The tide was out and there were many fishing women and children on the east cliff beach, along with several brave tourists. The fishing folk were collecting driftwood, as well as bait for the lines. Rose had a day off, and so she had gone to assist her family. It wasn't pleasant work in mid winter, with the cold sea wind biting her face and trying to pull the shawl off her head. Her boot had a hole which she needed to mend, and her sock had gotten wet. Rose rested her basket on one of the great rocks near the cliff for a moment, and stooped down to look at the hole in her shoe. Had it gotten bigger.

And then she saw it, between two large rocks. A smaller rock, slightly bigger than a man's fist had fallen down and split open to reveal a large stone spiral inside, like a giant snail house. Rose had seen them before in the cliffs, for there were many in this area. But only Tom and Simon had ever found a loose one, which they had brought with them. They had kept it hidden for a while, enjoying their explorer's find, although they had let Rose and Maggie into their secret. They had buried on a secret spot on the beach, and the children would dig it up at times to admire it and pretend they were explorers who had discovered a science-altering fossil. But finally, they had given it to father and mother to sell.

Rose climbed on the rock and reached her arm down in between the rocks, trying to reach for the fossil.

Pearl walked quietly along the beach, bothered by the conversation she'd had with the baron. Why was it so farfetched that she wanted to be her own person? Men did it all the time! Luckily for her though, there was the girl, Rose, who had visited once, and her thoughts scattered with the wind as she grew curious as to what was happening. She picked her way over the rocks and sand and said, "Miss Ward, it is good to see you again. What is that you are reaching for?" Pearl asked as she stood on one foot to get a good look at the object in question.

Rose sat up for a moment, when she heard Pearl. "Oh, good day, miss. One moment!" She reached down again. This time, she lay on her side and reached her arm all the way in, closing her eyes for a moment. She puffed as she tried to reach as far as she could. Then her fingers closed around the fossil and rock and she slowly withdrew it and sat up. "Well, would ye look at tha." She handed over the fossil for Pearl to look at.

She watched as Rose retrieved the fossil from a hard to reach spot and then smiled at her friend's triumph. "That is pretty magnificent, I must say," she said with interest. Of course, she wasn't one to go around collecting fossils... Her eyes sized the thing up and she tilted her head, "I didn't know you were interested in such things."

The romantically scientific interest in it that Rose and her siblings had held as children had been replaced by more practical ones. She shook her head and smiled. "Oh I wasn't lookin' to keep it, miss. It's worth a few shillings if ye'r clever about it."

"Oh, I see," she said with understanding. People did collect fossils and some even paid for them. Pearl wasn't particularly interested in fossils but the thought of writing a book about a woman who might be did cross her mind. Sometimes it was a dangerous thing to hunt for them in places where there were lots of caves and the smuggling rings about.

"Aye." Rose continued. "Me brothers found one, once, and me parents let them keep a tuppence each." Simon had used his to buy sweets, and Rose and followed him around just as long until he would share with her. "Do you like fossils, Miss? There's a lot in them rocks over here."

"Not particularly," she said. Under her breath she said, "Especially not the baron." Her eyes twinkled a little and she said out loud, "But the story of a woman who collects fossils and puts herself in danger sometimes by going into caves smugglers use, and the Marquis who saves her from certain fellows who want both her and the fossils she finds... now that would be a wonderful story, don't you think?"

Rose frowned as she listened, taking in the story. But then she smiled. She usually didn't have time to read stories, so she didn't have a lot of experience with them, but she was sure Pearl's story had potential, and she wouldn't want to discourage the girl anyway. "Well, those would be some special fossils if they're chasing her for it. I doubt anyone is going to chase me for that." She nodded at the fossil. Then again, you never knew. Someone had tried to burgle her family's house and even briefly kidnapped her brother. They had thought they didn't own much to steal, but some thieves were really desperate, apparently. "These ones are snakes that were turned to stone by St. Hilda."

"Ancient bones," she said with a nod... "Or perhaps some pottery that unlocks a mystery of ages! That is an interesting fossil too. So you plan on selling it?" She asked, genuine fascination in her voice and eyes. "I have heard of people who do that, I just never got into collecting those. I prefer to come to beaches to swim, to tell the truth. Tis how I was ill for a week... the water was too cold." She said with no small amount of chagrin. She was back to her usual, chatty self though. "Anyhow, do you want any help collecting fossils?"