"Edith?" Cora stopped her middle daughter when she got downstairs.

Edith just crossed the great hall. "Mama? I thought you would stay upstairs today. Papa told us at breakfast."

"How can I stay inside when the weather is this nice. I will rest, but outside. But that was not why I stopped you."

"Well, let's first go outside and get you on a chair." She hooked her arm in her mother's. "Carson, can you bring the cushions outside and some drinks?"

"Of course, Milady. Good to see you downstairs again, Milady."

Cora gave Carson a smile. He was a hard-working man. Having a butler was something Robert insisted on, and Cora had to admit that in a house like this, it was easier to have certain staff. Mrs. Hughes made sure the maids did their jobs. There were too many rooms to clean herself. Especially when the girls were younger, she was glad about all the help. And now she was so used to having all these people in their house that she did not even notice.

Edith made sure Cora sat down on the lounge chair. She heard about her fall last night, and she wanted to be sure she was comfortable.

"So, now we are finally alone again." Cora started after everybody had left again. Carson had made sure they had enough drinks and food. "Can you tell me what is going on in your life?"

"What do you mean, Mama?" Edith asked.

"Well, I know Sybil is seeing Tom, Mary is going out with Matthew, but you never tell me anything about boys you are seeing."

"There is not much to tell." Edith brought her glass to her mouth.

Cora cleared her throat, what made Edith turn her head.

"Mama, your lungs are still not clear, are they?" She said with a worried face.

Cora stretched her hand towards Edith. "This will take time, but my lungs do not hurt anymore, this cough will also go away."

"Well, this has been nice, but I have some letters to write." Edith got up and kissed her mother on her cheek. "I will see you at dinner."

Lazily Cora stretched herself, the sun was nice and warm. She rested her head against the chair and closed her eyes. Just for a minute she thought.

Robert was on his hands and knees in his dressing room. Where was that letter! He had it in his hands last night, he dropped it when he ran to see what happened in Cora's room. He scolded himself for not being more careful and at the same time he got mad that Cora had interrupted him. He needed to find that letter, he needed to know what was written inside, but most of all, what if somebody else read it? That would be a disaster, even though he did not know what was inside, he could guess the contents. Robert let out a deep sigh, this mess was getting bigger and bigger. He rested his back against the wall.

How could he betray Cora in this way? Why did he not just talk to her, about how he felt. She would have understood, exactly how she understood right now, without knowing what was wrong. She thought he was mad, because of her lack of attention. Oh, she did not even know half of what happened. And yet she was trying to calm him down, her words of affection last night. Just thinking about her warm body against his last night, made his body tingle.

This morning when he opened his eyes, she was still laying close to him. Her top had crept up, showing her waist and belly. Softly had followed the lines on her skin with his finger. She turned fifty but still as beautiful as she was when he married her. They were both so young, she twenty-one and he twenty-four. He himself had gotten a bit chubbier and the grey hairs were present. But his Cora was still the raven-haired woman who he had met all these years back, he even dared to bet, she would fit in her wedding dress.

He shook his head, no time for daydreaming, he needed to find that letter. He got up and looked in the drawer again, but it was still not there. One more time he got on his knees to look under the bed.

"Milord?" Bates voice sounded. "Can I help?"

Robert shot up. "Yes, you can. Did you see a letter on the ground in this room?"

"I have not milord, but when I came in here, the room was already cleaned. Should I ask one of the maids?"

"I will do that myself." He walked passed Bates and rushed downstairs.

"Who cleaned my dressing room this morning?" Robert asked Mrs. Hughes.

"Milord?" Mrs. Hughes was standing with her back towards Robert, but quickly turned around. "I did not hear you come downstairs. Can you repeat that?"

Robert let out an annoyed sound. "Who cleaned my dressing room today?"

"Oh, it was either Anna or Daisy. Why? Is something not, right?" Mrs. Hughes ignored his rudeness.

"Where is Daisy?" Robert was too short, he knew that, but if Daisy had the letter, it was a disaster, she knew Jane was the sender.

"I saw her go outside; I think she is picking up some vegetables for dinner tonight."

Cora woke up from a hard voice. She recognized Robert's voice.

"Where is that letter, Daisy."

"I do not know Milord." Daisy's voice was shaking.

"Do not lie to me. I know you have cleaned my room, so you must have found the letter."

"I haven't Milord, honestly, I do not know where your letter is." Daisy was almost crying.

Cora got up from her chair and walked towards the noise.

"Daisy, I will give you one more change, before I fire you. What did you do with the letter."

"You need to ask Anna."

"I am asking you and not Anna, tell me!" Robert was now shouting.

"She cleaned your room, Milord; I did not go into that room today. I do not know where it is. Please, Milord, I cannot afford to lose this job."

"You are not losing your job, over something his lordship lost, Daisy." Cora interrupted.

Robert's head shot towards where the sound came from, and his heart froze in his chest. Cora had heard this conversation. He should have known better and talk with Daisy inside.

"Daisy, you can return to what you were doing. Can you ask Anna if she has found a letter?" Cora's voice was awfully steady, Robert thought. She then turned towards him. "What is wrong, darling?" She stepped closer and he let her tough his arm. "Why are you so upset about a letter?"

Was this the moment to tell her? He looked up and saw Cora's weary face and knew this was not the right moment. "I am sorry, I should not have reacted like this. The letter is not that important." He lied. "I will go and apologize to her right now."

Cora's grip on his arm got stronger. "You better wait, the girl is to shaken up right now." Her other hand rose to his cheek. "Can you tell me what is bothering you?"

"You know what is bothering me, that Tom boy is. Sybil is going over there for dinner tonight and I do not like it at all. He has never shown his face at our dinner table."

Cora sighed. "Darling, I do not think, he thinks he is welcome at our dinner table. The last time he was here, you practically shoved him out of the front door." Cora felt sorry for Robert, he was really upset about this, but with this behaviour he was scaring Tom away and Sybil into his arms. "Did Mary tell you about Matthew?" She tried to change the subject.

Now Robert's face lit up. "No, she has not, is there finally something happening between them two?" He asked hopeful.

"There is, he asked her out on a date." Cora hooked her arm into Robert's and started walking towards the front of the house.