2.

~ "Oh what charming girls!" the ladies cried out as Ariadne and Olivia arrived with Fredrick to an after church luncheon at his Aunt and Uncles.

Ariadne wasn't religious and Arthur had never even set foot in the chapel who's church yard his headstone was placed in. But Fredrick had asked her and Olivia to join him for the Sunday service, and she was very glad she had agreed.

Fredrick had paid her visits every day for a week now and she had been looking forward to seeing the Aunt and Uncle who he was staying with. She had no idea the small village house would be so crowded with people.

"Oh, she's such a doll!" Fredrick's Aunt exclaimed as Ariadne gratefully handed her daughter to the older woman. Olivia was becoming too heavy lately to carry, and was intent on running off on her own these days anyway.
"Looks just like a doll! A living doll!" another older woman exclaimed and they huddled around Ariadne and brought them into the kitchen.

She gave a worried look to Fredrick who only waved at her before going off to talk with the men.
"You're so lucky to have your baby, dear." the ladies said as she was guided into the female domain of the house. There, Fredrick's other relatives, all women and girls, were sitting around the parlor, playing the piano, cooking, mixing, baking and chattering away.

"Oh yes, with your husband's passing and all." another agreed.

The older women were all plump like little balls of dough. All of them giggling like school girls as they talked and gossiped about things.

The teenage girls were huddled about the window boxes whispering about secret things and Ariadne was left to watch her daughter be fawned over as if she were the most wonderful child in the world.
"Such a beauty she'll be!" one older woman exclaimed. "She looks just like a young princess Victoria."

Ariadne was about to argue when she noticed the family had a large color print of the young queen at her coronation over the mantle. There was even fresh holly placed around the frame to show their liking for the queen even if King Edward had taken her place.
"That's very kind of you." Ariadne said as Olivia, recognizing the comparison to royalty, looked around her subjects with a haughty air.
"I'm not sure where she gets her good looks from." Ariadne added as she felt shabby in her simple long skirt and white lace blouse.

"Do you talk like that all the time?" one of the teenage girls said as she looked her over.
"She's an American, of course she talks like that!" Fredrick's Aunt scolded. "And she's the lady of Blue Rivers!"

"Not anymore." Ariadne said as Olivia took to wandering over the rooms; soaking up all the attention from the females of the clan.

It was a lovely afternoon. The women were chatty and friendly. They served wonderful, foods in the cozy rooms. Fredrick sat next to Ariadne as the group seemed to enjoy the virtues of being so informal.

"All the girls are worried there won't be a season if the boys all go to war." Fredrick's Aunt told them as the family talked about news and politics.

The sitting room was crowded, the children had to sit on the floor, but it was comfortable and Ariadne felt a faint stab of jealousy.

'Was this how a family was supposed to be?' she wondered. 'A crowd of people playing charades in a cozy sitting room. Everyone laughing and having fun. Everyone happy to be together.'

She had never had this growing up. Her parents kept her at arms length and when she was at school, the girls could be very catty to her. She had a very small group of friends, but she didn't want to think about going back to Blue Rivers soon. The big house that was so empty and cold. Her large bedroom that was lonely even with Olivia there.

Fredrick leaned in closer to her and took her hand as they sat on the sofa by the fire. Olivia asleep with the other young children upstairs.
"Two words." Fredrick called out as a plump little neighbor girl animatedly bounced up and down at her turn.

The girl nodded and waved her fingers up and down.

"Rain?" Ariadne guessed.

The girl shook her head.
"Fingers?" Fredrick asked and the rest of the people in their team threw out guesses.
"They'll never guess. Might as well forfeit now!" his uncle challenged.
"Like hell." Fredrick laughed as the girl tried desperately to act out something falling.
"That's time!" His aunt called out excitedly. "Times up!"

"Uh!" the girl cried out. "Snow man!" she shouted to her team.

~ "I had fun today." Ariadne said as Fredrick drove her and Olivia back to Blue Rivers a few hours later.
"So you like the party then?" he asked.
"Very much so. I'm not used to being around a large family." she told him.
Fredrick laughed.

"My Aunt and Uncle are the only one's I'm related to by blood. The rest are their neighbors, school friends and their kids. They love to host parties and have people over. I'm afraid I haven't much in the way of family anymore." he told her sadly. "I brought Harold here to at least feel like he has family."

"Well, they kept saying Olivia looked like a young queen Victoria." Ariadne laughed as her daughter slept peacefully in her lap.

Fredrick was careful as he drove them over the dirt roads and stone bridges back to Blue Rivers.

"That's high praise coming from that lot." Fredrick said with a smile. "They never did care for any other monarch."

He looked at Olivia nestled sweetly in Ariadne's arms.
"I wish my Mia could have held our boy just as you're holding her now." he said sadly.
"I wish my Arthur could have played with her the way you play with Harold today." she whispered.
Fredrick gave her a little smile and drove on.

"What a pair we make, Ariadne." he said at last.

~ "May I come and see you tomorrow?" Fredrick asked as she climbed out of the car and had to ignore the pain in her back from Olivia being too heavy.

Miles had come out of the house to greet them and let her inside.
"We've seen each other every day for a week now." Ariadne said with a smile as her cheeks felt very warm.
"Yes, but tomorrow, I'll be leaving for London. Then, I'll be enlisting. Our time is precious." Fredrick told her.

"Enlisting?" Ariadne repeated numbly.

She gave Fredrick a confused look.
"You'll go to war?" she asked.
"Yes."

"What about Harold? Who will look after him? Your Aunt and Uncle are older and he's still very young." Ariadne told him.

Fredrick looked slightly embarrassed. She realized then what he was wanting. Why he was courting her at all.
"Oh." she said softly.

"This war promises to be unlike any we've ever faced. I may not make it back home, and I want Harold to be looked after." Fredrick explained.
"So you'll marry me, so that I'll take care of your son if you die?" Ariadne asked.
"I'll have a house for you, and a modest living allowance. Schooling for the children will be provided for." he assured her.

Ariadne let out a nervous laugh.
"I thought... I thought you liked me." she said sadly.

"I do. I really like you. I think I could care for you greatly. It's just with the war on, it's not an ideal situation." Fredrick said.

Ariadne nodded and tried not to cry.
"So this is a marriage of convenience?" she whispered.

"All marriages are convenient ones." Fredrick said as the snow started to fall on them.