With a full belly, Francis was feeling pretty good. He'd been sad that beautiful man hadn't returned to him, but he expected it. At least he'd had a little fun. Imagine his surprise when his not sister was there suddenly in front of the presbytery. "Heyyy, kid!' He said with a grin and folded his arms looking from her to the woman behind him and back arching a brow. "What brings you to this little corner of the world? I didn't think I'd see you again. Where's your brother?" He hmed curiously though he wasn't going to push it. Guys didn't like that right? Though it proved they hadn't left town. Maybe he was just avoiding him.

Mable genuinely felt like she was going crazy.  Why was Francis of all of the terrible people in the world here, in the church?  In Father Brennan's church?  Why was he asking about her brother?

"Dead," she snapped.  Her chest was heaving with the force it took not to burst out crying right then and there.  "Where's Father Brennan?"

Francis frowned at the girl. "Now you know that isn't a nice thing to say." He watched as the blond woman tried to protectively stand beside the girl, perhaps to push him back if he tried anything. It made the guy give a half hearted laugh. He folded his arms and leaned against the door frame looking from the woman to Mable as he made sure to block the way.

"Who knows? He's not here. Acted oddly one day and hasn't been seen since. I'm very tempted to search his room and see if he left anything fun behind." He knew he wasn't supposed to, but who was going to stop him? A missing man perhaps dead?

He rose his brow as he could tell he struck a nerve, if not in the girl then definitely in the woman.

If they weren't in a church, and if a very nice lady wasn't standing behind Mable right then, she really would have spat on Francis.  She didn't care about being nice!  She cared about finding Father Brennan!

"You're useless," she said to him, using her small stature to wiggle between Francis and the door frame.  Mable had no idea where she was going, and stopped a few steps past.  Reluctantly turned her head to look at Francis.

"Do you know which room is Fathers?"

Francis rose his brow and shook his head grinning. "I know exactly where it is. But you called me useless. So you can wander until Higgins or Richards finds you and tosses you out." He said mostly remaining unmoved.

Nettie thought things were going badly out of hand. She followed the girl, even sliding beside the man. "We really shouldn't be here without permission. Let's just wait and speak to the other priest. He can help us find Father Brennan if anyone here can..." it was very frustrating how the girl insisted she was wrong!

Mable glared at Francis, but she hadn't been expecting him to be helpful.  Hence, the name she'd called him.  But then, even Nettie was refusing to help her, and Mable had to take a very deep breath in an attempt to calm herself.

It did not work.  Even after three breathes, Mable was still so angry, and scared, and upset, and she didn't want to be around anyone but Father Brennan, but he wasn't here, apparently.

With a sudden shout, Mable threw her bible to the floor.  The thin binding made a magnificent thump and pages exploded everywhere.  She immediately regretted it.

"I don't give a rat's tail about Higgins or Richards, and I don't want their help, and both of you are not being helpful at all!  What if he's dead?!  What if he's dead and gone and already buried and we don't know because neither of you even care?!  What then?"

Nettie was shocked by the outburst and she wanted to yell at her, or cry. Instead, she dropped to her knees and started to carefully pick up the scattered pages and meticulously put them back in order. Her voice came out quiet and troubled.

"That isn't fair. He raised me since I was younger than you, and I begged him not to leave without telling me. He did it anyway which means he doesn't want me involved. He asked me to take care of you. I'm sorry if you've already decided I am incapable of it. But you must have more fai-" faith? Just thinking about how much he'd revealed making her question if anything he ever told her was true. If he even cared about her or lumped her in with the rest of her cruel family. She squinted, fighting back letting a single tear fall.

"Trust in him. Respect his decision. Even if I knew where he was in London. He might be very cross that we came when he clearly didn't want that." She only had the smallest idea where he could be but if she was wrong she might never find him.

Mable didn't want to listen to this woman.  She wanted to yell and cry and curl up in a hole and stay there forever.  She certainly didn't want to believe that Nettie was right, but she was, and that was the worst part of all.

It wasn't fair, and Mable wasn't being fair either.  She was upset, but she did not have a right to take it out on Nettie and Francis.  Or - she didn't have a right to take it out on Nettie.  Francis was a bother, and really probably didn't care for anything except kissing Edmund.  Gross.

The girl swallowed around a lump in her throat, tears finally falling from her eyes and down her face.  Shame and guilt joined the stew of emotions inside her, weighing her down until she was kneeling like Nettie was.  With a lack of anything else to do, she also gathered up her precious papers, putting them inside the cover of her bible.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice raw and dry.  "You're lovely, and I've been - just the worst.  I'm really sorry."

Nettie reached out to lightly place her hand on the girl's shoulder. "We aren't ourselves when we are angry. Or worried, or scared. I understand. I'm sorry I'm not Father Brennan. But can you please tell me your problem? I may not have a solution, but if I hear from him or see him before you I can tell him, if nothing else." She said softly.

Her fingers scooped up a few more pages and combed hough them to shuffle them back into order. "And we might be able to repair this book if you would like. It has beautiful pictures in it, I'm sure you would hate to lose."