Chapter 10: A Business Proposal
Tuesday October 14, 1851
Margaret hurried along the familiar path to the Princeton district. Yesterday, all conversation at the Hale household had been focused on the upcoming wedding. It wasn't until this morning when Margaret mentioned her planned visit to Nicholas that she remembered to tell her parents about Lady Wentworth's investment and their plans for the dining hall and school. As the pastor's wife, Mrs. Hale had been active in running the parish school in Helstone. She had immediately rushed – with all of the haste and vigor possible to anyone as ill as she was – to impart all of the wisdom she could on her daughter regarding the management of a school. She was rather knowledgeable on the subject, and as Margaret was keen to hang on every word of wisdom her mother was willing to bestow while she had the breath to do so, their conversation had lasted far longer than either realized. By the time Margaret made it to Princeton, she would have scarcely half an hour to convince Nicholas of the merits of the scheme before they must set out for Marlborough Mills to meet with John.
She was greeted fondly by Nicholas and Mary, who was eager to hear any news of the splendors of London that Margaret was willing to share. "I am sorry Mary, I shall not have time for such revelations today. I have come on business."
"Business?" Chuckled Nicholas.
"That's right, it's a business proposal for you Nicholas."
"And what important business might yo' have wi' me?"
"You see, in London, I attended a dinner party that Mr. Thornton was also present at. Our hosts, Lord and Lady Wentworth were interested in investing in Marlborough Mills. No, please Nicholas," Margaret scolded, "allow me to finish before you object. Lady Wentworth is interested in investing in Marlborough Mills in order to improve the conditions of the laborers. We came up with some ideas for projects to do so, but I suggested that we consult the union on how best to implement them. Would you be willing to help, Nicholas?"
He stared at her incredulously for a moment. "And Thornton agreed to this?"
"He did."
"I canna find work since t'strike without forsakin' the union, and yet Thornton's willin' ta talk wi' union leaders?"
"Have you been to Marlbourough Mills about work then?"
"Aye, Th' o'erlooker bid me go and be d— d."
"Then you've not spoken to Mr. Thornton?"
"Such a chap as me is not like to see the measter."
"Well, you are very likely to do so today, as we've an appointment with him at two, if you're willing to hear us out."
"Us?" Nicholas turned his steady eyes on her, "How came yo' t'be meddling 'twixt master and man? I dunna see as tis any of yo'r business."
Margaret blushed and responded with far more confidence than she'd had when outlying their proposal, "Mr. Thornton and I are to be married. I dare say there are some who would still consider it meddling for a wife to take an interest in her husband's business, but I assure you Mr. Thornton is not one of them."
Mary cried out in excitement and gave her an awkward hug. Much to Margaret's surprise, Nicholas laughed. "My but yo'r a queer lass! Yo're getin' married to th'master an yo' dunnot say a word afore titterin on about business!"
"Well, I didn't think it as pressing," Margaret laughed. "Do you know, you're the first people I've told outside of family and the parson."
"Oh miss!" Cried Mary in excitement.
"So, Nicholas, will you consider our plan?"
He stared at her in uncertainty for a moment and Margaret was nearly certain he would deny her. Finally, he responded, "I do it for yo'r sake, Miss Hale, and it's first time in my life as e'er I give way to a woman."
"All the more do I thank you," said Margaret, smiling. "Though I don't believe you: I believe you have just given way to wife and daughter as much as most men."
As they walked to Marlborough Mills, Margaret filled him in on their ideas for the dining hall and school. Margaret was just as unconscious of the surprised looks of passerby today as she had been the previous day. The gossip mills of Milton churned just as tirelessly as the cotton mills, and soon the whole town was speculating about the renegade parson's daughter who was out walking with a handsome young mill master one day and a union ringleader the next!
John Thornton was having a difficult time readjusting to his life. He had returned yesterday afternoon to nearly two day's worth of back work from his trip to London. He had been tempted to remain in his office late to make up the difference, but he owed it to his mother to go home to dinner. She had been incensed at the idea of a rushed wedding – how would it look for one of the pillars of Milton society to marry quietly and hastily without even inviting the other masters? He'd appeased her somewhat with the prospect of a grand dinner party to celebrate the wedding at a later date. Nonetheless, she spent dinner berating Margaret. Every attempt on his part to defend his betrothed only seemed to fuel his mother's ire. Eventually, he had no recourse but to storm out of the room and back to his office.
He had worked late, woken early and was nearly caught up when word came in that one of the spinning frames was broken. One of the Irish hands had loaded it improperly then proceeded to use it for a shift and a half, wasting a good deal of cotton on useless thread and eventually breaking the machine.As if we weren't far enough behind! He and the overseer had just finished repairing the machine when he walked into his office in his shirtsleeves, disheveled, sweaty, and covered in machine grease.
He was having a bad day. But then there she was: seated regally in the chair in front of his desk, laughing at something that Higgins had said, brightening his world. He smiled and breathed her name. When she looked up, he felt a slight tinge of fear at her perusal of his state. She had but just begun to see him as a gentleman and now – what a fright he must look! But then she looked up and gave him a serene smile. He wished Higgins to the devil, wanting only to have Margaret to himself.
"John! May I introduce you to Nicholas Higgins, Nicholas, this is Mr. Thornton."
John gave a slight nod and repeated, "Higgins."
"Master." Higgins touched his hand to his forehead in deference.
"Has Miss Hale filled you in on what we are looking to do?"
"Aye, tho I canna say as I believe it till yo' say so. Yo've broke t'strike with them knobsticks o' yourn that did na know weft fro' warp an now yo're willin t'work with t'union?"
"You don't want impudence, that's very clear," John responded hotly. "No, I've not much respect for the union after the violence your strikers brought down on me and mine."
"Fro' what I reckon, there was but one injury on yo'r side, while yo'r soldiers injured dozens o'starvin' strikers, an' some o' them were women. The union leaders did no wish for violence. We were not weak men such as the rioters, but steady thoughtful men; good hands, and good citizens, who were friendly to law and judgment, and would uphold order; who only wanted their right wage."
"Yes, your right wage whether or not the masters could afford to pay it." John was in no mood for this confrontation. He should have known this would never work. "And at any rate, as the leaders of the union, you incited the strike, the actions of your strikers are on your heads."
"Just as your actions on the day of the riot were on my head, right?" Margaret's reproachful voice sliced through his ire as nothing else could. "After all, I was the one who told you to go down and face them. And yet, when I tried to correct my mistake, I seem to recall you resented my attempts." And there she was, the headstrong Margaret of days past, quick to find fault with him and slow to concede a point. They'd been getting on so well that he'd almost forgotten that this Margaret would make her appearance again at some juncture.
"That is not the same," he struggled to soften his tone, "you urged me to treat them as men and they proved to be animals none the less."
"It seems to me that the union urged the men to be noble, but were unable to control a small fraction of the turnouts. Much as I urged you to be compassionate and was unable to inspire anything more than defiance in you. Therefore, by your model, I must have earned any punishment I received."
John paled at the thought, "they could have killed you."
"That were you?" Higgins asked with a start.
John rounded on him. "Aye, your strikers turned on a lady who was only trying to help them!" Higgins winced and drew a weary hand down his face
"As I still am." Margaret interjected. "Now, gentlemen, I believe we've had quite enough of this argument. Allow me to distill the finer points. On the one hand, the union was trying to improve the lives of the workers to relieve them of the burdens of hunger, exposure to the elements, and unsafe living conditions through the most expedient means. Higher wages. Is that correct?" She paused and looked toward Higgins, who gave her a nod. "On the other hand, not all of the masters were willfully withholding money for personal gain but could honestly not afford to pay more. Particularly when those masters had already invested money in the wheel and new machinery to improve the conditions of their workers, yes?" She looked at him and John nodded. "Now, what we are discussing today are alternate ways to address the same issues with the capital available to us. I have high hopes for this scheme, but it will never work if the pair of you continue in this manner."
John was not in the habit of being dictated to in his own office but he could scarcely abandon a plan they had in fact orchestrated together. Especially when Margaret was stood so regal and resolute, glaring down on them like an avenging Boudica. "Of course my dear. There's little point belaboring past grievances."
Higgins replied "Aye Miss Margaret, I'm willin' ta try."
"Excellent!" Margaret smiled at them, John tried to tamp down his jealousy at the fact that her smiles were evenly dispersed between himself and Higgins. "Now the first step is Nicholas himself, if he is to be our union reference, he needs a job."
She looked at him expectantly, but this was too much for even her to ask. "I might as well put a firebrand into the midst of the cotton-waste."
"At the moment, Nicholas is valuable to this scheme because he is well known and respected amongst the hands, they know that he will look out for their best interests. We need him if we want our plans to work. What will happen if he can not find work? If he is forced to move away to find a job?" Margaret's logic was sound, and John was beginning to see the value in the suggestion. Until Higgins opened his mouth again.
"I'd promise yo', measter, I'd not speak a word as could do harm, if so be yo' did right by us; and I'd promise more: I'd promise that when I seed yo' going wrong, and acting unfair, I'd speak to yo' in private first; and that would be a fair warning."
"Upon my word, you don't think small beer of yourself! Hamper has had a loss of you. How came he to let you and your wisdom go?" John seethed at the idea of this man telling him how to run his business. "I'll not give you work."
The statement rang through the office like a death knell for Margaret's hopes. Apparently all of the ideals that he had agreed to in London were tainted by the Milton air. Had it all been a show? A ploy to attract investors? A desire to please Margaret when he was still basking in the glow of her acceptance? Had her influence really been so fleeting? After all, he hadn't actually agreed with her assessment of the union earlier, only agreed to leave old grievances behind.
Nicholas interrupted her melancholy thoughts. "I hear, sir. I would na ha' troubled yo', but that I were bid to come, by one as seemed to think yo'd getten some soft place in yo'r heart. Hoo were mistook, and I were misled. But I'm not the first man as is misled by a woman."
Was she mistaken? I suppose it's better to discover you were wrong about a man's heart mere days before the wedding than after, she thought gloomily. "John," she touched his arm gently, unable to keep the disappointment out of her tone, "was I wrong? In London you spoke of your desire for men and masters to learn to live together, to bleed strikes of their bitterness. This is what drew me to you that day, it is also what led Lady Wentworth to invest in Marlborough Mills. Indeed, this whole meeting is meant as a bridge between you as a master and your workers through the union. Will you allow your own bitterness to destroy that before it begins?"
He let out a sigh and covered her hand with his. "No," he replied tenderly to Margaret and she released a breath she was scarcely aware she'd been holding. Then, turning to Higgins he said in a brusque tone, "there's a job here for you if you'll take it."
"Yo'll not stop me fro' payin' in to the union?"
"How you spend your money is no affair of mine as long as you don't go making mischief."
"Yo'll not be sorry, I'm a good hand, measter, and a steady man." Higgins held out his hand and John shook it to seal the agreement.
"Well then, shall we begin our plans then?" Asked Margaret in a happier tone. Although there were occasional bouts of pique or bluster, they managed to spend the next couple of hours drawing up plans for the dining hall and school.
When John was walking her home that evening, he squeezed her hand gently and renewed their thread of conversation from the day prior. "For the record, if today is any indication, your presence is far less of a distraction than your absence. You were wonderful today my love, and you made me better as well."