"Bastard!" Cora said through gritted teeth. She gripped the letter, nearly tearing it in half. Two weeks with no word from Robert and they had been wondering if they would hear from him at all. She knew Sarah's money was stretching thin, especially now with two mouths to feed. But Cora had almost dreaded the arrival of the letter, dreaded going back to Downton and the way things were. She had been so content with Sarah here, sharing their room, exploring India together. Now she had the letter, and it was more disappointing than she could have imagined.
He only booked passage for one. After two paragraphs of reproachful scolding and condemnation of her frivolity with their finances, Robert informed her that he refused to waste a single shilling of his money on the likes of O'Brien. His money! His money! It had always been her money. And even now it was little George's money. Damn him! Damn him! She was enraged.
"Well I suppose it's to be expected," Sarah sighed.
Sarah sat beside her on the edge of the bed, reading the letter over her shoulder. Her calmness, her resignation or even nearly imperceptible relief provoked Cora even more.
"I can manage here just fine. You'll have to go on your own."
"No!" Cora stood up from the bed, shaking the letter in exasperation at her bedmate. "Don't you do that! Don't you send me away! I've come too far! You have to come back with me!"
"Why? Because you need a maid to dress your hair and wash your small clothes?" O'Brien spat.
"No, you-" Cora stamped her foot savagely on the floor, "you infuriating cow, because I'm in love with you! You read all my thoughts and yet you're so willfully blind you can't see that!" Cora gasped, astonished at her own confession. She covered her mouth with her hands, staring down at her former maid. O'Brien's jaw hung open. She stared speechless and wide-eyed back at Cora. Finally, Cora collapsed back down onto the edge of the bed. With her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands she began to weep bitterly. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," she sobbed, "I don't know what's wrong with me."
She felt a movement on the mattress and when she pulled her hands from her eyes she saw Sarah kneeling before her. She took Cora's hand in hers and reaching up, she wiped Cora's tears away with her thumb.
"No, m'- Cora, there's nothing wrong with you. Nothing at all," Sarah soothed.
Cora leaned her cheek into the gentle hand, "Please don't make me go away."
"Never," she said taking Cora's chin firmly, "Never. We'll get this sorted," Sarah stared down at the bedsheets, pressing Cora's hand, which was folded around her own, to her mouth. Not a kiss, more absentmindedly. She was thinking. Calculating. Cora looked on, acutely aware of the soft lips against her fingers.
Then at last, Sarah looked up at her, eyes gleaming. "We could sell the ticket! The price of first-class passage on the Empress of India would keep us afloat for months! We could even travel. And if we continue to share-," Sarah hesitated, cheeks reddening.
Cora could hardly contain her joy. "You clever woman! I could just- I could kiss you!"
Sarah's smile faltered. Her heart pounded as she gazed up at Lady Grantham. She had been in love with this woman for going on twenty years. Now she had her and she was frozen. Finally, Sarah lurched up off of her knees and taking Cora's face in her hands she kissed her. It was awkward initially, as first kisses often are, but not for long. They knew one another too well. She ran her fingers through Cora's hair, disheveling everything she had pinned up that morning. Cora's lips were hot and Sarah felt her own temperature rising. Her breath quickened as Cora's tongue flicked against her's. Cora spread her knees apart, pulling Sarah closer and nipping at her bottom lip. A thousand thoughts whirled in Sarah's brain. Her hands grasped at Cora's skirt, she wanted to tear it off, wanted to see all of Cora but she restrained herself. Then Cora, taking the front of Sarah's frock in her fists, leaned back onto the bed, pulling Sarah on top of her. Sarah groaned at the thrust of Cora's hips against hers. With Cora's long leg curled up next to her hip Sarah ran her fingers along the stockings and under the silk underskirt, shoving the skirt up around Cora's waist. Sarah had never felt so hot, she had never wanted any woman as much as she wanted Lady Grantham right now. But this was new for them. She could not be sure how far this mystifying creature lying beneath her would be willing to go.
Afraid of pushing her Ladyship too far, she pulled back briefly from kissing and whispered, "Is this alright?" Cora caressed the sides of Sarah's face with her fingers, pulling her close, pressing their foreheads together, she whispered, "Undress me." Now with confidence, Sarah rushed on. She pressed her lips to Cora's jawline, to her neck, to her collarbone, all while deftly unbuttoning and unclasping stays and pulling down the cotton frock and silk underskirts. Within seconds the Countess was divested of everything but her stockings. Soon those were gone as well.
"You're so quick," she gasped, "I can't even manage to-" Cora was still fumbling with the buttons near Sarah's collar.
"I've had twenty years practice," Sarah said, nibbling the corner of Cora's mouth.
Then Cora pushed her up off the bed and stood naked before her. She traced her lips along Sarah's neck as she slowly, painfully slowly, excruciatingly slowly, worked the buttons at the side of her frock. When Sarah reached up to help, Cora smacked her hand away, "I need to learn." Sarah was impatient but she found other ways to occupy her hands, running her fingers through Cora's hair, cupping her bare breasts, paying attention to the tongue on her collarbone. After several agonizing minutes, Sarah was finally free of her clothes. Cora looked her up and down with a self-satisfied smirk, which Sarah found rather amusing and incredibly sexy, and then she suddenly thrusted Sarah back onto the bed. As the Countess straddled her, knees on either side of her waist, Sarah leaned up wrapping her arms around Cora's back, trailing fingers up her spine, feeling the woman twitch at the lightness of the touch. She kissed Cora's breast, taking a hard nipple into her mouth and sucking. She fondled the other nipple with her thumb. Cora let out a moan between her teeth that made Sarah's heart race. Taking Sarah's free hand in her's she moved it down between her legs, whispering, "Here." Always obedient to her lady, Sarah pressed her fingers to Cora's sex. The walls were already slick. As she worked her fingers, she focused on the rhythm of Cora's body grinding against her hand. She tried not to be too distracted by the heavy breathing, then the sighing, then the moaning, but as Lady Grantham began crying out her name, "oh Sarah," in mewling gasps, Sarah felt her own body quivering. She was making the Countess of Grantham come. The sound of it made Sarah ache for her own release. Finally, Cora's hips convulsed, her fingernails dug into Sarah's shoulder blades, and then she was quiet.
After kissing her deeply between gasps for breath, Cora pushed Sarah back against the pillow. Sarah felt the weight of Cora's entire body pressed against her and the Countess kissed her lips, then her chin, then her jawline, and under her ear, making her eyelids flutter. She felt delicate fingers trace her collarbone down to her breast, pinching her nipple gently, then down past her navel. Sarah groaned and grasped the bedsheets. She was still aching from before. The fingers traced down near her sex and past to her inner thigh. Her thighs tensed and quivered. The fingers traced up to her inner groin, near her sex but not touching. Then they traced slowly, gently away again around to the other thigh. Sarah was losing her mind. As Cora traced her fingers back up near her sex once more, Sarah thrust instinctively but Cora stopped. Was she feeling unsure? Sarah turned her head. Cora gazed at her. There was no uncertainty. One eyebrow was raised mischievously. She was teasing! Sarah looked at her torturer with pleading eyes.
"I want to hear it again," Cora said.
"I- what?" She shook her head, lost, crazed. Her body throbbed. What did the woman want, Sarah would give her anything.
Cora did not answer. She only raised her eyebrow higher and tilted her head, willing Sarah to understand.
And then she did. "Cora!"
With that, Cora's fingers were on her, sending lightening up her spine. Her legs twitched, her back arched up off the mattress. Her toes curled and her fingers clawed the sheets. She continued crying out Cora's name "Cora, Cora, oh God, Cora" until she became utterly incapable of words, devolving into moaning gasps as the waves of her orgasm racked her body.
Afterwards, the two women lay quietly together, content, exhausted. Sarah turned her head, planting a quick kiss on Cora's shoulder, then lifted herself up to sitting on the edge of the bed. She pulled a fag from the box on her trunk. Lighting it and blowing out a puff of smoke, she gazed out their window at the city. She felt movement behind her, then two long legs wrapped around either side of her hips. A warm chest rested against the bare skin of Sarah's back. Cora kissed Sarah's neck and then rested her chin on Sarah's shoulder. She reached for the cigarette between Sarah's fingers and Sarah handed it over raising her eyebrow.
"I took occasionally to smoking Black Cats after you left. The smell was soothing," Cora said. She took a puff and casually exhaled the smoke as if she had been a lifelong smoker, "I see what you mean about the view." She replaced the cigarette between Sarah's lips.
"It is nice, or will be for a few months," Sarah said, leaning back against her lady, "I haven't a clue what we'll do after that."
"Would you consider coming with me to America?"
"I'd follow you to the ends of the earth," Sarah said very matter-of-fact, exhaling another fine curl of smoke.
"My mother has sympathetic friends in New York," Cora murmured, nuzzling her lips against the spot under Sarah's ear, "after we've had a bit more time to ourselves, I'll write them." Sarah sighed and her eyes fluttered again.
"How do you feel about racing cars?" Cora asked.
Sarah only raised her brow, tilting her head thoughtfully, and gazed out at the view.
FIN.