Clover piped up before his father could reply with a cheerful, "Yes please, Miss Calloway!" He mispronounced her name as 'call-oh-wee', and when Frederic muttered a correction to him, he added, still beaming up at her, "I mean, Miss Calloway!" He looked around the room and moved a little closer to the fireplace- it was a cold day outside, and he appreciated the warmth. He watched as Frederic smiled at Miss Calloway and thanked her for her generosity and hospitality, brainstorming ideas to get them to fall in love, as he always was when it came to his father and women. But Miss Calloway seemed different than the other women Clover had tried to get to court his father, and so he didn't want to mess this up like he pretty much always had before. What to do, what to do? He'd really have to think on this.

Frederic smiled softly at Miss Calloway, trying to ignore the leap his heart gave when he gazed into those stunning eyes of hers. "Thank you very much, Miss Calloway, for your generosity and hospitality," he said, accepting her offer and appreciating it in the same sentence. He noticed Clover watching them intently from by the fireplace and he felt a twinge of worry- his son was somewhat of a matchmaker, and although he had to admit to himself he was attracted to Miss Calloway, he didn't want Clover to pull one of his well-meaning but poorly-executed plans.

"Ye are quite welcome," she said before moving from the parlor to the kitchen. It took some time of course for the water to heat up enough to brew some tea, and when she returned to the parlor, she had a tray laden with some sandwiches and the trappings that went along with tea. She set the tray down on a side table and poured tea for the three of them. "How do ye like yers?" she asked, "Cream? Sugar? Black?"

Frederic tried not to keep his eyes from staying on Miss Calloway for too long as she graciously served them. Clover hopped on over (he liked to hop around, as it often drew smiles at his playfulness) and plopped down on a seat, Frederic also took a seat after glancing at Miss Calloway to affirm this was alright. He hoped she'd sit down with them, as she was likely still weary from being a new mother. "Cream!" piped up Clover excitedly. "And sugar!" He pretty much liked his tea so you could barely taste the actual flavor. In fact, if one gave him a saucer of cream and sugar, he likely wouldn't be able to tell the difference. "Just cream, please," Frederic replied with a grateful smile. "And thank you." "Yes, please and thank you!" echoed Clover, remembering his manners, and Frederic smiled at his son.

She served the tea to their specifications, pouring just a dram into the boy's cup and a healthy serving of cream and sugar just for him, and then handed both to the fellows. She sat down too with her tea and took a sip. After a swallow, she said, "Help yerself ta some sandwiches too if ye're hungry." Karen smiled a weary smile indeed, looking a little worn out. She scarcely had time to sit before one of the babes began to fuss. She set her tea down immediately and went to pick up Harold, who whimpered and whined until she held him close to her. She moved to sit down with the babe in the rocking chair and rubbed at his back. "I am sorry, he can be a fussy babe at times. Poor little fellow." Without even thinking about it, she began to sing in a pretty voice, softly as she rocked her child.

"Please do not apologise," Frederic replied, then felt a slight heat creep up his neck at the quickness of his response. Clover happily took a sandwich and leaned back against the chair as he ate it, watching the baby with pleased curiosity. "I know how it can be," Frederic went on hurriedly, "having raised a little one myself."

Karen looked kind of overwhelmed at the moment even as she tended to Harold. Her eyes met Fred's again and she gave a wavering smile, letting him know that she had been feeling this way since before he entered her home. "I just... I have me brother to help, but he has his own things to contend with and... I... I..." She took in a shuddering breath and tears started to squeeze out despite her best efforts, "I have never felt so alone in this." She turned her head so that she could wipe away the annoying saline that proved to be the bane of her existence in that moment. She was embarassed to show her emotions to a stranger that wasn't the priest... But then, the priest had seen more of her than he had wanted to, having witnessed the birth of one of the children in the hallway near the kitchen. Ever since, things had been quite awkward. "Ye're the first person besides me neighbor that gives me the time of day," quite literally, she thought with a little snort as she remembered that he brought clocks.

Frederic's smile dropped at how weary she seemed. Of course she was tired. He remembered the time when Clover was just a baby and the neverending hours of care it took to care for him. "If you ever need help of any sort- errands, messages, what have you -I am more than willing to help." As well as wanting to aide a lovely woman such as Miss Calloway, Frederic distinctly remembered the struggles of raising a child as a single parent (he was still working it out now), and with twins, by Jehovah he would help at a moment's notice if she only asked. Clover piped up from beside Frederic, his mouth full of sandwich as he forgot not to talk with his mouth full, "Yes, Miss Calloway! We'll help!"

"Ye-he mean it?" she asked with a hiccup. She hadn't asked for help, hadn't even thought about it to be truthful, but there he was offering. "Thank ye." The overwhelmed mother gave a watery smile then and sniffed a little, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to start crying. It's just been so very hard since Harold was killed, and I have been tryin' to be alright but I'm not alright. Me brother doesn't like me talking about Harold, didn't like him because he was a doctor, doesn't like that I get so upset." She couldn't help it, it all just came spewing out. It seemed she needed just to let things out. "Oh, there I go again, blatherin' on and on." She got up and put the baby back in his bassinet before she cried all over him.

Clover hopped up from his seat as Frederic also stood, and the little boy wordlessly walked over to Miss Calloway and gently held her hand after she put down her baby. He offered up a small smile, as this usually helped when his Pa was sad about something, and just stood there, hoping his presence was comforting.