Cora was very tired after two days of almost no sleep. She had spent all her energy analyzing what had happened with Lord Downton from every possible angle, hoping to find even a slither of justification for her decision, but there was nothing to show for. She knew that she had almost certainly just thrown away the only hope she would ever be offered and as it had become clearer as the hours passed by, the feeling of horror and desolation at her chosen path increased. Cora was desperate. She stood up from her vanity where Miss Lacombe had left her after helping her dress for the day. She had been staring into that mirror with empty eyes for long enough.

Cora rang the bell and within a few minutes she had climbed into the carriage bound for Crawley House. As the carriage drew closer to its destination, Cora wracked her brain. What could she possibly say that would be enough for him to even consider looking at her? She had no idea. All she knew was that she was truly sorry and that just had to be enough. Her happiness depended on it. Cora was so engrossed in her thoughts that she got a surprise when the door opened for her and she looked out to find herself at the house already. Stepping out she hurried up to the door and rang the bell.

Oldroyd opened the door and was taken aback as Lady Durham stood before him, peering inside. "May I help you Lady Durham?" he asked quizzically.

"Yes, I have a message for Lord Downton. Is he here?" Cora lied. She did not want any servants to think that it was her message and not someone else's.

"No Lady Durham, I am afraid he is not," Oldroyd responded.

"I see. Do you know where he went?"

Her carriage driver took Cora right into the heart of London's business district. The traffic was heavy and Cora wondered if her driver would be able to see the building she was heading for.

Around the next corner, a long 16th Century block appeared just as Oldroyd had said. This must surely be Chancery Lane. Cora's eyes darted along the steps up into the building but she could not see Lord Downton so she guessed he must still be in his meeting or dishearteningly, she had missed him. Cora leaned back against her seat and sighed but as her eyes came back into focus she saw a tall man with broad shoulders standing right at the side of the road. He appeared to be hailing a cab. Cora's heart skipped a beat and she called for the driver to stop right in front of him. The man clearly thought he had successfully flagged down an empty coach down as he did not hesitate to step forward. The driver jumped down and opened the door and Cora quickly hopped out.

Lord Downton found himself face to face with Lady Durham whose expression he saw was a mix of relief, nervousness and something else he couldn't quite place. "I don't believe it, good morning Lady Durham," he said as he struggled to regain his composure.

"Good day Lord Downton, I am so pleased I found you!" Cora told him, trying to reign in her emotions.

"Found me? Is there a problem?" he returned her stare feeling quite out of sorts.

"Yes, I am the problem."

"I see," Lord Downton said as her sideways apology hit its mark. "Well I hardly think a busy street the best place for a private talk Lady Durham." He cocked his head to one side, waiting to see how she would react to yet another invitation from him.

"I quite agree. If you get back in the carriage with me then perhaps we could go to that inn you spoke of?" she asked hopefully. Lord Downton nodded and turned to the driver. He uttered some instructions under his breath and climbed in after Cora, sitting across from her. She looked away feeling slightly ashamed of pursuing him.

As if reading her thoughts, Lord Downton broke the loud silence between them as the carriage started to trundle along again. "Did you actually come looking for me or was this a case of chance?"

"No, I went to your house first but you weren't there. I just had to find you for I feel terrible for treating you the way I did the other day and want to apologize." Cora finally pulled herself together and looked him in the eye. He gave her a gentle smile.

"Apology accepted Lady Durham. I am ever so glad to see you I must say. I really thought I had blown it," Lord Downton said. Cora was most put out.

"The fault was entirely mine-"

"But I was rather forward with you."

"Then shall we simply agree to put that all behind us and start again? I hope I am not too late to accept your offer?" Her eyes communicated all she could not bring herself to voice. Lord Downton observed this silent plea with some degree of pain for her. He could sense how scared and uncertain she still was.

"There is a room behind the main pub at the inn where aristocrats sometimes meet; I suggest we see if it is vacant when we arrive." He watched with a little satisfaction as she started to relax into her seat.

The George Inn wasn't a particularly handsome building and it had small windows and a front entrance that seemed to have been built when people were a lot shorter a few generations ago. Cora sat in the carriage gazing at Lord Downton's choice of location with some trepidation. She had never been to a place like this before and it was definitely on the edge of town as there were fields across the road where some cows grazed lazily. Cora turned her attention back to the inn as the front door opened. She giggled as Lord Downton had to crouch down by to his shoulder height to get through the door. He purposefully strode back to the carriage and opened the door where Cora's anxious face poked out.

"Well?"

"The back room is free and we may use it." He extended his hand and helped Cora out of the carriage before motioning for her to go in front of him.

Cora walked up to the door and found herself having to slightly bend her knees in order to pass under the doorway without banging her head as well. "I am afraid this place was built in the 1400's so the doors and rooms are small, even by middle class standards," Lord Downton explained. He stepped around her and took the lead as they weaved in between some small but quaint tables and chairs, most of which were occupied by middle class patrons who paid no obvious attention to them and they headed for the bar at the back of the room. Lord Downton exchanged a nod with the barman who was also the owner and he stretched out his hand towards the door at the side and turned the handle.

Cora cautiously slid past him into the dimly lit room and looked around. There was a table in the middle of the room with six unpolished wooden chairs, a fireplace that was not lit and a glazed window but the rest of the room was bare. Cora turned back to Lord Downton as he shut the door behind him. "I thought you said aristocrats sometimes use this place," Cora stated incredulously. She hadn't envisioned this at all. And she had secretly been expecting at least one bed.

"It is used as a private meeting point to discuss matters of business as I understand. I was told about this place by an acquaintance of mine some time ago and made a point to remember it in case I could one day make use of it. And you needn't worry about the reputation of this inn," he added as an afterthought as Lady Durham's insecurities from their last conversation came to the forefront of his mind again. "Shall we take a seat?" Cora nodded as Lord Downton pulled out a chair for her and she sat down, thanking him while he went around to the opposite side of the table as he took his own seat.

They both stared at each other for a couple of minutes, trying to figure out how to proceed without causing each other offence. "Well since this is a business rendezvous," Cora started but Lord Downton quickly cut her off.

"I do not consider this business Lady Durham just because these walls usually host it. This is very personal for me," he informed her and clamped his mouth shut, wondering if he had overstepped the mark with her again.

"I am glad because it is hitting very close to home for me as well," Cora breathed. Collecting her thoughts together she continued, "You said you knew some things about my husband the other day. I would like to know what knowledge you are in possession of and how you see my marriage." Cora could not believe that any of the words that were now hanging in the air could have possibly been hers. Her voice sounded foreign and distant and she wasn't normally a prying woman either. She meshed her fingers together and rested her hands in her lap, biting her bottom lip and only watching him out of the corner of her eye.

Lord Downton rested his attention on her seriously. "Very well, I shall not deny your request on one condition." Cora stiffened. "I will tell you everything I know only if you tell me how Lord John treats you behind closed doors." Cora gawped at him as she turned more and more pale. Lord Downton, worried that she would not accept his condition hastened to add, "Anything you say will stay solely within my possession. I will not include anyone else in this be they family member or friend. Please do not be afraid to talk about it. You are safe here with me, I promise." Cora's heart fluttered at his last words and she nodded once to acknowledge him.

"I am putting all my trust in you with this Lord Downton," she swallowed, her blood pumping loudly in her ears. "Lord John was like every other gentleman who tried to court me when I first arrived in London. He made it plain to me that his proposal was for a great title in exchange for my fathers' money as his fathers' estate in Devon was in a lot of financial trouble. It wasn't until after we were married that the true nature of his character began to show itself," she said and looked across the table at him. He sat quietly, his whole attention focused on her. "I have discovered he has a weakness for alcohol. He drinks a lot more than he should and it affects his behaviour. Some of the worst nights of my life have been when he came into my room drunk," Cora whispered as her emotions started to rise up inside her. "He has very high expectations of me as if he expects me to be perfect which is of course impossible. And when I do something wrong he, he punishes me." Lord Downton's eyes widened as images of Lord John abusing the woman sitting before him now ran through his mind and he slowly shook his head, a frown now firmly on his face. "I am very afraid of him Lord Downton. Very afraid. He is very controlling and possessive and he has no regard for my feelings. I feel so trapped, isolated and worthless and see no way out nor any hope for my future." Tears began to cascade down Cora's cheeks as Lord Downton clenched his fists. "It is such a relief that he is away at the moment," she choked.

Lord Downton felt his heart breaking for this sweet, young woman sitting opposite him who had captivated him so much at the Masquerade Ball. She really had been hiding behind a mask, but not just that night. Lady Durham had been forcing herself to conceal her personal hell from society because it was not considered proper for her to have anything less than a happy marriage in the eyes of the world. How he wanted to be her hope for her future. Her sobs broke his wandering thoughts and he felt an overwhelming urge to take her into his arms and comfort her but he forced himself to stay put.

"How dare he treat you like that!" Lord Downton growled. "That is so atrocious and not befitting of any man who calls himself a gentleman. It makes me nauseous just thinking about it. Lady Durham, you cannot fathom the depth of the pain I feel for you. I am really determined to do all I can for you now."

"But, but how can you help? I mean really help?" Cora wheezed as her chest heaved under the strain of her emotions.

"Well I will try to help you legally. I have some men that I could get to gather evidence against Lord John but it will be difficult for you to get a divorce as women legally need more than abuse to mount a legal argument. Adultery and such like." Cora had not even considered divorce as an option and she looked straight at him, drinking in the situation he had just outlined.

"It is so unfair. Why should we need to have more than horrendous treatment to get a divorce?" Cora rose from her chair and walked over to the small glazed window and wrapped her arms around herself as a fresh batch of tears made their way to the surface.

"I don't make the law," Lord Downton sighed and also got up. He sidled up next to her but did not touch her as much as he badly wanted to. Cora turned to him, trying to wipe away her tears. Something inside Lord Downton finally snapped as he looked down at her defeated form. Tentatively, he reached out and placed his right hand on her upper left arm, his thumb rubbing up and down. Cora made no effort to recoil from his touch and instead placed her hand over his as they both tried to feel out each others' next move.

"Would ah, would you like to call me Cora when it is just us?" she asked so quietly he barely heard her. Lord Downton paused, deep in thought.

"I am not sure that would be appropriate or honourable," he thought out loud. Cora suddenly retracted her hand from over his and headed for the door spilling a flood of apologies in her wake. "Lady Durham," Lord Downton called after her but stopped short. He was now beyond desperate not to lose her again after all that had happened between them. "Cora," he said gently as he watched her hand still on the doorknob. "Cora," he tried out her name again, delighting in how natural it sounded coming off his tongue. "Please don't run away from me again." Cora's hand fell off the doorknob as she turned away from the door and slowly made her way over to the fireplace in the corner of the room, staring into the cold ashes as if they represented her destiny. She sensed rather than saw Lord Downton come over to her side once again. "Call me Robert," he murmured and set the fire in her heart.