Alice's wet face pressed against her knees. Her arms covered her head. Her shoulder shook. The request seemed impossible to fulfil, but Tobias' intrusion of her space was equally unbearable and only made her want to ball up more. "Tobias, please, you go, and I'll look at 'er..." she finally pleaded.

Tobias slowly stood up and looked at Mrs. Carpenter hesitantly.

She bit her lip, and then nodded, giving the poor lass, who was surely suffering from some sort of mind ailment, a calm look. Iris did not hate her for yelling, she was going to treat the girl with compassion and understanding. She would continue to rock Emma until it was time to at least show the baby to Alice.

Tobias gave a curt nod in return. "I'll be in the next room," he reassured Mrs. Carpenter, and he left.

Alice relaxed a little, though she remained curled up. She didn't want to treat the child poorly. But it was better off without her. Why did they have to disturb her like this? Why couldn't they let her wither in peace?

But Tobias would come back if she didn't comply. She pulled closer to the wall, but lifted her head and carefully turned it to look at the dark haired infant in Iris' arms. She burst into tears all over.

Iris wasn't sure what to say. She let the girl weep, for it was clear that she needed to. She wanted to comfort Alice, wanted to make her feel better. "I won't make you hold her," she said in a low voice, hoping that she was quiet enough that Tobias didn't overhear.

That calmed her a little and made her feel worse at the same time. Alice brought her thumb up to her face and wiped her tears. Now that nobody was trying to force her, she felt bad for not wanting to hold her baby.

But it wasn't hers. It was Tobias's.

She glanced at the infant once more and her lip trembled once again. This time she managed to hold back the tears. She was so small. It wasn't the child's fault.

She looked up at the wetnurse. Grateful, yet suspicious. She wanted to say something, but she had no idea what. She wiped her face once more and sat up a little. "Thank you.... fer takin' care of 'er," she said very quietly in a hoarse voice.

She only nodded and looked down at Emma, shifting the tiny baby so she was draped lengthwise in her lap. Her eyes then shifted to Alice and she murmured, "I am sorry if I said the wrong thing earlier... I just want to help."

Alice turned her eyes down and shook her head. "No... Ye were right. I shouldn't be... pityin' meself, like 'e says, and be a mother. But there's sum't wrong with me... I do bad things all t' time." She drew her legs up closer to her chest again. "I'm dyin', so it won't matter to 'er in t' end."

"Who said you were dying?" she asked softly. "Or do you just feel like you are because the birth was hard on you? I... understand. Regardless of that, you shouldn't be made to feel alone in this. For what it is worth, you now have me." She swallowed... "And... I don't know how long I'll be here. I'm afraid I've fallen in love with Emma and I don't know if that is allowed," she could feel her throat tighten.

Her hands clenched when the woman challenged her idea of her fate. She knew; was that not enough? Did Cathy not die of a broken heart? Had Sallie not died of a broken spirit? If she could not even succumb to her misery, what protest was left for her to offer?

"I know," she said. Her eyes turned to the woman suspiciously. Then they looked down at her baby and filled with angry tears again. It wasn't fair that this straner could love the baby she knew she should love.

Her eyes shot up at the woman's face. "You're with him," she accused, "so 'e'll be glad to 'ave ye." Maybe the woman could remind Tobias of what he had missed out on for marrying Alice.

"I'm not with anyone," she shot back irritably after being accused of doing something she hadn't done. While she found herself attracted to Tobias, it wasn't like he saw her the same way and, added to that, there was no way she was about to humiliate herself in such a way. "Listen, I don't want to be your enemy. I want to be your friend." Her eyes were honest as they peered at the girl.

"But I will take my leave now and let you think on it." With that, she stood and quit the room with Emma in her arms.