User blog comment:AgnesFlether/A lesson in vengeance: Agnes' Fletcher thoughts/@comment-5364525-20121119011800

The way I see it, Arthur just doesn't function as well without Merlin to do the menial labor. You notice Merlin is the one burdened with all the picnic gear. What will Merlin do during the picnic, you may ask. Well, as a servant, he would find an unobtrusive spot a short distance away to be 'invisible' but ready to serve as a good servant would. Just like he did on the picnic Arthur had with Mithian, and the ride/outing Arthur had with Elena.

True, he was unmarried in both of those situations and therefore Merlin was a chaperone of a sort, but considering Arthur's running-away-with-Gwen-and-becoming-a-farmer fantasy involved bringing Merlin along to do all the work, it doesn't surprise me that he'd have Merlin along for the picnic and think nothing of it. Merlin is a lot more invisible to Arthur than he is to Gwen.

And I think the kissing is something that Enchanted!Gwen would avoid as much as possible, considering she's trying to kill her husband...