Seven days had passed. Seven full days that had felt like seven full months. It was ten o'clock already and Robert couldn't find any rest.
He had called Bates an hour ago, excusing himself with the guests and with his family, claiming to have a bad head ache and to be in the need of an early night, but in all truth he had decided to leave everybody just because of his annoyance.
He had been abstaining from elaborated food and alcohol since a week, but he was already bored and deadly tired of it. Of course he had promised to be obedient to his wife and children, but the wise earl of Grantham hadn't considered how hard would have been to be on a diet during a party and to entertain his guests while everybody was drinking brandy and whisky in front of him.
He knew that Cora was simpathetic. She had smiled at him at dinner, avoiding to take her portion of chocolate souffle with raspberry sauce in order to make him feel less alone in his abstinence from sugar, but the only consequence of that was a surge of guilt in his heart.
Robert was now sitting on his side of the bed, trying to read a book but being really distracted by the rumbling of his stomach. How he longed for at least one of 's cinnamon cookie or for a crème caramel to eat with a drop of rum and water...
He put his book aside, considering for just a second to pop quickly downstairs to grab something sweet to chew in bed, but he dismissed the idea immediately.
The guests should be gone by now, but he couldn't risk to be found by them or by the staff sneaking for a late snack in his dressing gown. In addition to that Cora would be furious at him...
He was almost ready to give in when his eyes went on Cora's vanity table
Last week Robert went to Ripon to run some errands and when he found himself in front of Cora's favourite confectionery, he couldn't resist to buy her a nice box of chocolates filled with caramel and brandy.
She has hidden the gift in the drawer of her vanity table, promising that she would have waited Christmas' eve to open the box, in order to share the sweets with him.
It has been so lovely of her!
He knew he shouldn't have, but before he could think again he was already standing and looking for the chocolates. He took away the box from the drawer rapidly, running back to bed to open it and to unfold the paper, sinking in the shame of eating sweets in secret like a chubby school boy.
Robert had already eaten two sweets when he heard some noises from his dressing room.
He managed to hide everything under the sheets just in time for Cora to enter their room with a wide smile on her pretty face.
"Here is my sweetheart." she said coming towards the bed taking off her dressing gown.
Robert looked at her with wide eyes feeling both guilty for his behaviour and flabbergasted by her warm presence.
"Hi, darling." He answered quickly, pulling the box a little bit further down the mattress.
Cora climbed on the bed taking his hand in hers. "I missed you tonight. Are you feeling better? You looked a little bit glum at dinner." she said, resting her head on Robert's shoulder.
Robert tried to put some distance between them, so that she couldn't find out that he was hiding a box of chocolates under the duvet. "Glum? Not at all Cora. I am perfectly fine."
At this, Cora put her arms around her husband's neck. "Oh listen, listen...My darling Robert tonight pretended to be tired, just to sneak upstairs and to stay all alone" she said indulging in a slow kiss on his cheek. "Does it mean that he prefers spending time alone than with his caring wife?"
"Don't be silly. I am just a little tired." Robert replied, taking Cora's arms away from him. "Why don't we go to sleep, darling? I am wrecked out." he finished, moving to turn off the lamp.
Cora though stopped his arm, caressed his face to make him look at her and kissed his lips softly.
"How can I let you go to sleep without dessert, honey?" she said teasingly holding him tight.
With this Robert forgot everything about the chocolates and his cravings for sugar and got completely absorbed by Cora's sweet attentions.
He slid down, rolling on his back and taking Cora with him. She was running her hands on Robert's shoulders and arms when she suddenly touched some wrinkled paper between the sheets.
"What's that?" Cora asked, detaching from him.
"Oh crikey!" Robert exclaimed, closing his eyes.
Cora looked at her husband with furrowed brows and a perplexed expression. In a second she pulled the duvet away, revealing with a rapid movement all the melted chocolates and their golden wrappings.
"You terrible trickster! To think that I felt so sorry for you!" she cried in shock, throwing her pillow at Robert.
"Cora, dearest. I am sorry I just..." he tried, before being rapidly interrupted.
"You just promised me that you wouldn't have eaten sugar until Christmas, but you gave up your promise after a mere week to eat chocolates alone in bed." she said, collecting the sweets from the bed.
"Cora, I am sorry darling. But I have eaten just a couple of chocolates, What harm could they do? I am not a baby, for God's sake!" he replaid in exasperation.
Cora stood from the bed, rolling her eyes. "Oh really? You're not a baby, right? That's why you hid from me to eat chocolates?" she asked rethorically.
Robert rose from the bed, coming in front of Cora to hold her hands. "Come to bed darling, come on!"
Cora huffed, taking her hands away from Robert's grasp "Robert, how can you be so selfish?" she said seriously. "Do you want to get sick? Do you want to leave me Robert?" she murmured on the verge of tears. "Because you know that I couldn't cope...I could't cope if..."
His wife was crying. His lovely wife was crying at the mere idea of him leaving her. Robert caressed her face with extreme tenderness and hugged her tight. "I am sorry, Cora." He reassured, lightly. "I am so very sorry, my dearest darling. I'll be strict from now on, I promise."
Cora raised her face from Robert's neck. "Promise it again!" she begged, with animosity.
"I do promise, my love. I do." said again Robert, kissing Cora on the crown of her head.
They stayed like this for a while. Hugging each other in silence, swaying lightly and enjoying the sensation of being so close.
After a while Robert started laughing lightly.
"What is it?" Asked Cora, looking in his eyes.
"You know what? I was thinking that I can't give up entirely on sugar,when I am married with such a sweet woman like you." declared Robert, cradling Cora's face in both his hands.
Cora smiled looking up at him and hugging him tighter.
"Sweeter than chocolate?" She teased with a smile.
Robert kissed her lips, tasting their loveliness. "Without any doubt!" he asserted, lifting her up by her waist and taking her back to bed.