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The sun glared down on the Yorkshire countryside, blinding all those who basked in it. The station was packed with women and children of all shapes and sizes, peering anxiously around, waiting for the arrival of loved ones. The young American Viscountess stood watching just as eagerly as everyone else.
“Mama would condone me” she laughed half-heartedly. She could hear her voice now ‘Stop being so unladylike!’ She would not let that dampen her mood though.
Today, June 6th 1902, was the day he was coming home. The Boer War had ended only a week ago and the brave men were returning from the hot climate of South Africa. She had left the children home. She can imagine Violet keeping the three children in line. Everybody was against her going to meet Robert at the station but she persisted and was driven down to meet him, awaiting their first meeting in three years.
A whistle blew to the left of them and every head turned towards the sound. The train came to a halt and doors opened with a hiss of the hydraulics. The people in third class were pulled into tight embraces as were the middle class passengers. Cora knew one man would come out the first class door.
Robert came out with his bag slung over his shoulder, and he scanned the vast crowd for his wife.
“Darling, you’re home.”
He turned his head, dropping his bag into his hand, at the sound of the soft American accent he knew belonged to his wife..
He dropped his bag to the ground carelessly, “If you knew how many times I imagined our reunion,.”
Cora pulled him into a tight embrace, clutching to him for dear life. “I’ve missed you” she whispered against his chest, inhaling the scent of him that she had missed so dearly. He whispered the same back, in a softer voice then she can remember him speaking in. The two broke apart smiling, basking in the love radiating off one another.
“Oh my darling Cora,” Forgetting where they are and who might be looking, Robert leaned down, capturing Cora’s lips with his own. Cora welcomed him, his chapped lips feeling like home to her and her contrasting moist lips feeling like home to him.
The two broke apart and giggled like eloping teenagers. Cora took his hand in hers “The children are waiting for you at home with mama, I have never seen Sybil and Edith so excited. Mary tries to hide it but she is too,”
“They would have grown up so much,”
“They most definitely have,” Cora smiled warmly leading him off the platform and to where she had left the car.
Robert was finally home. He would soon have to pick up his duties as Viscount Downton once again but for now he is content with finally seeing his family again after so many long years apart.
With Brooks, the chauffeur driving them back home, she sat pressed against him in the backseat of the car, holding his hand tightly as if he were going to leave again.When Robert had received his letter to go to war, more than anything, he was terrified he would never see Cora again. Now they were together again, going back to his picturesque home with his beautiful wife to see his grown up daughters.
He turned his head to place a small kiss on the top of his wife's head, causing a contented sigh to escape her lips.
“I’m so glad your home,” she whispered, nuzzling into him; savouring every moment.