After dinner Margaret came to her Aunt as they were all sitting after dinner in the parlor, Captain Lennox reading the paper by the fire, Edith reading through letters.

"Aunt, I have something wonderful to speak to you about. I wish you to know how much I love you, you have been as dear to me as a mother and I am grateful for all your love" taking a deep breath, with a loving smile on her face, "Aunt I am very much in love with Mr. Thornton of Milton and have been for some time. This afternoon we reached an agreement and I asked him to come tomorrow morning to speak with you. To all of you" at this time the Captain and Mrs. Lennox were drawing closer to Mrs. Shaw and Margaret. Edith regained her voice before Aunt Shaw found hers.

"So you will leave London, and move to Milton? Again? By choice? For what?"

"Yes, if I could have all of you happy and in Milton I should have all my heart in one place. However, as it is I must leave a piece of my heart in London with you" turning to her Aunt with hopeful eyes "I fear my heart will go to Milton on Thursday" Margaret was looking for reassurance, for maternal support for her choice. Margaret was grateful for her Aunt's kindness and knew her mind would not be so trivial as to deny her this great love.

"Margaret I must say that I am surprised in your choice of Milton, but not in your choice of man. I think Mr. Thornton a fine young man and I've never found much fault in his manners. But my dear I must speak plainly. Edith love do shut the door, the servants must not hear" All drew near to Aunt Shaw as she spoke low directly to Margaret and looking straight into her big bottle green eyes.

"How do you defend this poor timing of his? He knows you for years as his financial inferior and takes no interest and makes no declaration. Now, when you would be of the most profit to him he has found an interest? You are a rich woman, you can have any man you desire. In what way does Mr. Thornton benefit you? If you tell me this once with conviction not another word will cross my lips on the subject do consider that your position in life would certainly raise his. That was the case even before your wealth. These are the realities of the world we live in dear child. I do not mean to speak ill of the man or his intentions but Margaret you must face the reality of the situation. And if you find it hard to explain to me, imagine how difficult it will be to hear on the common streets."

Margaret had expected these questions and in a more accusatory tone and was not deterred by her Aunt's misgivings, "He did show interest and make declarations long before mother became ill, I refused. I did not know him then. I did not know what kind of man he is but now that I know him I cannot live without him. He has loved me all along. It was I who has been a fool. But now, I love him more than anything."

Edith began to feel glistening tears in her eyes as Margaret spoke such passionate words. Having her own love and her own children had expanded Edith's capacity for empathy and love in others. "Oh mama you cannot deny true love. I do wish you'd stay in London but if you love him as much as I my Captain Lennox then nothing must keep you apart." Edith hugged her cousin around the neck as she made this declaration. Captain Lennox offered his congratulations and asked to be of assistance in any way possible. Aunt Shaw held her niece's head and looked at her reflectively and hugged about her neck and cried for her happy news.

Mr. Thornton came the next morning to speak with Aunt Shaw and the family. Their union was not criticized but their timing was. When told they wished for the quickest wedding respectfully possible and expected to announce in the papers this week, Aunt Shaw almost fainted.

"My dears your heads are in the clouds, you are not thinking!" Aunt Shaw exclaimed, "You cannot move things so quickly. Others will believe they see your motives clearly. If these are not your motives, then you cannot act as if they are." She continued on about decorum and timing and postponing. Margaret was in such as tizzy, she did not care to gather meaning in her aunt concerns. In the end, no date was settled and Aunt Shaw continued in a fluster.

With no date and therefore no official word of the engagement, Mr. Lennox and the other lawyers were not told. Aunt Shaw required that Mrs. Thornton be notified and consulted before any cards or announcement in the papers was placed. As a result Mr. Thornton found the afternoon and evening with Mr. Lennox more enjoyable than he had expected. Feeling assured in Margaret's secret love put Mr. Lennox in a different light and made him much more agreeable to Mr. Thornton. Mr. Thornton was now himself anxious to reopen his mill and finalize all legal agreements.

Margaret unlike Aunt Shaw, was eager to announce and wanted no pageantry or secrecy leading up. She had encouraged John to tell Mr. Lennox, especially as she felt it may alter the legal agreement between them as it would only need to last six months at the most. Mr. Thornton assured her that their agreement would last as long as the contract and he had no intentions of handling her new property or wealth in Milton unless she wished.

Margaret was secretly grateful for his approach to their union and responsibilities. Margaret preferred to be an active participant in her life and did not wish to defer responsibilities or tasks. She knew she would be happier to contribute and work as an equal beside her husband and with John she had that opportunity. She began to think about what an egalitarian marriage would be like, and is that what she wanted?

She knew she could never have a marriage like her parents, no trust or honesty. John would be different. He would seek her counsel and expect her to manage her affairs and to seek his guidance when needed. As such, she looked forward to learning how to handle her property in Milton and use her wealth for the benefit of her community.

The following day Mr. Thornton came to dinner at Harley Street along with Mr. Lennox. Mr. Thornton was to leave the following morning for Milton and would not return for another month and then only for a few days. Margaret knew that after today the reopening of the mill would occupy John and the wedding preparation would try to occupy her. They sat for the last few still minutes of their life after dinner, alone in the back parlor.

A few sweet kisses and Margaret found herself pressed tight against John, feeling the muscles of his chest under his waistcoat. She slide her hands inside his coat and felt the curves of his chest and sides over his waist coat. She traced the line of his cravat with her finger, thinking of the delicious skin that lay just beneath. Before this week she had barely taken the hand of a half dozen men including her father and brother. Hugged and kissed only her father and brother and uncles. Today she found herself and her hands wondering along John's coat and cravat as if she had always touched him.

As if woken from a dream John pulled his mouth away from her, resting her forehead on her head and whispering as if the words themselves stung as they left his lips,

"Margaret you must forgive me if I am too forward. I cannot, or I find it difficult to control myself. I'm afraid I am not showing you the respect a lady of your position deserves" Still he kept his hands gripped tight around her back and made no attempt to remove his face which was pressed against her hair and peppering kisses on her head. "I have never loved a woman before you Margaret. You must forgive me for not acting as a gentleman, I can only hear my own heart beat when you are near and no voice of reason in my head. But I do not wish to… impose upon you or give you any discomfort or alarm. You must tell me how to behave and act, otherwise I shall love you as I will and claim you as my own"

"You do not alarm me or give me any discomfort. And I am yours….I was thinking the other day that I should be alarmed at my behavior and I should be ashamed to let you see and know my true intentions. I believe as a lady I am supposed to never speak of such things and I should not give hint of any shameful desires I harbor for you, in fact I should have no capacity for shameful desires" Margaret colored as she spoke these words.

It was true that she had been thinking long and hard about her contradictory state. On one hand Margaret had been raised as a proper young lady who should bear her wifely duties with stoic solitude. Only trollops, whores, and the poor had desires and showed emotion including unconstrained lust. Margaret knew what she felt was love, strong and deep love for John. However, she could not deny that when she thought of him he was always touching her and kissing her and she wished for him to touch her and kiss her more. And he appeared to feel the same.

Whenever possible he would touch her, her hand, her dress, or even the chair or teacup she had just touched. She saw the desire in his eyes and felt his grip tighten on her waist when their kiss deepened. And he seemed to respond to her affections, drawing closer when she pressed and deepened their kiss. But out of the moment, would he judge her harshly and revert back to his old assumptions that she was indiscreet.

A small fear clung in the back of her head even though in the end she decided that John loved her as an equal and would not judge her harshly for an act which he himself indulged in. John did not strike her as the type of man that wished his wife to be coy or resistant. And if he was, she should not want him. But the small fear nibbled at the back of her mind.

"I am afraid that when you are away from me and have time to think, that you will think me of very bad character to be behaving in this manor with anyone. But I too have never been in love and have never found it difficult to avoid kissing" Margaret kisses his nose "because I have never wanted to kiss" kisses his chin "anyone" kisses his lips chastely "Do you think it possible in later reflections you will feel regret toward your actions? Or feel contempt toward mine?"

With a stern brow, almost hiding the smile behind, "Why yes of course. I find it very wrong. If you were to be doing this with any other man I would find it most improper". His joking face starting to show more when he was with Margaret.

Lightly throwing a fist on his chest and laughing she replied, "Do be serious. I have had some distress over this subject and as you are leaving tomorrow I wish for all to be in the open. I don't want to be reading your letters and guessing if you are inferring this or that. I wish to know where we stand or where I stand in your mind that is"

With a more serious look directly in her eyes he stated, "You stand in my mind higher than any other thing. I would choose to be with you over any other person, over the mill, over money, over society, over my reputation and my name. I am completely shameless for you Margaret. I hold no pretention or hidden pride. I too wish to be all in the open. I am completely yours to do as you will. If you told me I must humiliate myself, or leave all I know and move across the world, I would not give it a second thought. If you tell me I am improper and I must behave properly as if your grandmother was in the room, I will do as you say." Then leaning down close to her ear he whispered "But I have come above water for a breath of sunlight, please do not push me down again"