"Oh yes, I did!" Anne said, trying not to think about how she had embarrassed herself. She remembered what she had seen and added: "Is he courtin' Miss Carrington?"

Lottie frowned. Was he? She recalled that Joe had mentioned her name in his tale of woe at the train station, but had their interactions become something more? The romantic in her thought why should she care? the heart wants what the heart wants. Yet, the mother in her was concerned. What would the whispers say?

"That's news to me, Anne. I shall have to ask him about that. Are ye sure of what you saw?"

Oh no! Had she said something she shouldn't have said? She hoped Joe wouldn't find out and be angry with her! "Oh... well... Just that they came to the wedding together and they were dancing, but I didn't mean to gossip, Mrs. Blacke! Please don't tell 'im ye heard it from me!"

"Don't worry, dear I won't say a word. Ye told the truth, there's nawt wrong with that."

So, they went to the wedding together and danced a reel? She was definitely going to have to talk with him about this.

"Now," as she poured the tea "Enough about Joe. I want to talk about you, you know like how things are goin' fer you? Now, don't tell me 'fine, Mrs Blacke', because I know things are hard for ye. Is this the size piece o' cake you want, dear?"

Anne didn't quite know how to respond to that. She did usually say it was fine. She nodded at the question about the cake, but her mind was on how she was doing. Mrs. Blacke was right. Things were hard. But she had to be grateful for the good things and count her blessings.

"Well..." she began. And then it happened before she could stop it. She hadn't expected it. She wanted to stop herself, but she couldn't help it. She began to cry.

The suddeness of the surprised even Lottie.

"Oh my dear! Whatever's the matter?" Mothering instincts took over and she moved immediately to Anne's side.

"S-sorry..." Anne sobbed as she desperately tried to dry her tears. She felt embarrassed. She couldn't even explain why she was crying. There was just too much, and she had all kept it in her body, until Mrs. Blacke asked her. "I-its just so hard, with all that needs to happen and I'm so tired, and father's ever in a mood, and Alice is miserable, and there's nothing I can doooo." Drying her tears had no effect. Now that the dam had broken...

Lottie did the first thing that came to her mind and drew Anne into a hug.  

The poor thing was carrying the mental weight of the Ward family, and much of the physical weight too all by herself. Lottie knew all too well of the hardships in the Cragg, this was all uncomfortably familiar to her. Lottie herself didn't know where to start to explain it, Anne wasn't a child, but she was not yet a woman.  It wasn't Anne's fault that she had been born to a fisher family in the Cragg rather than a family of means and title in a house outside of town.  It wasn't Anne's fault her mother had died, it wasn't Anne's fault that men had all the power and the emotional awareness of a mince pie.  Yet that was her apparent cross to bear as the Reverend was fond of preaching.

"It's okay dear, just cry if ye need to.  I'm here, yer safe." she said softly.

Anne leaned into the hug and sobbed against Mrs. Blacke. But finally she regained some control and she pulled back. "I'm s-s-sorry..." she hickuped. She had not seen Mrs. Blacke in a long time, and here she sat crying in her kitchen at their first reencounter. The embarrassment almost made her cry again. "Thank you... I didn't mean to...." she waved her hand.

"No need ta say sorry, dear. It's no
crime to 'ave feelings. You shouldn't be carryin' all those things around at yer age. Yer doin' yer best. I want yet to know that. It's nowt easy being Fisher folk, but yer doin' it. I'm sure yer mother would be very proud of ye."