III
Mary was late coming down for dinner the evening it happened. It was something she'd never even considered. And it was something she'd never see again.
She had gotten detained with Caroline in the nursery. It was so different with Caroline than it had been with George. Having a daughter was different than having a son, but not being newly a widow while trying to mother an infant without a father was different, too. Henry was a marvelous father, of course; he'd been wonderful with George from the start, and now with little Caroline, he was absolutely in awe of his daughter. It was different than seeing Tom with Sybbie, since he'd been a father to a little girl without a mother. Mama said, though, that seeing Henry with Caroline reminded her of Papa with all three Crawley girls when they were just born. Mary couldn't recall how Papa was with them when they were babies, of course. She'd been a baby herself still when Edith was born, and she had very few memories of being three years old when Sybil was born. But Mary could imagine that Papa had been in gentle awe of his daughters just as Henry now was with Caroline. And really, Mary, too, was in awe of her babies.
It was thoughts of her children that had distracted Mary that evening and made her late for the dressing gong. Henry had already gone down, and Anna did the best she could to make up for the lost time.
But when Mary finally did make her way down to the library, she found Henry with Tom and Papa. "Where is Mama?" she asked.
Papa sighed in slight annoyance. "Your mother hasn't come down yet. She told me she'd not be too long but to pour drinks for everyone and to not wait for her. And so here I am."
Barrow appeared a moment later, opening the door to the dining room. Mary frowned. "Should we wait for Mama?" she asked.
"I think she knows where to find us. And thankfully your grandmother isn't here to make a fuss, so I think it'll be alright if we go through. We wouldn't want to disrupt Mrs. Patmore's plans just because your mother is primping," Papa replied. Mary could tell he was growing even more peevish, particularly the way he threw back his drink. He shouldn't be drinking so much. Mama would be cross at that. But of course, Mama wasn't here right now.
They all sat down as they always did, and just as Andy began serving, Mama hurried in.
"I'm so sorry. I was late getting back from the hospital and then I foolishly turned too quickly and pulled out half the pins Baxter had put in my hair so she had to redo it, but I am glad you didn't wait for me. I would have felt much worse if I delayed everyone," Mama explained in a flurry.
Mary found it quite American when Mama got herself worked up like that. It was a habit that Edith had inherited, actually. Probably why Mary found it so annoying.
But Mary was serving herself the appetizer and did not look up as her mother spoke. It wasn't until Mama had finished that Mary realized that the rest of the table was silent. Mary quickly realized why.
Mama's lips were painted a very bright red color. A color fit for…well, perhaps a few years ago it would have been distasteful. For now, though, it was actually quite modern. Modern and progressive and youthful. And though she was not youthful, it was strangely appropriate for the American Countess.
Mary smiled. "Mama, I had no idea you were so bold! That lipstick is something I might expect from Rose's flapper days. You didn't wear that to the hospital, did you?"
"Of course not," Mama chided with a small laugh. "No, I bought it when I went into Ripon a few days ago. Can you believe they're selling it in the shops in Ripon now? And I thought it might be nice to try it out, just here at home with the family. I don't think I could ever show my face in public like this."
Lady Grantham's bright blue eyes sparkled with mirth, and it pleased Mary to see her mother be excited about something so small. She worked hard and often put the pleasure of her family above her own. It was nice for her to have a little something for herself.
But the light in Mama's eyes soon died. Henry and Tom were both making pointless but polite comments about the lipstick, but Mama was looking across the table at Papa who was staring at her with a look of shock and even anger on his face.
Through the rest of the meal, Mary kept up the discussion with Tom and Henry about their business and about the children. Mama ate quietly, glancing up at Papa periodically. Mary's eyes watched both her parents. Papa did not say a word. He almost looked like he was in pain. He picked at his food and barely ate a bite.
When dessert was finished, Mama spared a pained expression of her own at Papa, who did not meet her eyes. "Shall we go through?" she suggested sadly.
Mary joined her mother. Tom and Henry stayed for brandy and cigars with Papa.
But almost as soon as the ladies were settled in the sitting room, discussing Caroline's fussiness and how they hoped she would grow out of it, Henry appeared at the door with Tom right behind him.
"Is everything alright?" Mama asked with concern.
Tom shrugged. "Robert said he wasn't feeling well. He asked us to come keep you company and he'd go upstairs. He dismissed Barrow as well."
Mama frowned. "Oh dear," she muttered to herself. To the rest of them, she said, "I'd better go check on him."
"Shall I ring for Doctor Clarkson?" Henry offered kindly.
"No, I don't imagine that will be necessary, but thank you," she answered. "I'll bid you all goodnight, I think."
The three murmured their goodnights. Mary sighed when the door closed. "I daresay my terribly traditional Papa has gotten quite upset that his wife wore lipstick to dinner."
"Do you think?" Tom asked dubiously.
Mary nodded.
"Well, I hope he doesn't make Cora feel too badly about it. She did look quite good with it. And she was so happy," Tom noted.
Mary agreed wholeheartedly.
As the young people discussed the Earl and Countess, the Countess herself was making her way upstairs. Her heart had plummeted to her stomach. She'd hardly been able to eat, what with Robert sulking angrily at her across the table. Cora had hoped that after all these years, he might be starting to move with the times just the smallest bit. Apparently not.
She had worn lipstick somewhere other than their bedroom, yes. He had made her promise time and again that she'd only ever wear it for him, yes. But that had been years and years ago. The last time Cora had worn that old pink lipstick was when she'd scraped the bottom of the tin just before Mary was presented. She'd meant to buy more while they were in London for the season, but they were just so busy! And then she had forgotten.
And now, Cora had taken quite a daring chance—bold, as Mary had said—to buy the red lipstick she'd found in Ripon and to wear it to dinner. It wasn't as though anyone else had seen, only Mary and Henry and Tom! She never would have considered wearing it if they had Mama or any other guest over! But Robert couldn't think of that, of course. All he saw was Cora making a show of herself. He probably thought she was far too old for such things.
Maybe she was. Maybe the days of wearing lipstick were all behind her. She'd offer to throw it out if Robert wanted her to. It wasn't worth him getting so upset over, even if she thought he was wrong for getting upset about something like this. If Cora had learned one thing over more than thirty-five years of marriage to Robert, it was that there were battles to be chosen with him. This was not one worth fighting.
She went right to his dressing room, bypassing the door to her own bedroom. Best to not let this fester too long. She knocked on his door. "Robert?" she called, "Can I speak with you please?"
The door opened sharply, and Robert reached out and grabbed her wrist, dragging her into the room. She yelped in surprise at being yanked about. He slammed the door closed and pressed her back against it. Before she knew what was happening, his lips were on hers.
Robert was a man possessed. He had thought that, at his age, he was beyond such things. He'd be sixty at his next birthday! He was an earl who had been married for more than three decades! And yet he had spent the whole of dinner so painfully aroused that he thought he was about to go mad. He couldn't think, he couldn't speak, he couldn't eat. All that filled his mind was Cora and her red-painted lips.
He pressed against her, ensuring that she would feel his arousal against her hip as his tongue surged into her mouth. He'd taken her by surprise, he knew, but he couldn't help it. And after a moment of surprise, she wrapped her arms around his neck and tangled her fingers in his hair and held him close as her lips moved against his eagerly.
She pulled away, needing to catch her breath. His lips moved down her neck. "Robert, what…?" Cora couldn't finish asking the question. She was feeling rather light-headed.
"I warned you," he muttered against her skin, barely able to form words himself, "that if you ever wore lipstick in public, I'd not be able to control myself."
Cora laughed. It had been at least twenty years since he had said that. "I didn't think you were serious. Not anymore, at least."
Robert lifted his head to look at her. The red was smeared all over her lips from his attentions, but he didn't mind at all. He liked it when he made her look a bit ravished. He quite enjoyed ravishing her.
As she looked into his eyes, she saw them dark and hungry for her. She'd not seen that look in a long time. Oh they had not become strangers to passion—far from it, despite their age—but such activities now took place in their bed, in the dark, and lacking this near-feral need that Robert now obviously felt. He was inspiring the same thing in her.
"Do you think that there will ever be a day when we live on this earth that I do not desire you?" he asked.
"We are getting older, Robert," she pointed out.
"I know that, Cora. But my love and admiration for you has only grown through our years together. And though it certainly surprised me to see you wearing that lipstick, and red lipstick at that, I know by now that you always have a way of surprising me."
She gazed at him, affection shining in her eyes. "So you aren't angry at me?"
"Only for ruining my dinner. I am sure I shall be famished for food once I've gotten my fill of you," he teased.
Cora smirked. "I rather think it is I who shall be filled with you," she replied back.
Robert nearly choked at her lascivious insinuations. "Cora!"
She leaned her head back to laugh, showing off the red streaks on her neck where he'd spread more of her lipstick. He should like to spend more time with his lips on her neck, he decided.
Her elegant hand snaked down between them and stroked him through his trousers, nearly making his knees buckle. "You mean to tell me," she whispered, "that you've been like this all through dinner?"
All Robert could do was whimper in response. He lost all control after that, as much as he might have thought he was maintaining until that moment. He tore Cora's clothes off of her, quite literally, and moved her to the small bed of his dressing room and the both of them were crying out for each other before they knew it.
The next thing Cora knew, she was waking from a very sated doze in the middle of the night. Robert had worn them both out. But his stomach started rumbling, which woke them with sheepish giggles. They got out of bed—well, off of the bed, as they'd not been able to actually make their way under the covers—and Cora carried her ruined clothes through to the bedroom. Baxter was a brilliant seamstress and she could fix anything, though Cora did worry if some of these garments might be beyond repair. And she did feel badly that there was so much extra work to give Baxter.
By the time Cora found her dressing gown, Robert had made his way in, wearing his own dressing gown. Cora caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and found her hair sticking out in all directions and her face and neck covered in red smudges from the lipstick. Robert looked much the same. When she suggested they wash it off, he suggested they leave the souvenir of their passion for just a little longer.
With that, the Earl of Grantham took his Countess by the hand, and together they snuck through the halls of Downton Abbey all the way down to the kitchen. It was so late that the staff had all gone to bed. But Cora turned on the lights and they raided the kitchen as quietly as they could. The leftover chicken from dinner was in the refrigerator, and Robert devoured it greedily. Cora herself wasn't as hungry, but she did find some potatoes that she nibbled on as they sat together atop the kitchen worktable in nothing but their dressing gowns.
"Cora," Robert began between bites.
"Yes, darling?" she responded.
"Does that lipstick come in any other colors?"
She giggled, turning her head to bury her face in his neck. "I think there are a couple of other shades I saw in the shop, yes," she answered once she got her laughter under control.
"I think it might be nice to add to your collection. Just…not until after dinner. I can't have another night like this at my age."
"Oh I think you did quite well, Robert."
He nudged her for her teasing. "I mean sneaking into the kitchen to eat afterwards. You know we shouldn't be down here," he reminded her.
"I know," she conceded. "Though it is sort of nice. I just can't help but be grateful that Carson no longer lives in the house. He's caught us in compromising positions before, but I think this might be a bridge too far for him."
"Yes, I'm afraid seeing this scene might do the old boy in."
"Don't even joke about things like that," she scolded.
"I'd just as soon have no one see us like this. Just as I still don't want anyone else to see you wearing that lipstick ever again. It's just not fair, Cora. I want you too badly."
She grinned proudly. "I do love hearing you say that. And I am sorry that I made you so uncomfortable tonight. I really didn't expect that reaction. But I'll agree not to wear it outside the bedroom anymore. I like when we can have something that's just ours. Something for just us two."
Robert put the bowl down and used his clean hand to take her chin gently in his fingers and tilt her face toward him. He kissed her softly and whispered, "Just us two, my darling. Always."
Cora smiled at him lovingly. That was all she wanted. All she had ever wanted.
THE END