"Mr. Thornton." Margaret looked up from her bench and started.
"Miss Hale." Mr. Thornton inclined his head slightly. There was a pause and then Mr. Thornton turned to walk down a different path.
"Mr. Thornton… please. May I explain?" Mr. Thornton stopped his retreat but did not turn around. Margaret took it as a sign she could, at the very least, continue. "I want to explain what I said, for it was not what I meant. And I believe there was misunderstanding on both sides." Mr. Thornton turned around at this with a look of surprise.
"On both sides? I understand you think that I misinterpreted what was said, but it was my impression that you understood everything perfectly from what your reply had been." He still stood where he was but did not look like he was inclined to leave.
"No, my reply was… I'm sorry, I don't really know how to say this." She stood and looked around distractedly. "I am not used to…"
"From what I remember, you've not learnt how to refuse when a man talks to you as such." Mr. Thornton scowled.
"That is not what I meant. Well, how it came out was not what was meant to be said." Her cheeks colored and she would not look at him. Mr. Thornton took a step towards her.
"Then what did you mean?"
"This is difficult. You… you are not the first to propose to me," she looked up at him and saw his face harden. "No, wait please. Let me finish. It was a Mr. Lennox who was a relative by marriage. He proposed to me back in Helstone, but… he did not propose as you did."
"Oh, I suppose he proposed in the way of a gentleman, did he?" Mr. Thornton could not keep the bitterness out of his tone.
"Mr. Thornton." She said in an admonishing tone and Mr. Thornton was taken aback. "That's not how… When Mr. Lennox proposed, he did not speak… Though he spoke of love, he did not as you did. He spoke more as in possessing, so… So when I met you, that… A woman being more of a possession than a being is common. You are a tradesman, a mill owner. Most of your dealings are with buying and selling. And I did not think… I did not know that you thought of me more than… I didn't…" Margaret paused, flustered and sat back down. "Oh dear." She stared down at her hands. "I'm afraid I'm rather making a right mess of this…" She bit her lip. Mr. Thornton had not moved since she had continued but moved forward to sit on the bench.
"You did not realize that I thought of you more than the daughter of my colleague?" He continued in a gentle tone that he rarely used. Margaret looked up at him.
"Yes, I was not expecting it. You had never really… You don't really show much emotion so I had no… and when I am surprised or flustered, like now, I don't really, know what… what to say." Margaret glanced up at Mr. Thornton quickly and then looked down again at her hands. Mr. Thornton sat back and stared out across the garden courtyard. He had never really, given any indication true. He had not realized it before. He had been so caught up with everything that had been going on.
"I'm sorry."
"What?" Margaret looked up at him, staring.
"I'm sorry." He turned back to face her. "I had not realized before that you might not have any idea of my intentions. To spring that on you in that way, and so soon after the trauma of the riot, that was highly thoughtless of me."
"Oh." She bit her lip. "I didn't mean to imply that—"
"But it was true none the less." Knowing he probably shouldn't, he reached forward and took one of her small hands in his.
"Margaret."
"I have your gloves." She cut in.
"My gloves?" He asked, a bit distracted by her eyes. They were very rich and deep.
"Yes, your black leather ones. You left them on the table. I had been meaning to give them back to you… It's just… It never really seemed the right time…"
"Yes," Mr. Thornton upbraided himself. "I was being rather difficult."
"Well, you usually are." Margaret said quietly. Mr. Thornton stared at her for a moment before smiling slightly.
"I do believe you are teasing me, Miss Hale."
"Yes," She looked at him with a twinkle in her eye. "Although that was rather impertinent of me. I shouldn't have."
"Impertinent? After my behavior towards you, I doubt anything you could do or say that would be considered impertinent." Mr. Thornton said gently. Margaret smiled at him and he couldn't help but smile back.
"You look much more handsome when you smile." She said abruptly, without thinking. Mr. Thornton raised an eyebrow. Margaret blushed. "I mean… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
"Handsome?" Mr. Thornton asked, smirking slightly. He couldn't resist teasing her and was rewarded as her blush deepened. "You find me handsome?"
"Well…" Margaret would not look at him. "I…" Mr. Thornton brought his hand to her chin and raised her head so she was looking at him.
"Margaret." Margaret's eyes widened. That was the first time he had said her name. "You needn't be embarrassed. It is true, I am quite handsome." He smirked and she blushed before looking indignant.
"Now it is you who are teasing me, Mr. Thornton."
"Well, in my defense, you started it and I find it impossible to resist. Your blush is endearing." He said and was rewarded with another blush over her cheeks.
"It's not fair Mr. Thornton." Margaret looked down demurely.
"Not fair? Nobody said life was fair. But what, in this case, isn't fair?" Mr. Thornton smiled.
"You seem to have found my weakness, but I have yet to learn yours." Margaret said, looking up at him. Mr. Thornton's smile widened as he replied.
"But I should think it was quite obvious, Margaret." He squeezed her hand gently.
"Mr. Thornton—"
"John."
"—John… I—well I… Do you need your gloves back?"
"My gloves." John smiled at their scattered conversation.
"Yes, I should give them back to you—if—that is, you'll be wanting them back. They are good gloves after all and—well."
"They are good gloves, yes." John agreed. "Where are they? When I asked your father if he had seen them, he didn't seem to have any knowledge of them."
"Yes… well he wouldn't. They're in my room, on my bedside table."
"In your room?" He raised an eyebrow and managed to keep a straight face but inside he was grinning. "Why are they there?" Margaret refused to look at him. She was looking down at their hands, still joined in her lap.
"Well you were gone for a while and—well—I thought you hated me and I…" Margaret stopped talking but still didn't look up.
"Margaret." He said in a low voice. He cupped her cheek in his hand and lifted her head to meet his. "Margaret." He said and again and lowered his lips to meet hers. She let out a small gasp as he kissed her but responded slowly. He moved his other hand from her lap to the small of her back, bringing her closer. He tilted his head and deepened the kiss. She let out a small moan and he smiled against her lips. She pulled back and stood up abruptly, moving away from him. He straightened and stared at her.
"Margaret…"
"Please, it's not proper. We are not married—we aren't even engaged. My father would—" She stopped and bit her lip. John stood up and walked to stand behind her.
"Then marry me." He said quietly. She whirled around to look at him.
"Marry you?" She asked incredulously. John smiled slightly.
"Yes. Marry me."
"I—" Margaret started. "But I refused you last time. Surely you wouldn't—"
"Last time, both of us were rather out of sorts." He said gently. "So let's try it again, shall we?" He took her hand gently and got down on one knee.
"Margaret Hale, before I met you, I was incapable of love. I was a machine, going day by day, buy and selling. And when you came, I didn't know what to make of you. You were different than anything I had ever known. You were from the south, very gentle and unfamiliar with the ways of the north. You changed me. You opened my eyes and made me realize the machine that I was. I was stubborn—you know very well how stubborn I can be—but I slowly came to realize that I loved you. I do love you. My dear Margaret, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
"Yes," she said quietly but surely. John grinned and stood. He stepped forward and cupped her face in his hands to kiss her again. After a moment she pulled back slightly.
"You can't possibly say that it's not proper," he admonished. "We are engaged after all."
"Yes, I know. I just—I didn't say it before. I love you too." Margaret said shyly. John grinned again.
"Well that's a relief. It would have been a bit awkward if you hadn't, considering I had just poured my heart out to you." He smirked.
"John," she admonished.
"Yes love?"
"You are ridiculous."
"Me, ridiculous?" John tried to sound aghast.
"Yes, you. But I love you anyways." Margaret smiled and reached up to kiss him again.