Rose wondered whether she had upset or offended him when he remained quiet for so long, and she felt anxious. At last he spoke. Poor Andrew, alone in the world. And for the first time, she felt some genuine warmth for him. "Oh..." she said, not sure how to respond. "'T was kind of that baker to take ye in. I can see why yer happy to help them school children."

"Aye..." he said gruffly. "I didn't like goin' hungry, meself, so I couldn't just let them be hungry either. I know people think 'tis a waste of money but they deserve to have full bellies. Children shouldn't go hungry." He looked ahead, quiet again for a moment. When he spoke again, it was to ask, "What about ye, tell me about ye?"

Rose looked at him with compassion. Was she this lucky? To find someone who was not only handsome, but also good, who was actually interested in her? "Oh, there's not much to tell about me," she said when he asked about her. There was, but she would rather not tell. "I come from a fishing family. Was fortunate to grow up with both me parents, though me mother passed away a few years ago. Then when I was sixteen I entered domestic service, to help out me family, first in York, and now here in Whitby."

"Ahh, a fishing family. Is it a big family?" he asked as they continued to walk together. He was genuinely interested and it showed in the way he kept looking at her whenever she spoke.

"There was ten of us children," Rose said. "But four died." Best not go into detail there. "And two of me sister's are married. And I'm not at home anymore. So it's only me father, me sister and be two little brothers at home now..." She looked at him and took off his coat. "There's much more shelter here. I really must insist ye put on your coat again. I'll never forgive meself if ye catch pneumonia."

He took his coat back when she insisted. "Tis nice ta know ye care," he said with a wink. He pulled the coat on and immediately felt better, for he really had gotten cold without it. How long had they been walking? Not long, surely. "I've always wondered what having a big family would be like."

"Well, it can be rather chaotic," Rose admitted. "And I fought a lot with my siblings when I was young. But it's also nice." Though she did not smile. There hadn't been much 'niceness' about her family the past few years. "I'm sorry you were all alone..."

"I see," he said thoughtfully as he shrugged on his coat. He glanced over at her when she apologized for him being all alone and he said, "Well mayhaps I don't need ta be alone anymore. I've been thinkin' about startin' a family of me own and having a few babes someday soon."

Those words made her face glow, and much as she tried to suppress it, she knew that she was quite red. She turned her face away in the hopes that he would not see how much she was embarrassing herself. "I'm sure that the girl you marry is a very lucky girl..." she said quietly.

"I hope she thinks so too," he said honestly, "well, because I'd want her ta be happy." He glanced over to her and noticed her blush, and gave a small smile. Then his hand reached for hers and he said, "But we won't worry about that right now... Not when we're in this moment together." Indeed, he was giving it a great deal of thought, but he didn't want to just up and propose to a girl after only a few days. But he did want to court. "I was wonderin' iffin ye were agreeable, perhaps I could court ye?"