"Well, let me know if you need a second", Arven reassured her. Freddie was articulate and could hold her own — she'd always had that gift — so she likely wouldn't need him as backup. But he was here if she wanted him.

"And anyway, I'm sure Roslyn will understand your concerns." He did not know his cousin well at all, but there were some obvious things she and Winifred had in common; "she's a parent too, after all. Not something I can relate to myself; or even imagine relating to", he added fairly.