"I didn't often leave home except to go to market and it was never a bad experience for me, thankfully. Though I have heard that there is a lot of crime that happens." She finished off her drink and set the glass down. Goodness, she thought, she was feeling warm. Thank goodness she only drank half of what he had because she would probably be a little buzzed.

"There is..." said Tobias with a grimace. "I was attacked and had a watch stolen there once..."

"Oh my," she said. "That is not good." Her eyes were on his face and she seemed to become slightly more animated and less awkward, "What happened then? Was the criminal apprehended?"

Tobias shook his head. "No, they were never caught. The watch belonged to my late father... Still bothers me..." he said with a frown, staring at his drink. Then he seemed to snap out of it, shook his head and smiled. "But I shouldn't frighten you. I'm sure you had a much better time in Whitby and weren't as foolish as I was to take shortcuts at night."

CW: Implications of domestic abuse
Her mouth turned upward into a smile. She had a very winsome smile at that, which caused her gaze to brighten up a little. It was the first real smile since her arrival, "Oh, it will take more than that to frighten me..." And then her smile seemed to die, her eyes dropped, and she said, "I take that back... I wouldn't ever want to feel the back of another man's hand again." She shuddered.

Tobias smiled back. And then the mood changed. It took two seconds for him to realized what was being said. He turned his eyes down to his glass, not sure how to respond appropriately. He looked at the small table between them. "I'm sorry..." he finally said quietly, looking back up at her.

"I survived," she said softly. "That is the important part." Her mouth curled upward a little. "Now I am here helping someone else survive."

Eager at that opportunity to brighten the mood, Tobias looked up and nodded. "Aye, ye are, and we're very grateful for it."

She gave another smile and soon lifted Emma into her arms, as she was starting to whine. The first thing she did was check her nappy. The nappy was fine for the moment, so she started rubbing her back. "She is helping me as much as I am her... I think we needed one another."

Tobias smiled and nodded, but the smile covered a grimace and did not reach his eyes. Her words concerned him a little. Mrs. Carpenter loving his daughter was a good thing, as she had to care for her, and Alice didn't seem to give a damn about her own child. But once Emma was weaned, Mrs. Carpenter would have to go, and Tobias worried that there might be trouble.

He downed the rest of his drink and set the glass down. "Let me hold her for a bit..." he said.