12th June, 1892 — Hawthorne Hollow
Protterbottom Picnic

Avoiding the weak sunshine of early summer was far easier in the city than the country but Harriet was nothing if not enterprising and a flick of her wand had created a canopy over her chosen seat for the afternoon. Frances had done an admirable job for the most party but one really did need to be careful of one's complexion with their colouring and without the sun in her eyes she could observe the activities of the children, big and small.

It seemed that their party had swelled again, somehow, since the last time the family had been together and so Harriet was the very furthest thing from surprised when things became noisy after a grand total of eight minutes. Sipping the cool lemonade she had taken the time to make significantly more interesting with the held of a hipflask secreted about her person Harriet glanced around the party, hating the notion that anyone might see them in the park and assume she was the outcast of the clan.

"______, I have a fancy for a game of-" she waved her hand vaguely, unable to even finish the obvious falsehood and instead took another sip. "Come. Sit with me a while."

  

Having bored of croquet after both finishing at least one game and finding out that her skills at the game were far surpassed by that of her numerous older and more athletically inclined and patient cousins Caroline had wandered off in search of something  else to do.  Had her mother been there she probably would've gone to find her - but their father had whisked she and the other four children off that morning and left her mother behind with the two new babies. Caroline still wasn't particularly clear on why her mother couldn't come with the babes since it was only family they were meeting afterall however it had been done whether she was clear about the why or not.

Instead she was in search of her father, or failing that - food and drink- and when her aunt-who was not really her aunt but mother aunt and her grandmothers sister called her over to sit Caroline followed the wave of her hand and came to sit over with her great-aunt.

"Are you having a nice day Aunty Harriet?" She asked with a cheery smile, trying to be dutiful.

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