Thank you for reading on! It's a little bit later than I would have liked, but here's chapter 3! As always reviews are greatly appreciated and please enjoy!

Needs Must

Isobel was the first to break out of her astonishment and went to Cora's aid.

Whispers and frightened looks were exchanged as Isobel slowly lowered her gaze to the floor. Absolutely saturated.

"When did it start Cora?" She whispered gently, the last thing she needed was panic or fright.

"I'm not sure," Cora replied beginning to cry. "Clarkson saw me on Monday, but it was just Braxton Hicks. I've had them on and off all week, I didn't think anything of it when it started up again today-"

"It's alright" Isobel smiled kindly, putting a hand on her cheek. "No one was expecting a night like this".

Catching on quickly to what must be going on and getting further confirmation in his wife's soaked dress Robert went white as a sheet.

"Oh my God," he said, panic swelling. "Not now, please God not now".

"Well, what do you suggest we do, Robert? Tell her to cross her legs!" his mother quipped, snapping her son out of it. He was about to answer her but after catching Violet's eye thought better of it and kept quiet. Mary and Edith were still frozen in disbelief but Sybil, eager as always to help, had offered her services immediately. Isobel handed Cora off to her, walked over to the window, and began inspecting the curtains. After determining they were far too thick to attempt to rip she wracked her brains, finally coming up with an alternative, albeit a rather unconventional one. But desperate times call for desperate measures. Taking the paper knife from the writing desk she made a small cut to the fabric at the waist of her dress. Then, to Violet's horror, tore the outer layer of silk from it.

"What on Earth did you do that for?!" Violet exclaimed as Isobel placed the piece of fabric on the desk.

"Well," she began, walking back over to Cora "Silk is not the warmest of materials but under the circumstances, it will have to do. Whether you approve of the methods employed in its birth or not Violet, there will be a 4th Crawley baby in this house by morning. And I hope you share the same desire as me for the poor child not to freeze to death!".

Violet gave the women a disapproving look: "I do of course," she scoffed. "I just don't see the need for you to strip half-naked to ensure it!"

Isobel rolled her eyes before continuing. Sending Sybil to the settee by the fire, she instructed her to remove all of the cushions so it was bare and place them on the ground. Isobel asked Cora if she would like a drink of water and the woman quickly nodded before shutting her eyes tightly as a new pain started. Isobel heard her and spun back around to return to her side only to be swiftly cut off by Violet. The older woman was swiftly at Cora's side, holding her hand and allowing her, just as Isobel had done, to lean heavily on her. They stood like this for a moment then she asked with an uncharacteristic gentleness:

"Does moving help?"

Cora rapidly nodded as she inhaled sharply. Once it let up she again leaned heavily on her mother-in-law and the two slowly paced the room. Isobel stared on in unbridled surprise.

"You see, cousin Isobel. I am, contrary to popular belief, not made of stone".

The other woman chuckled to herself as she filled a glass and left it out for Cora.

2 hours had passed and things had gone from bad to worse. The fire had gone out about half an hour ago and it was only a matter of time before they started to feel the cold. Isobel had Cora timed at every 4 minutes if the clock wasn't wrong and Cora was beginning to tire. Everyone had spread out around the room to give her as much space and privacy as possible. Matthew stood idly by a window staring into the seemingly never-ending fields of snow. It was almost halfway to the window sill, an idea that filled him with dread. Even if they somehow found a way to get out of this room, there was nothing they could do. It had been a very seriously contemplated notion to break a window and send someone for help. But the first flaw was that that endeavour would be incredibly noisy and they did not know how their captures would react to discovering they had been defied. But secondly and most depressingly, even if Matthew, the natural nomination for the escapade, could have escaped unnoticed, it would have been impossible to safely fetch Clarkson and bring him back. The snowfall was simply too deep So, they were completely and utterly stuck.

Cora lay against Robert on the now empty settee. He held her hand firmly and encouraged her every time she tensed up. Usually, Robert felt ill at the mere thought of anything remotely medical and this whole ordeal made him slightly squeezy when he thought about it too much. But seeing Cora like this snapped him out of it. He never remembered it being like this before. But then again he had been so far removed from it in the past. The minute there was any inkling it had started from Clarkson he was ushered out and downstairs, not allowed up again until it was time to meet his child. Had it always been like this? Had he always abandoned his wife in such a shattered state? He shuddered at the thought of it. Cora collapsed back against him and began to cry.

"I can't do it" she gasped through tears, "I can't, please God make it stop I can't". The whole room plunged into silence and the exhausted, laboured, and terrified sobs cut the tension like a knife. Robert felt he may almost cry himself. He had never felt so useless, so utterly helpless in all his life. She begged them to make it stop, but they couldn't. He couldn't. Why on Earth couldn't he make it stop? Doing the only thing he could think of, he placed his finger under her chin and gently lifted it up so he could look into her eyes.

"Of course you can" he whispered, choking slightly. "Look at our girls" he continued, pointing to the three young women scattered about the room, all staring wide-eyed at them. "Look at what you are capable of. You made it three times my darling. And you are more than able to do it one last time"

Cora looked around her and smiled through tears before sitting bolt upright in pain again.

"Right," said Isobel, sensing she was more at ease. "I think it's time we checked how things are coming along. As it really starts to kick off Cora, it might be more comfortable for you to move in your chemise. If that is not too scandalous of course?" She smirked slightly.

"I think we're rather past that care at this stage" Cora managed to joke.

"Robert, I know we're without a fire but you will have no issue lending your wife your jacket to cover up a bit? Sybil, will you help me with your mother's dress?"

Sybil was swiftly at her cousin's side and Robert took his jacket off with no hesitation while they worked. He slipped it over his wife's shoulders as she sat back again and Isobel neatly folded the removed garment. Mary and Edith found they could do nothing but stare on in worry as their mother laboured. Sybil had done all she could for Isobel until that moment and had joined her sisters in their helpless watching for ages. Sybil moved away out of respect as Isobel stooped to check her Mother. Although much better at hiding them than most others in the room, the slight flash of nervousness was not missed on her face. Gulping slightly, she straightened up.

"Well," she began with another hard swallow. "I said we'd have a baby by tomorrow. And we'll be lucky if we make it much past midnight".

There's chapter 3! I'll have chapter 4 up ASAP and a review or any feedback you'd like to give would be so greatly appreciated!