29.

~ Arthur was surprised that Blue Rivers had changed so little. He half expected Ariadne to come racing out of the front door asking him what had kept him away for so long.

It caused him physical pain at the idea of Ariadne living here. Of her memory still roaming the halls where they tried to start a life together. A life interrupted by Eames and his own selfish desire for her.

Blue Rivers was no more that a den of sin now. A place where his convenient wife had spent forbidden nights with her lover.

Arthur didn't even have to knock on the door before a spindly butler opened it for him.

"Mr. Eames was expecting you, Mr. Bradford." the worn little man said.

Arthur didn't give the staff much attention, but he saw that Mills looked pale and far too grey for a man his age. Although it was difficult to even determine his age now with his thinning hair and slumped posture.

He was about to ask after the man's health when the worst creature in the world spoke to him.

"Lovely to see you again, darling." Eames said from his perch by the window. "Interesting choice of a car. Were they all sold out of red and you had to settle for blue? It's a shame."

"Eames." Arthur said coldly as the butler stepped away.

He was stunned to see his cousin. The years had not been kind to him. He was fatter and it didn't agree with him at all. His face looked bloated and his clothing were wrinkled, layered on and out of style.

He bettered resembled one of the hobo's depicted on the news film than master of a house.

Still, Arthur could tell by the glint in his eyes, he was the same Eames.

"I believe you know why I'm here." Arthur said sternly as he pushed away any sympathy he might had held for Eames and his decline after Ariadne's death.

"You could have called first. Given me the chance to clean up." Eames said sourly.

"And have you try to help Olivia escape?" Arthur said darkly. "Where is she?"

"Olivia?" Eames questioned as if searching his memory. "Doesn't ring a bell."

"Eames." Arthur said an a warning tone.

"You remember Harold don't you?" Eames asked kindly. "Ariadne's step son. Grown into a very impressive you man. You would like him, I think. Shall I make the introductions?"

"Eames!" Arthur barked and felt ready to throttle his cousin.

Eames slowly stood and Arthur forgot he still walked with a cane.

'When had Eames gotten so old?' Arthur wondered vaguely.

"Where is Olivia?" he asked again.

"Harold?" Eames called. "Can you come out of the library for a moment?"

Eames was wearing a clever, manipulative smirk on his face that only meant he was up to no good.

"Will you be visiting Ariadne's grave?" he asked as Arthur was growing impatient.

"Eames, I've read in the papers what happened to your daughter." Arthur said.

The way his cousin's face fell, Arthur knew he had stuck a raw and painful nerve.

"I can certainly sympathize with you in worrying about your only daughter and why she ran away. What can happen to her in the world these days is scary. It must keep you awake at night." Arthur said with a false sweetness that he knew cut Eames to the bone.

"Well." Eames said in a whisper that was almost snake like. "That is the price we pay for rearing Ariadne's daughters isn't it? If we wanted perfect angels, we should have never fallen for their mother."

"Don't blame her!" Arthur barked. "Never blame Ariadne for this. All of this..." Arthur pointed a finger at Eames and felt his hate for the man boil over. "It's your fault. You've done this to Ariadne. If you had respected another man's wife, she would still be alive."

"Daddy?" came a weak, familiar voice.

Arthur turned to see his prized daughter standing beside a young man in a navy, pinstriped suit.

"Daddy, what are you doing here?" Olivia asked. Her eyes were as big as saucers and she looked worriedly at him.

Arthur first felt warm relief crash over his body at the sight of Olivia. She was safe and looked perfectly fine. He didn't care much for the sleeveless blouse she had on, but he would rectify that soon enough.

The second thing he felt was barely controlled anger.

"I could ask the same for you, Olivia." he said with visible restraint.

He paid no attention to the looks that Olivia and the young man by her side exchanged.

"It's time to go home. We can discuss why you did this on the ship. I've booked us passage back already." Arthur said.

"No."

Arthur turned and didn't understand what his daughter had just said.

"What?" he asked and stepped closer.

"I said no. I'm not going anywhere with you." Olivia said and stood a little straiter.

He saw it then. Saw the young man clasp her hand and give her some kind of strength. Olivia was a wonderful daughter, but she hardly ever defied him.

"Sir, I'm Harold Hays." the handsome young man said and offered Arthur his free hand.

Arthur ignored the offer of a handshake and stepped in between him and Olivia.

"Daddy, don't!" Olivia shouted as Arthur roughly grabbed her by the arm.

"Sir!" the young man said as Eames watched. "Sir, I need to speak with you about Olivia!"

"I have nothing to say to you, Mr. Hays." Arthur said as Olivia struggled against her father.

"Daddy! stop it!" she shouted and suddenly pulled herself free.

"Olivia, get in the car. We can send for you things later." Arthur growled. "I have no idea what Mr. Eames here has been telling you; I'm your father and you will obey me!"

"No!" Olivia shouted and Arthur felt the overwhelming urge to slap her across the face.

She was Ariadne's daughter. He could see it now, here at Blue Rivers, clearer than he ever saw it in New York.

"Olivia!" he whispered.

"Mr. Bradford. I'm Fredrick Hays' son." Harold was saying as he moved closer to Olivia and Arthur's daughter took the young man's hand and only glared at her father.

"I'm Ariadne's step son." Harold was saying again.

"Olivia." Arthur said and took a deep calming breath. "I won't be asking again. Get in the car."

"No." Olivia said.

"Sir?" Harold said helpfully. "May we talk in private? Just the two of us?"

"There is no need, we have nothing to discuss." Arthur bit back.

"Yes, you do." Olivia said and Arthur almost felt his heart rip free from his chest as she showed him a small, old fashioned diamond ring that could only mean an engagement.

He looked at Olivia with new eyes now as well as the young man by her side.

"What have you done, Olivia?" he whispered to his daughter.

"I came here to find out about mother. I met Harold, Mr. Eames and my sister. You never even told me I had a sister." Olivia said and he could tell she was near tears.

"Olivia, whatever lies Eames told you-"

"They weren't lies." Olivia said. "He told me the truth. How you divorced mother after the Empress sank. How she remarried Harold's father. How during the war Eames was wounded and he and mother had an affair that resulted in Felicity. I know why you didn't tell me. I know you wanted me not to think badly about mother, but daddy, I needed to know!"

"Olivia, we can discuss this at the hotel while waiting for the ship to take us back home." Arthur said.

"No." Olivia said.

"You will not be staying here with this young man." Arthur whispered in a voice that had turned just as evil and snake like as Eames'.

His cousin seemed to be enjoying the domestic drama and smirked at Arthur's plight.

"I'm going to marry him. Harold is a fine man with a good standing in the community. He does charitable work for the villages in the area and he loves me." Olivia said and stood a little straiter.

Her arm laced around the young man's and they looked a striking couple.

Arthur glared at the man who had so easily and quickly turned his daughter against him.

"I know this is not what you would have liked, sir." Harold said. "Believe me, it's not how I wanted to do this. I wanted to ask your permission before anything. It's how I was raised and I respect the fact you're her father and-"

"Be quite!" Arthur shouted at the young man.

"Daddy!" Olivia shouted back. "Don't talk to him like that."

"You will not be getting married." Arthur said darkly. "You couldn't have known him for more than a week at best. You will not be so stupid as to ruin yourself to a man you just met!"

He turned to Eames.

"No offense with regard to your daughter." he snarled.

"Oh, none taken. Only a fool would marry someone they just met." Eames said. His voice full of deadly venom.

Arthur sensed that Eames was capable of telling Olivia the horrible truth about her real father and why Ariadne married him in the first place that odd September day back in 1912.

"Sir, may we please speak in private?" Harold was saying.

"No." Arthur said sternly. "Olivia, you will not marry this man. You will get in the car this instant or you will be cut off without a cent!"

He looked at the young man then. Certain he would see a look of horror in his face at the idea of no heavy dowry for marrying Olivia Bradford: wealthy society from New York and heiress to a large fortune.

He was surprised to see a certain look of sympathy in the young man's eye as he held Olivia's hand and kissed it.

"I don't care." Olivia breathed. Tears running freely now.

"Penniless. You'll have nothing." Arthur reiterated.

"I do very well for myself, sir. I have the means to marry." Harold was saying. "I've a proper home in London and I've established a career in publishing with Mr. Eames here as my top client."

"Olivia! get int he car! I'm you're father, and you will not defy me!" Arthur shouted with so much rage, Harold positioned himself in front of his daughter. Clearly fearful she might be hurt in Arthur's furry.

"I've been with him!" Olivia shouted and Arthur took a step back. His breathing coming hard.

"I've been with Harold. A few days ago and every night since. It's why we got engaged so quickly; I might be pregnant and he wants to do the honorable thing!" she cried.

Harold was breathing hard and looked worriedly at Arthur.

Arthur felt his heart break as his daughter, the precious baby he held just hours after her birth was a fallen, soiled woman now.