#feature author

Least favorite/most difficult?

It's probably for selfish reasons, but I just hated to write anything where there was direct conflict between Robert and Cora! It's one thing to write a character's interior monologue and have them cogitate on what's gone wrong, but to write an argument between two characters, you feel almost like you're instigating a fight between two real people! And, because I do love their characters so much, a huge part of me just wanted to push them together and make them happy again. But of course, that would be far less dramatic. And I think most writers, myself included, have a flair for the dramatic…

What pushed Robert to leave Downton and go to London and stay with Rosamund?

 When I look at Robert's character, I don't see someone who is particularly introverted. His life is spent surrounded by family, servants and guests at Downton; he is eternally placed in the role of caretaker for myriad people and roles. He was groomed for his life and his position, so being alone in a house with no one to care for would be a very disorienting experience. I also pushed Robert to London and Rosamund because I like writing their relationship, which we don't see a whole lot of on the show. And, further, he needed someone to talk to. I don't mean to put it simply, but I think ultimately Robert needed someone he could speak freely with and he does not have a lot of people in his life that he can do that with. I remember reading a great line in Remingtonkeys' story "Shared Tears" where Robert leaves for London after Sybil's death and says something like "I couldn't take Isis on the train," when asked why he went alone; and that, to me, sums up a lot of his personality; he isn't a man with a huge group of close friends and in fact I doubt it was common for men of his generation to have a best friend in whom they confided. He has his family, and the estate, and Isis, of course, but beyond that there are not a lot of close connections. Cora is that for him and so without Cora, he needed someone to talk to.

In chapter 4, Robert tells himself that Cora was right to leave him and then decides to go to America. What made Robert change his mind and go after her?

I can only sum it up with my last line from that particular chapter: "Cora was, as she had always been, his home." What, really, can you do in that situation? You either fight or you don't; it's a very straightforward choice, I think. And as for Robert, it was never really a matter of changing his mind. He was always going to go after her.

Why as an author do you feel this moment is important?

Well, due to the way I wrote it and the way I see it, he was always going to go after her. There may have been hesitation and a lack of clarity after being in such a depression but when it came down to it, it was a matter of when, not if. It was important for me to make that clear; of course marriages dissolve for countless reasons, and I suppose theirs very well could have on the show or in my story, but it isn't the way I imagine their characters nor how I write them. It's not just that they love each other; it's that they are of an era where divorce was really not an option. So they needed to work something out. Whether they maintain their happiness in the process, that was the big question. My friend and fellow writer ladycobert recently wrote a story in which Robert and Cora briefly separate—informally—for several days (it's called The Silence In Between and I highly recommend it!) and again, I saw it as a matter of when, not if, they would come back together. It was more so a question of whether or not they would come back together happily or begrudgingly, and if they had the ability to maintain the relationship they'd cultivated over the years. It's most important to me because their marriage was one of convenience, not love. Their love, then, was not always a given. Therefore I saw it as something particularly unique and important, because it took time to develop. To lose it, then, would be incredibly painful and would likely change both characters irreparably.

Why does Robert dismiss nearly all his servants? What is the significance of this?

 Well, he dismisses them because he is depressed. It's significant in that he cannot bear to have others witness what's become of his carefully constructed life, as it's both embarrassing for him and extremely painful. It signifies a surrender of sorts, and his extreme unhappiness and inability to go on as he did without Cora.

In chapter 6 the moment that caused Cora to decide to leave is revealed. You put a lot of emphasis of home and belonging which continues till the end of the story. What techniques did you use to keep these themes prevalent throughout the story?

 I don't know that I necessarily used any techniques, not consciously at least, because I think the juxtaposition of their two cultures is technique enough. I happen to be American so it's of interest to me to see a relationship between two people whose cultures and upbringings are inherently different. Their mannerisms, families, and even intonations are simply different. It's a cornerstone of their relationship and something that is just interwoven throughout their personas. So when I write them, I think it's just something already present in the characters.

Cora spends some time with her mother's friend Mrs. Whitmore in the story. How did you create this character? Why did you feel this character is important for the story? How does Mrs. Whitmore help further the story?

I borrowed the character's name and a few traits from a close friend. I wanted Cora to have, like Robert has in Rosamund, someone to confide in and someone beyond herself to help extricate some of the grief she was holding onto. So, Mrs. Whitmore is a vehicle for that progression and also allows for some sub-plots throughout the major story arcs.

This story deals with hurt, anger, and how to move past it. Why did you choose to make these themes central to your story? Why do you think Robert and Cora dealt with these themes differently?

After deciding on the central plotlines, hurt and anger just came as a package deal! They are central to the story because if we were talking about two real people grieving the loss of a child and trying to accept a marriage that is on shifting ground, I think those emotions are quite topical. And they deal with them in different ways, I think, simply because they are different people. We all handle stress, joy, or pain differently; it's how we deal with those sorts of great emotions that define our personalities and so I tried to write them how I've observed them on the show and how I imagine their characters would react in similar scenes.

 Is Robert able to make peace with the rest of the family? Including Branson?

Ah, that is the great question, isn't it? In an ideal situation, I'd say yes of course. But, again, different people handle grief and anger differently. I couldn't say definitively how the story would continue if I were to pick it back up. With Cora, at the very least, I ended with a moment of peace. And from there I imagine their relationship having reached a great turning point. With the children, though, it would be a longer process. And I don't think there would be peace with Branson for a long time. Branson's an interesting character in the context of the story because he's not really family, but he's not not family, if that makes sense? Though Robert might like to never speak to him, it's simply not an option. Peace, or a semblance of it, would come eventually, I think, but not for a long while.

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