7 November 1921

"What do you think they'll say?"

The sunset painted an entire spectrum of color in broad strokes across the windows of the house, with the house itself becoming a luminous shade of gold as the Earl and Countess of Grantham climbed out of the car and approached the front door. Cora took a firmer grasp on Robert's arm, feeling some of her earlier nervousness return.

Robert paused just outside the door and turned to her. "I honestly don't know, Cora." He lifted a gloved hand and touched her face. It glowed, radiant with the light cast by the sliver of sun left on the horizon, but it shone yet more because of the news they brought home with them. Giving her a tender look, he caressed her cheek. "All I know is that I'm so happy that if I tried right now, I could probably fly."

The anxious crease that had formed between her brows smoothed, and a smile brightened her countenance still more. "Then that will be my anchor tonight. That and my own happiness."

Mirroring her smile, Robert pressed a kiss to her cheek before continuing on into the house.

Carson took their coats and hats in the foyer. No one else appeared to greet them, but Robert was actually glad for that.

"I'll go upstairs and see Sybbie. And you –"

Robert sat on the chair beside the telephone. "I'll take care of the rest and meet you upstairs well before the dressing gong."

Cora nodded, smiling at him and turning to go. Robert dismissed Carson and requested that he not be disturbed.

When Robert entered the bedroom a little while later, he found Cora rummaging through her armoire. She twisted her head a bit to look at him when she heard the door shut, calling to him brightly. "Well? Will they be here?"

Robert sat down on a chair and chuckled. "Isobel presented no problem. She said she would be very happy to join us for dinner, even on such short notice." He thought a moment before adding, "I believe she gets lonely, Cora, being at Crawley House by herself. Especially now that Mary and Matthew are in Newport. We really should invite her over more often."

Cora pulled a rose-colored frock out of the armoire and held it up in front of herself, examining her reflection in the full-length mirror. "I've never known you to be so concerned about Isobel before, Robert," she said.

He shrugged and loosened his tie. "I guess I've had a lot of time to think about things – of many things – lately."

Going back over to the armoire, having decided against the dress she held, she continued to rummage. "And your mother? For dinner?"

Robert shook himself inwardly. "I'm sorry, darling. My mind keeps wandering. Of course, Mama presented more of a challenge. She said she was already here for dinner last night, and she thought that it was rude of me to ask her this late."

"But she's coming?" Cora did the same thing as before with a different dress, a brown one this time, scrunching up her face as she studied the affect.

"Yes, she's coming. After all that, she told me she'd telephoned Carson earlier today and informed him she'd be joining us for dinner."

Cora rolled her eyes. "I suppose it slipped Carson's mind to tell you that before you telephoned her?"

Robert shrugged again. "I suppose it did. I dismissed him rather abruptly, to be fair."

"And the telegrams?"

Nodding, Robert replied, "I had Alfred go into the village to send them straight away. One to Newport for Mary, Matthew, and your mother, and one to London for Rosamund." He leaned back more comfortably in his chair, watching her curiously. "What are you doing?"

Sighing softly, Cora spun around to face him. "I'm trying to find a dress that fits and that your mother won't disparage too much. It's a difficult task. Although I don't have too many choices left. I told Mrs. Hughes to send Anna up at the dressing gong, and she can help me make a decision about – Robert, what are you doing?"

Her husband had left his chair and crossed the room, and he was now extracting the dress from her hands and flinging it across the bed. Sliding his arms around her waist, he clasped her to him, his heart giving a leap when she rested her hands on his chest and looked up into his face with her cornflower blue eyes. "No matter what you wear, sweetheart, you will be beautiful. You are beautiful."

A blush stained Cora's cheeks red. One of her hands glided over his shoulder and up the back of his neck to stroke his silvery locks gently with her fingers. "As long as you think so, my darling."

Robert leaned down to whisper in her ear, "I know so." He nipped at her earlobe lightly before pulling back enough to press his lips to hers in a soft kiss.

Just as Cora was about to push Robert's jacket off his shoulders, the dressing gong sounded. Breaking the kiss reluctantly, she ran a finger along his jaw. "Perhaps we can continue that later. Anna and Bates will be up in a moment."

With a tiny sigh, Robert held her a bit tighter. "I actually wanted to talk to you about –"

A knock at the door cut him off. "Your ladyship? It's Anna."

Robert stepped back from Cora with a kiss on the cheek. "Well, we'll talk about that later. Tonight is for celebrating." Grinning at her, he disappeared into his dressing room while Cora called out to Anna to enter.

When Robert was nearly dressed, a footman came up with a message that the Dowager Countess had arrived. Deciding that he should probably go down as soon as possible, he knocked on his wife's door once Bates had gone. "Cora, are you ready?" he called through.

"No, darling. Not yet."

"Mama is here already, so I'm going to go ahead down, if that's fine by you."

"Yes, of course. I'll be just behind you, Robert."

"Alright, my dear," he responded.

Upon entering the drawing room, Robert found his mother sitting there, Edith beside her. Edith rose immediately and came up to him, putting her hand in his. "Papa, is Mama alright? What did the doctor say?"

Robert patted her hand. "Edith, everything will be fine." He gave her a smile and a kiss on the cheek. "Mama, I trust you're well?"

Violet, resplendent as ever in a silk dress in a deep shade of eggplant, pursed her lips together before saying, "I would do better with a drink, Robert, as I have a feeling you and Cora have some sort of news."

"Well, just as you ask, Mama." Robert indicated Carson, who brought a laden trolley into the room, followed by Isobel.

"Champagne?" Isobel asked, sitting on a chair and looking thoroughly intrigued – as well as happy. "What's the occasion?"

The three women turned expectant looks upon Robert. "What?" he asked. "We can't have champagne before dinner without there being some special reason?"

Violet fixed Robert with a hard stare. "No."

Tom walked through the door as Carson poured glasses of champagne and Jimmy served them. Taking the glass offered him and extending a hand to Robert in greeting, Tom inquired, "What's the occasion?"

Robert sighed and rolled his eyes. He was saved by the advent of his wife. And, for a moment, he forgot all the others in the room. Evidently, she and Anna were successful in the search through the armoire, because she wore an emerald green dinner dress, one he could barely remember. He stood there, gazing at her, at the little smile affixed to her mouth that he knew was just for him. Soon she was blushing under his intense regard, lowering her lashes, and it quite took his breath away.

His mother's voice broke though to him as Cora glided around the room to greet the others. "Now, that we're all assembled, might one of you tell us what this is all about?" She threw a piercing look at her son. "And don't stand there and tell me it is nothing, Robert Crawley."

"I wasn't about to, Mama." Robert waited until everyone else was seated with their glasses of champagne. He stood next to where Cora sat on the settee, looking down at her as he took her hand. Her eyes shone as she smiled at him, giving him a small nod. After smiling in return, he turned his attention to everyone else.

"Most of you know that Cora and I went to a doctor in London today because she hasn't been feeling quite well lately." Robert waited a moment, then went on, his heart pounding now as he looked around at the others. "The good news is that she isn't ill." He began to grin, holding Cora's hand even tighter. Taking a deep breath, he said, "And the even better news is that in about six months we'll be welcoming a new Crawley into the family."

For a long moment all the sound in the room seemed to have disappeared into a black hole.

Edith moved forward on the settee. "Papa, do you mean…?" She looked incredulous, stunned – a look shared by everyone else in the room.

Meeting her eyes, still smiling, he nodded.

Cora squeezed his hand again. "Yes, I'm having a baby."

Another silence settled over the room while their family took this in. It was broken when Isobel lifted her glass. "Well, I say congratulations, Cora and Robert. A new life is a reason to celebrate indeed." She smiled warmly at them both.

Giving her a grateful glance, Robert lifted his own glass, Cora following suit. "A toast to our family – and a new addition to it," Robert said in ringing tones, his chest expanding with renewed glee.

All of them drank of the champagne – Cora only having a small sip before putting her glass down, everyone else having a much longer drink. Robert sat next to his wife, having done his duty in making the announcement. He looked at her, his face full of elation, lifting her hand to his and kissing it. Cora sighed contentedly, beaming at him.

Neither seemed to mind that dinner was a quiet affair, the diners largely keeping their own council. Buoyed by their own happiness, Robert and Cora gazed at each other between bites. If the others weren't quite ready to rejoice in the news with them, it didn't matter. They wouldn't let the rest of their family keep them from celebrating it themselves.