"Jesus Christ."

Lucy started crying at the harsh tone with which her mother cursed.

Ruth stopped walking. This man was annoying. She needed a drink. Little Sam clung to her skirt and tried to hide himself from the constable.

"Don't flatter yourself," his mother nearly spat at the constable. "I don't need to tell ye owt. I 'aven't committed a crime. I'll tell ye what: Go arrest t' Wards instead. They're doin' criminal stuff all the time, and Crane's always turnin' a blind eye. Ton to catch up there. Ben Ward's beaten me brother and you lot still 'aven't done a thing about it. There. I gave ye a real crime. Run along."

Malachi waited until the boy had climbed into the cart, and then took over the job of pushing it. He leaned down when he heard the child's not-quite-whisper.

"Apparently not, if he thinks your sister is required to answer him," the priest returned, matching the child's volume. Ruth handled the constable's harassment well enough on her own, but Malachi did raise a brow at the mention of the Wards.

"Benjamin Ward? The one that broke through a window near the church?"

Malachi's lips pressed into a frown, and he added, "I believe it was him that recently stole several candles from our altars, as well."

Wesley was not happy he couldn't get anything from the woman but what did he expect from a family of known lowlives. He continued writing. "Well, funny I don't believe we have a single report on it. Maybe if this had happened and you told the constables, we'd do something. " He looked up at the undoubtedly criminal lot. "Unless I see this ...Ward.. do it in front of me. I can't work on rumors, otherwise my jail would be quite full."

Suddenly, he grinned. "Wait.. your brother. Longbottom. That wouldn't be..Noah Longbottom. Would it?" He started to laugh a little. "He was in a cell my first day here. I still have some.. paper work for him to complete. As soon as I am finished with you all, I should go collect him. I'm sure he has nothing better to do."

He pretended to change the conversation as if it were nothing of note. "Now, since you wouldn't provide any names. I may assume you can't and these aren't your children. Even the priest couldn't give me any names." Yes, he'd heard the child call her mother but children were never to be trusted.

James turned his head to look up at the priest in awe. Then he remembered that he'd ruin the lie if he did and he stopped. This priest was really good. James was more than happy to go along and pin his own crime on Ben Ward.

"Noah ain't done nowt!" the boy shouted at the constable, when he shared his plans. "E's got a job and all now, and the only reason 'e got arrested t' other day was because 'e's a Longbottom!"

Could she knock him out hard enough to make him forget what had happened to him? Probably not.

She groaned in frustration. "Fine. These are Sam and Lucy Evans. Happy now? And James is right. You leave me brother alone. 'E's a victim! Now if you're excuse me, I have a baby to change and feed and you're holding me up. And yerself."

"Ah... Mr. Ward enjoys an immunity from both yourself and Constable Crane. I see," said Malachi, sounding awfully disappointed.

He hadn't a clue who this Benjamin Ward actually was, nor did he know why Elijah might have ignored his alleged crimes, but the girl had mentioned it and he wasn't about to waste the opportunity. As for Noah Longbottom -- where had he heard that name before? In fact, he'd heard the name 'James' along with it. Why was it so fami--

...These were the actual children of the woman that'd called him 'son,' weren't they. That made sense.

"You did not ask me for names," he reminded, but let Ruth handle the rest. Malachi continued walking then, easily pushing the cart before him.

Wesley gave the boy a condescending smile. "A last name is not an arrest-able offense. Of course, if one's family has a bad reputation from their actions, and if one is doing something suspicious, a constable as has a right to bring them in for questioning as their history makes them suspect."

"Evans? Not using Longbottom?" He said curiously and shook his head. "Perhaps that's a wise choice. Unfortunately, I find names aren't cursed, it's the people we keep around us." His eyes went from the kids to her and the priest.

The comment from Father Brennan had him shake his head pitifully. "I would love to arrest someone if they do wrong. Simply bring me a report and I will bring him in. You all like to play the victims and wonder why we do nothing, but hide like rats when we are around and expect your problems to just go away. " He continued to walk with them. "Oh but I did. Your memory is so very tragic, father. It is worrying."

James sat up on his knees, leaning on the front of the cart. "You're not very clever! Children take their father's name. Even I know that and I'm not old like you!"

Ruth decided to ignore the constable. He didn't have anything on her, and he just seemed to follow them to try to annoy them. Which he did. A lot. But she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing it.

Sam began to cry again, and she stopped, took a tart out of her pocket, split it in half, and handed him one half. "There, love, you'll get more later when the nasty constable buggers off." Then she reached out to give the other half to James.

"I don't think you did," Malachi returned, gaze fixed firmly ahead. "My memory is perfectly intact. I can prove it to you, sir--"

The young mother seemed to have said all that she wished to their tag-along, which meant that he just had to keep James from giving the constable an actual reason to bring any of them in. Malachi adjusted his grip on the handles of the cart and kept on.

"In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters..."