Robert had thought that traveling would be somewhat lost time for them, but he was happy to be proven wrong. Where he'd been nervous and wishing the journey done already on the way to Nice, now he appreciated once more being with her – in a place where there was little to do besides talk and enjoy one another's company in all its forms. When they got tired, they would read or simply nap. And the trip – even more so than being in Nice, where there were things to see and places to go, her parents often with them – was an excellent opportunity for telling Cora the things she should know, to prepare her for when they'd return to Downton.

Besides that, it was wonderful just to be with her, and her alone.

As the carriage pulled up beside the pavement at Grantham House the morning they arrived back in London, Robert squeezed his wife's hand. "I thought I would make a reservation to what's always been one of our favorite restaurants in London, Cora. That is, if you aren't too tired from traveling."

"No, I'm not too tired. It sounds lovely, darling." She smiled at him. "I had thought that we should call on your sister this afternoon – or send a message inviting her to tea here with us, if she doesn't already have an engagement."

"That's a good idea, my dear." He helped her out of the carriage and drew her arm through his as they walked up to the house. "I'll have one of the footmen take a message to her this morning, to invite her."

"I would like to see her – some other day if she can't come by today. Rosamund has been very kind to me." Cora pressed his arm tighter to herself.

Robert chuckled. "You're one of the few people to whom she is completely kind, in fact. You have no idea how grateful I am to her for that." They broke apart to give their outer garments to the butler. "Will you go up for a rest now? Or should I have some tea put in the drawing room for us?"

"I think I'll go up and rest a while. I want to be wide awake later. For our evening together." With a face full of mirth, she kissed his cheek and headed for the staircase. "Come wake me for luncheon?"

Robert nodded and watched her sashay away from him. He grinned and then went into the library after she was out of his sight. Sitting down to write a note to Rosamund, he thought about how grateful he was – for his sister and for having Cora back again, that she loved him.

There was a lot for which to be thankful.

After a day of resting and having Rosamund for tea, Robert waited for his wife at the bottom of the stairs, pacing a bit, as she seemed to be taking longer than usual. At the rustling of a skirt from the landing, he looked up and blinked at the sight that met him. Cora had on a new emerald green evening gown, a narrow emerald and diamond diadem encircling her dark curls and the scarab earrings dangling from her ears. She looked….

"Magnificent," he said, grinning at her as she finished her descent and held her hand out to him. Taking it, he kissed it and clasped it tightly. "You do look magnificent, Cora. I love this color on you. For more reasons than you know."

"Perhaps you'll tell me over dinner." Her eyes sparkled at him.

Robert chuckled. "I'm not sure it's appropriate dinner conversation, to be honest." He felt heat rise in his cheeks.

Cora stepped closer and kissed his cheek before whispering, "Then after dinner, maybe?"

"We'll see," he murmured. "For now, we should be on our way."

He led her to the foyer where they drew on coats, then out the door to their waiting carriage. As they got in and were on their way to the restaurant, myriad wonderful memories flooded Robert's mind – of their first Valentine's Day together, and how they'd gone to this same restaurant… and all that had followed after. He just wished she could remember too.

But if she couldn't – then he would help make even more wonderful memories for her.

In the carriage, he held her hand, and they laughed together again at a story Rosamund had told them earlier. And when they arrived, Robert helped Cora out of the carriage and escorted her inside, as proud as he'd ever been to have such an exquisite creature on his arm.

The table was the same one. Robert couldn't believe they'd been seated in the same place. He ordered duck for them, and they had champagne. At least Cora didn't drink it so quickly this time (although, he would admit to smiling as he remembered the result that night), and so he could enjoy her more subtle glances and smiles.

At her request, Robert disclosed a few more memories of theirs, still saving the story behind the green scarf for a more intimate setting. Several times, she appeared to pause, staring at some point behind him, her expression puzzled. Just before Robert could stop to ask her what was wrong, Cora would give her head a little shake and turn her eyes back to his with a warm smile.

After she'd done this a number of times, Robert took her hand across the table with some concern. "Are you alright, Cora? You seem a bit distracted."

She smiled her sweet smile at him. "No, darling. I'm fine. More than fine, to be honest. Being here with you, in one of our favorite places – I can see why now –" Here she interrupted herself with a wider grin. "It's made me so happy, Robert."

Robert gave an inward sigh of relief and smiled back at her. "I'm glad to hear it, my sweetheart." Letting go of her hand while the servers took their plates, he asked, "Did you want dessert? More champagne? Or would you prefer coffee?"

"Yes to dessert. Something chocolate; I don't mind what. And I think more champagne – don't you?" Cora's eyebrow tilted upward at him, her visage full of mischief.

Chuckling, Robert gave the order to the server and turned back to his wife. "I think you have something in mind for later."

Her cheeks flushed a pretty pink, but the mischief remained firmly in her smile. "Well, it would be a shame to waste the effects of a new dress, don't you think?" she questioned teasingly as she finished the last drops of champagne in her glass, keeping her eyes fastened on his over the rim.

"Oh, I quite agree, Cora." Robert smirked at her and watched her drink again in the same manner once her flute had been refilled. He lowered his voice and leaned toward her after the waiter left. "And it's most certainly having an effect." Giving her a small wink, he drew back and basked in the light of her grin, raising his own glass to his lips.

The rest of their meal was spent in silent communication – looks, smiles, the raising of eyebrows, the tilt of a chin, or the shake of a head in teasing or mirth. How Robert wanted to slip his arms around her and kiss her until they were both dizzy. Except – there was something inherently wonderful about this part too – as if their unspoken dialogue connected them in such a manner that they already were exchanging kisses and tender caresses, these held aloft in the unbroken electric current between them. It filled his heart at the same time that it excited him otherwise.

When Cora began brushing her foot over his ankle under the table and giggling aloud, Robert knew it was time to take her back to Grantham House. Chuckling, he helped her up from the table and to the coat check, wrapped her in her coat, and extended his arm to her once he'd donned his own. Once back in the seclusion of the carriage, Cora lunged for him, kissing him intensely and giving him the loveliest flashbacks. Then, as she attempted to grope him, he grasped her hands and ended the kiss, grinning at her.

"Soon, darling. Patience." Robert held her hands in one of his so he could cup her cheek and gaze at her lovingly. Then his eyes moved down her face to her throat, his attention caught by a wayward ringlet resting against her neck. He smiled and looked back up at her as he coiled the ringlet around his fingers. "I love how this one ringlet always seems to come loose and settle right here. Right where my lips should be," he whispered, bending down to press soft kisses to her neck.

He heard her gasp and say, "Oh!" Pausing for a few seconds, he considered lifting his head to ask what was wrong – as that had sounded less an expression of pleasure and more one of surprise. But then Cora tilted her head to the side, as if in invitation for him to continue. So he did, eliciting a series of trills from her, until he felt the carriage come to a halt. Robert lifted his head and looked at her, wringing her hands gently while uncurling the ringlet from his fingers. The way she stared at him, in a combination of love and awe and mild disbelief, caused him to wonder a little. But before he could ask anything, the driver opened the door and Robert pulled away, exiting the carriage and extending his hand up to help her out.

Leaving their coats with the butler, they started up the stairs, Cora still slightly tipsy.

"Robert?" she ventured timidly.

"Yes, Cora?" he asked, pressing her arm tighter against him.

"Might we go into our sitting room for a while before retiring?"

He turned his head and eyed her askance, as she'd appeared only too ready to get to that part of the evening in the carriage. "Of course we can. Is something wrong, sweetheart?"

Cora shook her head and gave him a warm smile. "No, my dear. Nothing is wrong. I just want to sit with you a while." She slid her hand into his, clasping it tightly.

Perplexed now, Robert led her into their sitting room and had her sit down. "Er, would you like something?" He indicated the drinks cabinet.

She put up a hand. "Thank you, but no. I'd like to clear my head, I think."

"Water?" he asked, pulling a glass over.

"Yes. That would be good, Robert." She smiled again and took the glass, drinking of it deeply, when he joined her on the settee.

Touching her cheek, he searched her eyes. "Cora, is there anything else you need?"

Cora nodded. "Will you tell me about when you realized you loved me? What made you realize it?"

"I thought I –"

"No. You said you remembered when you told me, that it had something to do with Alistair. But you didn't tell me the story. Will you tell me now?" She leaned her cheek into his hand.

Robert watched her close her eyes, a smile upon her lips. "Of course I will, darling." He set into the tale, telling her that they'd been there in London, at the Cavendish, over Valentine's Day, and reminding her of how he'd punched Alistair on the jaw. Then he related how two days later he'd gone to buy her a gift – "those very earrings you're wearing," he said – and how he'd come upon Alistair yet again and that the man had socked him in the eye.

Cora stared at him, her eyes wide, completely intent upon his story.

"When I got back to our room, I'd had some ice sent up, and you had me lie upon the settee with my head in your lap." He smiled at the memory. "I put the ice on my eye, and you read to me – from Pride and Prejudice. You knew I wouldn't really be listening to the words, and, at first, you were right. You ran your fingers through my hair, and, at the sound of your voice, I fell asleep for a while." Pausing to cup her face in his hand more fully, he lowered his voice a little. "When I woke, I began listening to the words. You were reading the part where Elizabeth is telling her sister about Darcy, about how she'd fallen in love with him – that it had come on so gradually that she hadn't realized it. And I knew. You read on, but I had to tell you, so I rolled off the settee –" He laughed. "I think I frightened you half out of your wits when I did that, and even more when I started babbling about needing you to forgive me." He took a deep breath. "But then, I told you. I told you and you were so completely radiant in my arms, and it was one of the best moments of my life." Seeing the tears shining in her eyes, he leaned close and rested his forehead down on hers. "And it always will be. And now I have your declaration of a week ago to add to it."

"Robert, I love you so much," she whispered. Then she lifted her hand and placed it upon his neck. "Might we get ready for bed now?"

"Yes, Cora, if that's what you'd like." Stroking his thumb over her cheek once, he stood and took the empty water glass from her and offered her his hands. Smiling at him, she let him pull her up, and they walked across the hall to their rooms. Leaving her at her door with a light kiss, he went to ring for Masterman.

After he'd dismissed the valet and waited what he thought was a decent amount of time, Robert knocked upon Cora's door.

"You can come in, Robert," she called out brightly.

The sight that met him when he opened the door nearly knocked him over. "But – what – I don't understand –" He stared at her, shaking his head.

For Cora stood in the middle of the room – completely aglow in the light of extra candles – her hair long and loose over her white skin, and – what had truly astonished him – the emerald green scarf wrapped around her and secured under her right shoulder. Cora's eyes met his, bright with happiness and tears.

"I remember," she whispered.

"You – what?" He thought he might need to sit down, but instead, he closed the door behind him and stepped closer.

Cora smiled widely, the tears dropping upon her flushed cheeks now. "Robert, I remember. Not – not everything. I hope it will come back to me, eventually. But I remember a lot of the things you told me about: when we first met and our wedding, our honeymoon and your proposal, and this. I remember this." She wiped at the moisture on her face absentmindedly. "I remember you."

Robert began to smile, although a crease still remained in his brow. "But when – how?" He couldn't seem to form coherent sentences. He kept thinking that at any moment he'd wake up, and it wouldn't be true anymore.

She shrugged and came forward to take his hands in hers. "I don't know exactly how, but when we sat down to dinner, I felt so safe and happy and loved…. I kept getting these sort of flashes of images, and they were confusing at first, but then, in the carriage, what you said about the lock of hair on my neck – I put them together with the things you'd told me. I just needed one last piece to be able to believe my own mind. And it's what you told me in the sitting room earlier. I remembered it, but you'd never told me about it. But – it matched."

He couldn't seem to speak. Blinking at her, still in slight disbelief, he simply hung onto her hands, not wanting to let go until he could be sure.

"Robert, I remember you. And I love you, and I'm so sorry for what you had to go through. I know it wasn't my fault – it wasn't anyone's fault – and you must have realized how frightened I was…. But, still, I'm sorry." She lowered her wet lashes, squeezing his hands.

"Sweetheart?" Finally able to wrap his mind around what she was telling him, he loosened one of his hands and held her chin in it, lifting her head up so she would look at him. "You don't have to be sorry for that. It's done, and –" He inhaled deeply, tears stinging his own eyes. "My greatest wish has come true. That you'd get your memory back. Not because you aren't my very own Cora without them, but because I think you would always feel like a part of you was missing. But it's not. Not anymore." Robert smiled when Cora reached up to brush tears off his face. "Darling, I can't say how happy I am."

Caressing his face in both hands now, gazing into his eyes, she whispered, "Then show me." Without waiting for an answer, she crushed her lips to his, pressing her body against him.

Sensing the hunger in her kiss, Robert complied more than willingly, his body already responding to the way she moved her hands up to thread her fingers in his hair and the thrilling friction of her front rubbing against his. He reached down and lifted the edge of the green scarf up enough to slip his hands beneath it and cup her behind, squeezing and holding her tightly against him.

Cora was no longer a bit timid or hesitant; she made that wonderfully clear to Robert when she sneaked one of her hands down between them and fondled his arousal through his night shirt and drawers. He groaned and felt himself harden at her ministrations. "God, Cora," he sighed into her mouth before dipping his head to her collar bone and suckling upon the sensitive skin and kneading her behind even more fervently.

Plucking at the several buttons at the top of his long night shirt, Cora had them pause so they could rid him of the garment, whereupon she attacked the button on his drawers and pushed them down over his hips while leaning forward to flick her tongue across one of his nipples. Robert let out a guttural noise from the back of his throat and closed his eyes, trying to let her do as she liked. But when she began teasing the other with her fingers, he couldn't take it anymore. Slipping his hands around her, he grasped her buttocks and lifted her against him, taking the few steps over to the chaise longue and turning to recline back upon it.

Without any cue or question, Cora, her eyes dark and her face flushed, her breathing heavy, straddled his hips and slid down upon him, almost immediately beginning to move – very deliberately at first, in small circles, and then in a more frenzied way. She pressed her hands into the chaise on either side of him, a sheen of moisture radiating off her skin. Robert made quick work of the knot in the scarf, tossing it behind him, then leaned back again, lifting his hips to meet her, stroke for stroke, his fingers digging into the arms of the chaise. He locked eyes with her, until she began to shudder and convulse around him, and he closed his eyes in pleasure as she let out a series of sharp breaths.

Then, she sat down upon him so hard that he felt the chaise longue give near his right foot. One more bounce like this, and the leg broke with a loud snap. Robert hung on to the arm of the chaise with one hand and snaked his other arm around her waist, preventing them from toppling onto the floor. Cora looked behind her with wide eyes. "Oh!" She blinked a few times and then leaned forward, grinning and placing a kiss on his lips. "I've never liked this chaise anyway."

Robert gave his head a little shake and smirked at her. "Incorrigible minx." Without warning, he levered them up off the chaise and stood. She gave a happy shriek, her eyes bright and her legs wrapping tightly around his waist. Keeping her firmly against him, he walked to an empty stretch of wall, pushing her up against it. Soon he was kissing her everywhere his mouth could reach without giving up his persistent thrusting into her, spurred on by her every sigh and gasp and moan. He paused only long enough to raise her arms above her head, balancing her against the wall upon his hips, so he could run his fingers along the undersides, worshipping every inch of the silky, porcelain skin, gazing into her eyes.

Pulling her arms down and around his neck, he bent his head to kiss her mouth eagerly and slid his hands around to her behind again, picking up where he'd left off. The fingers of one of Cora's hands twisted into his hair, and her other hand glided down his neck and over his shoulder. After Cora had climaxed several times – in rather quick succession, Robert was delighted to note – he nuzzled his forehead down into the hollow of her neck and breathed heavily against her skin, feeling though the entire surface of his skin – and hers – radiated heat.

Cora's hand wandered from his shoulder and down over his chest, her fingers grazing over his curls and seeking out a nipple. As her lips pressed to his temple, her fingertips circled around first his right nipple, and then his left. Robert moaned and plunged into her even more adamantly, the muscles in his buttocks flexing. He nibbled gently upon her throat, and the contrast of force and tenderness appeared to send her over the edge once more. As she cried out, she tweaked one of his nipples. This, together with the incredible feel of her around him, was too much for him to handle, and he pushed into her once more with a deep groan of complete satisfaction, squeezing her behind and keeping her flush against him as he panted and burrowed his head farther into her neck.

As soon as he thought he could move without collapsing or dropping her, Robert embraced his wife around the waist and lifted his head, smiling as he transferred them to the bed. Cora continued stroking his hair where her hands had come to rest at the nape of his neck as she'd cradled his head against her and taken up a happy sort of purring. Laying her gently upon the bed, he climbed up next to her, and stretched out on his back, pleased when she immediately nestled up to his side and rested her head upon his shoulder and draped her arm across his chest in her own familiar way. His arms encircled her, and he bent his head down slightly to kiss her forehead. He loved the way he could feel her heart – still thumping slightly faster than normal – against his side and how her fingertips moved in small, feather-light passes over his skin and that he could feel her smile widen as his arms tightened around her.

After a little while – when his skin felt cool again and his heartbeat returned to normal, and he'd closed his eyes and one hand glided up and down her arm – Cora spoke in a soft voice. "Robert, I wanted to thank you."

He chuckled. "For what, darling? For helping you break a chaise longue you didn't like, so that I'll be taking you shopping for a new one tomorrow?"

Cora sat up on her elbow and slapped his arm teasingly. He opened his eyes and grinned up at her attempt at an annoyed expression. But she started giggling. "Well, that's not what I was thinking of, but I'll not deny that I'm thankful for that too. Especially the 'you helping me' part." She waggled her eyebrows at him and leaned down for a gentle, lingering kiss, her fingers on his jaw to tilt his head at just the right angle.

When she ended the kiss, gazing down at him with a soft smile, Robert reached up to brush her hair back from her face, pushing it to the other side, where it brushed over his shoulder and permeated the air between them with its sweet fragrance. He smiled back at her and grazed his fingers over her cheek. "So what did you want to thank me for, sweetheart?"

She took a little breath, her smile widening, her fingers still upon his jaw. "I wanted to tell you how grateful I am for how you were these past weeks. It didn't matter how much I pushed you away, you were so patient and tender and kind to me." He saw her eyes sparkle with tears. Her voice became a whisper. "I could tell you loved me, even apart from when you said it. I could read it in your face and in how you treated me."

Robert gave her a sheepish look, running his hand along her arm again. "Well, I did snap at you several times. And I came after you in London when you told me not to."

"I know," she said, moving her hand up to caress his cheek. Tears slid down her face. "But I understand why. I understood then, but I couldn't – I didn't –" She lowered her lashes, evidently unable to find the right words.

"You don't have to say anything, Cora. I know." He placed his hand on her face and gently wiped away her tears with this thumb. She met his eyes once again, and he went on, "As difficult as it was for me, I realized it must be even more difficult for you. I tried to keep that foremost in my mind. I didn't want to upset you or confuse you any more than you already were. I love you so much, and I wanted to prevent as much of that as I could."

Cora nodded, smiling. "And that's why I'm grateful, my love. It would have been much worse otherwise."

"I'm happy that I could put you at ease, if only a little."

"You did," she whispered. "It's part of the reason I fell for you again, Robert. I knew that such tenderness and care is a rare thing, and I came to adore you for it." Cora's fingers threaded into his dark hair at the temple, playing with it. "I do adore you for it. Adore and love you more than I'd ever imagined I could." She bent forward again to kiss him and didn't object when Robert pulled her closer, sliding both arms around her waist and embracing her tightly.

Once they'd had a refreshing interlude of kisses and tender caresses, Robert reached down and twitched the bedclothes up over them. He thought perhaps he should get up and extinguish the candles, but he didn't want to leave the warmth of her body cleaved against his. "Cora, do you still want a wedding?" He wove his fingers into her hair as she settled more comfortably alongside him.

She was silent for a moment, and he felt the soft graze of her eyelashes against his skin as she blinked, apparently thinking. "No, I don't think so, Robert," she said. "I think our wedding – which I now remember –" She smiled and drummed her fingers lightly upon his ribs. "I think our wedding was perfect. We might have a party instead. To celebrate. What do you think?" She tilted her face up slightly to look at him.

"I think that's a wonderful idea, my dearest one. And now…." He pulled one arm away and lifted his head to take the chain from around his neck. Unfastening it, he allowed the wedding ring to slide down into his hand. He reached over to put the chain on the bedside table, then held the ring out to her.

Cora sat up and grinned at him, holding her left hand out so he could slip the ring over her knuckle and up against her engagement ring – where it belonged. "That's better," she breathed.

Robert propped himself up on his elbow and brought her hand to his lips, kissing the back of it. "I agree, sweetheart." He kept her hand in his and leaned up, smiling as she bent her head to press her lips to his.

Then he lay back again, pulling her gently with him, gratified when she curled herself up against him once more, her hair streaming down his arm, her face nuzzled against his chest, her arm across his middle. "I love you, Robert," she whispered, sighing contentedly.

"I love you too. Ever my Cora." As the soft rise and fall of her chest and her deepened breathing indicated that she'd gone to sleep, Robert held her closely within the shelter of his arms, nestled against his side – where she belonged.

A/N: I want to thank everyone who read through to the end, and a special thanks to those who have left reviews. This has been one of my favorite fics to write, and the response has been incredible throughout. I do hope the ending is everything you hoped for and more! Thank you again!