Ben breathed out slowly, still looking at Lottie bitterly, but her calm approach and reference to Hannah dissolved the most immediate rage. He clenched his teeth, looked away, breathed in slowly and nodded. "Ye shouldna have said what ye did today..."

"I know that now, and I'm sorry." Lottie said quietly "It can't have been easy fer ye since Hannah passed on. Yer tryin' yer best. I'm not tryin' to supplant 'er. Anne's still yers, she's still a Ward, with her father's tenacity and her mother's 'eart. I can't change that. Maybe we should let Anne decide where she wants to be. If she wants to go with ye, I won't say nowt."

"She'll come 'ome," said Ben. "Whether she likes it or not. That's 'er place. But I'm sorry too for what I said about yer Ruth. It wasn't kind."

Lottie hated that idea with fibre of her being, yet Bill, Ben, and society at large were correct. Anne wasn't hers and no amount of caring could change facts of nature.

"Anne," Lottie called out "Yer father's here."

It took a while, but Anne finally came down the stairs, trembling, and in the company of Kate, who was holding her hand. Kate gave Ben a defiant look, with her chin up and fire in her eyes in a way that was unusual for her, but Anne's last bit of courage left her.

"Oh da, I am so sorry, about t' corset and runnin' away and disobeyin' ye. It was very wicked of me, and I know! Please forgive me!"

"I went to the bloody police station, lookin' fer ye!" Ben snapped at his daughter's words, his anger flaring again. "And ye wouldn't come with Will when he came ta fetch ye. So keep yer sorry and get down here!"

Lottie caught a glimpse of her own daughter's defiance and silently approved, but it was Anne's lack of courage that broke the old woman's heart as the girl threw herself at the mercy of her father. Lottie fought a rising threat of tears. She doubted that Ben would allow her to say a parting word. And maybe Anne was too scared to listen. Lottie had tried to plant the seed of something good inside her.

Kate had never been able to stand injustice. She clenched her fist and squeezed Anne's hand. "Anne didn't come because she was afeared, ser. She did nowt wrong! Yer bein' a bully, that's what's goin' on!" She said in a firm voice and she looked at her mother for support in the matter.

Anne looked mortified. "Kate, please..." she whispered. She pulled her hand out of her friends and made the last few steps down.

Ben looked at the young girl with disgust. "Yer mother better teach ye some manners. And you," Ben cuffed Anne on the ear, "won't set foot in this house anymore!"

Lottie dismissed his scorn of her daughter, but when he struck Anne that enraged her. 

"Get out!" she roared, She rushed forward and grabbed his arm.