The jarring tempo of his own crying rocked Robert back into awareness. Squeezing his arms, trying to hold Cora closer, his arms were suddenly empty. Jolting up, Robert was no longer outside her abandoned estate, but laying by Milton lake. The moon high up in the sky, snow was cascading down rapidly, making the landscape bright despite the late hour. The terrible burden of holding an unconscious Cora still ached his arms, and he rubbed his biceps, unable to trust that it was all just a nightmare.
"Robert!" The sound of his name was muffled by the snowstorm but it reached his ears nonetheless and he bolted up, stumbling toward it.
"Cora!" He called back, tripping through the accumulating snow in the direction of her echoing voice.
Through a gap in the woods, she appeared, her shoulders hunched and drawn in against the wind, her hand shielding her eyes from the rapid onslaught of snow. Suddenly his feet were made of lead, the anguish he had felt suddenly leaving his body and being replaced with joy. He stood in his spot, unmoving, watching as she looked around frantically, struggling through the snow. He tried to call out to her but his lips only mouthed her name as his throat closed up. Finally, she saw him and came running, sighing his name with relief.
"Oh God Cora!" Robert suddenly became animated now that she was within arms reach. Pulling her to him, he crushed her in his embrace, tattooing her face with kisses.
"Robert, you act as though it was you who's been half mad with worry the past twelve hours." Cora scolded at his actions.
"You have no idea." Robert exhaled, burying his nose into her neck.
"Robert, I feared the worst when you never came home…" Cora said holding him tightly.
"I'm sorry." Robert said, finally stepping away and taking her face in his hands. She shook her head and smiled in forgiveness. Unable to help himself, Robert bent down and captured her lips with his, the warm, plumpness of them a gift to his senses. She kissed him back, hard while shivering in his grasp.
Robert broke the contact reluctantly and rubbed her arms vigorously. "What are you doing out here? It's practically a blizzard!"
"I was going crazy in there wondering where you were. Tom had driven to the village to try and find you but he had no luck and then had to stay due to the weather. I snuck out to look for you." Cora wrapped her arms around herself as the wind picked up.
"That was very foolish! What if you had stumbled? Or ran into a roughian?" Robert admonished her sternly.
"I did run into a roughian…" Cora teased, leaning into him. Robert chuckled and opened his overcoat, trying to enclose her in it as well.
"I don't think it's wise to try and walk back to the house in this." Robert stated. "Come this way."
Robert rushed Cora to the stone folly by the lake. Inside, they were safe from the steady fall of the snow, but the building was just as cold as outside. Robert motioned for Cora to wait as he went through the rooms, looking for anything to make a fire or cover themselves with. Robert worried that his search would be fruitless when he came upon two dusty, wool blankets in a crate deep in the building. Rushing back to the entrance, he found Cora sitting on a window bench, blowing in her hands, her chattering teeth a steady beat in the background. Taking one of her hands, Robert lead her to the middle of the room and laid one of the blankets on the floor. He then slowly began to unbutton her jacket.
"What are you doing?" Cora asked.
"Survival skills, Cora. We need to share body heat. You need to get out of these wet clothes or you'll freeze." Robert said quietly, his eyebrows bouncing with delight. His eyes then focused their serious gaze on her as he pushed off her clothing, one piece at a time.
"Robert…" Cora sighed when they were both naked and Robert brought her into his embrace.
Guiding her gently to the floor, Robert began a reverent exploration of a body he knew better than his own. She responded in kind, rubbing and kissing and touching him, creating the sensations of ecstasy that she was so adept in that soon his hands became rougher, more needy. As they rocked together toward climax Robert thought of nothing else but their bodies joined in unison. When they were both finally spent, Robert wrapped his arms around Cora and they lay curled on the hard floor, a cocoon of wool blankets scratching at their naked bodies.
"Are you going to talk to me about it?" Cora asked softly, stroking his arm.
"Hmmm?" Robert replied, trying to throw her off.
"The dealer from Sotheby's called. He wanted to speak to you about some paperwork that still needed to be finalized. The Della Francesca didn't do well, did it?"
Robert paused and then shook his head against her shoulder. "It's going to bring in significantly less than what we needed."
"And that was distressing enough to get drunk at the Grantham Arms and wander off?" Cora wondered, her voice void of anger, full instead of sympathy.
"Yes," Robert's voice cracked, the feelings of self-loathing from earlier trying to resurface.
"We can sell the Sargent too." Cora stated.
Robert propped himself up, attempting to see her face in the dark. The outline of her profile was serene and sleepy as she looked ahead into nothing.
"I can't do that." Robert said. "That is yours. A gift from your father on our marriage."
"When he gave it to me he told me I might need it someday. I had no idea what he meant, but I think this might be it." Cora turned, looking up into his face. "It's mine and this is what I choose to do with it."
Robert shook his head and closed his eyes, placing his lips on her bare shoulder. "I cannot take anything else from you."
Cora tugged hard on Robert's arm until he came back up again. Her eyes were stern and determined. "Robert Crawley, you have never taken anything from me. I've given it to you, willingly. Just as you've given me everything you have."
Robert swallowed around the constriction in his throat. He traced the noble line of her nose and the gentle swell of her cheek until his finger glided down to her lips. "You do know how much I love you, don't you? So very much, Cora."
A surprised smile spread across Cora's face. "Of course I do." Cora lifted her head and captured Robert's lips with her own. "A girl can't get tired of hearing it though." She laughed softly, her breathy laugh mixing with his own inhalations.
Robert took Cora's chin and held it as he pulled away. "I mean it Cora, I get caught up in things and worried and petulant sometimes but it never has anything to do with you. I know we've had a rough patch recently and it's entirely my fault."
"Robert," Cora said, concern knitting her brow at his ramblings. "I think we both had a hand in that, but it's past us, isn't it?"
Robert nodded, taking one of her hands and kissing the knuckles. "Just please promise me you'll tell me if you ever feel neglected again or if you question my devotion to you. Don't let it eat at you, don't…" Robert's voice faded off, the image of her limp body in his hands flashing in his mind.
"I promise," Cora said caressing the side of his face before turning once again. Settling down, she snuggled closer as Robert wrapped his arms around her securely. He stayed listening, as her breathing evened out and her body sagged with the weight of sleep. His body ached once again, this time with gratitude. He sent a silent thanks to Hamish for bringing him back, and then nuzzled his nose to the back of Cora's neck, finding contentment before drifting to sleep.