5.

~ Each day felt like a gift.

Days would stretch out as though they had all the time in the world. Eames wrote regularly, saw the prescribed doctor and his health returned.

He still walked with help from his cane and still bore a scare to his face, but his natural good looks came back to him easily.

His book did even better in America and money was at the ready to complete Blue Rivers, and assure the financial future of the family.

Phillipa came home from school for summer holidays a beautiful teenager. Ariadne had not realized that so many years had already passed since Titanic sank and she and Arthur had first met her.

~ Then, one day not long after their picnic, Ariadne felt labor pains and gave birth at home with Maura's help.

~ "Are you angry it's another girl?" Ariadne asked as Eames looked over his daughter's face. "I know you wanted to name him after some silly English sea captain if it was a boy."

"No, I'm not upset." Eames said looking over the baby as if she were his only treasure. He seemed enraptured by her face just as Ariadne had been so taken with Olivia.

"Not upset at all. Look at her little finger nails." he told her as the new baby curled a hand around his pinky. "Isn't she marvelous?"

"Well, you've hardly let me see her, dear. I scarcely know what she is." Ariadne teased as she was able to chance a glance at her daughter.

"She looks like Olivia did." she decided.

"I want to call her Felicity." Eames announced.

"Felicity Eames?" the mother said with a smile as the sunlight in the bedroom caught the sparkle of her diamond wedding ring.

"Oh, she's perfect." Eames decided. "I think she even has my lips."

Ariadne peered over at the baby her husband refused to let go of. Felicity looked like Eames, the lucky thing.

She held back a smile as Eames kissed his daughter on the lips and the new born stirred.

"Darling, are you going to be here kissing pretty girls all day, or are you going to go back to work?" she asked rolling her eyes.

"I'm going to stay here, kissing pretty girls all day." her friend turned husband told her.

~ "We must locate mother." Eames announced a few months after Felicity was born and stole her father's heart. "She has to know she's a grandmother."

"Darling, your second book is doing well and the papers announced your daughter's birth in the society pages." Ariadne said.

"They announced the child of the late Fredrick Hays in the papers." Eames grumbled as he held Felicity in his arms and ignored his typewriter.

"Well, there is nothing that can be done about that." Ariadne sighed. "You've legally adopted her and Harold. That's the end of the matter as far as we need be concerned."

"Why is the adoption still so slow for Olivia?" Eames questioned. "I mean, Arthur is dead just as Fredrick is. It's important that Olivia have the same last name as her siblings. She's still Olivia Bradford."

"I'll write to Cobb in America again." Ariadne told him.

"I'll hire an agent here. No need to have Cobb involved for an adoption." Eames told her.

"No, I'll handle this, Eames. Just keep writing. You're publisher expects the drafts on his table by next month." Ariadne told him as she took the baby from him so he could get back to work.

~ Ariadne.

I will never relinquish custody of my daughter to Mr. Eames for adoption.

I am convinced you will see reason soon enough and come home.

If not, I will come to England myself to ensure you and my child are safe.

Arthur

~ For a long time, Ariadne worried Arthur might come to England, but he never did. There was always some sort of problem in on of his many factories that kept him away. He would telegram her and write to her once a month. She sent him pictures of Olivia and gently asked he stay away as they now had a new family and Olivia would become confused.

Harold didn't forget Arthur right away. When he talked of the man who would teach him business in America, Eames naturally assumed he meant Cobb.

It seemed always a delicate balance to keep Arthur away, Eames in the dark and this on top of moving back to Blue Rivers.

The house was now a modern beauty. While it was in repair, several modern additions were added and electricity was finally put into every room.

Eames' third book sold very well and as the years rolled by, he produced two more in the series.

Olivia did accept Felicity, although Harold proved to be a doting brother as well and Ariadne was grateful he was there.

Life went on, children grew, things became boring and wonderful at Blue Rivers, with Phillipa visiting on summer holidays, talking about the season and most of the servants returning to the house.

~ Winter of 1919 ~

~ Ariadne was feeling worn out lately and knew she was coming down with a cold.

"Mine! Mine!" Felicity cried in her two year old's voice as she ran around the bedroom. Her dark curls come loose and her her hair flying over her face as Olivia gave chase.

"Girls, remember you are ladies of a great house." Ariadne said as she had to sit down, the room starting to spin.

"NO!" Felicity shouted.

"Mama, are you alright?" Olivia asked with her well combed hair and immaculate dress, even for a six year old.

"Fine dear. Take your sister to the nursery, I might have a nap." Ariadne said and smiled at her two pretty daughters. The oldest, Arthur's child by right if not by birth. Olivia looked so much like him it was shocking. Her oldest had her own large eyes, but her face reflected a strange sadness she remembered in Arthur. She didn't miss her convenient husband as much when she saw Olivia.

Felicity was the heathen child of her lover and third husband, Eames. Her face, while still lovely, was his completely. The only thing Ariadne was able to add was her dark hair.

"Come along, Fel." Olivia coaxed as she pulled her spoiled younger sister out.

"Papa!" Felicity cried as Olivia pulled her out of the room so Ariadne could rest. "PAPA!"

"Papa is working, goose. We're not allowed to disturb him while he's writing." Olivia said.

Ariadne's head was spinning as she undressed and climbed into bed.

She remembered sleeping too long. Remembered Maura coming in to check on her.

"Missus? Oh dear, Missus. You're burning hot." the maid said.

Ariadne's throat was parched and she tried to ask for water.

She went back to sleep quickly and woke to her lover shaking her.

"Ariadne? Ariadne!" Eames was shouting.

"Eames? We can't... Arthur will find out." she whispered groggily as she could feel Maura applying a damp cloth to her face.

"Darling, Arthur is dead. You're my wife now." Eames said roughly.

"Arthur... Arthur isn't dead... he's in New York... he's coming back." Ariadne gasped in her delirium.

"Go have the driver get the doctor. NOW! Eames shouted at another figure in the room.

Ariadne could hear talking in the room as she kept asking for water. Her face sweating as she picked out Eames' voice.

"Eames!" she cried out. "That woman, Mrs. Abbot! She tired to kill me!"

"Darling, it's alright you're safe now. Just rest." Eames was saying as she wondered where the large scare on his face had come from.

"Tell Arthur. I want Arthur!" she cried like a child would.

Eames looked taken aback as he held her hand.

"Just rest, dear. You'll see him soon." he said at last.

~ Eames hardly knew what to do when Maura came to tell him his beloved wife was very ill. He arrived at her bed to see her breathing heavily and talking nonsense. Remembering things from her past as she fought to breath.

"Mother... I'm sorry! Please..." she would cry out. "Jeffery, Jeffery... how could you?"

That was nothing compared to the demands for Arthur. She cried for her first husband all day and all night. She wanted Olivia, convinced she had just given birth to the now six year old child. She wanted her own mother. She wanted Maura, she wanted water. Above all these things, she wanted Arthur.

She never cried out for Eames as she breathed her last breath. She would see him, acknowledge him, but didn't need him like she needed Maura, water and Arthur.

"Please, Arthur. Where is he? The ship... the ship sank... he's still alive... Arthur..." she gasped as her body was wet with sweat.

"Spanish Flu." the doctor had said after he examined her. "There is nothing can be done. It's killed many. She may live, she may not. I'm very sorry."

"She can't die." Eames said in shock. "She's a mother. She's a mother to young children, she can't die."

"I afraid she will, sir." the doctor said as Ariadne started to breath more heavily.

"Arthur!" she moaned.

"Ariadne, you're going to be fine." Eames said to his wife. But his beloved was too far away to hear him. To entrenched in her illness to understand.

~ Eames had kept the children away as their mother lay dieing. Only Maura was allowed to care for the invalid. He even gave serious thought to sending the children away to London, but the flu was there as well.

He rejected the whole notion that a young woman like Ariadne would die. She was a mother with children who needed her. He needed her. People, beautiful wives and mothers who are needed, are not supposed to die. Women like Ariadne are like Aunt Percy, they live forever and are useful until a ripe old age.

It was with great shock to him then when Maura came out of the master bedroom and told him Ariadne, his great love, his muse, his tormenter, his wife, the mother of his child, was gone.