The house was quiet when Richard returned. Jimmy was at his father's house, meeting with those still involved with the ruins of the conspiracy. It meant Clara was left without a vehicle, but she had insisted she was going to stay at the house and try to finish her book.

Standing in the sunroom he could see their towels on the sand and Clara and Tommy playing in the surf. They both looked happy. He wanted to go to them but decided to start dinner. They'd be hungry when they came in.

Even with the ocean breeze coming in it was still warm. He took off his jacket, vest, and tie, and rolled up his sleeves before opening the icebox and seeing about dinner. The mask was bothering him. He'd hear Clara bringing Tommy in, he decided. He could take it off.

Dinner was well underway when he heard someone outside the house. He had a split second to decide between grabbing his gun or grabbing the mask. The gun. Leaving the kitchen he crept through the service porch door and went towards the beachside of the house to make sure no one got near Clara and Tommy. One man stood looking towards them, and Richard couldn't see his face. The man didn't know Richard was near him until the barrel of the Glock pressed against his head.

"Harrow," an Irish voice said.

Damn it, Richard thought. He lowered the gun and covered his face.

"Mr. Thompson is here to see his daughter. Are you going to shoot us?"

"You shouldn't. Creep around. The house. I'll let you in the front door."

Richard went back through the kitchen, slid his mask on and turned the burners off.

Nucky Thompson glowered at him from the front door. It was the first time Richard had seen him since he and Clara married. Richard had wanted to go to Mr. Thompson and tell him in person about marrying Clara, tell him that he would always do his best to take care of her, and apologize for not asking him in advance.

Clara's eyes flashed when he told her. "No thank you. I don't require my father's permission to get married. No one expected me to trek to Wisconsin and ask your father, did they? So why would you need to ask my father about something I'm quite capable of deciding for myself?"

Jimmy looked at him like he had just started speaking Russian. "Jesus, Rich, are you trying to make Clara a widow? You can't go to Nucky's. It's amazing you and the Irishman didn't end up in a shootout when you went to get her. Let Clara handle this. There's enough going on with Nucky."

"Mmm. Mr. Thompson, please. Come in."

"I see this farce is continuing," Nucky said, gesturing towards Richard's left hand.

"I'm sorry. I didn't ask..." Richard started.

"Why? So I could have told you no to what's left of your face?"

The Irishman coughed but Richard could hear the barely disguised laughter. The side door creaked open.

"Richard's home!" Tommy's voice reverberated through the half-empty rooms. Another voice could barely be heard answering him. "'Cause dinner smells good!"

Tommy ran in wearing only a towel. "Clara says she has to wash the salt out of her hair. I helped Clara and was good all day but I didn't get one Oreo for lunch so can we make shortred cookies?"

Tommy stopped and stepped closer to Richard, who put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "You're Clara's daddy," he said finally after staring at Nucky.

"That's right," Nucky said, using the affable voice he saved for children and voters.

"My name is Thompson like yours. Clara lived with you in a big hotel and we ate waffles in her room when her name was Thompson but now it's not."

"Yes, Clara used to live with me," Nucky answered. "But now she lives with you."

The look Nucky shot Richard when he said this made Richard squirm.

Tommy nodded. "Uh-huh. She and Richard live in the guest room and I always have to knock I can never open the door, never, unless they say it's okay because married people need pirates and even if I hear a noise Richard says do not open unless they say I can. And you took a long time to say okay the other night," Tommy said, looking up at Richard accusingly. "The hall is dark and I heard Clara talking but no one said okay come in and my cow was scared."

The door to the beach squeaked again before anyone could answer him. "You're home," Clara called out. "That smells delicious, much better than what I was going to cook, I'm positively famished because..."

Clara came around the corner wearing only the underpiece of her swimsuit, having hung her swim dress and stockings with Tommy's swimsuit to dry, and she was using her towel to dry her hair.

Sleater once more tried to hide his amusement. Here he was, ready to go into battle with Mr. Thompson's feared enemies, and so far they'd walked into a picture from Ladies Home Journal. Quite the little domestic scene. Who knew, though, that Clara Thompson was hiding such great tits?

Why the hell was her father and Owen Sleater standing in the beach house, with Richard in his shirtfront, his mask askew, Clara wondered as she forced her face into a pleasant social mask and wrapped the towel around her body.

"Father, Mr. Sleater," Clara said in her brightest social voice, walking towards Richard and Tommy.

"Is this how you parade yourself?" Nucky snapped at her.

"We were hardly expecting company," Clara responded evenly. She kissed the side of Richard's mouth. "Let me get changed and we can talk. Come, Tommy. Let's go upstairs."

"But I'm hungry," he whined.

"We'll eat soon enough," Clara said and took Tommy by the arm. "I'll be right back."

Clara all but dragged Tommy up the stairs behind her. She convinced Tommy that being able to play with his soldiers before dinner was a great treat, and then promised they would read more of Princess of Mars and that yes, Richard would read the Martian parts and he could skip his bath if he would just get his pajamas on. She then quickly yanked on a step-in and pulled a chambray summer housedress over her head, ignoring the fact her skin was still damp. She stepped into her straw flats and tied a scarf like a headband around her head to hold her wet hair off her face, put her rings on, and raced from the room.

"Clara?" Tommy stood in the hallway.

"Kiddo, go play with your soldiers! We'll eat dinner soon."

"Is this the game?" Tommy asked seriously.

Clara stopped. "Tommy, no. We just need to talk about grown-up things, and then my father will leave and we will eat dinner."

"If your Daddy said my name would I stop hiding?"

Clara bit her lip and leaned down to his height. "Absolutely not. Your daddy, Richard, me. That's it. Those are the only people you ever stop playing the game for."

"So what would it take to make this go away?" Nucky asked when they were seated in the living room.

"Jimmy wants. To make things right. Wi-"

Nucky glared. "James can speak for himself. What will it take to make you go away before Clara's life is permanently ruined?"

Richard swallowed and looked down at his hands.

"It's not like this is a real marriage," Nucky continued. "You could end it and Clara's life would go on as it should. This would just be a little aberration. You wouldn't even need a divorce, just an annulment. It would be like this never happened. "

Nucky pulled something from his jacket pocket. "You'd have to leave Atlantic City, of course. For both your sakes. I'm not a cruel man, Harrow. I'm willing to pay. I'm willing to pay quite a lot so that you can both have the futures that are rightfully yours. Clara isn't going to be happy playing poor for long, she'll want the life she was born into. And you'll tire of this, won't you? You'll want to go back to the farm? Can you imagine Clara on a farm? She's never known a life without electricity, without ease." Nucky opened his checkbook and started writing. "I know farms have suffered since the end of the war. This should help either right your family farm or purchase one of your own. There must be some other girl that will take you on, one better suited for the life you were meant to lead."

The truth of Nucky's words ate at Richard. He couldn't imagine Clara in Plover. Maybe this was all just some rich girl's lark. But still, Clara wasn't a commodity to be traded.

"Do you think. I'd leave Clara for. Money?" Richard said, his anger rising.

"I certainly hope not," Clara said from the hallway in a deadly calm voice. "Trying to buy off my husband, Father?"

Richard's posture was absolutely perfect, his hands were still, and his eye was bright. He's absolutely furious, Clara thought and was glad he hadn't believed whatever poison her father was spewing. She moved over to the sofa and put her hand on top of Richard's and squeezed.

"This is obviously a family discussion. Could you ask your henchman to wait outside?" she asked, not breaking eye contact with her father.

"Will you ask yours to leave," Nucky asked, gesturing towards Richard.

"Richard is my family," Clara said pointedly.

Nucky glared at her. "How long is this going to continue, Clara?"

"Assuming we live to be seventy? About forty-five more years."

"How adorable you'll be. Three-quarters of your faces will be elderly, and then one-half of his will forever be frozen in time."

"How lucky for me that I'll always be able to see the man I fell in love with whenever I look at him, no matter how old we get."

Nucky shook his head. "I'm supposed to be happy about this, after you snuck around, lied..."

"No. I told you in March that I loved Richard, well before I even told him," Clara said heatedly.

"That most certainly never happened..."

"Yes, it did. We were having dinner at Margaret's and you accused me of being in love with Jimmy and then decided I was in love with Mr. Sleater, although I wasn't even aware of his existence! That's when I told you I was in love with Richard."

"Anyone in their right mind would have thought you were joking!" Nucky yelled, his control slipping for a moment.

"Margaret didn't think I was joking!" Clara only just stopped herself from telling about the trip to New York.

"It is time you end this delusion!"

Clara stood up, her cheeks flaming. "It's time I end my delusion! My God, Father, I've never known anyone with as little self-awareness as you possess. Has it ever occurred to you that you've recreated our family with three substitutes! You don't think that I see how much Margaret looks like Mother, how she's smart and clever like Mother? But how much nicer for you that Margaret doesn't share Mother's melancholy and terrible habit of miscarrying all over the upholstery. You don't think I see how Teddy is Jimmy remade? And while the only thing Emily and I share is curly hair, she's the daughter you'd like to have had, quiet and biddable."

"How dare you," Nucky began.

Everyone was distracted by a noise coming from the porch. Richard and Owen both moved quickly as Jimmy came through the door.

"Nucky, I'm glad you are here," Jimmy said, taking in the obviously tense scene. "You can wait outside," he said to the man that must be the Irishman Clara and Richard had both complained about. "It's okay, I used to do your job."

"You're the reason I do it now," Sleater replied, refusing to move.

"It's fine. And Harrow, I understand you are now apparently Clara's family, but perhaps I'm still allowed to speak to my daughter and James without your interference?" Nucky said in a voice dripping in sarcasm.

Clara glared but nodded at Richard. In the end, it's this she thought. Jimmy and I are in a fight with Father and only we can stop it. Well, Uncle Eli as well. Did her father know what was in the letter Willie brought her, that Eli was out of jail and confined to his house?

"You want to make things right with me? Convince Clara to get an annulment," Nucky said to Jimmy.

Clara and Jimmy looked at each other. Clara took a deep breath. "Father, I'm not getting an annulment. First, I don't want one. I know you don't understand, but I love Richard. He loves me. And second, there are no grounds for an annulment."

"Of course there are grounds, Clara. Luckily you had enough sense not to get married in the Church. A quick civil annulment and it's like it never happened. It hasn't happened. This is not a real marriage, Clara..."

"How is it not a real marriage? Because you didn't arrange it?"

"Must I spell it out for you?"

Jimmy looked between Nucky and Clara, and Clara drew a deep breath. She rather wanted to throw something at her father's smug face. That, however, would do nothing but make her feel better.

"Father, I wish for us to be friends. I do not want to quarrel with you. But I'm married to Richard. In every way, and that's not going to change."

"You want me to believe that?"

"Would you like the details?" Clara snapped back.

"Jesus, Nuck," Jimmy said softly. "Please stop before she starts telling us details."

"I won't allow my daughter to throw her life away."

"Won't allow it? Marrying Darcy would've been throwing my life away."

"Don't think you'll get any more money," Nucky threatened.

"I don't want any of your money! I just want you to let us fix what is broken between us."

"Your life will be very different, Clara."

"Marvelous."

Nucky turned and looked out the window. "Why, Clara? Out of every damn man on the planet, why him?"

"Perhaps because I don't want my children's relationship with their father to always feel like a chess match played at knifepoint! Maybe because he never makes me feel like I have to earn his love by being the best accordion-playing monkey on the Boardwalk!"

Jimmy sucked air through his teeth, and for a moment Nucky looked like he had been slapped.

"Children? Will they come out wearing little tin masks with mustaches painted on, or will the masks be part of their layette?"

Jimmy grabbed Clara's arm and squeezed. She looked at her feet and tried to regain her composure.

"I'm sorry about Angela," Nucky said to change the subject.

"I'm still looking for Manny Horvitz. He came looking for me, found her instead."

Manny fucking Horwitz, Nucky thought. Mickey Doyle was a never-ending nightmare, and Doyle offering to broker a meet with Horwitz was yet another complication, but one Nucky couldn't refuse. That disgusting man, whose vest didn't even fit properly, calmly talking about how he killed Angela Darmody. Here, in this house, where Clara now slept. Angela, who had nothing to do with James's business, who was always so grateful for his help, who looked like he had slapped when he ignored her on the Boardwalk back at the start of summer. Women and children were supposed to be sacrosanct. And yet Margaret had been shot at, the d'Alessios had tried to snatch Clara off the street, and Angela was murdered.

But Nucky knew he was going to make a deal with Manny Horwitz because more than anything Nucky wanted James dead. James, who according to Horwitz, had betrayed him yet again and made a deal behind his back with Waxey Gordon.

"I haven't ever heard of him, but I'll let you know if I hear anything," Nucky said smoothly

"Jimmy killed his father to save you," Clara said seriously, trying to swing the conversation back onto the path she and Jimmy wished to take.

"I should have killed him the moment he suggested betraying you. I thought about it, you know since I was a kid. Killing him. I don't know what stopped me."

"He was your father, James, nothing looms larger," Nucky responded, staring at Clara and James and trying not to see them as children.

"He told me I was a good son. Knocked the wind out of me," Jimmy said, lighting a cigarette, unable to meet Nucky's gaze.

You were the one Jimmy needed to tell him, Clara thought furiously. The Commodore was his father by a horrid biological trick. You raised him. As far as that goes, I wouldn't have minded hearing I was a good daughter.

"I know there's nothing I can say, Nuck. But maybe there's something I can do."

"How about telling the truth?" Nucky said furiously.

"I was angry."

"About what?" Nucky asked.

Perhaps the fact you prostituted his twelve-year-old mother out to an elderly man and he's the result of that rape? Clara thought. It's why I can't hate Gillian fully, as much as I want too.

"Who I was. Who you are. What I went through. Over there." Jimmy passed Clara his cigarette and lit another. He saw the tension on her face. She gave him a tiny nod.

"The shooting, I never meant for that to happen, Nuck."

"Then why did it?" Nucky asked, unable to keep the emotion out of his voice. How could you, James, Nucky thought. I did care for you as I did for Clara, I couldn't wait to see all your promise fulfilled. Look at the two of you standing here, even now you make more sense together than James ever did with poor Angela or Clara does with Harrow. If you two had let yourselves grow up you would be a formidable couple. Clara could smooth over James's rough edges like Mabel smoothed over his. And how could you, Clara. He tried to kill me and here you are in his house.

Neither answered him.

"You said you wanted to talk and suddenly you two have nothing to say."

"It was Eli," James said.

"It was Gillian," Clara said at the same time.

They glared at each other, and Nucky almost laughed at the ridiculousness.

"Let me make things right. Or as right as they can be," Jimmy said earnestly, and Clara nodded along.

"Perhaps you should go check on Tommy," Nucky said to Clara.

Clara made eye contact with Jimmy and left the room.

Jimmy grinned a little. Only Clara could boss him around silently. Time for him to help her, he thought. "Richard loves her, Nuck. She's important to him. All the things that drive us crazy about her, he likes. And she loves him." Jimmy took a long drag off his cigarette. "Clara doesn't talk to people, you know? She makes polite conversation. Even people like Rebecca Spencer, Clara's known her since we were kids and Rebecca thinks Clara is her friend. But Clara's never really talked to her, not really. But from that first day with Richard, she really talked to him. She even told him about Mabel. I know it looks unusual, but they are good together. You should see 'em with Tommy. Jesus, Nuck, you can just see them moving to some small city, having a batch of kids, and Clara terrorizing the city council."

Nucky lit a cigarette. James's impassioned speech bit at him. Was he right? Somehow, did Harrow fit with Clara? No, it was nonsense. Nonsense just like everything else James had thought since he enlisted. But he could pretend, Nucky thought. Just like he was going to pretend forgiveness was at hand and get James to start cleaning up the mess he made.

"There is something you can do for me," Nucky said, willing to use anyone and say anything to save himself.