There didn't seem to be a proper answer, because there was no good option he could see. Her home (wherever it may be) was a source of misery, yet she would face such sorrows anywhere she went. Again Malachi considered telling her to stay, that it was alright, but the words hesitated at the edge of his tongue.

"If..."

Ah, how did he tell her without sounding strange? He had allowed others to stay, and it was no imposition if she did for a night as well. Malachi cleared his throat quietly, and then tried again, setting a hand on the back of a pew.

"If you would prefer, Miss Mason, you're welcome to stay here for the night. There are rooms in the presbytery, and we would not mind having you."

He actually hadn't the faintest clue about what Father Richards or Mrs. Higgins thought about him letting people sleep there now and then, but who did it hurt? The space was there, and it would be wrong not to offer it.

"You don't have to, of course, but it is quite late. If you would prefer to walk home in the morning, you can stay."