"I see..." she said with a frown. "I wish I could help..." And she meant it. He had offered her a place to stay out of kindness and it was more than enough to win her as a friend. That and she was fascinated by the man, but she wouldn't tell someone that if they asked her.

"I... was hopin' ta see about, perhaps, werkin' here if ye don't mind me havin' Jacob with me." She nodded toward the boy. It was a long shot, but she needed to support herself and now Jacob, rather than put it on her parents' shoulders. She already felt horrible for eloping with Angus, the bastard. She remembered how when he came into the room and saw Jacob in her arms, her da didn't yell at her and she wished he had because it was easier to take the yelling than the genuine defeat she saw.