#COBERT

[mar-nu-falmar]

My favourite Cobert activities: Kissing

[adoracora-elizabeth]

Music made me love you, chapter 61

She waited for Cora to leave the house. She asked Sorcha to arrange a coffee date with Cora. Finally, she saw her coming out the gate, Rosamund waited a little longer and then walked towards the house. She hoped Robert would be home; she had not checked his schedule. But when she came closer to the house, she heard the sounds of the piano.

Not long after she rang the doorbell, the front door was opened. "Rosamund? I did not know you were coming. You just missed Cora, she went out for a coffee and lunch with Sorcha."

"That is alright. Can I come in?"

Robert gave her a confused look but stepped back. "Of course you can."

"I hope I do not disturb you."

"Oh no, you do not. I was distracting myself from the boring work that comes with new clients."

"Good. I heard an old client hired you again?"

"That is a long and boring story, but in short: yes."

Rosamund smiled. "I do not like boring stories, so we better let it rest."

"What can I do for you? How is Marmaduke and little Peter?"

"Peter is getting so big so fast. He is already nine months old; the time goes by so fast."

"It is crazy how fast the time goes by indeed." Robert walked towards the sitting room. "Do you want tea?"

"Yes please."

When Robert returned with two cups and some biscuits he sat down opposite of Rosamund. "Did Mama send you?"

Rosamund laughed. "I could pretend to be offended, but there is no sense in denying it. She has indeed asked me to talk to you. Mama told me that you and Cora are travelling to New York soon."

"That is correct, we want to tell Cora’s mother in person the happy news and Cora wants to see her mother. The last months have been hard, and I think that she can use some motherly love."

This made Rosamund laugh. "I am afraid that Martha is not that type of mother."

Now Robert laughed too. "You are correct. Both our mothers seem to lack in that department."

"Mama told me that she asked Dr Clarkson about the options for Cora to travel to New York."

"What do you mean." Robert interrupted her. "Why would Dr Clarkson talk with Mama about Cora?"

"Calm down. Dr Clarkson did not tell her anything confidential. He just confirmed her suspicion, that flying is not very safe with a brain condition."

"I will talk with Dr Clarkson, just because we fund the hospital, that does not mean he can talk about Cora."

"Robert, he did not. He told her that with any brain condition flying is not recommended, he did not specify this for Cora. But it made Mama think and she told me that she and Papa have a private yacht, that could make the trip to New York."

"They have a private yacht?" Robert said surprised.

Rosamund laughed. "Mama has many secrets. We do not know half of who she is, I am afraid."

"I am not sure I want to know them." Robert said.

"Well, Mama feels bad about that weekend you and Cora were at Downton."

"She better be feeling bad. Because she gave us no slack. I mean, I was not expecting her to be excited about my ambitions with music, but she was outright cold and harsh. We had hoped it would be a happy weekend, and we left feeling down."

"Mama told me she tried to reach out to you, but you have rejected every attempt."

"Rosamund, are you telling me I am in the wrong?"

"I am not getting myself in between you and Mama. I have told her that too. But I do not want to see you and Mama fall out."

Robert sighed and stared at the empty cups. "You want more tea?"

"Maybe later. Would you take their offer?"

"You mean take their yacht to go to New York?"

"Of course, I do mean that."

"I have to discuss this with Cora."

"What do you have to discuss with me." Cora's voice sounded from the doorway.

Both Rosamund and Robert turned towards the doorway.

"Cora!" Robert exclaimed. "I thought you were having lunch with Sorcha?"

"We went to grab a coffee and then we walked back home. I am a bit tired and wanted to enjoy the afternoon in the garden, reading a book."

"What is wrong?"

"I am just pregnant." She now looked at Rosamund, "I did not know you would be here."

"I did not tell you or Robert." She paused and looked at Robert, should she tell Cora about the proposal or let Robert decide first? She had hoped Cora would stay away longer, but she had forgotten how tired she was herself during her pregnancy.

"Mama has called Rosamund about our trip to New York. She knows that you should not fly." He saw her face darken. "Dr Clarkson has not talked about you with her, but he told her that with any brain condition flying can be dangerous. She offered us their yacht."

Cora stayed silent. She could have known that Violet would talk with Dr Clarkson, she did trust him not to talk about her. But she was not sure she trusted Violet. "How long would it take us to go over water?

"I have done some research before, and it would take us up to seven days. That is not even that bad, I have not seen their yacht, so I do not know how luxurious it is, but I cannot imagine that mama would not have the best of the best. I am looking forward to a holiday with just you and me, a last holiday before we are with three." He waited for Cora's reaction, but she still did not say a word. "Please sit down, I will make us a cup of tea, or do you want a coffee?"

"One coffee a day it is for me, so I would like a cup of tea. I bought some without caffeine in it."

"I did see a new type of tea, but I was not sure what kind it was. Tea is coming ladies." He quickly walked towards the kitchen.

"How are you and your little one doing?" Rosamund asked.

With a deep sigh, Cora sat down. "I have a constant heartburn and feel dizzy when I stand up too quickly. I did not have the typical symptoms of the first trimester, but I am getting the symptoms of the second trimester in full force."

"It feels like yesterday that little Peter was growing inside me and now he is crawling around." Rosamund said soft.

"We need to schedule a cuddling session very soon; he is growing up so fast." Cora smiled, she looked up when Robert entered the room again, with the tea. "I think that we should take your mothers offer, darling."

"You do?" Robert said surprised, while he sat down next to her.

Cora took his hand in hers. "She is offering a peace offer, and I do not see why we should not accept it."

"I am very glad to hear that. I will call Mama later this afternoon and tell her."

"I will call her myself." Robert said. "I also have to arrange some things with Papa and John for the time period that we will be away. It will easily take a full month that we will not be here."

"You should make that trip very soon." Rosamund looked at Cora's small bump.

Cora's hands went to her stomach. "We had already planned to go soon, and your mother's offer will make that a lot easier. I do not like the fact that we have not told my mother anything yet. I am already five months pregnant, if we wait any longer, I will be giving birth while we announce the pregnancy."

"We could call her?" Robert said.

"That would be even worse, than we could have called the same weekend we told your parents. No, I still want to tell her in person. I want her to see me and see that I am doing well."

Robert brushed over her cheek and put a curl behind her ear. "She will see you glowing." He smiled at her. "You are such a strong woman." Slowly he bent forward and pressed a kiss on the tip of her nose.

Cora felt her cheeks blush. "It is not something I have an influence on, if my body had not reacted this well on the treatment, I would not be this strong."

"Cora, I think you are underestimating what influence you have on being ill yourself. You did everything you could to get better and feel better. If you had just pulled yourself back in the house and had laid in a darkroom, you would not be where you are today."

"Rosamund is correct, darling, you are strong. And I adore that."

Now Rosamund snorted. "You adore everything about her, my darling brother."

Robert looked at Cora and smiled. "What is not to like about Cora." His lips curled up and he kept his eyes locked with hers.

[ohtobealady]

If I can bear it, you can. Remember, I loved you from the start.

Young Robert & Cora Crawley, Downton Abbey

[whydidnttheyaskcora]

@bella-caecilia and I are so excited to introduce our co-authored, multi-chaptered fic, A Tour of Old Love. We’ve had so much fun working on this project together and are thrilled to finally share the first chapter. So please enjoy! :)

Title: A Tour of Old Love

Rating: T

Summary: After forty devoted and love filled years, Robert marks the monumental occasion by surprising Cora with their honeymoon trip. Still so unsure and awkward around each other the first time, Robert is determined to make this trip special for Cora and make up for some of his previously doltish behavior. But a series of difficulties looming on the horizon begin to threaten their enjoyment of the trip, especially when they find themselves with differing view points.

While the entire story has been plotted, it has not been written out in its entirety as we are taking turns writing chapters. So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we plan to update once a month. :)

[ladyrosse]

I absolutely love every time Cora says her daughters are half American because THEY ARE, EVEN IF PEOPLE FORGET—THEY’RE 50% AMERICAN!

[brazilianreader]

Cora and her son, the future Lord Grantham

Excuse me??? I just watched the second Downton movie and this scene at the end where Cora is with George (I'm not sure if it's him, do you know?) and immediately I couldn't help but think of Cora with her youngest son, the baby she lost but who would have been born to become a boy if O'Brien hadn't been a * (I believe the network guidelines don't allow me to expose everything I think about that stupid woman here)

Anyway, Cora deserved that baby, her baby, so much. I watched that horrible scene almost ten years ago now and to this day I've never gotten over it.

[totallovestrucksimp]

Robert and Cora Crawley, upon hearing “It’s quiet uptown” from Hamilton:

[decino]

Live Crawley Reaction™

Downton Abbey: A New Era dir. Simon Curtis

[moonofthechilcotin]

I used to be only mad at Robert but honestly homie Jane be making a move on Cora's man while our queen is DOWN with bloody snot fighting for her life while O'Brien is forcefeeding her guilt-ridden bouillon and I'M MAD.

A decade too late, but I'm MAD 🤬

[theremarkablemrshall]

[adoracora-elizabeth]

This was just so sweet! It really gave us the perfect insight into the intimacy of their relationship without actually showing them being intimate.

[ohtobealady]

💛 For Cobert (obvs!!!) 😁

Hi darling! Better late than never? Have an offering of an unedited mobile drabble. It’s very angsty, and I’m not sorry about that, but I do still hope you find something about it you like.

💛 reunion kiss / relief ——————————

Robert put his hand on the glass knob of the dividing door and waited a moment before he turned it. It was true he’d held her as they wept this afternoon. It was true he’d put his hand over hers in the motor as they journeyed home again. It was also true that when they returned home from Mama’s, she’d touched his arm—her gloved fingers holding the muscle—before she made her way upstairs to lie down. He’d nearly asked her then, if he should come up with her, but he was still unsure. The reconciliation was too fragile, too delicate, as if one wrong word would permanently sever whatever still tied them to one another. Holding her when Clarkson left—he hadn’t made the conscious decision to do that. He’d only seen her breaking—his Cora—and he’d gone to her. It wasn’t until he felt her soften against him that he’d realized she was in his arms, and he cried.

This was different. Joining her in her room again was different. Even though she’d looked at him across the table at dinner tonight with a gentleness that felt like the past, this was different. Going into her room again—asking to sleep beside her…if she turned him away, he wasn’t certain he could endure it.

She won’t, he told himself. His mind pleaded for him to acknowledge whatever it was that still tied them to one another. Not their past-–not anymore. It was too painful to think of the way they had been before…but perhaps their girls. Their living girls.

His heart ached.

Their grandchild.

And his heart ached more, for Cora.

Robert looked at the knob in his hand, and he turned it just as he’d done a thousand nights before. But this time, like a young, foolish boy hurrying through a churchyard, he held his breath as he went through.

Her room was dim, the blue darker than in his memory, but in the lamplight his eyes found hers immediately.

And he took in a shallow breath.

For the first time in weeks and weeks, when he looked at her, he felt her there with him again. And Robert’s aching heart broke.

“I’ll understand if you still need time apart, here. That is—” He fumbled his speech a little, not being able to bring himself to move any of his fears into words, and so instead he swallowed and started again. “I thought I might—“ and yet he could not say that either. Hope hurt nearly as much as grief did. No. He let his presence take the place of the words he couldn’t quite bring himself to say.

And he waited silently before, sitting in her bed, he saw as Cora drew in a long breath, her thin shoulders rising in her thinner nightdress.

“Oh, Robert.” Then, her towering breath came quavering out. “Stay.”

He found himself swallowing down the thick emotion choking him. This was a feeling greater than relief. Greater and more painfully dear than relief could ever be.

He worked off his housecoat as he heard Cora shifting the sheets of her bedding, and when he moved to her, he saw she’d pulled the bedclothes back, and then met her gaze.

Nearly immediately her lovely face stiffened and her mouth turned slowly into a frown, and Robert nearly fell into her bed to meet her.

She rolled to him, and he put his arms around her and held her shuddering form tightly to his chest. He felt her warm breath through the silk of his pajamas and he felt the way her face pushed into the space beneath his chin, her nose beneath the curve of his jaw, and he pulled her closer.

He cried even if what he felt was less like sorrow than it did all the weeks before. It was still grief, but softer now; his chest that Cora pressed against felt so tight and yet he found himself able to breathe with her there. Had he not been able to breathe before?

She shifted in his arms, shifted her face up to his, her temple against his jaw, and he heard as she breathed, too, taking in shaking pulls of air. And her wet lashes brushed against his cheek.

“I was so cruel.” Her voice hardly made any words at all through the tremble of her breath, but he heard her, and he shook his head against hers.

“—No, I—“

“—how can you ever forgive me?”

“Darling.”

“I was so angry that I still loved you.” Here, Cora pulled slightly away and he saw that she looked at him, her sobs controlled, her tears not. He closed his eyes, but he still heard her. “How can you forgive me? For not wanting to love you?”

Robert choked, shook, and then pulled her against him once more. He pushed his face against hers, his cheek feeling hers, and again though his chest ached, his body softened. And it was a comfort to sob against her.

“You don’t need my forgiveness,” he managed against her ear, and her head moved toward the sound, his lips. He felt them contort into a frown. “But I have needed you.”

And Cora sobbed anew, her face pushing against his, and their lips finding each other—jaw, cheeks, and tears—before he held her ever tighter and cried.

[coffeishowifunction]

A thought I have at least once a day is what would cora have done if she found out about Jane OR did she already know? I need my super duper smart mutuals to gimme some opinions on this please.

[callhimnowmarisamylove]

Robert + Kissing Cora’s Hand

[angelswing236]

"You were the first."

Fictober 24 challenge

Fandom: Downton Abbey

Fanfiction

‘Happy anniversary, darling,’ Robert whispered, wrapping his arm around Cora’s waist, the blankets a warm cocoon around them.

‘Happy anniversary,’ she murmured before he kissed her, long and soft.

‘Thirty-four years. Can you believe it? And never a moment’s doubt,’ he said tenderly as her hand came to rest on his chest.

Cora gave a small laugh. ‘That’s not entirely true, is it?’

‘Well, I… I…’ Robert stuttered, thrown that she’d brought up the rocky start of their marriage on their anniversary.

‘You didn’t want to marry me. Your father made you.’

‘And I thank God for that every day,’ Robert said, fervently.

‘You do now, but you didn’t then.’

‘I just… I didn’t know you very well then. That’s all that was.’

‘That and Lady Anne Portland.’

Robert blanched at the mention of his former lover.

Cora gazed at him, mildly amused by the panicked look on his face. ‘Did you think I didn’t know about you and her?’

‘I… I’ve, er, never really thought about it.’

‘I did know. And I tortured myself with it.’

‘Darling, you’ve never said that before,’ Robert said, upset that his youthful dalliance might have caused his beloved wife distress.

‘She was so sophisticated and beautiful. All those blond curls, green eyes and English manners. I worried I was too ordinary for you, too American, too unworldly. You were so captivated by her.’

Robert looked away, reluctant to admit the truth.

Cora curled a finger under his chin, tipping his face towards her. ‘You don’t have to deny it to save my feelings. I know you were, but it was a long time ago. It’s just that sometimes I wish I had been the first for you, too.’

‘You were the first,’ he said, cupping her face.

‘No, I wasn’t. You weren't the virgin I was when we came to our marriage bed.’

‘No, I wasn’t,’ he acknowledged. ‘I’d lain with several women, but you were the first woman I fell in love with. You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved.’

She narrowed her eyes. ‘You don’t have to lie to me, Robert.’

‘I’m not lying. My first was the courtesan my father paid for when I was at university. As memorable as it was, it was a business transaction and had nothing to do with love. The second was a fleeting encounter with my cousin’s cousin at the end of a very drunken night at a ball. Again, not love.’

‘But then there was Lady Anne.’

‘And I admit at the time I thought I was in love with her, but I know now that I wasn’t. Not even close. I also know I was not the only one she was sharing her favours with.’

‘I was so afraid that you were going to keep her as your mistress when we married,’ Cora confessed, remembering the feelings that tormented her daily. ‘I loved you so much, I could hardly bear the thought of it.’

‘Oh, my darling,’ Robert murmured, kissing her brow. ‘I am so sorry to have made you feel like that.’

‘As I said, it was a long time ago now.’

‘I never slept with Anne again once we were engaged. Never,’ he said, anxious to slay any sleeping dragons. ‘I would not have done that to you.’

Cora smiled, pleased to know that even after her long years of security as Lady Grantham.

‘You were my first and only love,’ Robert whispered. ‘You still are.’

 ‘And you are mine.’

‘Then let’s celebrate our love,’ he said, drawing her close.

Cora smiled and kissed him, ready to forget the past.

[ladyrosse]

Personally, in the episodes where Cora’s mother appears, I love how she feels more “Americanized”—how supported she feels and how free she is to be as American as the English customs will allow… I LOVE YOU FOREVER, CORA, MISS AMERICANA!