How had she ever believed she could be friends with Benny!? First he bothered her poor pregnant and stressed out! Then he basically broke into Mr. Meijer's home, which could well have costed her her job! And now he had bullied Alice and Tobias! As if the whole situation wasn't bad enough without his childish antics. 

Rose found him in the kitchen, folded her arms and glared. "What's your problem, really?" she asked in a low voice.

Benny was elbow deep in water as he washed the dishes from breakfast. He glanced back and shrugged before returning to his task. "I've no idea what you're talking about. I am just cleaning up."

He carefully dried a tea cup and placed it with its brethren. "I take it you've nothing to do this morning then."

Rose took a broom and started sweeping the floor. "You bullied my sister after she repeatedly told you to leave them alone."

"Bullied? I don't think I bullied her. I think I was quite horribly rude, but all I wanted was an apology. She was too proud to give me one. When one is horribly rude to you I think it's fair to give it back to them. Don't you?" He hmmed as he started on the saucer for the cup.

Rose leaned on the broom and glared at him. "She's going through a very difficult time, and you made it worse!"

Benny looked down to focus on his work as he started on some utensils. "And? I wasn't particularly cruel, most of what I said was clearly in jest. If she is so sensitive she gets destroyed by someone she barely met, then she doesn't have enough support from her family. I don't apologize. She was horrible to me, I gave it back. She didn't get it and couldn't reflect on her actions."

"Ugh!" Rose went back to sweeping aggressively. She was so mad, and probably only half of it was aimed at Benny. "You called her som't terrible. In front of... a guest!"

"What was that?" Benny seemed in thought as he stared up at the ceiling for a moment."Oh! Did I call her a slut? She used that word for herself first. I was angry by then for her being so difficult."

"You both have been. I tried to be nice the first time we met. You practically treated me like a friend, and while I may be a scoundrel sometimes, I do have my limits. You eventually became nicer when you realized I'm not actively trying to attack or do something lewd to you. But she has remained quite unwavering in how she treats me. And I even apologized when I knocked over her washtub and helped clean it up. Not a thank you, just tossed me out. I really am glad I didn't give either of you that box. I'll find a better girl for it. Maybe that odd prostitute I met in town. She wouldn't need it though."

"You showed up at her door when she was alone and forced your way in! What was she to do?!" Sweep. Sweep. Sweep. It was't like the floor was getting any cleaner with her beating the dust around like that, but it did help her deal with all that built up anger. "She's compromised enough without you makin' it worse, thank you very much!"

"You make it sound like I kicked the door in. I doubt anyone knew I was there until she told you. And I didn't know any compromised condition. I'm not psychic and you didn't have a sign on the door saying 'warning: delicate female inside. Proceed at your own risk'." He looked over his shoulder at her and bit back a comment about her sweeping to focus on his dishes. "Besides, how hard is it to swallow your pride and admit you might be wrong ?"

"Ugh." She put down the broom. "You should have left her alone in the first place!" She stormed off to find other work to do.

Mr. Meijer sat in his office, reading his latest penny dreadful rather than his mail.

Did he hear fighting?

He tiptoed to his door and eased it open so he could better hear the sweet, sweet sound of a Ward made miserable.

Unfortunately Rose was busy storming off and shoved the door open. It hit something.

Benny shrugged, prepared to ignore her as things should calm since he had no need to see her family. As d he left he swore he heard something and ran to check. Their employer had hit his head when she opened the door forcefully and was leaned back to the wall out like a light.

"He's dead! You murdered him.." He said to her in shock even though he was quite certain he was just momentarily knocked out. He tried to move him towards his chair. "Oh whatever will you tell the constable?"

He went down with an unflattering sound, and though he'd just started to push his hand against the floor, he sunk and played dead at the sound of Benny's proclamation.

Rose grasped. "Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!" she panicked. Rose helped Benny carry Mr. Meijer to the chair. Wrong chair. It collapsed as soon as they put the gentleman on it.

He quickly picked the man back up. "Why is all the furniture in this place shite!?" He helped guide Zechariah to another seat after kicking aside the broken pile. 

He laid him on the sofa and looked at Rose. "I hope you two weren't known for disagreements or else they really will believe it was a murder. "

Oh crap. Rose groaned as the chair collapsed. She helped Benny carry Mr Meijer to the sofa and put her fingers in his neck. "There's a pulse." She wasn't entirely sure whether that was a comfort. He would wake up at some point and she'd be in trouble. "I'll go fetch the doctor." She stood up.

Benny delicately held his head to feel over his scalp for any lumps or places that felt strangely soft. "Let's hope he's ok cause I can't afford a doctor.'

"But 'e can," Rose said. Indeed, mr. Meijer was a wealthy man who never had to worry about doctors bills or other such expenditures. And yet Rose had no doubt he would keep it in from her wages. Stingy git. She rushed off.

Benny shrugged and sat on the supposedly unconscious man's legs and leaned back against the sofa to wait for her. "Hope you wake up soon. People don't do well if they are out too long." He frowned and leaned over to check his eyes. "Hope you're not really broken."

With all the manhandling that had come from feigning unconsciousness, God. Maybe he did need a doctor!

But then Rose was gone, and his new hired hand was sitting on Mr. Meijer [i]like he was furniture. Reflexively, he swatted away the hand approaching his face.

"Mr. Benjamin," Mr. Meijer sad flatly and all too lucidly, though he did not bother opening his eyes. "Get off of me."

"Ah!" Benny hopped to his feet and looked over. "Boss, you're not unconscious! That's wonderful, I was so worried. Sorry I sat on you, I didn't want to make you move and the chair was broken. Are you feeling okay? Need some water? Rose has run to get the doctor..."

Zechariah grunted noncommittally in response.

"Twopence to pretend Rose imagined it all."

Benny smiled huge then winked, "I'll do it for free if you pretend this didn't happen at all, sir.." He said gesturing between the two of them.

"I know not of what you speak of," he said with a knowing look.

Benny looked at him wide eyed then looked away folding his arms. "Hm, I was doing dishes. Did you call me? I swear I get so forgetful sometimes.' He shrugged and smiled heading back to resuming the dishes but glanced back, "you really are alright, aren't you, sir?" He then remembered the broken chair and immediately hurried to clean it up.

Rose rushed back in, with the doctor on her heels. "Oh Mr. Meijer! You're awake! I'm so dreadfully sorry! T' doctor's here!"

"You were just about to put that chair in the guest room."

Where he was stashing all those other things in hopes that Claude's hand had finally healed ... no doubt to Nesah's chagrin.

He was just about to answer when Rose rushed in with a man. Zechariah had the most quizzical look upon his face.

"Rose?" he said gently - far more gently than he ever spoke to her. "Are you well?"

Benny hurried to hide the broken pieces and came back into the room right as the doctor and Rose arrived. He tilted his head and looked to the doctor. "Is everything alright, sir? " He looked at Rose confused. "What's going on?"

Rose looked from Mr. Meijer to Benny, confused.

"I thought someone was injured?" The doctor said.

"Aye, Mr. Meijer got knocked by a door...." Rose said. She looked at Mr. Meijer for confirmation.

Mr. Meijer looked to the door, and then to Mr. Benjamin with arched brows, and then to the doctor with a sympathetic look.

"A chair broke earlier," he said uncertainly, as though he were looking for a way to make sense of Rose's story.

Benny nodded, "I was just cleaning it up. Were you injured when it broke?" He looked to Rose curiously.

Rose opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again, and looked from Benny to Mr. Meijer. "No..." she said. "Mr. Meijer was!"

"It seems my services are not required..." The doctor concluded.

"It seems not," Mr. Meijer agreed, for even lawyers avoided doctors.

"Thank you for coming, sir. Sorry it wasn't needed..' Benny said as he walked the doctor out and whispered, "She has been under a lot of stress. I guess it has been getting to her. Sorry again."

The doctor frowned. As Benny walked him to the door, he turned to Zech. "I suppose you keep a closer eye on your servants, ser. Is t' girl overworked?"

"No!" Rose said, so upset that she was close to tears.

"The work could be spread better," Mr. Meijer grudgingly admitted. "I will put an ad in the paper. Thank you, doctor."

Benny looked at Rose with pity and watched the doctor to leave. "I'll help when I can.."

Rose felt like someone had just hit her in the face. The doctor nodded and left. Rose turned to Mr. Meijer. "But ye were injured, ser..." she said weakly.

There was a brief, sly look to Mr. Benjamin, and then he was 'solemnly contemplating' Rose's health once more.

"How about you take a nap, Rose? We can have dinner late."

Benny met his eyes in just the smallest glance as he kept his face looking worried. He focused on Rose. "I can take care of your tasks until then as much as I can. You clearly need your rest."

Rose looked from one to the other. Had she really made it up? But she knew she hadn't! "I..." Her job was on the line. "I'm fine, ser... I'll get back to work. I'm sorry for any disturbance..." She wanted to sit in a corner and cry.

Meanwhile, Zechariah put aside that bill he had been filling out (Hayes? Heyes? ugh.) and took out a clean sheet to write up an ad for the newspaper. God, that was embarrassing!

Benny went to walk by her to resume his work and looked at her in concern. He did feel a little bad, but it was a joke and would soon be forgotten. "If you need to take a break, just let me know." He patted her shoulder and went to resume washing.

She turned to Benny. "I'm not crazy!"

Benny held up his hands defensively. "I didn't say you were! You really are stressed.. I think you may need to lay down."

Rose put a hand over her eyes and frowned. What had happened? "Alright, fine. But don't tell Mr. Meijer I did! I don't want to lose my job."

Benny nodded and let her go to lay down as he went t9 wash dishes. He'd tell their boss as soon as he was done. The guy had already given her permission to, of course it seemed fair after what they'd pulled.