The building in question was a solid stone building that looked like it was a creation of love. Nettie looked it over as she recalled everything the constable had just told them. It did sound really too good to be true. She smiled brightly towards the two men and nodded. "It sounds perfect. And it is close to the church. I couldn't ask for better. Do you think they will let me work from here?"

Elijah mentioned briefly they would have to ask Miss Clarke. He started to the door and knocked with Nettie close behind. She lightly tapped Malachi's arm. "Are you happy with this? I might not get in, but I am really hoping so. Then again, I could change my mind after seeing the inside."


She really did hope the place would work though if it was as described. It was a lovely little building and a place just full of women would be safe. A boarding house meant she could stay long term as well. She wondered how much a room would cost in the end since she wouldn't dare ask for a cheaper one that was reserved for the girls who needed it.

The door opened and a woman with a sharp but elegant face opened and looked at them raising her brow.

"Crane, what a delight. And you are?" She looked from Malachi to Nettie.

Elijah cleared his throat nervously. "Ah, Miss Clarke, this is Father Brennan the new priest, and this is his niece, Nettie Brennan. She was hoping to stay here. I am not sure if you had any vacancies but perhaps you do and could give a small tour?"

Malachi followed after Nettie and Crane, looking over the exterior of the building again as he did.

Solid stone, near enough to the church, filled with only women.

An absolute nightmare for him, but a perfect place for her.

His eyes returned to Nettie's face when he felt a tap on his arm, and he offered a smile.

"Yes," answered Malachi, confident in its truth so far. "As long as you are safe and happy with it yourself."

With hope, the interior would be just as reassuring. He stood tall behind Crane and Nettie when the door was opened, considering for a moment how strange a trio they must have seemed. A priest, a constable, and a young woman seeking shelter.

Malachi kept quiet and allowed Crane to take care of the introductions. He was quickly beginning to think that the less he had to rely on his own words, the better, when it came to making good impressions in Whitby, and for now he relied on his smile instead.

The woman was not as old as some might have expected the landlady to be. She looked from the constable to the other two with a very scrutinizing eye and leaned in slightly to them. "You look nothing alike." Her figure leaned back to straighten herself, "but I know that doesn't mean much. Some people are lucky and get to chose their family. I will say, while I may trust you for now, I have had people claim relations because they thought they could come and go and be up to things. While that means you will have visitations that do not require my permission, you will still stick to the rules and if I catch you in a lie..." She looked towards Nettie. "Out, instantly."

She put on a small professional smile to Elijah. "Since you brought them, I will put my faith in you. You've always been respectable to the girls here. You may all enter and I'll explain this place and the rules, since I do have a room. We can discuss payment afterwards." Her head turned slightly to look at them before she began to walk.

The inside was nice made of a dark wood for the walls and elegant floral wallpaper. She moved slowly and kept looking back to make certain they followed closely behind. "As Constable Crane told you, I am Helen Clarke. I've ran this place since my mother decided to retire four years ago. She built this place after suffering a lot of cruelty from the town when she came here with child and no husband. She had been married but my father died during their travels. It took inviting the priest who married them to prove her story and let her regain some dignity. Since then she has made a sanctuary for women who would need it, for whatever reason. We do not allow degenerate behavior though. No boys are allowed inside unless it is a doctor or relative. If it is a relative the door to their room remains open at all times. We ask women not to stay out past curfew of 10 o'clock. And I think that is far more than fair. If you try to return home later you best have a very good excuse or it may be a strike on your record. Three strikes and you are out."

She gestured around as they found a parlor with a few chairs and table as well as a bookshelf full of a variety of books. The woman then guided them to the dining room which was bigger and made to hold around twenty people, they could see a modest kitchen from the door on the opposite side. Her hand gestured to a door that was on the opposite end of the hallway with a view to the living room and stairs up. "That is my room, I always stay up until after curfew. Are you happy to continue?"

Well. That was a pleasant way to start.

Malachi retained his smile and did his best to look unbothered. The woman -- Miss Clarke, Crane had called her -- was far from the first to mention the obvious, and he was doubtful that she'd be the last. He did not try to explain it to her, either, as it was truly none of her business, and if she was reluctant to believe a priest's first word, then there was no reason for her to believe that the rest were any different.

It didn't matter. If this boarding house was suitable, and Nettie liked it enough to stay, that was all that mattered.

After Nettie and Crane went inside, Malachi followed, keeping his hands and his thoughts to himself. His gaze was curious as it swept the various rooms, but he found nothing concerning thus far. Miss Clarke seemed to be a reasonable sort, if a bit firm, and Malachi could appreciate her mother's efforts to establish the sanctuary. He did not interrupt, figuring that Nettie probably wanted to hear all that she could before she made her decision, but he did nod once the woman had finished.

"Your mother must have been a very gracious woman," he commented, before he looked again to Miss Clarke.

"It's wonderful that you've taken over her work. If Nettie is fine to continue, I'd love to see the rest of it."

The woman looked at Malachi as if he had stated the sky was blue. "Yes. She was. Not because she wanted to be but because she had to be. The world does not offer generosity to those who need it most, so it is up to those of us with means to see it be done ourselves. That is what my mother believed and that is what I believe. That is not to say it should be blind and allow a charitable hand to be robbed by someone who does not appreciate the gift they have been given. That is why our rules are the way they are." She looked towards Nettie to see if she would like to continue.

It was a lovely place and Nettie was sure she would make some friends there. The rules were strict but didn't seem like they would be a problem for her at all. After hearing her uncle voice that he seemed to approve of it, Nettie gave an emphatic nod.

"Excellent. I will show you the living quarters. This first floor is the individual and shared rooms. We have two washrooms at the end for the girls so schedules are important to agree on for washing as it can get hectic with so many people. These rooms on the left are all single rooms. "She walked along and occasionally would knock on a door before opening to reveal a woman doing some daily part of their lives. The rooms were small with a simple bed, dresser, and a little vanity table. "I try to let the ladies here have as much of a decent life as possible. Especially these who are paying to stay here. This would be your room." She opened the door to the third on that side of the hallway. It was nearly indistinguishable from the others save it was not being lived in at the moment.

"The opposite side is what we call our sister rooms. They usually have two beds and are for when two women come here, usually related as sisters or a mother and daughter, sometimes best friends. "

She gestured for them to follow to the upstairs which only had a double door. Inside was a large room with bunk beds along the wall and a small room at the end. It had enough beds for twelve women. There were a few tables and chairs at the end and chests at the end of each bunk bed. "This is what I like to call the hospitable room. Most of these ladies pay nothing or very little. But they have a bed, a storage space, running water, shelter, and food. Enough to live and feel safe. " It was indeed half full with women socializing or some were putting on shoes or taking them off to show they were coming and going.

"I am open to questions."

The rest of the boarding house followed suit in being a decent and apparently well cared for establishment. Miss Clarke's rather no-nonsense disposition did well to suffocate the last of Malachi's thoughts regarding Crane, for the time being, and kept each shift in his expression calm and polite, never daring to stretch beyond the limits of the trust she'd placed in them.

He did feel... more than a little awkward, each time Miss Clarke opened a door to reveal a lady going about her day. Now Malachi wouldn't claim to have the best understanding of women in general, but he couldn't imagine that being interrupted and having their privacy intruded upon was something most of them would like. So the priest bowed his head in awkward apology and carried on without looking in too far.

Only once they'd reached what Miss Clarke dubbed the 'hospitable room' did Malachi lose a bit of that discomfort. There was still that distinct feeling of being out of place, but the usefulness of such a room outweighed his desire to look away. In fact, he perked up somewhat, looking over the amenities provided with a curious gaze.

"Are all of your residents long-term, or do you ever take anyone in temporarily?"

It was more a question of resources -- if the beds in the hospitable room were always filled, or if there was room for those who needed only a night, or a few, to get back on their feet.

Helen rose her brow and looked to the tall priest and folded her hands neatly in front of her. "Mr. Brennan was it? I hope one day all of the ladies here move on to a more stable and personal home. This room is not meant to be long term and sometimes a couple of ladies or so will find work and manage to move into their own homes together. There they do not need to abide by my rules and schedules and they live their own lives. Some come very temporary. I've had women come here in the middle of the night in tears because of a husband or family member, and if there are no free beds, I have allowed the use of my own and even help them get a ticket to return to their parents home or some other place they can find safety, or find a way to free up a bed up here."

She looked bad at the women who went about their lives barely glancing at the strangers, and then she turned back to him. "I know I may be strict and perhaps this home is lacking in some things they wish. But more than anything, it is a haven. And for as long as I or my mother have lived here no one has ever managed to take anyone from here who did not wish to go. And I will never let that change for as long as I breathe. I hope Ms Nettie finds it suitable, if not there are other places in town." She glanced go the blond woman.

Nettie smiled and thanked her. "Can we discuss it?" The woman nodded and she gently guided malachi so they could talk outside in privacy. Crane followed but stayed a distance so they weren't overheard.

"Before I say what I think, tell me your thoughts honestly." She said looking up at her uncle.

Mr. Brennan. Malachi tried not to look as perturbed by that as he felt. Mr. Brennan was a title reserved for his father and for Levi, not for him.

"Father," he corrected.

Miss Clarke's business model was better than he had expected, when the constable had first mentioned the boarding house. Malachi nodded along as she gave her explanation, glancing about the rest of the room in the meantime in superficial inspection. She was generous with the things she had, and that was what counted to him. He asked mainly on account of the various people that came to him seeking shelter -- if any other ladies did, as Miss Mason had, he supposed he could send them here.

Before he could inquire about anything else, he felt Nettie return to his side. Malachi offered a nod and allowed himself to be guided out, taking note of the way Crane distanced himself from them. He didn't stare after the constable long, looking down at his niece with a thoughtful look.

"I think it's a nice place. Miss Clarke seems... a little stern, but there's no fault for her to find in you, so I'm certain you'd be fine," answered Malachi. "There are the other women living here to consider, but I somehow doubt that Miss Clarke would tolerate anyone particularly troublesome."

At the correction of father, Helen had looked slightly annoyed. "I personally believe 'Father' should be reserved to your flock. The church abandoned me before I was even born, so I do not hold it in high standards. I will not hold that against you though. If it is necessary, then it shall be. I am not here to hurt feelings unnecessarily." She said with little compassion.

Nettie looked at the place and up at him. "I think the place is great. She is strict and I certainly don't agree with some of her personal views, I think. But it doesn't look like she'll hold it against us. But I really do want you okay with this."

She smiled up at him and tightened her grip on the handle of the bag. "There are plenty of other places in Whitby to look at if you're unsatisfied."

What a peculiar way of looking at the matter. Malachi said nothing else of it, unbothered as he was by her personal opinions so long as she called him by the damned title that he'd spent too many years of his life to earn.

(Besides, hadn't she just recently mentioned that it was a priest who had visited to prove her mother's story?)

No matter.

Malachi returned Nettie's smile, but refrained from touching her shoulder as he might've done if he was not concerned about Miss Clarke.

"Don't worry," he began, glancing at the stone building again before he looked back to her. "I'm not the one who will be living here. But yes, I am satisfied with it -- and you'll be close enough that you can come to the church if you're ever unhappy here."