Frederic gently squeezed her hands and offered a half-smile. "I know, Karen. But it doesn't mean I won't do everything in my power to help you get through them." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, then leaned back, his smile appearing on both sides of his lips now. "And I will help you with your dear children. And the laundry. And the groceries. And the mending. And the cooking. And drawing water and writing poetry and dancing in circles-" He hoped he was making her laugh with his joking, but in all earnesty, he truly knew how to do the practical things he'd listed, having had to learn in order to raise Clover.