I know it's been a while but I hope this chapter is worth it. Please forgive any spelling mistakes, since I wrote this in the middle of the night.

Thanks to anyone who reviewed!

Chapter 4


All the music and chatter in the room faded away. He looks at Cora, a pretty blush rests on her cheeks and spreads to her freckled chest. Her turquoise eyes sparkle in a way he'd never seen before, the blue even more profound because of her brown curls around her sweet face. He is surprised to see her here, although they behold high titles in the nobility, they don't run in the same circle, since they live in whole other counties. They did meet a few times during the London season, but they'd both been busy with their marriages to give each other more than a shy smile. He is planning to change that, however. "How do you do?" He asked, delicately, trying not to shock her even more.

She laughs nervously, ticking with her gloved fingers against the stem of her champagne glass. "Fine. Thank you." They stand like that for a few uncomfortable moments, just looking at each other; examining each other without quite knowing what to say next. Cora is wearing a nice red gown, one that fits her body beautifully, though she doesn't seem entirely comfortable in it—her posture is a little stiff, and she keeps tugging at the fabric near her waist like it's too tight. She shifts her weight awkwardly from one foot to the other. Then, a little too suddenly, she scrapes her throat, trying to clear it gently, and his eyes shoot up to meet hers again. He realizes he'd been staring—at her shoulders, maybe lower—and scolds himself silently. She looks away, clearly uneasy, fingers now tapping the glass too fast. "How is Lady Grantham? Is she here?" Cora asked, breaking the silence.

"She is well, thank you. She is talking to Baroness Raven at the moment." He points his head to the corner where the ladies where standing and gossiping about what not. "And the Dowager Countess, is she here too?"

"No she is not. Unfortunately she's fallen ill, it's nothing serious but she couldn't make it today." That's a lie. The truth is that his mother and he recently had an argument about his marriage and neither of them were willing to lose this fight. He told his mother a few days ago that he couldn't, wouldn't, life with Isabella more, he told her about his feelings and that he feels trapped with her. His mother wouldn't hear of it, she may not love Isabella, or even like her but she told him that she would never agree to a divorce between the them. She told him that people like them were never unhappily married and if they are they just have to live with it, she wouldn't allow a divorce to tarnish the pristine reputation of the Crawley's.

That, of course all happened before he knew about the baby. Isabella and he had decided to wait announcing her pregnancy for a few days, just to discuss if his mother should know the truth, they decided against it. They only told Mary, not the whole 'Robert is not the father thing' of course.

Cora nods at he last comment. "Knowing Lady Grantham, I'm sure that she will be better soon. I don't think some illness can make her stay away from society. Not for a long time at least." She laughs softly and he joins her. Enjoying her sound.

"No, I think you are right."

Her expression became serious again. "And how is your daughter, Lady Mary, isn't it?" She turns to Mary, who is enjoying herself, on the other side of the ballroom, who is in the centre of a group of young men who all seem very taken with her. He bursts with pride at the sight of her, loving it that she has taken the roll of a Earl's daughter so perfectly.

"She is my pride." Robert answered back to her.

Her expression became sad, her eyebrows creasing and her eyes lost their spark. "It must be so nice to have a child you could dote on." He suddenly only wants to hold her, to comfort her, to make her gloomy expression go away from her face forever, he can't stand to see that look on her face.

Everyone knows that the Marques and Marchioness of Silverton had trouble to conceive a child and heir. The rumours are that Lord Silverton had moved on and has had multiple mistresses over the years, probably leaving some bastards along the way. He feels sorry for her, it mustn't been easy living with a man like Richard Silverton for two decades. He and Robert were barely acquainted with each other, but when the met, Robert always got a strange feeling from the fellow. And to have no children, Robert can't imagine a life without darling Mary anymore.

The band is preparing for the next song. Robert presents his arm to her, knowing from the few times they met, that she loves to dance and he will do anything to make her smile her beaming smile again. "Would you like to dance, milady?"

She looks at him, doubting what she should do. "I don't think my husband nor your wife would appreciate it if we would do so, Lord Grantham."

Robert looks over his shoulder to where is wife is still standing in he same place when he saw her for the last time, only now with a few man, instead of her female friends. He notices how the men look at his wife and he got a gnawing feeling: could one of them be the father of the unborn child? "And don't think she would mind and as for your husband–" He looks at the couples who were preparing themselves for the dance, Lord Silverton is one of them and his partner, some young pretty debutante is smirking besides him. "He doesn't deserve a woman like you."

This makes her blush and smile again. God, he could never tire of the sight of her smiling, that he knew for sure. "Well who could say no to such a compliment." Her eyes twinkle with mirth as she takes his arm, letting him lead her through the waltz.


The waltz was marvellous. Never in her entire life she felt so safe as she had just now, in Robert's arms. She wished she could stay like that forever, by a man who respects her, makes her laugh and maybe could even love her.

They now sit on a wooden bench in the beautiful and garden, after Cora requested some air and Robert companied her to a corner where they could peacefully sit. She gets why Lady Emberfall is so passionate about her garden, it looks like it belongs in a fairytale. The gardens at Silverton Hall never look like this, the flowers always look a little hopeless and dead, Cora would love if she could make them bloom, but she isn't very good in the garden and Richard refuses to hire a gardener. So she just has to deal with it.

"How beautiful it is." She says. Robert looks at her and gives her that smile that makes her heart flutter. "I couldn't agree more." She feels her cheeks warm as he looked intensely at her with his lovely eyes.

She giggles at the way he looks at her. "Lord Grantham, you haven't even looked at the flowers, so how could you say they are gorgeous?"

He leans closer to her and whispers. "Because I know what I see." She shivers as his thump graze her jawline, leaving a burning path. She sees his eyes flicker to her lips and she does the same. What would it be like to kiss Robert Crawley?

Before she had time to think about that, his hand moved to her waist and he shuffles closer to her, their thighs touching. Her eyes close and she leans in to him and their lips meet, slowly, passionately, heavenly. Her hand is in his neck, trying to get him even closer to her.

Suddenly they hear a twig break and they parted immediately, his face flushed with passion. "Hello, there someone there?" Robert says, his voice hoarse. The look at the direction where they heard the sound coming from and a dark shadow emerges in their sight.


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