Downton Abbey : No Prince Charming
Summary : The evening after Rose's tea for the Russian refugees, Cora and Robert discuss his reaction to Miss Bunting, his lack of reaction to Prince Kuragin, and his parents amongst other things. Backdoor pilot.
A/N Because Robert took that revelation far too well.
No Prince Charming
Cora looked up as Robert entered their bedroom book in hand. She waited for Baxter to leave before starting a conversation.
“You took that rather well. Certainly better than I ever thought you would.”
Robert rolled his eyes. “Miss Bunting -”
Cora interrupted him. “-You know perfectly well I'm not talking about Sarah Bunting because you haven't taken anything to do with Miss Bunting well.”
Cora gazed at her husband sympathetically. “I miss Sybil too but we have to accept that eventually Tom is going to move on.”
Robert huffed. “I realize that he is going to move on, but must it be with that awful, awful woman?”
“She's pretty.”
Robert turned his head in a sign of disagreement, but Cora went on. “She's intelligent. She speaks her mind. She challenges Tom and you. She -”
Realizing where she was going with it, Robert refused. “- She is nothing like our Sybil! How can he even think of replacing our Sybil with that woman!?”
“Oh Robert! He's not replacing Sybil. He's trying to find a place for himself.”
Leaving her dressing table to go sit beside him on the bed, Cora reached a hand out to her sullen looking husband. “Tom is in an awkward, in between place living here. Behaving like that isn't making life easier on him. If you keep it up you will push him away and we will loose Sybbie. You don't want that. None of us want that.”
Trying to lighten the conversation, she added. “Do we Donk?”
“No.” Robert agreed. Her use of Sybbie's name for him had worked. It had brought a reluctant smile to his face.
“I have started to have a great deal more empathy for poor Shrimpie than I did as a child.”
Cora laughed. “Are you planning to read?”
“For a few minutes - if it won't disturb you. It's a mystery and I'm down to the last chapter.”
“It won't disturb me as long as you don't tell me what happens. I am planning to read it as soon as you finish.”
But once they were both settled in bed, Cora couldn't resist bringing their conversation back to her originally intended topic. “When I said you took that better than I ever expected you would, I was referring to your mother's Prince Charming.”
Robert sighed but determinedly kept his eyes on his book. “Cora, I've known my mother has had lovers since I was eleven years old.”
Cora's smile faded. “Eleven. That's very specific.”
“Is it?” Robert held on to his book
“It sounds too specific to have been a gradual realization.” Cora pointed out.
With a sigh, he let his gaze stray from the book. “My uncle had invited me to join him and my cousin for a boy's week, learning to shoot and fish. The whole family had been invited but Mama didn't care to go because she disliked my uncle and Papa didn't care to go because he disliked - “ Robert stopped himself. “-because he already knew how to shoot and fish.
“A few days in Papa showed up.”
Cora felt an unsettling fluttering in her stomach listening to her husband.
“While I was away Mama had planned to take Rosamund to London to meet up with Aunt Lily and Cousin Susan for a few days of shopping before going on to Aunt Lily's for a stay. Papa told me that they had made it as far as London, before Mama took ill. Mama sent Rosamund on ahead with Aunt Lily, but she decided to stay at the London House for a few days to rest before rejoining them.
“Papa said he wanted to surprise Mama.
Cora cringed in anticipation.
“The London House was closed up when we got there. There was no London Housekeeper, no maids, not even as much as a hallboy to greet us. Papa didn't ring the bell. He used a set of keys to open the front door to get in. He told me to go upstairs to Mama's rooms.”
Cora's hand went to her mouth and she gasped at his next words.
“He said not to knock so as not to disturb her if she was sleeping.”
“You walked in on your mother with another man?”
“No.” Robert was quick to deny it. “I may have been only eleven but I was old enough to know to be suspicious when my father pretended to be kind to me. I knocked and called out softly so Mama would hear, but Papa waiting at the bottom of the stairs would not.
“Mama came out of one of the other bedrooms wearing just her shift and a dressing gown. She brought me downstairs. She was terribly upset, but she was trying so hard not to show it. Not to cry.”
Cora reached out to touch his hand. Her heart went out to the little boy she could still hear in the slight wobble in her husband's voice as he talked of watching his mother try not to cry.
“Papa had disappeared. He could make her cry, but he could never bear to actually see it.
“I didn't let on that I knew anything. I didn't say anything about having heard a man's voice or Mama's laughter. I just pretended that I thought she wasn't dressed in the middle of the afternoon because she was ill like Papa had said.”
Cora was grateful her and her husband had never had that kind of a marriage, but even if they had, she couldn't imagine deliberately involving their children in their conflict in such a way.
“Once we found the kitchens she tried to make tea. She didn't know how to fill the tea kettle. Or what ratio of leaves to water to use - not that it mattered because she couldn't get the stove to light.
“We heard the front door close. Twice. Papa never reappeared. We went on to Aunt Lily's to join Rosamund for the week. We stayed for the whole week. I believe that was the only time Mama ever made it through a whole planned visit with her sister.”
Lady Grantham's relationship with her late sister made Mary and Edith look like bosom buddies.
When Robert didn't go on Cora waited. When he tried to turn his attention back to his book, she prompted him. “And?”
“And what?”
Cora stared at her husband in wonder. Talk about getting to the last chapter of a mystery and being left wondering.
tbc?
A/N Because Robert took that revelation far too well.
No Prince Charming
Cora looked up as Robert entered their bedroom book in hand. She waited for Baxter to leave before starting a conversation.
“You took that rather well. Certainly better than I ever thought you would.”
Robert rolled his eyes. “Miss Bunting -”
Cora interrupted him. “-You know perfectly well I'm not talking about Sarah Bunting because you haven't taken anything to do with Miss Bunting well.”
Cora gazed at her husband sympathetically. “I miss Sybil too but we have to accept that eventually Tom is going to move on.”
Robert huffed. “I realize that he is going to move on, but must it be with that awful, awful woman?”
“She's pretty.”
Robert turned his head in a sign of disagreement, but Cora went on. “She's intelligent. She speaks her mind. She challenges Tom and you. She -”
Realizing where she was going with it, Robert refused. “- She is nothing like our Sybil! How can he even think of replacing our Sybil with that woman!?”
“Oh Robert! He's not replacing Sybil. He's trying to find a place for himself.”
Leaving her dressing table to go sit beside him on the bed, Cora reached a hand out to her sullen looking husband. “Tom is in an awkward, in between place living here. Behaving like that isn't making life easier on him. If you keep it up you will push him away and we will loose Sybbie. You don't want that. None of us want that.”
Trying to lighten the conversation, she added. “Do we Donk?”
“No.” Robert agreed. Her use of Sybbie's name for him had worked. It had brought a reluctant smile to his face.
“I have started to have a great deal more empathy for poor Shrimpie than I did as a child.”
Cora laughed. “Are you planning to read?”
“For a few minutes - if it won't disturb you. It's a mystery and I'm down to the last chapter.”
“It won't disturb me as long as you don't tell me what happens. I am planning to read it as soon as you finish.”
But once they were both settled in bed, Cora couldn't resist bringing their conversation back to her originally intended topic. “When I said you took that better than I ever expected you would, I was referring to your mother's Prince Charming.”
Robert sighed but determinedly kept his eyes on his book. “Cora, I've known my mother has had lovers since I was eleven years old.”
Cora's smile faded. “Eleven. That's very specific.”
“Is it?” Robert held on to his book
“It sounds too specific to have been a gradual realization.” Cora pointed out.
With a sigh, he let his gaze stray from the book. “My uncle had invited me to join him and my cousin for a boy's week, learning to shoot and fish. The whole family had been invited but Mama didn't care to go because she disliked my uncle and Papa didn't care to go because he disliked - “ Robert stopped himself. “-because he already knew how to shoot and fish.
“A few days in Papa showed up.”
Cora felt an unsettling fluttering in her stomach listening to her husband.
“While I was away Mama had planned to take Rosamund to London to meet up with Aunt Lily and Cousin Susan for a few days of shopping before going on to Aunt Lily's for a stay. Papa told me that they had made it as far as London, before Mama took ill. Mama sent Rosamund on ahead with Aunt Lily, but she decided to stay at the London House for a few days to rest before rejoining them.
“Papa said he wanted to surprise Mama.
Cora cringed in anticipation.
“The London House was closed up when we got there. There was no London Housekeeper, no maids, not even as much as a hallboy to greet us. Papa didn't ring the bell. He used a set of keys to open the front door to get in. He told me to go upstairs to Mama's rooms.”
Cora's hand went to her mouth and she gasped at his next words.
“He said not to knock so as not to disturb her if she was sleeping.”
“You walked in on your mother with another man?”
“No.” Robert was quick to deny it. “I may have been only eleven but I was old enough to know to be suspicious when my father pretended to be kind to me. I knocked and called out softly so Mama would hear, but Papa waiting at the bottom of the stairs would not.
“Mama came out of one of the other bedrooms wearing just her shift and a dressing gown. She brought me downstairs. She was terribly upset, but she was trying so hard not to show it. Not to cry.”
Cora reached out to touch his hand. Her heart went out to the little boy she could still hear in the slight wobble in her husband's voice as he talked of watching his mother try not to cry.
“Papa had disappeared. He could make her cry, but he could never bear to actually see it.
“I didn't let on that I knew anything. I didn't say anything about having heard a man's voice or Mama's laughter. I just pretended that I thought she wasn't dressed in the middle of the afternoon because she was ill like Papa had said.”
Cora was grateful her and her husband had never had that kind of a marriage, but even if they had, she couldn't imagine deliberately involving their children in their conflict in such a way.
“Once we found the kitchens she tried to make tea. She didn't know how to fill the tea kettle. Or what ratio of leaves to water to use - not that it mattered because she couldn't get the stove to light.
“We heard the front door close. Twice. Papa never reappeared. We went on to Aunt Lily's to join Rosamund for the week. We stayed for the whole week. I believe that was the only time Mama ever made it through a whole planned visit with her sister.”
Lady Grantham's relationship with her late sister made Mary and Edith look like bosom buddies.
When Robert didn't go on Cora waited. When he tried to turn his attention back to his book, she prompted him. “And?”
“And what?”
Cora stared at her husband in wonder. Talk about getting to the last chapter of a mystery and being left wondering.
tbc?