Edith had been in a cheerful mood all day. Her constant humming had ended irritating Mrs. Shaw, but Edith had refused to explain her mother what happened. She wanted it to be a big surprise. It was going to be the best wedding London had ever seen. The event of the season! She could already envision the newspaper announcements:
Yesterday evening, at Manor Shaw s gardens, it took place the wedding reception of Mr. Henry Lennox, squire, and the charming lady Miss Margaret Hale.
Edith gave another impatient look at the oak clock on the mantelpiece. They should be arriving any minute, ready to announce their engagement. She stood in the middle of the room, wondering how she should react. Would she pretend to be surprised? Or would it be better a naughty, I-knew-it-already smile? She had everything planned. She kept envisioning the announcements:
The ceremony took place at St. Mary s Church, the same one where Mrs. Edith, the bride s cousin, and Captain Lennox, the bridegroom s brother, were wed. The honeymoon will take place in the warm and sunny Greece.
Yes, Edith thought. Greece was perfect. She adored that country... and she was sure Margaret and Henry would not put any objection to her and the Captain accompanying them. And of course, a nursemaid for little Sholto. Or would it be better to leave him with his grandmother?
Edith sat next to the fireplace, with the embroidery in her hands. She had resolved to finish it that evening, but her continuous looks towards the street had prevented her from doing a single stitch. She absent-mindedly revised the yellow roses she had embroidered. Maybe table linen would be a nice wedding present.
Of course, they would live the four together, in a huge house. Edith had seen several magnificent properties by the riverbank. Too expensive for her and the Captain alone, but with the generous inheritance Mr. Bell had left Margaret.
Suddenly, the clock stroked seven. It was weird. The train they had planned to get back should have arrived more than an hour ago. Where were those two? Some noise coming from the street made Edith stand from her chair and go to look through the window again. She frowned and shook her head in disapproval. It was a drunkard, who had just appeared from behind a corner. He seemed very happy and would not stop singing and swinging from side to side. He had a woman s hat in his hand, which he threw in the air and caught again. When he was a little nearer, Edith gasped and dropped the embroidery on the floor. That was Henry! And that was Margaret s hat! ... but she was nowhere to be seen. She let herself fall in an armchair, certain that she was about to faint. She heard the front door bell ringing several times, as if they tried to play a merry melody... and Henry s voice when they opened, accompanying the bell s music, totally out of tune. The maid entered the room, with her cheeks red.
"Mr. Lennox, madam. He says he needs to talk to you but, if I may dare, he seems a little too happy and", she lowered her head, ashamed. "he pinched my nose."
Edith was wide-eyed. She thought about faking a headache, but her curiosity was stronger. She was about to tell the maid to let him in, when Henry entered and jumped on the sofa, smiling broadly.
"Please, Kitty, bring us some tea". Edith asked, ignoring the girl s scared gaze.
When Kitty left the room, Edith stood and started walking up and down, rubbing her hands together.
"My dearest sister-in-law!". Henry started. "How is it going?"
Edith stopped, completely red-faced.
"Henry, you re drunk!"
"No, I m not." He laughed. "I just had a couple of glasses in the train and several beers at... what was the name of that pub? I don t recall, but you should visit it."
Edith faced him, with her hands in her hips.
"Henry Lennox! No woman who calls herself a lady ever visits the pubs. And can you explain what have you done to Margaret?"
"I did nothing to her. At this very moment", he checked his pocket watch, "she must be arriving to Milton."
Edith raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean? Didn t she come back with you?"
"Yes, she did, but we stopped halfway to let a northbound train pass... and then it happened."
"What happened?" Edith asked, alarmed. "Was there an accident?"
Henry leaned more comfortably on the sofa.
"We could call it like that. Margaret got off to stretch her legs, just when the northbound train stopped... and he got off."
"Who?" Edith almost screamed.
"That man Thornton. Do you remember him? We met him at the Universal Exhibition. A mill owner from Milton."
Edith curled her lip.
"I remember him well. A horrible man, dressed like an undertaker, with a grumpy face."
"You should have seen him today..." Henry smiled. "He got off the train without a hat, without a jacket... not even a cravat. He seemed to come from a beach."
Edith shook her head.
"Strolling around half naked in a public place! What can be expected from someone in trade?"
Henry inhaled and kept talking.
"They sat down on a bench in the platform, to discuss business..."
"Business?" Edith interrupted. "What business could she have with that man?"
"That was the reason she wanted to go to Milton. She found out that Thornton had to close his mill... Margaret wants to invest her inheritance money so he can reopen."
Edith covered her face with her hands.
"Margaret, involved with those workers! I can t believe it!"
Henry gave her a pitiful look.
"Well, Thornton seemed very happy. Maybe that s why he kissed her."
"What do you mean? He kissed her hand?"
"No, she kissed his."
Edith placed a hand on her forehead. Now she had a real headache.
"Henry, you are talking nonsense. How would Margaret kiss that man s hand?"
"Well, she did. Then he kissed her. In the lips. Right there, so everybody could see."
"How impudent! Margaret must have been mortified."
Henry laughed.
"She didn t look very mortified to me. In fact, she kissed him back... with her mouth open."
"Henry, stop that vulgarity! My cousin is not a libertine!"
At that moment, Kitty entered with the tea. When hearing Edith s words, the tray trembled in her hands. She left it on the table and went out in a hurry, without waiting to be asked. Edith covered her mouth with her hand. She was sure that, in a few minutes, all the kitchen would be gossiping about Margaret. Oh, Good Lord, why did that have to happen?
Henry had stopped laughing. He sipped his tea and sat straight on the sofa. He seemed to recover his composure a little.
"I know you had hopes that Margaret and me...", he spoke without daring to look at her, "but there never was the slightest possibility."
Edith started walking from one side of the room to the other, very angry.
"Really, Henry! How could you stand there looking... while that man took such liberties with my cousin?"
Henry tried to hide his smile behind the tea cup.
"Edith dear, that gentleman took the liberties she allowed him to take. What was I supposed to do? When they announced the train was leaving, Margaret came back to the carriage and asked me for..."
"...forgiveness, I suppose."
"By no means. She asked me for her suitcase."
"What?" Edith was furious. "What did you do?"
"What could I do? I gave her the suitcase. Unfortunately she forgot her hat."
"And she left like that... alone... without a hat... with that savage? With nobody to protect her?"
Henry sat up, left the cup on the table and leaned his hands on his knees.
"Edith, this might come as a surprise for you, but it seems that Margaret is capable to protect herself. When the train departed, that 'savage' and her were sitting very close and wouldn t stop kissing."
Edith s mouth was wide opened. Henry started laughing when he saw her grabbing up her skirts and storming out of the room.
"Mama!" He heard her screaming in the corridor. "Come immediately! A catastrophe beyond imagination has occurred!"
Henry leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes. With a little bit of luck, he would be asleep when she and Mrs. Shaw came back. He did not want to discuss the matter any further. Yes, he was disappointed for losing Margaret, but he knew it would not take him long to forget her. If she had not forgotten Thornton in all that time, it was him she should be with.
Very far from there, the northbound train stopped to get water once again. The old stoker used the time to have a cigarette, ignoring the passengers hateful looks, reminding him that they would already be arriving to Milton one hour delayed. At that moment, he realised that compartment thirteen was strangely quiet. Through the window, he glimpsed a young couple, asleep in one another s arms. He held her by the waist, while she leaned her head on his shoulder. When he saw their cheerful expressions, the old stoker shook his head, amused. He threw the cigarette on the ground, stepped on it to extinguish it and went back slowly to the engine. He smiled, remembering better times.
"Ah, newlyweds!"