Chapter 1

August 1901

A year later, Robert was once more back in London with his mother, sitting in the drawing room of their London home. For the second year in a row, his mother was forcing him to attend yet another ball during the Season. Currently, Violet was lecturing him on the importance of finding a new wife, and finally producing an heir.

"Robert, you will be going tonight," Violet insisted for nearly the one hundredth time that day. "You need a wife in order to get an heir, if you don't remember. If you do not attend tonight, or so help me god…"

"Or what, mama?" Robert snapped impatiently. "This time around, can my choice of bride not be of my own choosing and on my own time? If you remember correctly, I did not get to marry the woman I wanted the first time around, do I not deserve it this time?"

Violet stared at her son in shock at his outburst, her eyes wide. After the initial shock had worn off, her lips pressed firmly into a tight line, her expression clearly unimpressed. "You will go, Robert, and you will choose a young, English girl of suitable standing," she hissed, watching him carefully. "Is that clear?"

A sigh of frustration escaped him and Robert closed his eyes momentarily before standing and heading toward the drawing room door. "This is the last one, mama," he said sternly. "This is the last time I will go to a ball for the season unless it is for my own child. After tonight, you will let me find a wife my own way, and on my own terms."

If possible, Violet's lips managed to press into an even firmer line. "If that is what you want…" she sighed slowly. Despite wanting a specific life for her son, she knew that he would not find a wife if he didn't even enjoy the process of searching at events she suggested. It had been two years since his wife died. Perhaps it was finally time to let him find a wife on his own…surely she could trust him with that. He was a grown man, after all.

A small smile grew on Robert's lips and he moved to his mother, taking her hands and kissing her cheek. "Thank you, mama." He once more straightened up, giving her hands a small squeeze. "I will be back in time to get ready. I just want to take Isis for a walk in the park before I leave her for the night." Giving her one last smile, he turned and left the room just as his mother was about to protest.

After changing into proper clothing for a walk, Robertmoved down to the entrance hall, taking Isis' leash from the butler they had for their London home. He hated putting Isis on a leash; he would much rather prefer to let her roam free with him as she did back at Downton. Sadly, that was simply not how it was done in the parks in London.

Kensington Gardens were beautiful in August, as was Hyde Park. They had situated themselves on a hill in the middle of Hyde Park that went down into Kensington Gardens. For once, the sky did not look as though it were going to open up and pour rain onto their heads. It truly made her feel homesick, much like a lot of things had since her husband passed away. Even simply looking at her children made her heart ache.

There had been many times over the last year that she had almost considered accepting her mother's offer to return to New York or Newport. In fact, she was still considering it. William, her eldest, wouldn't be inheriting the title or the estate anyway—that went to her stepson, Philip. Perhaps she wouldn't go back to New York, but instead live in Newport year round…it would be a lovely place to raise the boys, and she was sure her mother would gladly allow them to have the house year round as long as she was allowed to visit in the summer.

"Mama, mama, watch!" Cora was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of five and a half year old Michael's voice and she gently shifted little one-year old Sylvia in her lap. Michael and Daniel, her second oldest boy of ten years old, were standing at the edge of the hill overlooking Kensington Gardens. Daniel was holding onto a kite while Michael held tightly to the spool of the flying device.

"Michael, you can't run fast enough, you're too little!" Daniel complained, pulling his little brother back as he tried to start running with the spool connected to the kite. "You hold the kite and let go when I tell you to. I'll run."

"But I'm not too little!" Michael insisted, a small pout forming on his lips as he clutched the spool tighter to his chest as though his brother were about to steal it from him. "I'm not!"

"Daniel, let him run," Cora interrupted the two's fight. "I'm sure he'll do just fine."

He boy pursed his lips slightly but let out a sigh and started to instruct his youngest brother on how to run down the hill properly. A few minutes later, twelve year old William ran after them to help, leaving Cora with Peter, who was currently nearly seven years old, and little Sylvia. She gently brushed back the baby's dark curls as she played with a stuffed bear before looking to Peter, who was flipping silently through a picture book.

"Peter," Cora started quietly, brushing the young boy's dark hair back as well. "Don't you want to go play with your brother's?"

He remained silent, still flipping through his book while his mother watched him worriedly. Peter hadn't been the same since his father had died, having been fairly close to him. He was much more quiet now, and liked to remain as close to her as possible, as though she would leave him as well. Despite their station, Cora and he late husband had tried their hardest to raise their children, rather than leave them to a nanny; she didn't care about the looks she received, she would rather be close to her children than alienate them.

It was nearly a few minutes later that Peter finally shook his head. "No...I want to stay with you," he answered quietly, moving closer to her as Cora gently rubbed his back in soothing circles.

Cora let out a small sigh at those words, nodding slowly as she watched the boy's sad face. "Of course, poppet," she whispered softly to him, kissing his head as she looked back down to the other boys. They had gotten down the hill now, but it seemed that the kite hadn't lifted into the air yet. A man and a dog were approaching them, helping them tie a tail onto the end of the kite and then sending them off to try again. She watched them with narrowed eyes, the kite going up into the air now as she heard her boys cheer.

"Come, Peter," she said softly, picking up Sylvia and leaving their blanket where they could see it. The three of them headed down the hill toward William, Daniel, and Michael, the kite still soaring well up in the sky as little Michael guided it.

"I'm sorry, were my boys bothering you?" Cora asked the man—who had his back turned to them for a moment—quietly. The man turned around, looking shocked for a moment when he saw her, before giving her a smile.

"No, not at all…" he said softly, sitting on a bench and patting the dog gently on the head.

Cora studied the man quietly for a moment, noticing that he was familiar and then sitting down next to him slowly when he gestured. "Forgive me, but you look rather familiar," she said quietly to him, adjusting her daughter in her arms as the little girl clutched tightly to her stuffed bear.

The man gave her a soft smile and looked back to the boys playing with the kite. "It is probably because we had quite a few dances together during your season, your grace," he said softly to her. And I would have married you had I been permitted to choose my own wife, he thought to himself. "I was Lord Downton then."

Cora stared at him with wide eyes before smiling softly at him. "Yes, I remember," she whispered. She had fallen in love with him at first sight before she had met her husband near the very end of the season.

Robert returned the smile and gently hooked Isis' leash back onto her collar, glancing at the time on his pocket watch. "I would love to catch up," he started regrettably. "But I'm afraid my mother is expecting me home so we can get to a ball we were invited to." He stood, holding the leash in his hand. "It was lovely to see you again…Cora," he whispered so only she could hear, respectfully kissing her hand as he used the name she had once told him to use all those years ago. "Perhaps we should have tea one day… catch up then," he added, before turning to leave with Isis following faithfully.

That is the end of chapter one. I hope you all enjoyed it! To clear up some ages, William, the oldest, just turned twelve, Daniel turned ten back in March, Peter will be seven in November, Michael will be six in December, and little Sylvia turned one in February. Thank you all so much for the reviews, favourites, and follows last chapter!