"Is it wrong o' me to love him in secret and just be there? He doesn't need ta know, ma. Nobody does. It'll just be me bein' happy ta listen ta him teach me about science and math. I know it's unrequited, but I'm just happy with him in my life at all. He's made me into a better person." And she surprised herself by saying as much, for her face reflected just that. "Oh, Ma, if only it could be simple and it didn't have ta be like this at all. The only thing I got that I don't regret out of me marriage ta Angus is Jacob, and he will not be just like his da, I won't let that happen. I want him to be around Mister Blackwood and the love that everyone seems ta have for him despite the circumstances o' his birth. He deserves to know how loved he is." She smiled, stood and reached out to touch his downy cheek as he now slept peacefully against his grandmother. "One day, he'll be a good man. I'll make sure o' it and make sure he treats women better than his da did."