The tea would be surprisingly excellent coming from someone who was not a servant. In fact, Pearl Blacke nee. Carrington prided herself on a good cup of tea. She did not expect any compliments, however, from her unlikely in-laws, as they didn't seem keen on her in general. Pearl was not alarmed by this, nor was she surprised. Her eyes lifted to gaze at Lottie, worry in her brow and apprehension in her gaze.

After a long moment of silence on her part, she said, "I... am sorry for using your kitchen without asking first but I'm a firm believer that problem solving is best done over a cup of tea." She sighed softly and set her tea down for the moment while she smoothed her hands down her thighs. It was true, she had taken to the mantra as soon as she moved into her own house.

"I know what people will say..." she swallowed heavily and then went on, "I'm not ignorant as to the rumor mill. Servants talk... people talk... But nobody ever knows the truth unless they are there." She paused and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, it was to gaze directly to her mother in law, "My own mother hates me, most of my siblings are just like her... I'm unwanted. I was until Joe came along. Please don't take him away from me, he's the only ray of light in my life."

Joe smiled at Pearl's words complimenting him. He lowered his head and cast his eyes downwards slightly to hide his pride. Her being decent and her ability to see the best in people was, in his opinion, one of her finest qualities. That and she was just so bloody beautiful. Still, sitting at the kitchen table grinning at his parents like an idiot would not have been the smartest idea.

Joe raised his head, set his jaw, and addressed his parents. "I couldn't just stand an' do nowt. Ye raised me well enough. I wanted to give 'er a lovin' home, to protect 'er from all that.." Joe said simply. Surely that was reason enough?

Bill huffed and the girl's comment about the tea. If she was used to her problems being solved with a cup of tea, then clearly she was as spoiled and naïve as he suspected she was, and she had no idea what kind of life she had just thrown herself into. She'd find out quick enough that tea did very little for her when she had no money to wave at people. Her next words gave him pause, but he was still too angry to feel much empathy for her situation, or understanding for Joe's stupidity. When his son spoke the anger about that very stupidity flared again.

"And how were ye goin' to do that, eh?" he lashed out. "Last time I checked, ye were out of a job! And it's not like it's gonna be easier findin' one once yer name will be all over the papers. And ours, thanks for that!" Really, there were many additional reasons to be angry with Joe, and as he shouted, he recalled them. "It's bad enough ye were apparently involved in the business with 'er brother. Sendin' t' reporters after us. Yes, we had one 'ere askin' us questions. But now ye've gone and married the lass, ye'll be the talk of the town, we'll all be! Some right mess yer makin' of your life, eh? And now ye wanna take care of someone else as well!? You're an idiot!"

The neighbours had been deprived of an outside family row theater, perhaps, but they certainly got an update now.

"Bill!" Lottie exclaimed, chastising her husband, before looking at the youths across the table. "What your father lacks in tact, he makes up for in brains." She took a deep breath to compose herself, placing her teacup back down before adding her own words. "You couldn't be in more crap than if you'd gone out to the shithouse and jumped in!"

Her coarse choice of words expressed her frustrations, but also betrayed her fisherlass roots.

"What's more, you've dragged Pearl 'ere, and us in there with ye. Ye didn't think this through, did ye?" Lottie asked shaking her head.

"But, as this is the Carringtons we're talkin' about, yer motives do ye credit."

She looked down into her cup and then burst into tears, "Oh please, sir, don't be angry with him. It was my idea to elope, not his. I... I just cannot bear it anymore. I admit it was a hasty decision, but I would never have married him if I didn't love him as I do. And then my brother... he was so awful! He had no right to do what he did to Joe, not at all! It wasn't fair. And with everything else h... happening, I... I... my other brother.... I.... am sorry. I am sorry." She got up and pushed away from the table... "Joe, please let me be for a moment." She said with a choked whisper and fled the room to go outside for air.

Joe so wanted to go with Pearl, to reassure her his family wasn't at all like the one she had just run away from; kind, welcoming, and decent; but he respected her wish and remained seated. Instead he stared pointedly at his parents across the table, which suddenly didn't seem large enough at the moment. A tortured, awkward silence filled the kitchen. Why the hell couldn't they be a normal family?

"See what ye've dun? Happy?" he asked, his voice thick with the rebelliousness of youth.

Bill opened his mouth to protest Lottie's reproach, but then she said he was smart, so he closed his mouth, satisfied, folded his arms and looked at Joe across the table while his wife scolded.

Perhaps Pearl's words and emotions would have softened him a little... if it weren't for Joe's response. It was the last straw. They had watched Joe lose his job and appear before the Magistrate. They had spent the past few days anxious about where Joe was, on top of learning that he had gotten involved in a high profile murder scandal and had conveniently forgotten to mention it. And now bloody Joe ignored his parents' accusations and wanted to lecture them!?

For few seconds, Bill's chest and shoulders seemed to swell. His face turned from red to nearly purple. Nostrils flared. Neck and temples throbbed. His eyes seemed ready to pop out of his head. Perhaps Joe would recognize the warning signs. But there was no time. There was a loud bang when heavy open palms landed on the table; the clatter of cups jumping in their saucers; the scraping of Bill's chair on the hard kitchen floor. Whether Bill moved around the table or jumped right over it, was hard to tell given how fast he moved, but the fact was that a cup was knocked off the table and scattered against the wall while he dashed for his son, and that half a second later, he had pulled him up out of his chair by the ear like a little boy. "Who the HELL do you think you are!?" he bellowed.

How dare he! All that love, care, time spent. All of it thrown back in her face. As if she had failed in her duty as a woman and as a mother. A life misspent. Her nostrils flared and eyes darkened. She hopped up from her seat like an errant jack. She was going to swat the snot out of him, but her husband moved faster and louder. She knew he had a temper, it was rarely on display over the years. Even she with her hard origins, was wary when it did go off like a cannon. Cowed by the violence of the initial outburst, she remained silent.

She had just stepped out into the warm, night air when she heard the sudden yell from inside. Now, she wanted to turn back and go inside, perhaps defend her man... but she'd heard what he had said and it wasn't true; it had been the situation, not the people, that caused her to bolt. In fact, she looked behind her, then slumped her shoulders and was going to turn around, but then she started to walk and then run... Only to stop short about a half a mile away.

God, what was she doing? She did turn around and started to walk back toward the abandoned stoop.

"Yeow!--" A strangled cry was all Joe could muster as he was hauled to his feet by his ear like an errant child half his age. Whether he winced from the pain or the volume of the shouting, he couldn't tell. The chair he had been sitting clattered backwards to the floor. Christ! He had forgotten how beefy and strong his father's hands were from shovelling at that coal; this was a painful reminder. Joe sullenly stood as globs of his father's spittle and rage dripped down his face. Was it something he had said?

Then his mother slapped him across the face..