A/N: Okay, so here's chapter 4. Hope you dig it (if so, you should totes review). :) - Sav

The next day Mrs. and Miss Thornton sent a note entailing their expected arrival. Margaret and Dixon spent the day cleaning and preparing for their guests while Mrs. Hale watched from her chair. Since the family moved to Milton, Mrs. Hale's spirits were not a little low. Her energy had begun to wear increasingly thin the past couple of weeks. It was simply the traveling that exhausted her, she thought. With company to look forward to, she became a little more cheery and a little less dreary.

Mrs. Hale took it upon herself to prepare their nicest china. Since it had been such a long time since she served guests, she wanted to go the extra mile. After all, they were the family of her husband's increasingly close friend. As she replaced the dishes on the tray, Margaret stepped into the kitchen to find her mother anything but resting. "Mama, what are you doing? The dishes Dixon set out were fine enough. You should be sitting down."

"Oh dear, I'm hardly incapable of assorting tea cups. Mr. Thornton is a dear friend to your father as of late and I wish to treat his family in the upmost courtesy." She replied, not stopping what she was doing.

"But Mama, I can't imagine that nice china will change their opinions, especially if they're anything like Mr. Thornton." Her heart began to race as she said his name. Though, she was unsure if it was due to her anger or something else she could not name.

"Hush. You cannot think so ill of them already. They haven't even arrived. From what your father tells me, you do not hold back your own opinions from Mr. Thornton, on subjects you have them on of course." Mrs. Hale turned her head to raise her brow at Margaret. She quickly avoided her mother's gaze by looking at her hands instead. "I know you, Margaret. And I wouldn't change a thing about you. But we do not know these people, so we cannot form such quick judgments. If they are truly what you say, then we may laugh at their pride when they leave." Mrs. Hale turned to kiss her daughter on the head. "Until then, behave. Although we may try not to judge, I cannot say the same for them."

"Yes, Mama. Of course. How unkind of me to be so rash. Thank you." Margaret hugged her mother softly and helped her finish setting up the tray. A moment later, there was a knock at the door. They both took a breath, for their own reasons, and made their way to the hall. Dixon let them in and they introduced themselves.

They sat in silence for quite some time. Fanny Thornton made several comments on the furnishings, though not all could be taken as compliments. Mrs. Thornton ignored Fanny. Her attention was on Miss Hale. Though she was not extraordinary with her dark, wavy hair, it gave her a natural, soft beauty that did not intimidate, but made one feel comfortable. A very modest, humble Venus. Her average height and slim figure made up for her rather plain dress. Her face, as anyone with sight could see, was beautiful; but it was her eyes that caught Mrs. Thornton's attention the most. They were full of innocent, passionate life. She began to worry for her son.

"Miss Hale, my son tells me that you are often present during his visits with your father." Her tone had unmistakable judgment dripping from it. Margaret lowered her cup onto her plate and thought about her answer before speaking. Behave, she told herself.

"That is correct. I act as hostess and serve tea when inquired."

"Is Mrs. Hale unsuitable? Do you not have a servant to perform the task?"

Margaret's anger rose higher with every syllable. "Mama retires early. We only have Dixon to serve us, but she is quite often fulfilling other house hold chores, or tending to Mama.

Unsatisfied with her answer, Mrs. Thornton did not respond. She only nodded her head. Fanny felt the conversation take an uncomfortable turn and tried to divert Margaret's attention. "Miss Hale, are you not musical? I see no piano."

Margaret was equally annoyed with Fanny, but remained calm. "We sold our piano when we moved to Milton. As you can guess, there's hardly any room for it in this house. I do play, however."

"Oh, how awful! I could not imagine living without music. It's one of the few things that bring happiness in this dirty, smokey town. You must visit us and play ours." Fanny began to air herself with her pink, lacey fan.

"I would be most willing and thankful, Miss Thornton. You're too kind." Mrs. Thornton chuckled at Margaret's hidden sarcasm, which went unnoticed by Fanny.

Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Thornton made light conversation of fabrics until suddenly Fanny interrupted to speak to Margaret. "Miss Hale, how do you find Milton? It must be very different to your old home. I must confess, I do not blame you for missing it. I would miss the countryside if I lived there too."

"I agree that it is different, but I cannot bring myself to think poorly of Milton. I have had little time to give it proper, fair judgment." Mrs. Thornton gave her a questioning look, but Margaret continued, "The people seem harsh and mean, but I am determined to believe there is a cause. After all, this is a productive town. Many factories and mills with poor workers. Such conditions are bound to produce a depressing atmosphere, but I hope there is more too it than that."

Mrs. Thornton was taken aback by Margaret's speech. The hot headed girl she expected to face was no where in sight. Had John been mistaken? Based on her actions this afternoon, Miss hale proved to be level and poised. Her opinion softened slightly. After some time, they rose to leave. "Mrs. Hale," they nodded. "Miss Hale," a second nod. As they reached the door, Fanny swung around to Margaret with a bright face. "Oh Miss Hale, you must come visit me tomorrow. I've enjoyed your company immensely. We shall drink tea and play the pianoforte!"

It wasn't a question, but a plea. Margaret saw past her cheery disposition and saw boredom and loneliness. She pitied Fanny as she imagined having to live with both Mr. and Mrs. Thornton. "Of course, Miss Thornton. I would be delighted." Pleased with her answer, Fanny and Mrs. Thornton left the home. Margaret felt as if a weight had been lifted from her.

Several hours later, Margaret heard the front door open. Rising from her seat, Margaret flew down the stairs to greet her father. She realized too late that he was not alone. As she reached the bottom, she did not meet her father, but Mr. Thornton. Stopping dead in her tracks, she stepped on the hem of her dress and began to lose her balance. Mr. Thornton immediately reached for her and grasped her waist to hold her upright. She reached for the railing and tried to step backward but was not released. Mr. Thornton's hands remained on her sides for a second longer than needed. When he backed away, she stared at him with wide eyes and her lips slightly parted. He was becoming familiar with such an expression. He wore a devilish, breathtaking grin. "We really must stop meeting this way, Miss Hale. It's hardly proper." She felt her face violently blush at his teasing words. She looked past him to see the progress of her father, but he was completely oblivious them. She was heavily relieved. Stepping past Mr. Thornton, not meeting his eyes, she greeted her father warmly and led the gentlemen up the stairs

Their evening proceeded normally. Mr. Hale and Mr. Thornton conversed about Plato and other subjects Margaret had no interest in. All the while the two snuck glances at one other and Mr. Hale stayed in the dark. At one point Mr. Thornton saw Margaret yawn daintily and was arrested by her unearthly glow due to the fire she sat by. He could see the hints of red in her hair make themselves known when the light hit them just right. Her smooth face was at ease. Her mouth-

His thoughts were disrupted when the sound of foot steps approached the room. The three turned their heads to the doorway. Mrs. Hale entered, and the gentlemen stood to greet her. Mr. Hale reached out to question her presence but was hushed instantly. "Oh don't worry yourselves over me, boys. I'm quite alright to enjoy an evening with my family and friend." She smiled warmly at Mr. Thornton. He smiled in response. He quite liked Mrs. Hale.

Mrs. Hale made her way over to the seat opposite to Margaret and took up her needlework. The two women sat in silence for a while before Mrs. Hale caught Mr. Thornton and Margaret stealing looks when the other wasn't looking. She grinned to herself knowingly.

"Does your needlework provide you with good humor, my dear?" Said Mr. Hale. He was surprised that his wife was not resting, but was relieve to find her in such spirits.

"Oh no dear. My needlework is most assuredly the least amusing thing the room." She looked at Margaret from above her glasses, half grinning. Margaret, realizing her mother's meaning, shot Mr. Thornton a look of embarrassment and quickly looked away. Mr. Hale was still unsure of his wife's meaning, but simply smiled at her mood. He turned back to Thornton to see that he was paying close attention to the carpet with a seemingly shy blush. This puzzled him further, but once again, shrugged it off.

Once conversation resumed, Thornton announced that he should be on his way. Mr. Hale slapped his knee. "I almost forgot! I have something for you, John, but I left it in my study. Actually, I'm not sure where I left it. Margaret, will you help me search for it?"

"Of course, Papa." She stood with her father and headed to the study.

Mr. Thornton and Mrs. Hale sat in silence for a moment before she cleared her throat. He looked at her expecting and she stared back over her glasses. "So, Mr. Thornton. It seems you have made a good friend of my husband. All he does is rant about you and your agreeableness. Except, of course, when you converse with Margaret." She laughed at his expression. "I'm not scorning you, Mr. Thornton. I know my daughter and how tough she can be to handle. But she is worth the trouble." She looked at him again. He avoided her gaze. "I must be frank with you, Mr. Thornton, I am not well. Both my husband and my daughter have no knowledge of this and I must ask you to keep it in our confidence. I am not well and I have no indication as to how much longer I will be with them. My husband, I'm sorry to say, will not recover after my death. I sure he will be soon to follow as he is much older than I am. However, Margaret is whom I worry for. She's so young and independent, I worry what will happen to her," she paused to look at him again. After seeing his quizzical brow, she continued. "I've seen the way you look at her, Mr. Thornton. It's quite similar to how Mr. Hale used to look at me. I'm not asking you to declare yourself or do anything rash, but I ask that you spend a great deal of effort making up your mind. If she grows an attachment to you, as I expect she is, I will not allow any man to lead her on. She's very stubborn, usually to a fault. All I need to know from you is that you will think about your actions before you make them." Her eyes became misty as she watched for his reply.

He leaned forwards to rest his elbows on his knees. He was thoughtful for a moment, but then turned to face Mrs. Hale. "I would never intentionally bring injury to Miss Hale. Nor do I wish to make her believe something untrue. I do, however, doubt that she has any sort of feelings for me. She has never indicated other wise. But, to put you at ease, I will admit that I'm terribly attracted to your daughter. She's everything kind, gracious, and honest. I've never met another person with such clarity of their own character. I promise to be cautious, Mrs. Hale. You have my word. As long, of course, you keep this in our confidence as well."

She smiled at him with satisfaction. Nothing he said surprised her, but it was reassuring nonetheless.

Margaret and Mr. Hale re-entered the room. Mr. Hale handed Thornton the book, said their farewells, and asked Margaret to see him to the door.

As they entered the hall, Margaret studied his tall, bold frame. His arms swung in symmetry at his sides. His hands were balled into tight fists and she instantly wished to know the cause.

He reached for his hat and gloves like he did before, and paused like he did before.

"Mr. Thornton, is there something the matter?" She asked looking up at him. He turned to her and gazed into her eyes, deeper than he ever had before. Her heart pounded harder and faster with every passing second. She fought against her pull to him. She wished to comfort whatever sadness he was experiencing. All of a sudden she remembered herself and felt ashamed for having such a thought.

She tore her eyes away in order to compose herself. She heard him exhale heavily.

"Miss Hale, I was wondering…" He stopped himself. Her head shot up in anticipation.

"Miss Hale…"

"Yes, Mr. Thornton?" She said breathlessly. She felt as though she would burst if he didn't continue.

"I was wondering if you… you…" He closed his eyes in frustration.

"I was wondering if you and your family would join us for a party we are holding next week. The invitations have not been sent, but I would like to know if it was too much on your father and mother to attend such an evening."

Her heart dropped. Was that all? She did her best to mask her disappointment. "I am unsure if Mama would be willing, but my father and I would be delighted to attend." She answered formally, stepping towards the door. He watched her move with an ache in his stomach; no, it was deeper than that. He ached in his very soul to reach out and tell her how he felt. But he restrained himself. He knew she would never accept such behavior and the last thing he wanted was to drive her away. "Good then. I'm glad of it. Until next time, Miss Hale." He tipped his hat to her as he walked outside. When he reached the bottom of the stoop, he turned to look at her figure in the doorway. She did not break his gaze. Most unwilling, he turned from her and pouted the way home.