Just a quick note to thank again to my wonderful beta granthamfan for her invaluable help.

Chapter 8

Cora was completely taken aback when she saw him walking into the restaurant with Mary. He kept his intensely blue eyes locked on her all the way to their table, and she felt her cheeks burning.

This was completely unexpected, and so very inappropriate. How did he dare to impose his presence like that? She wasn't prepared to see him again. But, when he sat down in front of her and offered her that charming, boyish smile, she felt her heart skipping a beat. "Damn you, Robert Crawley," she thought and tried to remain as impassive as possible in the intensity of those warm blue eyes. Within the next minute, she caught herself practically melting at his smile.

As soon as Mary took her place at the table, she saw the blush on Cora's cheeks and the way her father looked at her. That was enough to tell her she would have to change their dinner plans. It was very obvious that there was something going on between the two of them, and although Gracie seemed completely oblivious to the exchange of glances and smiles, Mary could easily drag her friend with the excuse that she need company to go to the toilet.

But she couldn't find any excuse to keep Gracie away from the table after they left the toilet. She watched Gracie's eyes widen when she told her about her suspicions.

"Didn't you notice a thing?"

"No," Gracie confessed. "Are you sure?"

"You don't know what my father did to be here tonight," she rolled her eyes and Gracie laughed. But she suddenly stopped, giving Mary a look of mock horror.

"What?"

"This is the most terrible thing!" Gracie said, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Why? My father is a nice and kind man, and—"

"It's not terrible because of your father," she glanced at her with a teasing smile. "It's terrible because of you!"

"Me?" Mary narrowed her eyes dangerously and hid an amused smile.

"You," Gracie stated. "And if do they get married? I can stand being your friend, but I couldn't bear to be your sister!", she said, and couldn't help but giggle with her own little joke.

"Oh, shut up!" Mary admonished, but she joined her friend and covered her mouth to stifle her giggles.

"Why are you here?" The words she tossed at him as soon as they were alone caught him completely off guard. Her voice was firm but cautious and because of his silence, for a moment, Robert was afraid she would just go away without giving him a chance to answer it.

"Mary invited me." He said the first thing that came to his mind, his eyes locked on hers as he searched inside himself the true answer to this unexpected question.

"This is something that I highly doubt." She tilted her head slightly, her blue eyes analyzing his face with an intensity that could easily burn his skin. He felt as if his shirt collar had suddenly shrank, and shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"I didn't think it was something that needed to be explained." He ventured a smile, but knew instantly by the cold look in her eyes that he had chosen the wrong words.

"Maybe you should have called me before appearing so suddenly."

He suddenly felt very foolish, and suppressed a sigh before he spoke again. "I'm sorry. I just thought, after what happened in the park, that the best way would be a more direct approach. Besides... I don't have your phone number."

"Something that is not so difficult to get, considering that you only had to ask your daughter." She snapped, and felt immediately uncomfortable with the harshness of her own words. She couldn't explain why she was acting so defensive with him.

"Well, I didn't want to raise any suspicion." Robert looked her straight in the eyes and forced himself to give a small smile, trying to regain her sympathy. When she remained silent, he sought refuge in his glass of wine and took a long sip. That was not going well at all, and he was beginning to regret coming.

Her eyes softened and, for a brief moment, he glimpsed what could be the shadow of a smile on her lips before she spoke again.

"It makes me wonder what you told Mary to convince her to bring you here. Without raising any suspicion." She raised her eyebrows inquiringly, and the teasing glint in her eyes seemed to ease some of the tension between them. Maybe things could still be fixed, he thought, suppressing a smile.

"Nothing very bright," he grinned, regaining part of his self-confidence as he watched her eyes take on an amused look. "I just told her she shouldn't abandon her charming and lovely father on a Friday night after he was dumped by his best friend, at the risk of her finding me choked on my own wine."

"Were you dumped by your best friend?" She widened her mesmerizing blue eyes in an expression of pure astonishment that softened as he shook his head, amused.

"Well, it's a long story."

"A little dramatic, it would seem." His eyes were drawn to her tempting lips when finally they curled in a soft smile, which he answered with one of his own.

"I guess that any good story is", the weight of his words established a long silence between them again. When she finally spoke, despite the serious look in her eyes, the softness of her voice gave him assurance that they were now in a more secure path.

"Why are you here today, Robert?"

He thought for a moment, his eyes searching hers. He knew that if he chose the wrong words, all would be lost. And the best way to do no wrong, was simply telling her the truth that was in his heart.

"Because I wanted to see you again." He looked at her with honest eyes. "That day, in the park, you gave me no chance to speak."

"And I owe you an apology for what happened that day," she said softly, averting her eyes as if she couldn't longer hold his gaze.

"For the kiss or for your suddenly departure?" The words escaped from his lips before he could stop them but, to his surprise, she gave him a coy smile.

"I could never..." She then raised her eyes to look into his before continuing. "I can only apologize for things that I regret."

The look in her eyes made his heart skip a beat. For a moment the silence between them spoke more than any words. Everything was so unexpected and yet so desired that it almost seemed unreal. Needing desperately to cling to something concrete, he kept his eyes fixed on hers, afraid that at any moment she would simply vanish into thin air.

"I could never forget that kiss, Cora." The honesty in his eyes caught her off guard. "And, please don't tell me you don't know what I'm talking about because I know you remember it, too." He covered her hand gently with his. "I saw in your eyes when we kissed in the park."

The warmth of his touch was enough to evoke feelings that she didn't want to feel at the moment, and she was forced to pull her hand away from his.

"I won't lie about it." She looked at him for a long moment before she spoke again. "I know you're the young man from the masquerade."

Their eyes met once more and for the first time he noticed the shadow of fear in her eyes.

"Neither of us were able to forget that single moment. Even after so many years. That must mean something, Cora."

"I don't know what it means." Her voice trembled as she added, almost in a whisper. "But, I know that scares me."

This sudden show of weakness hit him straight in his heart and he wished he could take her in his arms to wipe away all the fears and pains that her past may have left. But instead, he only squeezed her hand gently.

"There is nothing to fear. Not now," Robert said in a soft tone, his eyes locked on hers in reassurance, endeavoring to choose his words carefully, but she spoke first.

"You don't understand, Robert. How could you?" Her incredible blue eyes sought his for confidence, and he held her gaze warmly. Even if he wanted to, Robert wouldn't be able to avert his eyes. He was so fascinated by her brilliantly blue orbs.

"For a long time, that moment we shared was my only inspiration. As if in that night I had a glimpse of the happiness that could one day be mine." She paused again, the sadness in her voice breaking his heart. "Many times I wished I could meet that young masked man again. I dreamt about him for so many years that at some point I started to believe that that moment, that you, weren't real."

"It was real." He approached her to whisper, "I am real and I'm here, Cora."

They remained silent for what seemed to him like an eternity. It was too early for him to be sure where this would lead them, but he wanted to try. And before he could kiss the hand he gently he gently held in his, she broke the silence once more.

"Fear," she finally said, her eyes fixed on their hands over the table, "I ran away that day at the park because I was afraid. That's why I need to know why are you here today, Robert."

He nodded his understanding and sought in his heart for the answer that both needed to know.

"I am here because, on that beautiful morning in the park, I met again the wonderful woman that one day took away a piece of my heart." He took her hand and placed it gently over his chest, covering it with his own, fearing that perhaps the intensity of his feelings could scare her more than himself. "I don't know if I am the man you have dreamt about for all these years. I'm probably not. Dreams are always flawless. And I'm so far from that, Cora..." His eyes never left hers while he spoke, and for a moment he thought that he had lost his words when he felt her hand cold and trembling in his. "I'm just a man after all," he gave her a shy grin. "A man who wants so much to give a chance for this… for us."

Cora could feel his heart pounding heavily in his chest while he spoke and realized that she had been holding her breath all this time, as if she had forgotten how to breath.

She didn't know what to expect from Robert when she saw him entering the building earlier that night. But, she certainly didn't expect this. She was taken by a growing admiration for him. Maybe he was more the man she had always dreamt than he thought.

"And, if you allow me," he finally said in a hoarse voice, "I can promise you that I will do everything, anything within my power to turn your glimpse of happiness into something real."

Her long silence made him tense and the only hope he had remained linked to the fact she still had her hand resting over his heart, protected by one of his own. And then, she smiled, that charming and bright smile that could easily take his breath away.

"Dance with me, Robert," she said in a very soft voice, her eyes shining.

Robert took her hand to his lips to place a warm kiss on it, before he said with a grin, "As you wish, my Lady."

When Robert held Cora's hand, Mary and Gracie knew that there was no room for them at the table anymore. So they left the restaurant and went to a pub nearby after both had texted their parents to warn them about their plans.

It was with surprise that Mary saw before her eyes the familiar face of Charles Blake as they entered the place.

"And so it seems that miracles do really happen," she heard him say, his dark eyes staring at her under the dim light with a look that seemed slightly drunk on his face. She looked at him blankly and he just shrugged with a coy smile. "Please, forget it. I'm no longer making sense."

Mary looked at him, hoping the dim lighting would mask her flushed cheeks. "Are you leaving already?" she finally asked.

"No, but only if you and your friend don't mind joining me." He then looked at Gracie and held out his hand. "I'm Charles Blake, by the way."

"Gracie Carlisle", she smiled at him with eyes too greedy for Mary's taste, and Mary felt strangely uncomfortable when he showed her friend one of his tempting smiles.

"Has it something to do with Richard Carlisle?"

"He's my father."

Charles just nodded, keeping his opinion about the man to himself, his gaze drawn to Mary once more. No one here would be interested to know it anyway. They looked for a place near the bar and, contradicting all of his senses, Charles ordered another drink for himself.

"I hoped to have heard more from you in the last days," he said, looking Mary straight in the eyes.

Mary stumbled on words that she didn't find, abashed with his ever so direct approach. But what left her lost was the sudden harshness in his eyes. There was something different about him tonight, some wrong in the darkness of his eyes; a misplaced arrogance in his smile which made her wonder if the lovely man from the other night was just a farce.

"But, of course, you've been quite busy lately." The ironic tone in his voice upset her more than she would like to admit.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, you know," he shrugged, "Newspaper photos and everything else." Despite his sarcasm, he hadn't dared to face her eyes and took another big sip from his glass.

So that was it. "Damn photographers", she thought, and looked slightly alarmed to see him empty what should be one more from many glasses in that night. But, her own urge to explain herself to him disturbed her more than his altered state. She didn't need to explain herself to anyone; she didn't use to do this. Much less to him. When had this man's opinion become so important to her?

"Yes, of course!" Gracie's voice startled her. Mary had almost forgotten that she was still there and silently cursed her friend's eternal lack of timing. From all the time she had remained silent, she had chosen to talk just now. "You must tell everything about your date with Tony Gillingham, Mary!"

Charles tilted his head defiantly with that annoying lopsided smile on his lips. "Of course! We'd love to hear all about your date."

His words hit her in the chest, and she remembered a time when she simply would ignore it or respond to him with the same harshness. When had the light in his eyes become so important to her?

"So, is Tony still the same irresistible ladies man?", he inquired with raised eyebrows, showing an expression of contempt that made her suppress a sigh.

"You talk as if you know him."

"And in fact, I do." His brown eyes stared at her in victory while his finger toyed with his empty glass. "From college. We had...", he then bit his lower lip before continuing, "... a girlfriend in common", he finally said. There was a wry grin imprinted on his face, which made her raise her eyebrows to show her annoyance for the first time.

"Why do I have this feeling that I don't want to know this story?"

"Ah! But, you should. Things like that could reveal a great deal about someone's character. That could be extremely useful if you're dating him."

"I already know Tony's character very well," she said angrily, her upper lip stiff.

"I don't doubt that." He raised his brows and she gave him a stern look, more angry with herself for letting the conversation go down that path than with his unpleasant behavior.

"Besides, I'm not dating Tony! He's just a good friend."

"I doubt that," he chuckled, and she felt her blood boiling inside her veins.

"Who do you think you are, Mr. Blake?"

They exchanged a long silent look, the waves of tension making the air between them thicker.

"Wrong." His low voice broke the silence, but she didn't notice the softness in his tone as she was angry with him beyond her limits.

"Wrong!" She already started to doubt that she could maintain her self-control for any longer. "You're drunk, Blake!"

"Right. A little", he grinned. "But, your previous question is completely wrong." He repeated, so naturally annoying that she practically growled, ignoring this time the glint in his velvet brown eyes. "You should have asked me what I would like to be, Mary Crawley."

It was then that she finally felt the danger in his words, the intensity of his gaze ringing all her bells and fearing his answer she held her breath. Whatever he would say, she wasn't yet prepared to hear. Moreover, she was scared that his words could just voice inner desires she had chosen to ignore since that night. But then she was surprised to hear the sound of her own voice.

"What would you like to be, Charles Blake?"

The sound of his name on her lips made him smile, and he dared to shorten the distance between them, his face dangerously close to hers, making him able to smell her sweet scent.

"Not just a friend," he whispered on her lips and she felt her knees go weak.

He touched her face, the warmth of her skin made his fingers tingle. His eyes sought for hers. He knew he couldn't live one more minute not knowing the taste of her lips.

It was impossible to breathe with him so close, and when his lips finally captured hers, she thought her heart would stop, too. She felt his large palm on her back, pulling her gently to him as their mouths finally gave up to the softness in favor of a more passionate rhythm. He tasted like malt and alcohol and his hungry lips for a moment made her forget everything.

When she finally broke their kiss, her eyes found again that spark in his. He reached out to gently play with a lock of her dark hair, and she smiled shyly.

She saw him gaze over her shoulder.

"Where is your friend?"

Mary turned her head to realize that she wasn't anywhere.

"She must have left sometime after you started acting like a—"

"Pig?"

She chuckled. "I was thinking more like a dumbass."

He raised an eyebrow in agreement and gave her a coy smile. "I owe you an apology for that. I have no right to question you."

"How drunk are you?" she asked suddenly, and he couldn't help but smirk.

"Why? Are you thinking about taking advantage of me?" He chuckled, seeing her cheeks got beet red.

"No... I... Well...," she stammered, the memory of strong arms that until a few seconds before were wrapped her causing a mental image that was not helping anything.

However, he kindly came to her aid and added with a soft smile, " I'm a 'talk too much' kind of drunk."

"Not a 'completely out of your mind' kind of drunk?" she raised one inquisitive brow, feeling more confident with the soft tone of his voice.

"Absolutely not," he grinned.

"Good." She leaned toward him, her sudden proximity making him hold his breath.

"Really? Why?"

"Because, Charles Blake, I want to be sure you will remember this tomorrow."

Then, much to his surprise, she kissed him, her lips seeking his softly but with a warmth capable of arousing sensations in his body for which he was unprepared.

"As if you could be forgotten, Mary Crawley", he thought, pulling her to him once more to finally lose himself in the taste of her lips.