She led him around the corner and then turned to look at him. "Are you alright?" she asked softly. She made sure they were alone and then took his hand. Her big browns searched his for a moment while she waited for him to reply to her.

Joe's hand accepted hers and he stared at her for a long moment before letting out a long sigh. She had to know, he couldn't hide it from her, he wasn't sure he was hiding it from her now.

"Pearl..." his eyes drifted from her face downwards to the ground, a hard swallow. "I've been sacked. They dismissed me from the railway." Joe said bleakly.

She stared at him for a moment and then she felt her heart sink, "It was my fault, wasn't it?" She blamed herself first, not knowing that it was her brother that did what he did.

He squeezed her hand gently.

"No. It wasn't you at all." Joe smiled weakly trying to make her feel better. He snorted softly. "It was that brother of yours, Robert. The one who gave me, gave us, a hard time at the station. He wrote a letter to head office."

Anger unlike anything she knew bubbled up and she stiffened. Robert. She snarled, "He didn't dare!"

"The letter said something about the share 'olders, how I had refused to apologise to your brother after treatin' you vile. The Managing Director 'imself came down to see about it. I tried to explain, but they said it was bad for business, so had to let me go." Joe sighed again.

"I understand if yer don't want to see me anymore. An ex-porter's no catch, not even for a girl as modern as ye. Truth be told, I'm thinkin' of joining the navy. You know, get away for a bit."

She blinked, "Please don't go." Her eyes went from angry to sad in an instant. "You did nothing wrong!" He hadn't. It was all her damned brother that caused so much heartache. She didn't care who might see, she threw her arms around him.

Whatever her reaction, Joe wasn't expecting that and it caught him off guard, but her embrace was not unwelcome. Joe closed his eyes and returned it. Perhaps it was the closeness of another human being who cared, or fate, or the fact it was Saturday, but Joe's inner little voice chose that moment to talk to him, and he just happened to be in a listening mood.

You go now, you'll lose Pearl and ye'll be running from Carrington forever!  Plus you owe him a smack.

"Ok. I'll stay." Joe whispered softly.

Pearl started to cry with relief. "It isn't right what he did. I'm going to talk to my papa, he won't stand for this! I cannot believe that Robert did this to you!" She couldn't help the way she was feeling right at the moment. She was furious with her family, but Robert had another thing coming. She was going to get him good! She pulled away to look at him, "If you leave, he'll win."

"Pearl, it'll be tough. It's goin' to be 'ard fer me to find work, and tongues will wag. God knows what they'll say." Joe sighed heavily at the prospect of the future "But, if yer game, we'll make do."