She followed him into the house, wide-eyed, looking at the others and forgetting for the moment that she was upset. He was angry on her behalf? Jacob squirmed in her arms, stirred by all the noises all at once. Ruth had most certainly touched a nerve without having intended to, or, well, Angus had. Her mouth curled downward. On one hand, she felt highly embarrassed that she had opened her mouth at all, on the other, she had not seen Edward so passionate as he was right at that moment. It was the moment she fell in love with Edward Blackwood.

What followed was a whirlwind of activity as Mister Lane, who was used to a rather docile Master Edward was left uncertain what to do. However, Eleanor rightly pointed out that if Master Ambrose found out that Edward had been galvanized to the point that he cleaned himself up and went into town he might actually be thrilled. So long as Angus was with the man it was unlikely he would get into trouble.

Which proved to be entirely true. Edward, with Ruth's assistance, found her husband and the master Blackwood gave Ruth's Angus a stern talking to. Calling him a heartless blaggart who had no idea of the treasure he had tossed away by being a callous oaf, that he was not worthy to be a husband or father, and vowing that if the best revenge was a life lived well than Ruth and her child would want for nothing and should Edward ever catch hide or hair of the man near her without her permission he would have the constables haul his besotted arse to jail.

Angus, was obviously enraged, however, the far larger and more Scottish Angus standing behind Edward glowering meant her former husband was not inclined to test his luck. Edward returning to the carriage when he was finished with a huff. Clean shaven, with his hair tamed and trimmed, and wearing clean clothes Edward was a different man. While he was still gaunt and pale with bags under his eyes she could, for a moment, see the professor who had likely been quite well liked at MIT for being a rather handsome and pleasant young man.

She wasn't sure how to feel about all of it. She was overwhelmed. By the time they got back to the manor, she was walking stiltedly in shock at what she had just witnessed. Never before had a man stood up for her like that. She knew she needed to put some distance between her and Edward, for she was thinking about him in ways she was not supposed to and it both frightened her and caused her a little woe at the same time. Ruth was not in a position to love and be loved, not while married.

Edward was, seemingly, once again lost in his own little world. Sometime after they'd gotten into the car he'd produced a small notebook and started jotting in it absently with a stick of charcoal. When they finally got back to the manor he steps out of the carriage without looking up but pauses and turns to give Ruth a smile. "Take a break for the rest of the day." Teasing a sheet from the notebook he hands it to her. "This is a note for Mister Lane asking you be excused from your duties until you are ready to resume them. I am sure this is quite upsetting for you Miss Blacke, take all the time you need to comport yourself." This done he absently turns from her and wanders away his nose back in his little leather-bound book.

"It's already...." but he was walking off after he gave the paper over to her... "My day off." she said lamely when he was out of earshot. Even still, she tucked the note away for later and sighed, entering the manor tiredly. He'd just... done something amazing for her, and then went back to being in his own world. It wasn't fair, she thought as tears gathered anew.

Betsy rounded a corner and came barreling towards Ruth her expression all kinds of curious as she rushes up to the other woman. Turning to worry and confusion as she gets closer finally coming up short hesitating and flinging her arms around Ruth. "My God, what happened. I heard about the ruckus from Mister Lane! Master Edward went into town and took you? What did he do."

Ruth grimaced a little, and she said, "He didn't like very much hearin' a woman say that their husband abandoned her and her bairn..." Her voice was quiet, tired sounding.

"Oh." Betsy blinks in surprise as she digests that information and then says. "What?" The girl was many things, kind, eager, romantic, friendly, and helpful. She was not, however, intuitive and she'd need a bit of help figuring out what Ruth meant by that.

"I was cryin' and he asked me what was wrong. Next thing I knew, we were headed to the pub ta confront me husband." Her eyes were big. "Oh, Betsy, I made a mess, didn't I?"

"Uh, maybe?" Betsy says blinking in surprise at the revelation but not quite sure what to tell her friend. "I mean, you got Master Edward to go into town. Pretty sure Master Ambrose will be thrilled about that. Uh, what part do you think is the mess?"