The more time Cora spent in America the more tiresome she found it . The glitter of New York society felt suffocating , in other circumstances she might have found it amusing but now she longed for the peace and quiet of Downton and most of all for the company of her children and , as much as she tried to deny it to herself , her husband . In her heart she was ready to forgive Robert . One morning as Cora came down to breakfast she saw a little white letter on the salver . She recognised the hand at once as Robert's . Lifting it off the tray she hurried back up to her bedroom to read it in private . She sat down on her bed and with nervous hands opened the envelope . The letter read :

dear Cora

I hope you are all well and that you are enjoying your time in New York . I will not try to justify myself , I know what I did was wrong and so there can be no justification . I just want to say that I'm sorry and that I still love you as much as I ever have , perhaps more than before . What I did was done without thinking and although I must take the blame for it , I didn't mean for it to happen . It was a mistake , it was all a mistake and there is not a day goes by when I don't regret my actions . If you can't find it in yourself to forgive me then I suppose it is no more than I deserve but if you can then , please , my dearest darling , come back .

I am and always will be your loving husband,

Robert

Cora put the letter down on her lap and wiped a small tear away from her eye , She heard the door creak and her mother came in . " Darling ? " said Martha looking at Cora's countenance, " what is it? What's wrong ? "
Cora handed her Mother the letter who pursued it eagerly . " Darling , forgive me if I'm wrong , " said Martha after reading it " but by the looks of things I'd say Robert loves you and ... I think that you love him . "
Cora nodded , finally giving way to her feelings .
" Then isn't that all that matters ? " Martha asked , her wise eyes looking down at Cora . Cora realised her mother was right , what was a use of carrying on an argument that should have finished months ago . The main thing was , Robert was sorry and he loved her and , for the time at least , that was enough . " You're right mother . " she said eventually .

It was nearly two weeks later and a thick mist had set in around Downton Abbey . Robert had woken early and taken Isis for a walk in the gardens . The great trees stood firmly above him , their old branches stretching out and their leaves lost in a maze of fog only broken here and there by a patch of resilient sunlight that had found it's way through . As Robert walked around the gravel paths that swept away beyond him he thought about everything that had happened . ' What a mess it is , ' he murmured to Isis as ' what a mess .' His whisper faded out into silence and he carried on thinking about the truth of his own words and how powerless he was to change things . All his life things had gone relatively smoothly , disasters and problems had somehow ironed themselves out and now here he was in the middle of something that he had created without any idea how to fix it . He patted Isis' head and she leant affectionately into his leg . Her tail wagged eagerly from side to side and she let out a yap . She barked again a little louder and began to jump and skip about Roberts heels . " What is it girl ? " asked Robert looking down at her but Isis only barked louder and then ran off into the fog . " Isis ! " ordered Robert " Isis, come back ! " he walked away down the path after her quickening his pace , he didn't want her to get lost . As he came closer he could see Isis' silhouette start to take shape but there was someone with her . A figure by the dog's side was walking toward him out of the mist . He peered closer , straining his eyes to see: It was Cora . A smile spread over his face and he walked faster still watching the figure just to make sure that it was her . Cora quickened her step and Isis ran alternately between the two in contented silence . As he came closer he could see that Cora was smiling too . By the end both were almost running towards each other . The mist broke into a light drizzle as they reached each other's arms .
" I'm so , so sorry . " he said as he pressed her to his chest .
" It's in the past ." said Cora looking up into his face " let's forget about it and live our lives as we did before . "
" I don't deserve you . " he said smiling .
" No . " laughed Cora " But I'm here now so you better make the most of it . "
"why didn't you write and say you were coming ? "He asked .
" I didn't see the point and I wanted to surprise you . "
"Well , you certainly did . " he said laughing with happiness , his face beaming .
" have you missed me ? " Cora smiled .
" Oh , my dearest darling , you will never know how much . "
Cora held both of Robert's hands in hers and they kissed .

The End

I hope you liked reading this, I definitely enjoyed writing it . I'm a little sad it's finished so I might add more later .