Robert
It hasn't stopped snowing and they really are snowed in. They can't go to church, they can't even go outside. But Christmas day is wonderful nevertheless. Mary opens up to Marmaduke and Rosamund which might be due to the fact that Rosamund spends hours teaching Mary to play Silent Night on the piano and Marmaduke keeps praising her for her performance. The second day of being snowed in goes off without a hitch too and is spent much like the first. On both days he and Cora are the last to go upstairs and he comes close to telling her how much he loves her again. It is getting harder and harder for him not to tell her.
On the third day Mary loses her temper in the morning. She is bored and wants to go outside but can't and she doesn't accept it. He has to keep telling himself that no matter how intelligent she might be, she isn't yet four and bound to lose her temper from time to time. His mother tells Mary that she could have tea with the grown-ups if she behaved and that seems to be incentive enough. Mary doesn't cause any trouble until tea, but apparently she doesn't think that she is not supposed to not misbehave during tea either. Mary smashes the biscuits on her plate and sends crumbs flying everywhere. He tells his daughter to stop it three times but she doesn't listen. He is about to send her back to her room when Cora turns to Mary.
"Mary, please stop it. That is no way to behave." Mary looks at Cora uncertainly.
"Listen to your mother," he says.
"Yes Papa" the girl says, puts down her plate and sits up straight. He wonders what he has said because everyone else is staring at him.
"Let's hope the snow will melt soon," his father says.
Mary behaves perfectly for the rest of the day and the next day. The only thing that worries him is that she seems to cling to Cora even more than usual. When he is alone with Cora in the sitting room late in the afternoon he voices his concern to her.
"Robert, are you honestly surprised that she clings to me now? After what you said to her?"
"After I said what when?" He has no idea what Cora could be talking about.
"When I told her to stop smashing the biscuits during tea the day before yesterday."
"I only told her to listen to you."
"You said 'Listen to your mother'." His stomach does a backflip. He had not realized that.
"I did? I am sorry. I didn't notice. I shouldn't have said that."
"Well, you did. You have raised her hopes up to the sky."
"Cora, I am sorry."
"You have raised my hopes up to the sky as well." He kisses her. In broad day light, in the middle of the most frequented room in the house. If they get caught they will be chaperoned for the rest of Cora's stay. He has been surprised by his parents leaving them alone together every night, but if they were caught kissing like that, his parents wouldn't be so lenient anymore. But they aren't caught and they keep on spending time alone together.
Because his parents are both tipsy before dinner New Year's Eve and drink even more alcohol during dinner they are too drunk to notice how little Rosamund and Marmaduke and Cora and he adhere to propriety. Or maybe they are just used to Rosamund and Marmaduke's disregard for rules so much that they are past trying to correct them as long as there are no guests. Cora doesn't seem to be considered a guest anymore but a member of the family.
Cora
She has to laugh at Lord and Lady Grantham. They are hopelessly drunk, both of them, something she would never have imagined could happen to Lady Grantham. They even do away with the rule that married people should never sit next to each other when in company and sit down on the same couch. When she points this out to Rosamund, her friend laughs. "That is the only rule of propriety they break rather often. They always sit next to each other in here as long as there are no guests around."
"No guests around? What am I? Part of the sitting room decoration?" Rosamund doubles over with laughter now.
"No certainly not. But they don't see you as a guest. Not really. When was the last time they called you 'Duchess'?"
"I don't know. Christmas or the day after maybe?"
"Have you ever allowed them to call you by your first name?"
"No. But I don't mind." She really doesn't mind. She has become quite sick of being called 'Duchess'.
"You are the highest ranking aristocrat here, except for your son. My parents, especially my mother, would usually go out of their way to show you the respect that befits your station."
"I don't find them disrespectful. I think they are rather nice to me, in fact. Your mother hasn't even said anything condescending about America for two days. I know it must be really hard for her."
"It is very hard for her. And my parents do go out of their way for you. Just not to show you the respect that befits your station but to show you that you are more than welcome here. Always. Ever since Robert made that 'Listen to your mother' comment that obviously didn't bother you, my parents have been quite sure that you will spend a lot more time here in the not too far future. They are certain that you will become a member of this family sooner rather than later. And they know that being called 'Duchess' makes you feel uncomfortable. So they've stopped doing it. You are not a guest in this house anymore Cora, you are much more than that."
She wants to answer something but Marmaduke grabs Rosamund around the waist and pulls her away. She looks at Lord and Lady Grantham. Lady Grantham appears not to have noticed Marmaduke's behavior but Lord Grantham certainly has. He raises his eyebrows at her, chuckles and shakes his head.
"What are you laughing about, dear?"
"Cora asking whether she is part of the sitting room decoration." So he has heard the conversation then.
"She is not. I would never put any decoration into this room that has come from America."
"That is rather good to know. I won't bring you any presents next time I go to America then." Her comment makes Lord Grantham laugh and she is glad that he seems to have realized that it was made in jest. His wife is beyond noticing what she is saying.
When the clock strikes twelve she is the first person that Robert kisses and he kisses her on the lips in front of everyone else. His now almost sobered up again mother exclaims an indignant 'Robert!' but he only smiles at his mother and doesn't say anything. As usual they are the last ones still up and as has almost become nightly routine; Robert dances her across the room.
"We'll get to dance properly at the servants' ball."
"I am looking forward to the dancing but not to the day of the ball."
"Because it will be your last one here."
"Yes."
"I'll see you on the 24th. Rosamund is planning on having a celebratory dinner on the day of my divorce. I am sure that you will be invited to it."
"She mentioned it to me yesterday. Apparently it will be only her and Maramduke and you and me."
"Who else is she supposed to invite to that? My then-ex-wife?"
"That is not funny."
"I am sorry. Mary's birthday is on January 28th. I am sure she would love for you and Sam to be here. You could come with Rosamund and Marmaduke again."
"I will."
"Good. It'll make Mary very happy. It will make me very happy too."
It is her who initiates the kiss this time and she knows that this time they won't stop at just kissing. Robert takes her hand and leads her to his room. Their kissing becomes more frantic and once they are halfway through undressing each other she says a half-heartedly "Robert, we can't" to which he replies "I know. But we can do other things." And other things they do.
She had always known that it would be different if she loved the man she was with and she felt a desire for Robert she had never felt for anyone before, but she had no idea how good and right it could feel. If she hadn't already made the decision to say yes when he proposes to her, she would have made that decision right now. She doesn't just want to spend every day with Robert anymore; she wants to spend every night with him as well. And she is sure that he will propose after this, because he is not the kind of man who would not propose to a woman after having spent the night with her the way they have just spent the night. She is also sure that he loves her because what they have done can only be done by two people who love and trust each other very much. Never would she have allowed her first husband to touch and kiss her like that and never would she have done that to him. But it felt right and wonderful with Robert and she knows this is proof of their true and passionate love for each other. They fall asleep in his bed, all tangled up in the blankets and wrapped around each other.
They are woken the next morning by the under butler Carson who softly knocks on the door and then opens it only a bit and says
"My lord, I thought it might be prudent to wake you now so that your valet can take care of you later on."
"Thank you Carson" Robert says.
"What was that?"
"I suppose he knows you are in here. Maybe he saw us going upstairs together last night and he doesn't want a scandal."
"I really better go now because I can't be seen running around the house in only my undergarments."
"You are right. Will you come down for breakfast? Please?"
"I like having breakfast in bed."
"I know. But I want to spend time with you and I can't come to your room."
"Should you ever be allowed to come to my room any time you want, will you let me have breakfast in bed?"
"Of course."
"Then I'll come downstairs today."
When she is on her way to breakfast she sees the under butler.
"Carson"
"Your Grace"
"Thank you."
"You are welcome."
The snow has not completely melted yet but it has melted enough for her and Robert to go for a walk. They take Mary along but not Sam because it is too cold for him to be outside for long. Mary runs ahead with Knight following her so that she and Robert are alone once again.
"Cora, I wanted to ask you a favor."
"Of course."
"Would you mind dancing the first dance with Carson at the Servants' Ball? My mother opens it with Richards, the head butler, and my sister will have to dance the first with my father's valet."
"I wouldn't mind that."
"Thank you, darling."
It's the first time he has called her that and it brings home to her how close they are to finally taking the last step.
"You're welcome."
She dreads the ball because it will be her last night at Downton. She knows that she will see Robert again in a little over two weeks and that she will be back at Downton in three weeks, but she has had enough of it. She just wants to stay put.
Except for the first dance, Robert dances every dance with her and she knows that they are being impossibly impolite but neither the servants nor any of the family seem to mind. They are the last of the family to leave and when they do, they both go to Robert's room again. It is their last night together for a while and they want to make out of it what they can, even if they can't do everything they would like to do.
Mary breaks down in tears when she has to say goodbye the next day and can't even be pacified by the promise of Cora coming back to Downton for her birthday.
"You are just going to leave me. Just like my real mother."
"Mary, look at me. Please. I have to leave. I can't stay here. Not right now. But I will come back. I promise."
"And then you will leave again. Why can't you just stay? Don't you love us?"
"Of course I do. But it is very complicated, I just can't stay now. I will be here for your birthday and until then I will write to you. I promise. But that is all that I can do."
"I will hate you if you don't write to me."
"Mary, I will write to you but what you have just said is very unkind. I don't want you to say anything like that ever again. Understood?"
Mary only nods.
"Very good. I'll see you the day before your birthday. I'm looking forward to it." She gives Mary a kiss on the cheek and the girl smiles again.
Robert has held Sam while she said goodbye to Mary and before he passes him back to her he says "I'll see you soon, my dear boy." It makes her heart melt because it shows her that Sam won't have to grow up without a father.
"I wish I didn't have to leave."
"But you do. It won't be long. I'll see you in London. Off with you."