Mary felt that her arm was to be wrenched from its socket by the incessant tugging of her daughter. Was it possible to leash children like dogs? 

"Iona, stop yer pullin' noew!" Mary barked. The girl lurched to a stop on the pavement and stared up at her mother with round eyes, blinking quickly. Mary had never been able to resist that look for long and her frustration faded. Ah, the joys of motherhood.  Like an adorable, fat little English robin, little Miss Prior hopped over to the nearest shop window, pressing her hands and nose to the glass.  A jeweller's. Some of the wares glistened in cases or pillows.  Forget robin, Mary thought, was her daughter part magpie?

Whitby had been good to Mary, the fresh salt air had done wonders for her lungs and her temperament. Iona too had flourished. Mary's little haggis had laughed and giggled more now than when Mary herself could remember. The girl had been fearless introducing herself to children and jumping feet first into their imaginary adventures. Alas though, funds were running low meaning a return to the thick Scottish mist soon.  Still, a few minutes browsing in a shop was a distraction that was free.

"Alright, ye wee boggle, we can go in fer a wee look, but down't touch anythin', speak only wen spoken too." a blink and a grin. "Noew, fold yer 'ands, young lady," the older Miss Prior commanded.  Tiny hands were duly folded "Thank ye."

Mary placed one palm on her daughter's back and opened the door with the shop with the other.

Bess was just about to fix an emerald back into its setting when she heard the bell above the shop door chime. Fortunately, she was not in the middle of a task that she couldn’t stop. It had been nearly a month since she had fired the former clerk for trying on the jewelry, and she and William had not found a replacement yet.

They advertised only by word of mouth instead of putting a ‘help wanted’ sign on the door because their merchandise was so valuable and they didn’t want to attract nefarious types who would use their position to steal from them.

Though it had never happened to them, Bess knew some merchants who had been fooled into into hiring thieves. Some of them were quite clever and were able to pass even the most thorough background checks.

Pushing her chair back, Bess walked through the door of the workshop into the store proper. At five months along, there was no doubt now that she was pregnant. A woman and a cute little girl had just come in the door. All of the jewelry was under glass except some inexpensive pieces on the counter that were too high for such a small child to reach, so even if she ran around, neither she nor the merchandise would be harmed. She looked quite well-behaved, though.

“Is there anything I can help you with?” she asked the mother as she approached the pair.

Mary's eyes danced over the intricate metalwork and jewels that sparkled under glass. It was a private imagining to have such a necklace resting in the hollow at her neck. She owned nothing so grand, even the band that signifed she was an honest, married woman had been plain. That ring had been tossed into the briny deep when she learned of the deeds of that no-good-slimey-eel-of-a-man named Angus. A disgrace to Scotsmen everywhere.

"Oh no, just 'avin a look. I cannae afford luxuries like jewels anyway. My wee one was just desperate to see the pretty things."

Bess had not expected for the mother to admit that she didn’t have the money to buy anything in the store. Most shopkeepers would have thrown her out, but Bess saw no harm in allowing them to peruse the merchandise on display.

She smiled. “You can both look all you want.” Even before she had become a mother herself, she had adored children, which was the main reason she had become a schoolteacher. This little one looked a bit young for school.

Glancing discreetly at the woman’s hand, Bess noticed that she wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. So the two of them were on their own. In fact, she couldn’t remember seeing either of them before. “Have you been in Whitby long?” she asked curiously.

"A few months, fer me health. Ye know, the sea.." Mary's own eyes danced across jewellery she would never wear. Her eyes carried on downwards to fall upon the smudge of a tiny nose and chubby palms of the smallest Prior girl that marred the glass of the showcase. Mary smiled sadly, at least someone was enjoying themselves. "We'll 'ave ta push off north again soon, though. A lack of funds, ye know."