Bill finally reached the landing. His knee hurt like hell. "Lottie, are you insane!?"

A pair of large brown eyes appeared for a second when a door opened just an inch. But it closed again quickly.

"Please, Mister Blacke..." she gestured for him to have a seat and pinched her nose. "We should just let them have it out. It's how I've lived with my family for this long. I... I am sorry to have helped cause this upset. It wasn't my intention to cause upset to anyone by what your son and I did. I think he meant that he wanted to get me away from my horrible family..."

"No Bill, I'm more sane than ever. No one says that about me 'ouse. Not ye. Not thee. Nowt. I'll not 'ave them 'ere."

"Aye, Pearl's right." Joe said from the front hall.

Bill didn't like to be told what to do, but nevertheless he took two steps down the stairs and sat down on them with a heavy sigh. He was angry with Joe. He was worried about Lottie. He was worried about what would happen now. He didn't know how to deal with this surprise daughter-in-law. He was embarrassed about the spectacle they were making. But most of all, he was very tired. He looked down at Joe in the hall. "You should apologise to your mother," he said, in a quieter tone than Joe had heard him this night - which meant a normal tone.

Joe came to the bottom of the stairs and leant on the newel. "I'm sorry mam. Why don't we all go ta bed and meet again in a day or so when we're all rested?"

She reached out and lay a hand on Joe's arm, "No, we are all tired but I don't want anybody to go to bed angry." She sighed through her nostrils and said, "Might I make tea while you deal with your son, mum? I promise to clean up after myself. I am sure you could use a break, though... You look weary and I don't blame you for feeling so... what, with how Joe and I did something rash," she paused and sighed, "I do apologize for my part in this." She was already up and looking for the things to make tea. "But... ahh, here we are..." she paused and moved to fill the kettle. "Please put your feet up, mum, while I do the work." She paused again and then turned to them all, a spoon in her hand, "I think we could all use a cup of tea, hmm? I know it's late, I know we're tired, but we have explaining to do and leaving now will only delay that."

She then turned to the kettle and moved to put it on the stove. If it needed lighting, she lit it without asking for help. "Now then. It was a mutual idea to run away to Gretna Green. He did it to save me from my wretched family... my mother does not... well... And my father... I love him dearly but he cannot ask me to live under the same roof as her. And then I went to London for a time and came home, and I was upset because I didn't want to deal with my family... And he came along."

She sniffed and then paused as the kettle whistled, and she pulled it off just as it barely did so... She set the kettle down and began to steep the tea. "My brother is a disgusting man. He is the one who wrote the letter complaining about the behavior that Joseph exhibited toward me even though it was completely innocent." She turned around and lifted her palms up.

"My father gave him a job as compensation as well as permission to court me and wed me on the condition he did his job well. My brother took over the job he took away from Joe." She paused and swallowed, then started to pour the tea.

Bill looked straight down at Joe and had half a mind to give him that trashing after all, never mind he was a married.... boy. What sort of apology was that!? But he was too tired and at last the boy said something sensible. "Aye. Ye better go. And take Miss Carrington with ye, before she sets t' 'ouse on fire!" He wasn't going to let some rich girl who had probably never even seen a kitchen attempt to make tea in his house.

Bill stood up and - with some difficulty - he walked into the room where Lottie was to check on her. "Lottie?"

Upstairs, Lottie remained silent, her eyes closed trying to manage her emotions.

Bill did have a point. Though Joe knew first hand that his wife was excellent in the kitchen, everyone was under stress and for Pearl, this kitchen was terra incognita, so accidents could occur. Joe popped into the main room. There was no fire. Just a pot of tea silently steeping on the table.

"It's okay, dad. Pearl has made tea." Joe called up.

And she just kept talking, never mind the fact that nobody was listening. "And I am sorry..." She said, "But this isn't how you solve conflict." Her voice went up an octave and she began to cry. "Warts off a toad, this isn't how I wanted things to be at all."