"Be that as it may, I'll no 'ave a daughter-o-mine drop like a lobster pot." Lottie said. Perhaps she could discreetly pop in to see Doctor Wells and ask on her behalf. "Sit for a moment, til ye feel yerself."

Anne sat down as Mrs. Blacke told her to. "I can do sum't while seated, Mrs. Blacke. Can I cut sum't for ye." She did not want Mrs. Blacke to pity her more than she probably already did.

"Yer a guest fer supper.. and a poorly one at that. I'll not put me guests to work." Lottie said.

"Oh... okay..." Anne replied timidly. It felt uncomfortable to watch the woman work and just sit here. She also didn't want Mrs. Blacke to think her too poorly, as she still hoped to get permission to go out after tea and see Alice. "I think I feel better now."

"If ye say so." Lottie answered, her words simple yet coated in the suspision of an adult who knew more.  "Fetch the bowls from the shelf there and set the table; the 'oarde 'll be 'ome fer tea in a tick." Lottie continued referring to the the impending arrival of the rest of Blacke family.

Still the very powerful desire to adopt this girl, how to get her to say yes to a better life was the one thought that kept crashing around Lottie's brain.

How to save her?

"Aye, Mrs. Blacke," Anne got up and moved in the direction of the shelf. Then all turned black. She vaguely registered a loud bang when she dropped like a lobster pot and crashed down on the floor.

"Anne?" Lottie queried as things went wrong very fast. The poor girl just crumpled like a wet fishing net. With a burst of youthful energy, Lottie's old bones didn't ache in that moment and she was at the girl's side in an instant. Lottie wasted little time in gently placing the youth's head on her lap. A riotious mop of red hair, vividly clashing with the whiteness of the apron. Seemed nicer than the kitchen floor. Was she... dead?

"Oh Anne." Lottie whispered softly. This was exactly why the Blacke matriarch wanted to bring this girl into her family. Lottie could do her right and see she was cared for properly. In her solitude Lottie mumbled aloud a plea to a higher power "Please God save this girl, don't take 'er. Preserve my daughter Anne."

Anne's eyebrows drew closer together. The girl's eyes shut tighter before she opened them. Anne burst into startled tears when she found herself on the floor, her head in Mrs. Blacke's lap. Had she just really fainted? She had never fainted before, except for passing out after her adventure on the moors, and she had never thought she was 'the type'. Her kind of women were strong after all. She sat up quickly, but that turned everything dark again. She shut her eyes. "Oh, Mrs. Blacke. I'm sorry... I didn't think..." She heard the front door open.

Kate burst in after an eventful day. The races had been exciting to watch, and after that, she and her friend Ellie had gone to get icecream and listened to the band playing. But then they had heard gossip that Anne's father had been arrested over some brawl by the docks, and the girls had gone to the Ward home to check on their friend and comfort her if necessary. Only nobody had been home.

They had walked around town, looking for Anne or her relatives, while conjuring up possible futures for their friend should Ben Ward go to prison. The workhouse sounded dreadful, as, Kate had stated before thinking, did domestic service. But surely her mother would take Anne in. In fact...

Kate had left Ellie, promising to report back to her as soon as she could if Anne was indeed at her place, and rushed home.

"Anne?" Kate stopped in the doorway to the kitchen, watching the two women on the floor. "Mum? What happened?"

The fluttering of Anne's features back to the land of the living sent a wave of relief through Lottie. Thank God. Anne's sorries weren't necessary, the poor girl seemed to apologise for existing. And she was out again. Events did not slow down with the appearance of Kate in the doorway, but at least someone was here to help. Her daughters together.

"Kate, Anne's had a spell. Run fer Doctor Wells. Quickly. Go!"

Lottie would pay for the doctor over the objections of Anne, Ben Ward, William Blacke, the whole of bloody Chrisendom.