4.

~ Blue Rivers Telegraph Office ~

To: Mr. Charles R. Eames

Care of Blue Rivers Manor

From: Mrs. Ariadne Bradford Hays

Eames.

I'm very sorry to have left so suddenly after the funereal.

I am safely in America with Olivia and Harold.

We are staying with Mr. Cobb and his wife for now.

We plan to live overseas indefinitely.

I'm very sorry.

Pleas do not come for me.

Regards.

Ariadne Bradford Hays

~ Western Union Telegraph Office ~

New York, New York

~ Ariadne looked at the sad little letter she had been working on for the past few hours. Her ability to write was becoming questionable these days as she didn't know what to say on paper any more.

She had cleaned herself up. Put on a proper skirt and a had been trying to write to Eames about why she left. The words failed her.

She had sent a telegram an hour ago explaining where she was so he should not worry the gypsies had taken her. But she knew her closeness with her old friend would require much more of an explanation.

She let out a long sigh and started to write again.

Dear Eames,

I'm very sorry for how I left things. How I left you was extremely childish and you deserved more than that. None of it was right or fair.

I do love you very much and the idea of staying with you, of building a life with you, is very appealing to me. But as a mother of two very young people, I have to think of them.

If it were only myself to worry about, things would be different. But I must think of my son and daughter. What kind of a life would they have with a father figure who would so easily abandon them when things became difficult?

It's not fair to them, or to anyone else. Please understand and let me go. I'm sure we will be very happy in America.

Ariadne stopped her writing as her pen wanted to scratch the name Arthur into the creamy white stationary.

'No, I can't do that.' she thought bitterly. Knowledge of Arthur still being alive would send not only Eames into a frantic race to try and get to her, but might cause more problems than it would fix.

She rolled her eyes upward and thought about what to do. Finally, she took the cowardly way out.

I wish you luck in your writing.

Ariadne.

She sighed it without flourish or swirls.

She had to do this. Had to cut the ties that bound her to Blue Rivers, to Eames. She had to start a new life now. One without Eames and one without Arthur.

She had the kitchen maid mail out the letter to England and finished getting ready for dinner. Arthur would be coming by and she had to find the courage to tell him she didn't want to see him either. Too many memories were haunting her just now. Too many lovers and too may things she had walked away from were coming back to her.

She had fled America in shame and married a man she had just met. She had likewise fled England to escape a lover that would no doubt ruin her.

She gave a bitter laugh as she fixed her hair in the mirror.

'I'm already a ruined woman.' she decided.

~ Still, there was no reason why a ruined woman shouldn't look good. She had fallen out of habit for dressing well. There was no need with the war on and her husband and lover both away. But tonight she made more of an effort to look nice. Even putting on scent and a using the light face powder Mal lent her.

Cobb's wife had been having labor pains all day, but the contractions were far apart and it might be days before the baby arrived.

Ariadne stood and looked herself over in the full length mirror.

'Who exactly are you dressing up for?' she asked herself. 'Arthur is coming over to see Olivia, not you. You said you didn't want him. Now you're dressing nice for him. Anyone would think you wanted to impress him.'

She let out a long, irritated sigh at these thoughts. All these words came into her head in Lady Percy's voice. Aside from Arthur, Lady Percy was the most sensible person she had ever known. It made sense her inner logic was telling her what to do in that voice.

'I don't know why you're putting so much bait out, dear.' her inner voice went on. 'If you profess to not want any fish.'

Ariadne decided not to listen and made sure she looked nice as the front door bell rang.

~ Olivia was playing contently in the little play room downstairs as Maura let Arthur in.

"Sir." the maid said not believing it was really him. "Missus told me that you were still alive, but I didn't believe it till now."

Arthur strode in looking like the perfectly presentable business man he was. Ariadne stopped on the stairs to examine him unseen. She wondered if any other woman on earth found him as wonderful as she did. He was so handsome; so assured in everything his did.

When he stepped into a room, it was with a graceful confidence and assurance she had never seen in anyone else. He made no apologies in anything he did; even now as he gave Maura his coat while holding a bouquet of flowers.

"It was all a misunderstanding, Maura." he said in that deep voice Ariadne loved. "I assure you, I'm quite well."

"Yes, we've been plagued with misunderstandings, haven't we?" Ariadne accused as she came out of the hall way.

She almost gasped as Arthur laid his eyes on her. She could tell by the way the fierceness of his face softened, that he liked what he saw. His normally cold eyes brightened as he looked her up and down, and seemed to approve.

" You look very nice. I see you've abandoned you're modern look, madam." he said as he tried to hand her the offering of flowers.

"Just for this evening, sir. I don't want those." she told him sharply.

"Maura, will you put these in a vase?" Arthur asked. Not deterred by the rebuff from his lady.

"Yes, sir." the skittish maid said as she gave the two of them a little curtsey and took the flowers to the next room.

"I never had the chance to court you properly, madam." Arthur said with a shrug. "It's high time I did so. I think flowers will suit."

"You've given me flowers before, sir." she told him. "At Blue Rivers the first few days after we got there."

"Doesn't count we were already married. I intend to court you the correct way." he informed her.

"You haven't lost you charms, sir." Ariadne said dryly as she felt her cheeks grow warm.

"Good to know, madam." he said with a small smile.

"But they won't work on me." she said bitterly.

"We shall see." Arthur told her nonchalantly. "Where's Olivia?" he asked, his eyes searching the rooms for the child.

"Arthur, I really wish you wouldn't traumatize her. She's always been told you're dead." Ariadne pleaded as her convenient husband moved passed her and into the little play room Cobb had provided for them.

~ Olivia's mother had dressed her well in expectation of Arthur's visit. She played with her toys as always; alone and contentedly. Harold excluded from his sisters activities.

"Mama?" the boy questioned as he spotted Ariadne and Arthur come in.

"It's alright, dear." she said to him as Arthur scowled darkly at the boy.

Ariadne cleared her throat as Harold went to his step mother and took her hand. His eyes growing wide at the appearance of this strange man with a brooding face.

"Harold, I want you to meet my... um... friend. Arthur Bradford." Ariadne said searching for the right thing to say.

"Pleased to meet you, sir." Harold said offering Arthur his small hand.

The older man scowled at the little boy and shook his hand like they were business partners.

"Likewise, Harold." he said. "Tell me, why aren't you playing with Olivia?"

"She doesn't like me, sir." Harold explained.

Arthur gave a grumpy nod as he seemed to understand.

"Yes, I think it's a family trait she inherited from her mother. The not liking of gentlemen like us." he admitted and Ariadne gave him an aggravated glare.

"Harold, dear, will you go upstairs and play a while?" she asked him.

The boy looked up at Ariadne before nodding and leaving.

"I never knew Olivia could be so snobbish." Arthur admitted as they watched Harold leave.

"She's your daughter." Ariadne accused grumpily. "Olivia, come here." she called to the child.

"No." Olivia sang out as she barely glanced at her mother and continued to play.

"Olivia, now." Ariadne said.

"Olivia, come here." Arthur demanded sharply.

The little girl with the dark brown hair turned her large eyes on Arthur. His deep voice no doubt resonating some deeply buried memory for her.

"My God." Arthur breathed as Olivia looked at him curiously. "She looks like you." he said sadly.

"I know." Ariadne said with a sad smile. "But don't worry, she acts like you enough."

"Olivia?" Arthur called to the girl who slowly abandoned her play to come to her mother and this stranger.

"Olivia, this is your daddy." Ariadne said bravely.

"No." Olivia told them.

"Yes, honey. Daddy was away at work, but he's home now." Ariadne said holding back tears in her eyes.

The little girl shook her head.

"No, mamma." she said.

"Honey, I am your daddy." Arthur said soothingly.

His face pulling into a look of rejection as Olivia buried her head in Ariadne's chest.

"She'll come around." Ariadne promised him with a whisper.

She watched as Arthur put one of his large hands on Olivia's head and run his fingers through her dark hair.

"I just can't get over how much she's grown. How much I've missed." he said as if in a trance.

He seemed to pull himself out suddenly and looked at them.

"I'm going to make it right, Ariadne." he promised hastily. "For the both of you. I know I was wrong for... for everything, but I'm back now and we can be a family again."

Ariadne rolled her eyes.

"There's no going back, Arthur." she said sadly.

"We almost had it back this afternoon." he challenged.

She gave him one of her disgusted looks.

"It's not as simple as a heartfelt apology, Arthur. Things have changed." she told him.

"What? Harold?" he laughed. "I know you're his step mother now. There is no reason why he can't live with us. I'll buy us any house you want. Big enough for our family. I'll make any changes to the factories you want. Just... just come back to me. Be my wife again. My life... it's worthless without you in it."

She felt her heart grow soft and warm at his words. To be married to Arthur again. To be with a man who was always so safe and reliable. To never have to worry about anything was comforting. He could be cold and angry at times, but she had always been able to control that. She had always been able to break him out of his shell.

Her small hand was touching his freshly shaven cheek.

"Arthur." she whispered as they sat on the floor of the play room. Side by side as Olivia peeked out at the man who's picture she had always been told was her daddy.

"I know you still love me." he said confidently.

"I do." she admitted. "I still love you."

"Then let's go back. Back to being a family again." he said.

She wanted to say yes. The words were almost out of her mouth, when a terrible scream ripped through the house.

Thank you all so much for your loving words of comfort for our family. My husband and I had Sophie for 11 years and we got her just a few months after we were married. It's so strange that she isn't here anymore. She was almost 11 and we thought we had more time with her.

She was my husband's dog and they were in love. He didn't cry on 9/11 or when his dad died, but he cried when our dog passed. He blames himself for her dying, when it was no one's fault. It was her time. Sophie showed no sighs she was in distress until that day she died, but had been in liver failure for some time.

She passed with her mommy and daddy there telling her how we loved her and she was a good girl.

The vet's office is having her cremated and they were very understanding to our family.

We doubt we will get another dog. It's just too hard to lose a dog like that. One who is so entrenched in the family. Such a large part of our lives.

I have a special Facebook page under the name of Sadie Eames for my fans. It's not my real name, but it's open to the public to see pictures and my random thoughts. You can friend me or follow me, what ever you want.

Most of it will be about stuff I'm doing or reading or things I thought were funny. It will be under the email I_am_Sadie_Eames at yahoo.