AN: Thank you so very much for all the lovely reviews on the first chapter! I would never have expected that! And it really motivated.
I hope you like this chapter just as much!
As always, have a great day,
Kat
Cora – A rented London House, July 1889
The season is slowly winding down and she knows she has to narrow down her suitors. There are quite a few of them. Her dance card has always been full. She does not ridicule herself by believing that any of the men that are interested in her have an interest beyond her money. They all need her money but they are all willing to give her title. And that is what her parents want and what she wants. She wants to start her own life and this seems almost perfect. She knows she won't marry for love but that is just as well for her. If there is no love lost between her and her husband she can keep living her own life, travel a lot once she has produced an heir and possibly a spare. And that is what she wants.
She thinks that she can narrow it down to two candidates who are both interested in her. The Duke of Suffolk and the Viscount Downton. The Duke is of course already a duke and she'd be addressed as "your grace" which would be lovely. But he is also 20 years older than her, his estate is run down and there must be a reason why he has never been married. Viscount Downton will eventually be the Earl of Grantham, the estate is not run down from what she hears and while she is sure that he does not care for her personally, she thinks she could accept him as her husband far easier than the Duke. So she decides to say yes to the duke only if she has the feeling that the Viscount Downton will not make her an offer.
When she tells her parents about this they agree. There are a few more balls to attend and both the duke and the viscount have called on her during the day. She is rather sure that at least one of them will make her an offer. And if not, there will always be the next season.
Robert – beginning that same day at a ball
His father has ordered him to dance with Miss Levinson. Again. He thinks he has danced with her at least as much as Richard has but his father wants to be sure. He wants to be sure of her characters.
"I want to make sure that Richard's heir really is Richard's heir," his father keeps saying over and over again. The Earl of Grantham does not seem to think much of the faithfulness of American women.
"Back again, Mr. Crawley," Miss Levinson says playfully and it makes him laugh. She always makes him laugh. That is why he doesn't really mind dancing with her so often.
"I am afraid so," he replies.
"Your father wants to make quite sure your brother is making the right choice," she says and it is not a question.
"Yes. And he thinks you'll be more honest with me than with my brother." Miss Levinson lifts her head and puts her chin forward in a manner that he finds quite endearing.
"He is right. You don't have to like me. And I don't have to pretend to like you," she says.
"So you don't like me?" he asks in mock shock.
"I do like you. I would like to have you as a brother-in-law," she says and he knows he is supposed to pass this message on to his brother. And for some reason that knowledge seems to sting a little. But not enough to not enjoy his dance with Miss Levinson. They are quite good at dancing together.
When he passes on the message to his brother, he seems satisfied. "Good," he says. "I have a feeling Cora knows what she is getting herself into. She does not seem to expect a fairytale romance and marriage. She is rather independent. That suits me well."
It gives him another sting that his brother refers to Miss Levinson as Cora. He wishes women would offer him to call him by their first names. But maybe that is a liberty he just has to take.
Rather unexpectedly he meets Cora Levinson three more times that week. Once at his sister and brother-in-law's house during tea, once at a picnic hosted by a friend and once at a book store. And it bothers him. It shouldn't bother him but when they met at Rosamund's house for tea Richard was occupied with their father and Maramduke, and Cora sought him out as her companion. They spent nearly two hours talking to each other and when the party broke up he was rather sad to see her go.
"You have to be very careful," his sister said to him then and he replied "I know".
When they met at the picnic, Richard paid Cots much more attention than he did at the tea party but still he felt that there was pull between Cora and him that shouldn't be there. So he feigned illness that night and did not attend the ball they had all been invited to.
When Richard came home at 7 am the next morning the first thing his brother told him was that Cora wished him a speedy recovery. And that he kissed her. And that he went to one of his courtesans after the ball because he was "in the mood".
The meeting at the book shop was rather brief but the stunning smile that Cora gave him when she saw him up and about was enough to give any man weak knees.
.
"You cannot pretend to be ill again tonight," his brother says to him and brings him out of his reverie. "Cora will talk of nothing but you if you are not there. And I need you to tell her that I am going to propose to her." He pours himself a drink and drinks before answering.
"Why don't you just propose?" he asks Richard who looks at him as if he was stupid.
"I need to find out is she would definitely say yes or if she would prefer Suffolk, that old blubber head."
"You don't want the embarrassment of a woman saying 'no' to you," he says and thinks that it would be what his brother deserves, kissing one woman and then sleeping with another in the same night.
"No. I don't want Miss Walters to hear about it if Cora says no. Because if Cora does not want me, I will have to take Claire Walters."
.
He does not want to dance with Cora. So he dances with Claire Walters first who makes it very clear that she would say yes to his brother.
When he stands at the side of the dance floor Cora walks up to him and he knows he cannot avoid her. So he decides on being cool and composed.
"Miss Levinson," he says and she smiles at him.
"Mr. Crawley. How nice to see you again." He tried to be aloof, but then Cora leans her head to one side a little and asks
"Aren't you going to ask me to dance?" He shrugs.
"Alright," she says and smirks. "I will go American on you then," grabs his hand and pulls him onto the dance floor.
"You are unbelievable," he says and doesn't really know what he means by that.
After their dance he leads her outside onto the balcony because he still has to tell her that Richard wants to propose to her. And he cannot do that in front of other people. They shouldn't be overheard, least of all by Claire Walters.
"My brother wants to propose." He hadn't meant to say it like this, without any lead up.
"That was rather blunt," Cora replies and he says "maybe I am going American on you."
"I'd love to think that I could turn English gentlemen into Americans," she says and then takes a deep breath.
"You can tell your brother I'd say yes."
He doesn't know what to say. Of course this is what the family wants, between her and Claire Walters, Cora is the clear favorite. Even his mother prefers her over Claire although she is against Richard marrying an American.
"I wish you'd say no," he says.
"Why? I thought you liked me," Cora replies but he can see the truth dawning in her eyes.
"I do like you. And you marrying my brother, a man who will surely cast you aside sooner rather than later, would put me in an impossible situation."
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