2.
~ "What do you mean the money is gone?" Charlotte growled.
Eames shrugged as his bride sat in the ladies parlor next to his mother and Aunt. Her once pretty face now pulled and contorted into a disproving scowl.
"Charles what are you talking about?" Juniper asked with wide, scared eyes.
"It seems our dear departed cousin Arthur had no legal claim to Blue Rivers. He wasn't born in the country, and the entail is broken. So, all his money and what have you, is to go back to Ariadne and Olivia." he explained.
"This is outrageous!" Charlotte snapped as she stood up and tossed her bridal veil on the sofa.
"We'll be allowed to keep the phone hub, whatever that's worth. I have some stocks that will bring in some money. We also have our rented farm lands to bring in income." Eames said.
"Charles!" Juniper gasped and looked ready to cry.
"Will we lose the house?" Lady Percy said. "The land?"
The old woman ever sensible and ration.
"No. And the estate won't charge us for the upgrades Arthur made." Eames told him.
"Well, we're still better off then we were three years ago." Lady Percy said. "We can let go some of the staff, close up a wing or two."
"Aunt Percy!" Juniper scolded.
"How could you let this happen?" Charlotte hissed at him.
"Miss Williams, I know this is a bit last minute, but there is the door if you don't want to marry a cash poor man with a house he can't afford to run and a silly title." Eames bit back.
Charlotte gave his a murderous look before storming out of the ladies parlor.
"Charles, your wedding is in a few days!" Juniper said.
"I don't think there's going to be a wedding, mother." Eames said sadly.
"So, the money will go with Ariadne?" Lady Percy asked reasonably.
"Yes." Eames said.
"Then the solution is obvious. Ariadne and her daughter must stay here. We must keep her here for Fredrick's absence during the war. Her new income will more then pay for the running of the house." Lady Percy said.
"I think Fredrick wants her in London. It's where his son is." Eames said.
"Nonsense. She doesn't know anyone there. She can bring the boy here to Blue Rivers. We will make her feel this is her home and she will never leave it."
~ Ariadne stared at Cobb in disbelief.
"How could this have happened?" she asked as he sat across from her.
She had held no prejudices about using the sacred conservatory to entertain her guest the way Eames had. Cobb was more than welcome in the place she and Eames did all their writing.
"It's complicated." Cobb explained.
"Well then explain it. Explain how one second I'm a poor relation, and the next, I'm wealthy." she said.
The news that she was no longer a penniless widow was a great shock and she could tell Cobb had chosen his words carefully.
"Arthur had no legal rights to the estate to start with. He was born in America and he never had the power to assume the estate." Cobb explained.
"I don't believe that." Ariadne snapped.
Cobb looked up at her in surprise.
She shook her head.
"Arthur was many things, but he was never that careless. He wouldn't have invested so much of his money, married me and moved across the globe if he thought there was any chance at all that he might not be the legal heir. And you're a better lawyer then that, Cob."
Cobb flushed.
"What's really going on?" she demanded.
"It's just like I told you. You'll be granted a small living allowance. You can stay here in Blue Rivers if they will have you, but you'll have more then enough to keep a house and staff in London, or-" he took a deep breath. "Or, New York even."
"New York?" she questioned. "Cobb, I'm getting married tomorrow."
"Which is why we need to settle this matter now. Otherwise, the money becomes apart of your marital property. You don't have to tell Fredrick about the money. You don't have to tell him anything at all in fact."
Ariadne let out a sigh as she watched Olivia play with her dolls on the warm floor of the conservatory. The bitter winter chill not touching them in this warm, safe place.
"In fact, you don't have to marry this man if you don't want to. You have money now to ensure your safety. It's what the estate wants." Cobb added.
"What the estate wants?" Ariadne laughed. "You say that like it's a person."
"Arthur would have wanted you provide for. I know he would have. You don't have to marry him. You can come to New York. You and Olivia, you can stay with Mal and I. We can leave today." he said hopefully.
"Cobb, I'm getting married in 24 hours. Fredrick is a very nice man." she said with a laugh.
He was being so ridiculous right now.
"So, you love him?" Cobb asked sadly.
"I... it doesn't matter." she said. "He's a very nice man and I've agreed to marry him."
"And women never back out of a marriage. Eames' bride is doing it right now." Cobb told her.
"Is Charlotte really leaving him?" Ariadne asked.
Cobb nodded.
"Eames has no money left. Only the phone hub and the rental property. It's hardly enough to pay for the upkeep of a house like this." he said.
"No, I suppose not. Eames never cared about money." she offed.
"He never cared about money till he saw what he can buy with it. Family honor, a society wife and the ability to keep you here and under his thumb. Arthur knows that, that's why he wants you to have enough money to live on your own."
"Arthur knows that?" Ariadne repeated. Not understanding.
"Arthur knew that." Cobb corrected. "When he was alive, he knew what Eames was like."
"Cobb, if Arthur was still with us, we wouldn't be having this conversation. I would still be his wife and hopefully with another baby on the way. It kills me that I will never have his child." she said sadly.
~ Cobb looked down at his hands and said nothing.
Ariadne sniffed back a tear as they both tried not to think about all that was lost when the 'Empress' sank.
"I'm sorry, Ariadne." Cobb said at last.
She shook her head.
"Look, I do need you to sign these forms saying you accept the trust for you and Olivia. I've taken care of everything, just sign." he said.
Cobb held his breath as Ariadne didn't read the large packet of papers. Most of them meaningless. She didn't even glance at the divorce documents hidden in the middle. Just signed and dated it without reading.
Cobb's heart was racing as he fought the urge to tell her the truth. That Arthur was still alive. That he was divorcing her so she could marry someone else and be happy. That he was providing for her so she didn't have to marry if she didn't want to.
"Ariadne?" he said after she dried her eyes. "I plan to take some pictures at the wedding tomorrow, but could I get a quick picture of you and Olivia right now?"
She looked back at him strangely.
"Mal and I wanted a picture of the two of you." Cobb laughed.
"Oh, alright." she said and went to pick Olivia up.
Cobb aimed the brownie at the two of them. He had gotten to camera in New York and Mal told him he didn't have the talent for photography. It was too much to do, take the light gauge, adjust the filter and focus.
Olivia was fussy and Ariadne sensed he didn't know what he was doing, but they both sat on the sofa and waited for him to get the picture just right.
"Okay, hold still." he said and Ariadne gave the camera a small smile.
"Okay, wait... one... two... wait."
"Just take the picture, Cobb." Ariadne snapped as Olivia whined to be put back down.
Cobb snapped the picture and realized after it was developed that Ariadne wasn't smiling. That she and Olivia looked very uneasy.