Rose was relieved - and hopeful - when he said it had been alright. She took his arm and they started walking, Rose all blushes and shy smiles. But at the mention of Simon, she let go of his arm. Her smile dropped. She walked slowly and eventually stopped. Rose had known she would have to tell Andrew about Simon, but it had been nice to ignore that for a while, and believe everything was perfect. Now that she was reminded of it, she was anxious. It was so unfair. She was so close to marrying a handsome and kind young man with a steady income, and now she could lose it all.

She avoided his eye. "I wasn't goin' to hide it from ye..." she said in a timid voice. "I just hadn't found the right moment yet, and now everything's goin' so fast..." She looked around and then took his arm to lead him to the entrance of an alley where they had a bit more privacy, and then, if he followed, she took a deep breath. "I had a brother called Simon," she began, still not daring to look at him. "He was always a rascal and a troublemaker, but when he grew up, it got worse... He and me father fought a lot. He used to come home late and drink and all, and we never understood. It's not how we've been raised at all. And then one day... He stabbed someone... A rich young man he had gotten into a fight with in a pub. The man died and Simon was hanged for it. So... we have a murderer in the family..." she ended in a small voice, She looked utterly miserable and dared not meet his eye.