
"I was. Only I found I was no longer welcome once they began discussing the jolly topic of a woman's place within the aristocracy." Robert turned down his side of the bed and sighed into the mattress.
"Now I couldn't be more curious," Cora spoke, placing her book next to the lamp and propping up on her hip to face him.
"Peter, one of my fellow classmates, second in line for some minuscule title in the south, mentioned that his wife wants to open a school for orphaned children. And she wants to be one of the teachers."
"That sounds like a wonderful idea."
"I thought so too. Though they all immediately condemned her idea and said…Oh, what was it that Peter said…Oh! 'Her virtues, what few she possesses, should be devoted to domestic life.'"
This was granted an eye roll from Cora who then shook her head in compassion for the woman's plight.
"Precisely my reaction. But these men are more reluctant, even than me if you can believe it, when it comes to embracing the modern world."
"How frustrating for her. And that was enough to make you leave?" She couldn't quite see why this would have made him quit the party. People regularly made impertinent remarks about all sorts of issues at many of the gatherings they attended, but Robert had never walked out.
"Well, it didn't help that when they asked my opinion on the matter, I told them that since Sybil had been a nurse, Edith a publisher and editor, and Mary the agent of this estate, I found myself on the opposite side of their argument."
Cora snorted. "No, I'm sure that did not help." But a grin took over her features and she bubbled with pride for Robert's support of their daughters.
"And to make matters worse, my parting words were that I could not be more proud of the work my wife does as president of the hospital. Suffice to say, I will not be invited to any more Eaton reunions."
With raised eyebrows and a small whimper of satisfaction, Cora tumbled onto his chest, kissing first his cheek and then his lips.
