After Mr. Bell joined Thornton in the carriage, he noticed that his travel companion had yet to take his eyes off of something through the window. He watched as Mr. Thornton's brow furrowed, his eyes narrowing. Upon closer examination, Mr. Bell noticed that the object that warranted so much attention was his Goddaughter. Mr. Bell sat back against the bench with a satisfied look overtaking his countenance. He had been correct in his assumptions after all. Bell only wished that Richard had been around to share his bit of gossip. As was Mr. Bell's wont, he began to pry.

"It was good of you to bring Margaret today, Thornton." Mr. Thornton did not take his eyes from the window. Neither did her respond. The carriage in front of theirs began to move, and soon theirs was close in tow. With nothing left to watch, he turned his attentions to Mr. Bell.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Mr. Thornton asked. Mr. Bell gave him a knowing smile.

"I said that it was good of you to bring Margaret with you, did the two of you travel alone?" Mr. Thornton's demeanor did not shift.

"No, we brought Dixon with us, she is in one of the rooms at the hotel. It was my pleasure to bring Miss Hale. Her father was a very good friend to me." Mr. Bell did not wish to go into sentimentalities. He mourned his friend dearly. Right now what he needed was something to take his mind off of the sad state of things.

"Margaret and that Lennox make a fine pair." For a moment, Mr. Bell thought that he saw some slight change in Mr. Thornton's face, but he was a highly unreadable man. Mr. Thornton's heart ached at Mr. Bell's words.

"What do you know of Lennox?" Thornton asked while staring out the window once more, afraid that the stone in his face would crumble if given the wrong information.

"I think that he is a fine fellow, a lawyer, as you know, and every bit the gentleman." Mr. Bell pushed just a little further. "He would be a fine match for our Margaret, don't you think Thornton? I'm certain that the aunt would approve." Everything within Mr. Thornton seemed to erupt. The man that she had chosen to ride with, that she was on first name terms with, that was from her world—that man was much more deserving of her than he. He was a gentleman, a lawyer, lived amongst fine society, he could give her the life that she deserved, one that she could never have in Milton living next to a cotton mill. Desperation struck his heart. He wished that he had never learned of Fredrick, before he could have hardened his heart against these words by bringing the incident at Outwood to mind and convince himself that she was not all that he made her out to be. No! Now he had to go on knowing that this woman that he loved with his entire being was the pure, bold, intelligent woman that he had always known her to be, and that he would never have of her.

"Does Margaret—has she—do you think that Miss Hale feels as you say?" Mr. Bell had never heard anything but iron confidence from the man that sat across from him. He knew that he had finally found Thornton's weakness and relented.

"Not particularly, no." Mr. Thornton turned to face him, but he did not know how to respond, his thoughts were not in alignment with Mr. Bell's statement and he did not know what to make of it. The remainder of the short trip was spent in a thought-filled silence.

Margaret was escorted to the carriage by Henry, but her every thought was on the man that had just left them. She did not know what to expect from her revelation of Fredrick's visit, but she wished for a time that she could fully explain it to him. She felt that he understood and told herself that the important thing was that his good opinion of her had been restored. Somewhere deep inside of herself, she knew that that was not truly the important thing, but she could not dwell on what had been done.

There was a problem with their carriage causing a delay. Captain Lennox was speaking to the driver and attempting to remedy the situation, leaving Henry alone to speak with Margaret. Margaret thought that she could see Mr. Thornton and Mr. Bell through the window of the other carriage, but could not be certain.

"How are you fairing in Milton? This winter air alone must make you wish to return south." Henry spoke casually, breaking Margaret's examination of the other carriage.

"The weather is fierce in the north." She replied absently.

"When do you think that you will be joining us in London?" Margaret looked at him. He had begun on this vein previously, and she did not wish to have the conversation now.

"I have told you, Henry, I am not certain that I will be returning."

"Well, certainly you will have to." He looked at her aghast. "I know that there can be little money left to sustain you, much less Dixon. The people in that town are not like you, Margaret, you belong in London. What reason could you possibly have for wanting to stay in Milton?" Henry asked the question as if it was the most ludicrous thing that could ever cross her mind.

"Thank you for reminding me of my current situation." She responded in a cold manner. They did argue at times, but not in the same manner that she had argued with Mr. Thornton. Henry did not have the same skill set that Mr. Thornton had for hitting Margaret's core. Her arguments with Henry were also never over anything important and, unlike Mr. Thornton, she had always felt that Henry was quick to write her off or concede on account of her sex. She felt inferior when speaking to him. Rather than asking what she wanted, he all but laughed her suggestions off as impossible and tried to steer her back to what he felt was best for her. Henry was a good man, a good friend, and he would make someone gloriously happy some day. Margaret knew that that someone could not be her.

Henry placed a hand over her folded arms. "Margaret, I did not mean to vex you." She stood still and did not respond. Captain Lennox and the driver came to an understanding and the three climbed into the carriage. They sat in a tense silence for some time.

"I think that I need to speak to that Mr. Thornton of yours about cotton. I have been reading about the money to be made in it. They say that manufacturing is the future." Captain Lennox broke the quiet that surrounded the little compartment.

"I think that he would like that very much." Margaret smiled at the thought of Mr. Thornton sharing some of himself with her London friends and family. Henry watched her carefully.

"How do you know Mr. Thornton, Margaret?" Henry asked, keeping his eye on her.

"He studied several times a week with Father, I would attend on occasion. When Mother was sick, he often brought her fruit, or anything that he thought that she might enjoy. I might say that he is our closest friend in Milton." Margaret looked out of the windows wistfully. "Father cared for him very much." Henry had not perceived Mr. Thornton as a threat until now. He wondered if that man, that manufacturer, could be the reason that she seemed set against returning to London.

Everyone gathered in the tea room, from which Margaret excused herself to find Dixon. When she unlocked the door, she found Dixon sitting in her bed reading. Margaret sat on the edge of the bed and shared the details of the service.

"Mr. Bell had attended to every detail, I am certain that I could not have done it justice. Father's favorite hymns were played, the Pastor, who remembered him from years before, spoke of how important family was to him. It was nice. It was the truth. The flowers were beautiful, and there were so many of them." Margaret removed her bonnet, and placing it in her lap she looked up at Dixon, who was the closest thing that she had to family right now. "I wish that we had held the service in Milton, then they could be together."

"Don't you fret Miss Margaret, the real shame is that your mother had to go to Milton at all, we would not be in this state of things if we were not made to go to that dirty town. Now we'll talk no more of sadness." Dixon stood up. Margaret looked down at her hands, she felt the urge to cry but could not here, not in this room.

"We need to go down to tea. Mr. Thornton, Mr. Bell and the Lennoxes are waiting on us." Dixon took Margaret's bonnet and urged her up.

"Well, we had best not keep them waiting. Is Mr. Henry Lennox amongst them?" Dixon asked, but continued without waiting for an answer. "Your mother, God rest her soul, told me once that he had a fancy for you. It would have made her so happy to see you restored into London society."

"We had best not keep them waiting." Margaret was numb. After the funeral and the conversation with Henry, Dixon telling her of her mother's wishes in this way was simply too much. She was not ready be confronted by more of it and hoped that she would be able to sit and quietly listen when they joined the men. Margaret reluctantly followed Dixon and they joined their party in the hotel's formal drawing room.

There was a settee that appeared to be reserved for her, right in front of the fire. As Margaret and Dixon approached the small crown, they stood to greet them. Dixon gravitated to a chair that was close enough to hear, but far enough as to not be drawn into the conversation. They took their seats and Margaret listened to the men attempt to lighten their exchange as a result of her entrance. The tea tray arrived and Margaret was more than happy to have something to keep her hands occupied.

She did not know what the topic of their previous conversation may have been, however, the way that they were attempting to cater the conversation to her was very frustrating.

"Please, let us go back to what you were speaking of. I am sure that if I must go live with Aunt Shaw that I will be filled to the brim with conversations of lace and silks and balls and such. Let us speak of something else." She paused, but no one took the floor. "Mr. Thornton, Captain Lennox was saying on the ride over here that he wished to speak to you about manufacturing." Mr. Thornton smiled at her.

"What is it that you wish to know, Captain Lennox?" Mr. Thornton had to tear his eyes from Margaret.

"I hardly think that this is an appropriate conversation to hold in mixed company." Henry spoke up, "Margaret, do you truly wish to indulge Maxwell's curiosity of cotton trade?"

"I know our Margaret to be very clever and politically minded, especially as of late." Added Mr. Bell. "She had been very involved in Milton especially during the strike."

"I have certainly never known Miss Hale to shy away from any serious topic of conversation, and have found her to have very firm opinions on the matter." Mr. Thornton said looking toward Margaret. Henry looked toward Mr. Thornton and wondered just how well he did know her.

"I am interested, Henry, and as Mr. Thornton suggests, I have never been afraid to voice my opinion." Margaret looked to Henry. "I do have to admit that most of my interest lies in the social aspect, rather than the actual manufacturing, but I have found them to be inseparable." Mr. Thornton leaned in and watched Margaret speak with a slight smirk that he did not know himself to be wearing.

"I am certain that you have done the working class a world of good. You have always been generous by nature." Henry said.

"I have learned much from the men. I have in fact become very good friends with a few of them. I found that my sympathies were with them alone when we first moved to Milton, I was prejudiced against manufacturing as a whole and must admit that I had a particular dislike of the masters." Mr. Thornton leaned back in his seat, feeling slightly uncomfortable. "After some time, and several heated discussions, Mr. Thornton helped me to see things from a manufacturer's point of view as well." Mr. Bell could not help but to watch Thornton.

"And your particular dislike of the Masters?" Margaret turned her full attention to Mr. Thornton as he asked this. She thought it interesting that he never shied away from confrontation, despite the surroundings, especially with her it seemed.

"I have particularly softened to them, some of them, especially as of late." Mr. Bell and Henry watched the visual exchange between Margaret and Mr. Thornton, and both felt very different reactions to it.

"Which side do you sympathize with now, after Mr. Thornton's revelation?" Henry asked, needing to displace her attention.

"Well neither, or both rather, but for very different reasons." Margaret did not wish to delve too deeply into the topic of master and men. She knew that those around her would hold the same prejudices that she had when she arrived in Milton. She wanted them to know Mr. Thornton as her father knew him, as she knew him now. She turned to the Captain. "Captain Lennox, this discussion is not answering any of your questions, I am sure, and you have little time left to talk. Why don't you ask Mr. Thornton your questions?"

As Captain Lennox and Mr. Thornton began discussing the ins and outs of the cotton industry, Henry could not help but wonder what reasons Margaret might have for sympathizing with the manufacturers. He felt that it may have everything to do with the ever attentive Mr. Thornton. Henry thought that it would be best to get back to London tonight and urge Mrs. Shaw to collect Margaret as soon as possible.