Alice was ready to shake her head, but then the woman told her to face it, and she pulled her hand away. She had no words to fight back and no strength to obey and she considered clawing at the woman. But just then there were heavy footfalls on the stairs and she turned her eyes to the door with all the fierceness and hostility of an animal ready to attack. "Go away," she murmured.

She drew back as if slapped, and then her brows furrowed. What had she said? The abrupt change disturbed her. She turned on heel and she stormed off and went in search of Tobias, seething.

Tobias was just coming up the stairs. He hadn't expected Iris to go see Alice without him and was rather concerned when he heard. "What's wrong?" he asked, when he saw Iris' face. Then, quicker: "Where is Emma?"

"She is in her cradle, sleeping. Mrs. Appleton refuses to hold her and she turned me out..." Her eyes were filled with anger on behalf of Emma and that was clear. "I tried to tell her she needed to face her fears sometimes and she turned me out."

He sighed and looked grimly at Alice's door.

There was a sudden loud knock against it, as if something had been thrown against it. Then another one. Then another one.

It would be quiet for a moment, Tobias knew, for there were only three books by Alice's bed.

He made his way up to the landing and turned to Mrs. Carpenter. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Carpenter. Don't take it personally please. She's not... She hasn't been right... in the mind."

"I think she fears holding Emma," she said softly. "I tried... but she started to shake." She sighed. It really hurt to see another mother not want to hold their child.

She did not flinch at the sound of the books hitting the door, she merely looked at the floor.

"Aye," said Tobias. "It's not natural. We just need to get her past that point." He had already figured out that kindness was getting him nowhere with Alice. "Please get Emma."

He knocked on the door before opening it. The books moved across the floor. "Alice?"

His wife had pulled the blanket over herself completely and didn't answer. He strode over. "Enough of this." He pulled the blanket away. "Come on, sit up." Alice struggled, shrieked and dug her nails into his hand as he pulled her up. "Agh! Stop it!" he shouted, giving her a shake.

She went to go get Emma, biting her lip. When the babe was in her arms, she could hear the shriek and felt Emma jerk awake. With a now, crying baby, she went to where she heard Tobias and Alice, standing in the doorway and watching with a worried expression as she rocked the child.

Alice glanced up involuntarily when Mrs. Carpenter entered and saw the crying babe. God. Dark hair. She stopped struggling, but curled up as far as Tobias' unrelenting grip allowed. "Let me be! You have what you wanted!" she cried.

"I want you to be a normal mother!" Tobias retorted. He let go of his wife, but sat down on the side of the bed. Then he turned to Mrs. Carpenter. "Please come closer, Mrs. Carpenter. Sit in that chair over there."

Her eyes wide, she did as she was told. She moved to sit in the chair that was unoccupied, rocking the crying babe and trying to calm her down.