Chapter Three

AN: the characters do not belong to me. This concluding chapter is a bit longer than the others but I decided to keep it in one segment. Hope you enjoy!

Robert could not believe his good luck after Cora agreed to go ice skating with him for the second day on a row. He whistled happily as he walked down the hall from her room.

His mother, taking a break from overseeing every preparation for the Christmas party, gave him a strange look once he reached the library to read the newspaper.

"Why are you so cheerful, Robert?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know, Mama," he answered because he knew that the mention of Cora would surely start an unpleasant exchange, which he did not want to spoil his day. "It's just a nice morning."

"A nice morning?" Violet echoed. "How strange. I find it a very stressful morning with everything going on here and me not knowing if it's being done in either a competent or efficient manner."

"I'm certain you have it all under control, Mama," Robert reassured her. "It will be a lovely party, as it always has been."

"I do hope your American bride doesn't spoil things by doing or saying something embarrassing," Violet sighed.

Robert groaned. "Oh, Mama. It isn't as if Cora hasn't been amidst parties such as ours. I have no doubt that she has had much experience in Cincinnati."

"That's the trouble. We don't want it to resemble an American soirée, whatever goes on there I cannot imagine. Robert, your wife is all too free with saying exactly what is on her mind."

"You have no reason to worry, Mama." Robert folded his papers and set them aside. "Cora will be fine, and the sooner you realize that, the better things will be."

"I do hope something improves her mood," Violet said. "She's a very mopey girl."

Robert shook his head and left the room. There was no use arguing with his mother, and he would rather focus on spending time with Cora instead. His imagination ran rampant with wondering if she felt the same way about him, and if she didn't, how he might win her over.

The morning thankfully sped by and it was at long last time to go skating with Cora. She met him outside her dressing room with a grin.

"Ready to go?" Her voice sounded lighter than it had in months, and Robert felt a glow of satisfaction that he had been responsible for the change in Cora.

"I am," he replied, reaching for her hand.

She looked down and smiled at the unexpected gesture. "Let's go!"

The sun shone on the pond, making the ice glisten as they began to skate. Robert noticed that his balance on the blades had improved even from the previous night as his old skill was quickly coming back to him.

Cora noticed the change, too. "Very nice," she encouraged. "Have you been practicing in the middle of the night?" She teased. "Oh, that's right. Not possible. We were otherwise engaged during those hours," she giggled.

Robert beamed with pride in seeing a whole new side of Cora, his Cora, as he had started to think of her. His family's treatment of her created the sad Cora, but moments such as this turned her into a cheerful young woman with the playfulness of a schoolgirl. Yes, this was his Cora.

He skated further, looking back at her to see if she was impressed with his much smoother skating. For several minutes, she was laughing and smiling in encouragement of his efforts, but suddenly the smile was wiped from her face, replaced by a look of panic.

"Robert! Don't go out so close to the other edge! The ice might not be -"

Her words were interrupted by a sickening crack under his feet, and before he knew it, Robert had broken through the ice and was suddenly immersed in icy water. He clamored for the edge of the ice, his hands clawing desperately as everything started to play out in slow motion.

He saw Cora's mouth open in a scream that he could not hear a moment before she started skating toward him, pulling loose the scarf she was wearing around her neck.

"Cora, no! Don't fall in as well!" Robert found his voice as his fingers continued to slip.

"No, Robert, I know what to do," Cora said as she removed the scarf and shook it out to its full length.

"No!" He shrieked as he felt his body fall further into the water. "Don't put yourself at risk!"

"I can't lose you, Robert," Cora said as she lowered herself onto the stable portion of the ice. "I love you and I'm not leaving you out here to die!"

Despite the dire situation, Robert suddenly felt a huge weight lifting from his shoulders. She loved him!

"Here, grab this," Cora threw the scarf to her husband. He caught it and held on for dear life. Then she skated to the other side of the pond where the land was only a few feet away from where Robert had fallen. She looked around for something upon which to anchor the scarf. A small tree stood exactly the right length away, so she tied the scarf around its trunk and prayed for it not to break under the strain of Robert's weight.

"Now pull!" She called out to him.

Cora held her breath as the next moments transpired, but Robert immediately began to pull himself up until he was safely climbing back onto the land.

She exhaled and threw her arms around him.

"Oh, Robert, I can't believe what just happened! I can't lose you!"

He held her close and kissed her. "Thank you so much, my love, you saved my life."

"I'm just glad I was wearing this today," she looked at the scarf, now dripping with freezing water and sagging at the end that was tied to the tree. She loosened it and bunched it in her hands. "We have to get you inside right away."

The look on Violet's face was one of shock and disdain as she saw Robert, completely wet and obviously horribly cold, come into the house with Cora.

"What did that girl do to you?" Violet called after them as they ascended the stairs.

Cora turned to her mother-in-law and spoke abruptly for the first time since they had met.

"It's much more important that you send for the doctor," she said as she kept leading Robert up the stairs. "He must be dried off immediately, so I'm not stopping to argue or explain."

"I'll get you out of these clothes," Cora said as she started to remove his coat. "We don't have time to wait for your valet as you continue to freeze."

"Do you... Do you really love me, Cora?" His teeth were still chattering but he managed the words.

"Yes, I do," she blurted while continuing to remove the rest of the wet clothing. "I have for longer than I even knew."

"I know how that feels," Robert said shyly as he helped remove his shirt. .I have loved you in secret, as well. I wanted to say something but I didn't know if you felt the same. And if you didn't..."

Cora cupped Robert's face in her hands. "But I do love you. I always will."

They managed to get him into something warm and dry by the time the doctor arrived and found that Robert would be fine after his misfortune, as long as he stayed out of the cold for a few days.

Upon hearing this, Robert's face fell. "I wish I could go skating again," he said ruefully. "I was just getting my stride back."

The doctor laughed. "Just wait a few days." He turned to Cora. "I'm going to tell Lady Grantham that you saved her son's life with your quick thinking. Where did you learn to pull someone out of the ice like that?"

"Where I grew up in America, it snows a lot but the ice can be fragile," she replied. "Thank you, Doctor."

The doctor winked at her. "I'll be sure to tell the whole story. I recommend that the two of you rest a bit because it's been quite the afternoon for you both."

"We will," Cora assured him as he left the room, closing the door behind him.

Robert slumped on the bed, exhausted. "I'm still a little cold," he said.

"I think I can help with that," Cora smiled. She sat down next to him and snuggled up to him.

"Cora, don't take this the wrong way, but I'm a little too fatigued for a repeat of last night," Robert sighed.

"I'm not taking it the wrong way," she intoned. "I wasn't planning on that. Not after what you've been through on the ice. But I do want to keep you warm." She helped him into a reclining position and curled up beside him. "Just rest, Robert. And know that I love you."

"You're warm," he said, stroking her ebony hair. "Thank you. Cora, and know that I love you, too."

Within minutes, they were both contentedly asleep, spent from their day but full of hope for their future.

A few days later, Robert got his wish to go ice skating again. Once they came inside, both giddy and pleasantly dry, they capped it off with more fun of the indoor kind. The Christmas party went off without a hitch, and many of the guests told Violet how charming they found Cora and how impressed they were with her heroics on the ice. The Countess had to smile and agree, even if she didn't feel the same about Cora, still holding her in suspicion and disdain.

Besides knowing that Robert loved Cora as she loved him, the best part of what came after was that she and Robert started sharing a bed all night. It started once they woke up from their impromptu afternoon rest in a loving embrace on the day Robert fell through the ice. It all felt so very natural and right to both of them that they never wanted to sleep any other way.

The End