Serve's 'em right!

Was Joe's silent judgement on the rest of the Carrington family. He'd experienced their abuses of power first hand, so he needed no invitation to slap the snot out them. Gladly. 

Joe stood up

"Mister Carrington, down the pub some said you were born into money. Some said that you started out sellin' fruit from a barrow as a lad, whatever the truth is, I think you're alright -"

Joe paused, he had beaten about the bush earlier, oh why the hell not?

"Ye are right.  Pearl is more than a friend.  She is very special to me and it would make me the 'appiest man alive to spend my days with her, fortune or no. If 'ard an 'onest work is the only way to do that, ye can count on me."

"The truth is, I became an apprentice to a merchant myself as a boy and built my fortune up from the ground," said the man gruffly. Then he paused and glowered at him, "If you hurt her, you'll answer to me, you know that, right, boy?"

"Thank you, papa..." she said softly and looked toward Joe with still hurting eyes. There was confusion written across her face for all that was transpiring. She was pale and not looking well. Overwhelmed even.

It didn't matter how many shillings a man had in his pocket, a father was a father. Joe heard the voice of his own old man in the threat.

"Yes sir." he answered softly.

"Then prove your worth," show my damned children, he thought, how to act like a normal damned human. And his wife too. He regretted marrying that bitch, but not the children she bore him. Not even Magnus. "Pearl, go and fetch Robert."

She nodded and went to do as he bid her.

First she asked one of the servants if he was even in the house, and when the servant shrugged and went on with her work, Pearl dreaded this moment. Eventually, she found his bedroom door and rapped.

Oh great! Just as he had managed to get into a flow of concentration over these boring legal documents, some useless servant had to come and ruin it. He almost shouted at them to leave, but then decided he'd rather shout at their face. And so he got up walked over and opened the door.

His eyebrows rose when he realized it was Pearl. Then the scowl he had been wearing returned. "Pearl. What a pleasant surprise. Good to know you have not entirely forgotten where you came from." What did she want from him?. Oh. Maybe that mongrel had told her about why he lost his job. Ugh. He didn't have time for her drama.

"Pearl, go and fetch Robert." the head of the Carrington family ordered

Oh Lovely! Joe's heart sank at the prospect of meeting her obnoxious turd of a sibling again.

"I hate you! You meddlesome, backstabbing, son of a bitch!" she snarled at him, and then actually did haul her hand back and aim her palm toward his face, letting it fly. "I would NEVER do what you did! How could you?!" Then she started to cry again. "I'm not here because I want to be. I don't even want to LOOK at you after what you did to Joseph Blacke! But I have to. You are about to get a taste of your own medicine, worm. In more ways than one. Father wants to see you." She wasn't going to be the one to tell him that Magnus was dead, their father would have to do that. She was too angry to do such a favor to Robert. She clenched her fists and then pointed toward the library. Then she turned and walked toward the library, flipping her hair.

The shouting and general commotion roused Olivia from her thoughts and she opened her door to see her siblings and the aftermath of the slap.

"I've often thought you needed a good slap, Robert. Good for you Pearl." she said matter-of-factly.

It was a pity Robert didn't think women capable of much or he could have seen it coming. As it was, he didn't and paid the price. Her hand hit him full on the cheek before he even realize what was happening and Robert could feel a stinging sensation where her hand had left an imprint, and maybe his eye even became a little teary. He looked at his sister with utter shock all over his red-and-white face.

"Pearl!" he started. He was about to tell her that she was hysterical and clearly losing her mind, when she mentioned father. She had not! That little witch! Of course she had gone crying to father and father always picked her side. Well, he'd tell father his side of the story and correct whatever lies his manipulative sister had told him!

He rushed to the library to get there before Pearl did, but when he entered, he stopped in his tracks. What was he doing here? "Father." Robert started. He pointed at Joe. "This cad treated Pearl most indecently at the station the other night! I was only trying to defend her honour and our family name! Also, Pearl hit me!" he added petulantly. The latter barely needed to be said. There was a perfect red imprint of a fine hand on his face.

When Robert entered the library, Joe's body went stiff, his face grim. It was taking every ounce of restraint not to attack him on the spot. He still wasn't sure he wouldn't do it anyway. If this had been a pub brawl, this posh twit would be on the floor already. But this was not the pavement outside the pub, this was the study of one of the great houses of Whitby. Robert's whining suggested behaviour of someone half his age.

"I am here at your sister's request." Joe said slowly enough for an idiot like him to understand.