It helped bolster my argument to leave it out. ;-)

I do not mean to imply that Eleanor did not love or get along with Frederick. Only that he is, and always had been due to ages, occupation, etc, on the fringes of her life; that she does not know him or his character as well as she does Henry's. Her first thought is of "brother" not "brothers".

] She needn't have mentioned him at all as Catherine certainly wasn't thinking of him! ;-)

Well, I'm sure not, but Eleanor is a bit more mature and tuned into the nicities. ;-)

] It may well be that we never learn enough about him to settle this matter and we will have to be content with our different impressions of him.