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Sep. 13th, 2012 10:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fiery_ringIt's a moment of panic, when Carlotta opens the cash box. At first, her reaction is that somehow, someone must have broken in; maybe Fern when she came to visit Little William. But the box isn't forced, and the only ones with keys are... and if it was a burglar, all of it would be gone.
She calls Will into the caravan.
"Will, there's a lot of money gone from the box." she says, trying to keep her voice level. "Did you take it?"
"What if I did, it's shared money." Will says, defensively.
"... Will, we needed that money. You know how little we took this year, and the stables is barely making enough to support your parents!" Carlotta says. "The circus season ends in just a few weeks, we've got no other income to get us through the winter! Tell me you spent it on something we can take back!"
Will looks... slightly guilty. But mostly still defensive. And suddenly, light dawns.
"You've drunk it, haven't you?" Carlotta says, quietly furious. "How could you?"
"I've got a right to do what I like with our money." Will says. "I'm the man of the house."
"That money is for feeding Molly and William over the winter. Your children."
"There's rationing to feed them!" Will says.
"RATIONING ENDED THREE WEEKS AGO, WILL!" Carlotta yells. "You've got to get help, we can't manage like this, I won't let the children go hungry. You have to stop drinking."
"I'll find more money." Will says. "I'll pick up work in the villages. And I'll cut down the drinking, but I need more time. I can't cope without it, you have no idea what they made me do in the war."
"Then tell me!"
"You'd despise me. And I wouldn't blame you." Will says.
"I don't despise you, I love you." Carlotta says. "But you have to..."
"I said I'll find more money! I didn't know rationing had ended, get off my back! Nobody's going to starve, don't be melodramatic." Will says, turning and heading back out of the caravan.
Carlotta watches him go, beginning to feel more than ever that at some point, they got way out of their depth.
She calls Will into the caravan.
"Will, there's a lot of money gone from the box." she says, trying to keep her voice level. "Did you take it?"
"What if I did, it's shared money." Will says, defensively.
"... Will, we needed that money. You know how little we took this year, and the stables is barely making enough to support your parents!" Carlotta says. "The circus season ends in just a few weeks, we've got no other income to get us through the winter! Tell me you spent it on something we can take back!"
Will looks... slightly guilty. But mostly still defensive. And suddenly, light dawns.
"You've drunk it, haven't you?" Carlotta says, quietly furious. "How could you?"
"I've got a right to do what I like with our money." Will says. "I'm the man of the house."
"That money is for feeding Molly and William over the winter. Your children."
"There's rationing to feed them!" Will says.
"RATIONING ENDED THREE WEEKS AGO, WILL!" Carlotta yells. "You've got to get help, we can't manage like this, I won't let the children go hungry. You have to stop drinking."
"I'll find more money." Will says. "I'll pick up work in the villages. And I'll cut down the drinking, but I need more time. I can't cope without it, you have no idea what they made me do in the war."
"Then tell me!"
"You'd despise me. And I wouldn't blame you." Will says.
"I don't despise you, I love you." Carlotta says. "But you have to..."
"I said I'll find more money! I didn't know rationing had ended, get off my back! Nobody's going to starve, don't be melodramatic." Will says, turning and heading back out of the caravan.
Carlotta watches him go, beginning to feel more than ever that at some point, they got way out of their depth.
