They both sat in the back room of The George Inn with their hands joined and their knees touching, facing each other as they exchanged all their news since arriving back in London separately. Once that subject had been exhausted though, they had spent a couple of moments in relative silence. It was Robert that finally mustered up the energy to disrupt the enjoyable peace of just being in each other's company.

"We need to make a plan Cora," he said quietly. Cora flashed him a puzzled expression.

"In what context are you referring?" she queried.

"We need to move forward now. I want to start courting you but you are newly widowed in potentially suspicious circumstances and I fear that, were I to make a move too early then it could have some bad repercussions for both of us." Robert gazed at Cora solemnly and sadly. He wished the whole situation had been more straight forward but nothing in life was ever that simple.

"You think we should wait?" Cora asked, searching his face for confirmation.

"Only for a little while," Robert sighed heavily.

"And in the meantime…" Cora began but trailed off, unable to continue.

"In the meantime I suppose we shall just have to get on with life," he finished for her. He shrugged, unsure about what else to say to his downcast love. Then an idea struck him.

"Cora?"

"Yes Robert?"

"Perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea for us both to take an interest in other potential suitors-" Robert caught his tongue as Cora pulled her hands out of his grasp and jumped to her feet looking very upset.

"Robert how could you even suggest something like that?" Her voice was filled with cracks as her pain seeped in.

"Please, just let me finish?" Robert pleaded. Cora didn't say anything, turning away from him slightly.

"If we both showed interest in others first, maybe it would help to speed up the process of you and I finally being together." He stood up and hesitantly placed a hand on her shoulder. Cora's mind was working at a very fast rate but it was interrupted at the feel of his touch on her shoulder. She lifted her face for him to see and tried to stomp all her emotions beneath her feet.

"I don't much like the idea of you courting any other women Robert," Cora told him warily. Robert stepped closer to her, his eyes fixed on hers as he rested his other hand on her waist.

"It would just be for show Cora. You are the only woman that holds the key to my heart. There is only you, I want no other." His brows furrowed in concentration as he observed her intently. How he wanted to hold her but in that moment he wasn't sure if she would react well to his advances.

Studying him, Cora felt a conflict within her. She did not want to lead another man on or witness Robert doing the same with a woman. It just felt dishonest to her and moreover, she did not believe she could bear watching Robert give his attention to another despite the fact that she had his heart. A man might give his heart but she was very conscious of the fact that they were not yet in wedlock and she could lay no claims to him, emotionally or otherwise, should his eyes stray elsewhere.

"Darling?" Cora's ocean blue eyes came back into focus on him and she realized that he was waiting for her to expand her thoughts.

"I really don't want to do that," she said quietly. "I don't want to give any other men the wrong impression. I just want to focus on transitioning back into society as smoothly as possible at the moment and Lord Furringham is going to help me with that." Choosing not to admit her insecurities about Robert courting other women, Cora reasoned that she was probably just being irrational and he would see it as a lack of trust. The one thing she absolutely did not want at this point was a rift to develop between them which might threaten their chance to marry.

"Alright Cora, if you are uncomfortable with it and have already formed a plan then you should stick with it. I am sure Lord Furringham will not lead you astray and I don't want you to think I am putting pressure on you." Robert offered her a small smile as he ran his thumb back and forth over the crest of her shoulder.

"Thank you for that," Cora replied gratefully and relaxed. Robert felt the change in her muscles and saw it in her stance and he now, finally, felt confident enough to embrace her. Gently, he brought his arm around behind her waist and drew her to him and she did not resist, glad to be in his arms again. Cora sighed lightly, closing her eyes and longing for the day they would not have to have conversations like this, longing for the day when she would be his wife.

A week passed rather uneventfully at Durham House. Cora steadily made her way through her mother's letters and reordered them. Then she began writing to some of her friends, hoping very much that they still would be just that. She did not know what any of them might know of her situation so set about outlining a brief explanation and a query to meet up and have a talk. Rereading the contents of each letter, Cora made sure her olive branches were evenly spaced so that if any of them took her up on her offer she would only have to have a tough conversation once a day.

An invitation had arrived the previous day which had her very excited. She was to go to the Brockerworth's Ball in ten day's time with Lord Furringham and had already messaged Robert with the news. Even more to her joy, Robert had replied and informed her that he would be there with his family and he would try to sneak off with her for a quiet moment at some point if the opportunity arose.

Miss Lacombe had worked very hard to get everything back in order with her mistress and Cora went to bed late one Friday night feeling quite satisfied with the progress. As her eyelids drooped shut, she thought of going for a walk in the morning, reading and taking tea with Lady Cumberson, who was to call the following afternoon.

Her feeling of contentment at her current situation followed her into her dreams as Robert danced across her mind. He was so dashing in his dinner jacket and when he held out his hand to her she eagerly started towards him, her own hand outreached. Taking her out onto the balcony she gasped. The sunset over the Yorkshire Moors was so breathtaking that she was shaking in awe. Shaking, shaking.

"Milady! Milady! Wake up Milady." Miss Lacombe's frantic voice and her hand on Cora's shoulder which she was shaking incessantly, jerked Cora awake. Images of Robert and setting suns evaporated as Miss Lacombe entered her vision.

"Miss Lacombe, what-" Cora croaked groggily.

"It's His Lordship, Milady. You must come to his chamber at once." Cora struggled to sit up in bed, rubbing her eyes.

"Why? Is he unwell?" she asked dazedly.

"Yes Milady. He seems to have had an attack of some sort. The night footman found him in bad shape and immediately sent for the doctor." Cora's heart clattered to the bottom of her ribcage and a fear seized her.

"He is asking for you," Miss Lacombe continued. Throwing her legs over the side of the bed, Cora was quickly on her feet as she hastened for her father-in-law's room.

His breathing was shallow and beads of sweat were bubbling out of his brow as he lay in his bed. A pitiful site. The bloodshot eyes, his winces of pain. It all served to heighten Cora's senses into an alarmingly high state. She was by his side immediately, sitting carefully on the bed and attempting to give him reassurances that everything would be alright and the doctor was on his way as the maids stepped back to give her space. Lord Furringham rested his dark brown orbs on the only living relative he had left and silent tears began to push to the surface. He was dying and he knew it. The Dukedom would be lost, Cora would be booted out of Durham House because there was no other heir to his knowledge and he would leave her all alone in a country that was not her own.

"Oh Papa, don't cry please. Just hang on a bit longer. The doctor is coming as quickly as possible." Cora's features pleaded with him, urging him to not let his spirit break but the fact was it was already broken. Broken. Broken by his own son, his flesh and blood whose actions could be held accountable for his state now. Another searing pain ripped through his chest, pressuring his heart and crippling his lungs. He groaned and grabbed at his chest, as if he could reach in and sooth it into nothing.

"Papa, Papa! What is happening? Please tell me how I can assist you, please!" Cora began to sob as she clutched his hand in both of hers, bestowing wet kisses on it.

"C-cora," Lord Furringham wheezed. "Listen. My time is almost up." Cora began to shake her head profusely from side to side, unwilling to believe what she was hearing. Her father-in-law had always been such a steady and capable man and she refused to believe he was giving in to whatever was happening to him.

"Cora, my darling girl. I am so proud of you and it has been an honour for me to have you as a daughter-in-law. Find yourself another husband, a good man who will love you and protect you if not for your sake then at least for mine." He stopped to gulp in more air as his body shuddered violently.

"Why?" Cora's voice was barely audible. She did not question his request but she was well beyond understanding his suddenly imminent departure.

"Because of my son," Lord Furringham responded weakly. "I am so sorry Cora, so sorry." He mustered up the last of his strength as he began to feel a tug on his body. Using the hand she was clinging to he pulled it back to himself and kissed it as Cora wept silently.

"Find someone my Cora," he gasped. The tug on his soul was more insistent and a white hot pain which he had never ever experienced exploded with in him, cutting off his air supply. A wrench and then stillness. Cora felt his hand drop hers onto the bed covers and go completely lax.

"Papa?" she whispered timidly. No movement. She looked into his half open eyes and they seemed oddly distant. The finality of it knocked the wind out of her and she cried out in agony for those eyes would never retrace from their current state again.

"No, no, nononononono please. Come back to me please!" She collapsed on him and buried her head against him as her own chest tore itself apart with grief.

The days passed by in a haze for Lady Cora Durham. She bumbled through an ongoing list of visitors who did not necessarily think well of her but had come to pay their respects to the Duke of Furringham for he had commanded respect in his life. A polar opposite of his dead son who had demanded it and yet, they had both moved on before their times.

The funeral came and went as well. Cora had sat numbly by herself in the front row as the service and burial had been carried out. The only consolation in her deep grief and depression had been to see Robert who had come to the service in an act of discrete support for her. They had not seen each other since meeting at The George Inn and Cora longed to be in his arms and by the look on his face that she witnessed, his thoughts were clearly on the same wavelength. But she had not a single hope of that happening. As the only family member, she had the awful trial of being the other centre of attention that morning.

Miss Lacombe had sorted out every single black garment she owned and had seen to it that her Lady had everything that may be required. Lady Cora had been exceptionally quiet following her father-in-laws death and she wished she could say or do anything to help with the healing process but she also knew her place. Her Lady was doing battle deep within her alone.

Robert had been sending Cora constant messages of love and support as the days rolled by but she had not replied to half of them. She hoped he would understand and be accommodating to her at this point because while she appreciated them, having him around in person would ease her pain much more substantially. She pined for him and yet, a piece of her didn't want to see or deal with anyone, not even him. She knew she was cutting herself off from the few people who still cared for her but she couldn't seem to help it.

The day that the solicitor arrived to order her out of the house was the day she suddenly woke up. With only two days to pack up and move elsewhere Cora knew that what she was about to do was wrong but she did not see any other options available. Sitting at her desk in front of a blank sheet of paper, she thought about everything she wanted to convey to Robert. How sorry she was for being so distant, how much she loved him and wanted to be with him, begging him for his forgiveness then asking him for his help finding a new place to stay. The last point did not sit well with her in the slightest. She felt like she would be using him because she was confident that he would react just as he had in times past. And she would be proved right.

Two months later.

"There we go Milady." Miss Charlotte Lacombe stepped back from Cora's hair where she had just inserted a white rose into the soft brown locks as the finishing touch to Cora's ensemble for the Queen's Ball. After mourning her father-in-law for a sufficient period and seeing almost nobody except for Robert during that time, Cora had decided somewhat apprehensively that tonight would be the night that she would re-enter society. She was to attend the Queen's Ball, thanks to an invite from Lady Lincoln and some encouragement from Robert who was also going to be there.

Sighing and inspecting herself in the mirror, she thanked her faithful Ladies' Maid for her efforts and gathered her thoughts or more accurately, her nerves. She was feeling very unsure about the kind of reception she would receive after everything that had happened especially with no escort but she also knew she would have to face the music sooner or later and as Robert had pointed out, it was better to get the first step over with. He would be there and she was hopeful of a friendly conversation with Lady Lincoln or why else would her counterpart have invited her? With her resolve bolstered, Cora moved away from her full length mirror to the door, her beautiful lavender dress flowing around her.

The Queen's Ball was being held at Willis's Rooms, formerly known as Almack's Assembly Rooms on King Street. In honour of Queen Victoria's 50th year as the reigning monarch and coinciding with other Golden Jubilee celebrations, Lady Lincoln had received royal approval to host the ball and she had truly outdone herself. The whole building appeared to have been painted gold. The most ornate candles, portraits, intricately calved and polished tables, cutlery and crockery filled one room as delicious fruits and crystal wine glasses sat on the tables. There was a massive tapestry hanging in the main hall of the royal family, back when Prince Albert was still alive and there were many admirers. The musical entertainment had been specifically ordered from Buckingham Palace to accompany the usual group that played there and the very best champagne had been purchased for the toast later in the evening.

As soon has Cora had arrived, she had been jovially greeted by Lord and Lady Lincoln at the door and they had made small talk before Cora took her leave to make way for the next arriving guests. She had anticipated anxiety of the unknown after that point but instead found herself completely immersed in the grand décor of the assembly rooms. They were known to be grandest public rooms in London as it was but the influence of the royal festivities appeared to have transformed them into societal heaven. She spent the next while slowly working her way around the rooms, stopping to admire points of interest and was just having fleeting thoughts about looking for Robert when she came across a Royal Exhibition in a corner. She did not know much of the Queen's beloved deceased husband but she was aware of how he had loved the arts thanks to her own interest in it for it had garnered attention in America too. It was here that Robert found her, totally absorbed in another world.

"Good evening Lady Durham," Robert said formally and bowed to her.

"A very good evening it is indeed Lord Downton," Cora replied and lowered her voice. "Now that you are here."

"Cora!" he hissed teasingly. "There are too many pairs of ears here for talk like that." Cora giggled as she felt her spirits soar for the first time in weeks and she found herself wondering what she had been worried about.

"Sorry," she grinned. "Is your family here tonight?" Peering around him, she caught sight of Rosamund and Marmaduke, Lady Grantham and a man standing by her side whom she assumed was Robert's Papa.

"Is that the Earl of Grantham beside Lady Grantham?" Cora asked curiously. Robert glanced over his shoulder and turned back to her.

"Yes. I would you like me to introduce you?"

"Certainly," Cora said. After all, it was another step towards becoming a part of their family.

When the dancing had begun, Cora had anticipated that Robert would seek her out. She had gotten on very well with his father much to the delight of everyone except Lady Grantham who had been staring her down in a blatant show of dislike. She had then sat beside Rosamund and Marmaduke at dinner as they brought her up to date with their wedding plans. All in all, it had been a very enjoyable evening thus far.

Cora meandered along the side of the room as the first dance began in earnest, keeping an eye out for Robert and anyone else who she might know. Casting her gaze around the room she spied out Lady Wakefield on the other side of the room and hastened by the jolly dancers towards her. As she got closer, she realized that Lady Wakefield had a hand gingerly placed on her now protruding baby bump. She was not very big yet but Cora knew that soon she wouldn't be able to attend events like these as they would become too strenuous for the expecting mother.

Lady Wakefield was too preoccupied in the dancing with a wistful look on her face to notice Cora approaching. Cora cleared her throat and smiled at her friend. "How do you do Lady Wakefield?" Lady Wakefield was startled back to reality as she took in the sight of Cora and she immediately stiffened.

"I am quite well thank you," the older woman said, not bothering to return Cora's smile. Cora's brow creased in confusion as Lady Wakefield turned back to the spectacle before them, as if she planned to ignore Cora completely without even being polite.

"Is something amiss?" Cora asked more warily. Lady Wakefield appraised her coldly.

"Yes, actually there is something amiss Lady Durham." Her tone of voice sent a shiver of foreboding down Cora's spine and she braced herself for the worst.

"The particulars surrounding your late husband's death seem rather vague to me. I know you ran away. He came to me and several other mutual acquaintances looking for clues to help find you and told me all about your behaviour." Cora's mind boggled with all sorts of images and words as Lady Wakefield heartlessly plowed on. "You're running away was a callous act and completely dishonourable to your husband and I cannot condone your appearance here tonight." Cora stood there, quietly dumbstruck but a small voice inside her was quickly regrouping and ordering her to defend herself.

"Lady Wakefield, you are an accomplished and respected woman to be sure so I am curious."

"Curious?" Lady Wakefield repeated in confusion.

"Yes madam, curious. Curious to understand what could have possibly transpired in my absence that would see you believe my husband so unquestionably when you have not even heard what I have to say on the subject," Cora protested. Now it was Lady Wakefield's turn to feel dumbstruck as Cora looked her directly in the eye.

"Even if Lord Durham's version of events aren't entirely correct, that would not justify a disappearance by his wife into thin air, only for her to reappear after he is dead expecting to find nothing is changed. It has changed Lady Durham. Those circumstances alone are enough to warrant it and don't think I am the only woman in this room that sees this from this angle. Good evening Lady Durham!" And before Cora could even attempt an explanation, Lady Wakefield had turned on her heel and walked off, shunning Cora in front of an audience who had been watching the entire charade without her noticing. Burning with humiliation, Cora sought the shelter of the amenities and looking back over her shoulder and seeing the malicious gossipers amongst the group already chattering away, her stomach began to churn.

After a trying half hour in the bathroom, Cora once again prepared herself to face what lay beyond the door. She was quite sure that she would not be sick again that night as she had already conceded her entire dinner. Checking one last time to make sure she was in a proper state of cleanliness, she reentered the fray.

Taking care to stand by herself and observe the dancing, she hoped that she would not draw any more attention to herself for one evening and a part of her wished that Robert would not seek her out again this night as she did not want to be subject to more ridicule or have the burden of guilt, taking him down with her. He did not deserve that from his peers because that's what they were, his peers and not hers. Most of her kind still resided across the Atlantic in the New World and oh how she longed to be back there, with her parents and brother at that moment.

Thinking about home caused Cora's spirits to dwindle even lower and she strayed out of sight back into her past. The dancers before her now were no longer there, the room was more modern, not steeped in history and the people shared her accent, friendliness and customs. She could see it all again. The hustle and bustle of New York, the town hall jam-packed at Newport. She could smell the coffee and hear her brother holding center stage among a group of women. Movement by a very familiar figure then caught her eye. The visions faded and Robert materialized in front of her and he was dancing. Dancing. Cora suddenly remembered her desire for him to dance with her earlier and she strained to figure out who his partner was as the dancers weaved past each other in a reel.

The dance came to an end moments later and the most beautiful woman Cora had ever seen stopped in front of Robert. They exchanged bows and curtseys on the dance floor and Robert stepped towards his chosen partner. She flashed him a stunning smile and showed off her perfectly aligned, white teeth. Her hair was a magnificent golden blond and was done up in the most complicated design. She wore a peach dress that had a train with exquisite lacing extending behind her just enough to show off but not so that she would trip and her bodice was covered with pearls. Cora watched with growing trepidation as Robert engaged her in conversation, his eyes on hers the whole time.

In that moment, as Cora stood stock still, she remembered the conversation that had transpired between her and Robert back at The George Inn. It had been he that had proposed that they show interest in others first and it was she that had rejected the notion. She had been under the impression that the matter was closed and that no such thing would ever happen. The music for the next dance began its introduction and much to her vexation and mortification, Robert and this mystery woman rearranged themselves in a set on the dance floor in preparation of a second dance.

The pain Cora felt as she watched her Robert dance and converse with another woman as if he would pursue her knew no bounds. Cora's chest constricted. She knew she didn't have a chance of dancing tonight herself no matter what her feelings. Lady Wakefield had made that all too plain earlier and the whispers she had caught glimpses of only served to fuel that argument further. She couldn't monopolize Robert's family although she was sure Rosamund wouldn't mind and she certainly wouldn't be a nuisance to Lord and Lady Lincoln. She was alone in this huge, marvelous building surrounded by acquaintances she had once thought of as friends and they seemed to be watching her every move when she wasn't looking. The burden of this emotional dam was struggling to hold as Robert twirled the lady through the centre of the dance in a flourish, laughing merrily. The lump in her throat rose but Cora was determined to see this dance through to the end.