Chapter Twelve- At home with the Thorntons

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle"

Socrates


Fanny Watson, fashionable, accomplished and rich, the envy of Milton.

Fanny Watson, whimsical, flamboyant, lonely and adept at keeping up appearances.

Fanny Watson, gaunt, pale, nineteen years of age; married for six months, looking at least six years older, one year for every month


"O thank God, you've come to. That was some fright you gave me, child," Mrs. Thornton said as Fanny's eyes fluttered followed by a loud sneeze due to the suffocating smelling salts her mother held under her nose.

"What happened? Where am I?" Fanny sat up and she took in her surroundings, familiar but odd. She visibly paled as she recognised her old bedchamber in Marlborough Mills, with two maids fanning her.

"You fainted, Fanny," Mrs. Thornton said. "I had to get Jane and Ruth to carry you up here."

"My clothes?" she asked

Mrs. Thornton nodded at a heap on the floor, "we had to cut you out of your dress, petticoat and corset," she said

"Oh…."Fanny said, "….did anyone see me?"

"Girls, thank you. Mrs. Watson is fine now," Mrs. Thornton dismissed the pair. "Please tell Mrs. Powell to prepare for one more place for lunch." "Yes ma'am," the two maids curtseyed and exited the room and shut the door behind them.

"So did anyone see me?" she repeated

"I get the impression this has happened before….that you were not surprised," Mrs. Thornton said to Fanny as soon as she was certain they could not be overheard.

"It's nothing serious. I have my smelling salts with me all the time," Fanny replied. "I'm hungry, that's all?"

"Here, have this," Hannah gave her two biscuits and a cup of tea, and watched her nibble on a small tea biscuit for a good three minutes. "It's quite unlike you to be this quiet."

"I'm afraid I am not good company today. I'm a bit tired, that's all. My insides hurt, my body itches and I haven't slept well in days. I can't even hold my food down."

"Is it what I think?" Hannah asked smiling. "Are you….."

"No, Mamma. I had hoped I was, and for almost two months, I thought it had happened for I had the sickness and all the discomfort, but then three weeks ago, it came…." she said. "Watson was so cross with me and said I should focus on fulfilling my duty and not on my furnishings and decorations. It was as if he did not appreciate anything I'd done to make him a prominent master in town."

"It takes time with some women. It would help if you ate better. You need strength to carry a child"

"I find I can't each much," Fanny said.

"Not with those tight corsets, you can't. In any case, you will not be able to wear them if a child was to grow in there, you know that?" Mrs. Thornton said

"I could never go without my stays. That is impossible. Never. Most unsightly, I daresay," Fanny replied

"We had to borrow pliers from the mill to cut you out of that corset. What was it made of?" Hannah asked.

"Steel, Mamma," Fanny replied. "They can make my waist go down to sixteen inches."

"Sixteen inches? No wonder you couldn't eat properly. No wonder you've needed to carry smelling salts with you all over the place," Mrs. Thornton said. "And then the tight lacing. You probably had to employ two maids to tie you up in those. It cannot be good for you, I'm sure."

"But I've just ordered four new corsets from the dressmaker at Farleys. What will I do with them?" Fanny asked.

"Surely, she can adjust them to give you more space around the middle," Mrs. Thornton said.

"But my new dresses won't fit around them," said Fanny.

"You don't need any more dresses. You had so many gowns made for your trousseau. Have you worn them all?" Mrs. Thornton said.

"Anne Latimer said a lady in my position as the wife of a mill master ought to have gowns for different occasions " Fanny said

"Don't tell me you still pay attention to some other nonsense from her finishing school in Switzerland. How many different occasions can one possibly have?" Mrs. Thornton asked

"She gave me a list to follow," she replied and she reached for her reticule and pulled out a tiny scroll, "yes, here is the list….yes, I have to get a morning dress, a day dress, an evening dress, a walking dress, a town dress, a visiting dress, a receiving visitors dress, a traveling dress, a concert dress, an opera dress and a ball gown. If Watson would oblige, I could get a seaside dress and a races dress too."

"God help us," Mrs. Thornton shook her head in despair. "I am betwixt laughing and crying. Surely you don't need all those dresses, not here in Milton at least, but if you insist, by all means get them made in the right size."

"And in the right colours for the Season," Fanny said

"Colours? What colours now?" Hannah asked

"Green. Different shades of green for this Season," Fanny replied. "All the fine ladies in London and the Home Counties know that, and I'm even getting some of my yellow dresses dyed to green."

"Green dye. I recall John mentioning something about some dye causing illness for several of the workers and he even stopped buying them from Feldon Chemicals," Mrs. Thornton said.

"How could dye make anyone ill? People use dye all the time," Fanny said

"Yes, but John thinks the green dyes in particular seemed to attract and poison rats," her mother replied. They found several dead rats on a new batch of green fabric in the warehouse and there were none next to the other colours. I wonder; if it could poison rats, it may be the reason that you feel poorly. It may be the cause of the boils I found on your body. Perhaps you should choose any other colour but green."

It was all well for Mrs. Thornton, she only wore black, as she had done for the past eighteen years. As a young wife, she did put on some colour, never as vivid as Fanny's though, but when she became a widow at the age of thirty-four, it was convention to mourn for up to two years, and afterwards, she found it was convenient to remain in black, for she could ward off unwanted male advances. Young and middle-aged widows made society nervous, for they were women with sexual experience without marital constraints, and there was always some ageing and wealthy gentleman, married mind you, willing to offer protection and financial support in exchange for favours. The censure Hannah afforded herself paid off. It gave her respectability, like an honorary male, a person of knowledge, wisdom and logic.

"But Watson had also felt sick in the last few weeks. Why is that? Surely my corsets and petticoats should not have affected him. He had headaches and kept forgetting names and sometimes he dropped things," said Fanny

"Where did you get the cushions and wallpaper you decorated your house from? It may well be affecting Watson if it has the same dye, you know. You should both see Doctor Donaldson. He knows about these things," Mrs. Thornton said.

"Watson prefers to use another physician. Doctor Thorpe is young and trained in London," Fanny said. "Doctor Donaldson may not know about all the new treatments.

"Dr. Donaldson is a good physician. He may be getting on in years but he has seen a lot in his time. Many years ago when your father had the shakes, the doctor told him to stop wearing those felt top hats because the hatter used quicksilver on the fur and it may be bad for him, and afterwards, we found that his health improved. If you ask me, I would advise that you see him, the pair of you," said Mrs. Thornton.

"You really think that would help?" she asked.

"I suggest you try and see," her mother replied. "I will leave you to rest a while and then you can join us downstairs for lunch."


"There you are. Fanny, I just heard that you had taken ill. Has the doctor been called? How do you feel now? Mother…?" Thornton ran into the Drawing Room and found them. "I had gone upstairs, everywhere looking to find you."

"She fainted. She is well now, John, just a bit tired," Mrs. Thornton said. "She had not eaten anything all morning."

"Hmm….I see…."he smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. "Are congra…."

His mother frowned and shook her head at him. "…forgive my presumption then," he said. "Now where is Miss Hale?" he asked as he then scanned the room and realised she was not there. He could not hide his disappointment.

"She is running late. She had to run an errand for Mr. Hale." Mrs. Thornton replied. "She's bringing the biscuits too."

"Of course," he said. He kissed his mother and sister and sat in his armchair to read his paper and waited for the lunch bell to ring.

"John, I didn't know you came home for lunch" Fanny said "you were always too busy at the mill"

"Yes, I do now" he replied.

"Mamma, did you say Miss Hale would be joining us for lunch?" Fanny asked. "I've not seen her since my wedding"

"Her mother passed away twelve weeks ago" Mrs. Thornton said. "You were away on your wedding tour at the time."

"I suppose she needs cheering up. I will invite her to my house to see my new furnishings," Fanny said. "I think if she was more cheerful, it might help her find a husband."

"Leave her be," said Thornton. "She doesn't need you meddling in her business."

"Miss Hale does not share your interest in fashion and music either. Why don't you pay her a visit instead?" Mrs. Thornton said and wondered how it was possible that John and Fanny could turn out to be so different, one practical and sensible and the other shallow and whimsical. It definitely had to be some practical joke of nature, for Fanny should have been Maria Hale's daughter, and caring and considerate Margaret, hers.

"I don't want to go to Crampton. I don't think she likes me. She acts all grown up, like she knows everything," Fanny pouted. "Remember at the annual dinner when…"

"She is just one year older than you, and she is clever, mature and sensible" Thornton said.

"And on the contrary, she does like you" Mrs. Thornton added, "why, Fanny? She often asks after you. Only the other day, she asked about the Masters dinner that you hosted."

"Mother, but I thought you did not like her?" Fanny said. "I thought you said she carried herself all high and mighty even though she was nothing but…..," Fanny said

"Yes I did say that, but we've settled our differences now and I do like her" Mrs. Thornton countered "and she comes here often"

"Miss Hale? …..…here? …..….often?" Fanny exclaimed, laughing . "Is she trying to get John again like she did on the day of the riot?"

"Fanny…don't," Thornton reprimanded

"Oh…." Margaret exclaimed as she came through the door. She had heard what Fanny said.

Everyone looked up, shocked, and coloured in varying shades of red. She dropped her basket, turned round and ran down the stairs and out of the house.

"John, go…" Mrs. Thornton said and they both got up immediately and went after her.

Thornton caught up with her as she got to the gates. She looked every bit frustrated and agitated and in tears. He instinctively drew her into himself and wrapped his arms around her, one arm across the small of her back and the other firmly across her shoulders, with his fingers running across the nape of her neck. He held her close for a few moments and whispered soothingly into her hair and then realised with alarm what he had done and pulled away and exclaimed "….forgive me…."

"Margaret…..Miss Hale" Thornton said offering his handkerchief "I'm so sorry you heard that. Fanny speaks without thinking" and then clenched his hands into fists and mustered all the willpower he could to restrain himself from embracing her again.

"Yes, but she said what everyone else is saying about me" Margaret sobbed.

"Please, do not pay any attention to that" Thornton said pleading "We both know you are not trying to get me…... or are you?" he added with a smirk. He immediately kicked himself "don't be a fool, this is not the time to make stupid jokes."

"I'm sorry," he added quickly

"I can't face her now, knowing what she thinks of me," Margaret said.

"Of course you can. You are not a coward. Please come back," Thornton said "…..please"

Margaret looked around. The streets were quiet, and the workers were in the mill.

"We have to go back inside. We can't stay here. We could be seen, and then it is you who will be under obligation to accept me this time …?" he said in a teasing tone. "….and my fantasy will become reality" he added silently, but bit his tongue when he saw that Margaret did not get his humour.

"Forgive me…for that. I keep putting my foot in it" he said. "Anyway, you must be hungry by now, let's go in to lunch"

"I'm not..…hungry I mean" she said.

Then her stomach growled.

"Falsehood, Miss Hale, falsehood" Thornton remarked

They both laughed.

"Let us go in. I'm starving, and I can't wait to try those biscuits," he said

Mrs. Thornton waited by the door, and Fanny watched from the Drawing room window. As for Thornton, he clamped his lower lip between his teeth as he tried in vain to stifle the biggest grin Milton ever saw as he led Margaret back to the house.

Mrs. Thornton pulled Margaret away from him as they reached the door, shook her head at her son in disbelief and said, "you just couldn't stop yourself, could you?" and then led her into the library. He looked up to see Fanny now at the top landing and his mischievous grin gave way to his customary scowl. "All right," Fanny said, I will apologise to her." His face softened and he then followed his mother and Margaret into the room.

"Mother, you can leave Miss Hale to me" he said with unmistakable delight dancing in his eyes, "I will see to her comfort. You may go upstairs."

"No, John, you've done quite enough. You go upstairs and we will be with you shortly," Mrs. Thornton said. "Nice try," she said to herself.

He groaned in himself. Mother was too fastidious as a chaperone. He remained by the door watching them instead. Fanny came downstairs and joined him by the door and then gasped at the sight before her, for never in a month of Sundays would she have expected to see Mother, who was not one to show affection comforting Miss Hale.

"Enchantment, I know" Thornton grinned to Fanny. "I thought the same too"

"Come now Margaret" Mrs. Thornton whispered into her ear "we both know the truth. You can't let those remarks annoy you, even if she misunderstands your motives. Think, even he doesn't know about ….."

They both look at each other, and nodded knowing that Mrs. Thornton was referring to the fact that Margaret has not let Thornton's misconception about Frederick's identity deter her from being around him.

Thornton observed this silent exchange and shrugged, "baffling," he thought. He then watched his mother brush back and pin the locks of Margaret hair that had come loose when he embraced her and said, "there, Margaret, perfect."

They all go upstairs to lunch.


.

Margaret, not one to hold grudges was first to extend the olive branch and asked Fanny about her wedding tour of the south coast of England, to Brighton, Worthing, and Eastbourne. "I've never been to the seaside," Margaret said; "so what did you there?"

Fanny noticed Thornton's head shoot up from his plate and listen in on their conversation, and saw the amusement in his eyes. She coloured and shifted uncomfortably at the memory of her wedding holiday. Margaret sensed that her question had generated some discomfiting interest swiftly clarified, "I mean, did you build sandcastles or go sea-bathing?"

"No, it was too windy and cold," Fanny replied. "We had to stay indoors most of the time," and this made her colour even more.

"Indoors. I would have been bored if it were me," Margaret said.

"Not if you were with me my love," Thornton thought to himself. Margaret then sensed Thornton's piercing blue eyes on her, looked at him curiously and quickly looked away, with a soft shade of red staining her cheeks.

"My cousin, Edith and Captain Lennox went to Corfu for their wedding tour. She said they both loved it," Margaret said.

"So where would you like to go to, Miss Hale" Thornton asked, "for your wedding holiday…..I mean? …. Sorry I said that. …Forgive me…." He looked away, and a soft shade of claret stained his cheeks and he prayed for the chandelier, the ceiling, anything to drop and distract everyone.

Margaret shifted uncomfortably and looked away, reddening even more.

Mrs. Thornton eyes darted back and forth between Thornton and Margaret, eyebrows raised up and lips turned up in a smirk.

"Anyway, we are back now, and I have been busy decorating and furnishing my house. My house is much bigger than this one, and I have bought wallpaper and fabrics from the Exhibition, and everyone said how nice my house looked at the master's dinner…." Fanny prattled on.

.

"Fanny" Mrs. Thornton whispered sharply through clenched teeth "…Mrs. Hale… remember?"

"Oh yes, Miss Hale, please accept my sympathy on the passing away of Mrs. Hale" Fanny reached out her hand to Margaret. "I'm sorry for your loss. You must miss her terribly"

"Yes I do. Thank you," Margaret said.

"I see Mamma has been comforting you" Fanny said.

"Mrs. Thornton has been so kind to me; and Mr. Thornton too. Both your mother and brother have been good to us in our troubles" Margaret replied.

Margaret then looked at Hannah and Thornton and mouthed "thank you" and they both nodded. Fanny noticed this and wondered for a moment about all the changes that had happened since she left, the easy manners and friendliness between the other three, and how relaxed her mother and brother had become, and particularly how much she felt like a stranger around her own family.

.

"John," Fanny asked after a while, "are you courting Miss Hale?" Thornton, Margaret and Mrs. Thornton all choked on their drinks.

"What…..?" Thornton asked. He cast a quick glance to Margaret, and saw she was staring down at her plate aghast and pale as a sheet. How could he admit to courting her without her consent? For that is what it was. Highly presumptuous, indeed, plus he could not predict how Margaret would react if he were to own up to doing it.

Fanny continued, "I only ask because Anne and I saw you come out of the jewellers on Stretford Street last week." I said to her, 'fancy seeing my brother in this neighbourhood.' I remember I had seen Miss Hale's bracelet on display there for a few weeks now. I think you must have bought it. It is very beautiful, don't you agree?"

"It is beautiful," he agreed. He could not trust himself to say another word.

"It is pearl and olive green peridot. I much prefer emeralds and jade as green gemstones. Wait till I tell Watson you had bought it for Miss Hale. Anne will be so jealous," Fanny said.

Margaret gasped.

"You will do nothing of the kind," Thornton declared.

Mrs. Thornton stepped in, "Fanny, don't go round telling stories about your brother and Miss Hale now." Hannah knew that both John and Margaret had to come to their mutual understanding and not be forced into it. She could tell Margaret was gradually coming to accept that her feelings for John were fine and return his affection. Nevertheless she could not risk Fanny's prattling to Milton Grapevine prematurely.

"I do not gossip, Mamma," she said. "I just thought….."

Mrs. Thornton said, "nothing leaves this room, Fanny, nothing. Not to your Watson, nor that Miss Latimer nor any other one of your friends. Whatever happens in this house will not be the new gossip in town. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Mamma," Fanny agreed

.

They continue their lunch in silence until…..

"John," Fanny said, changing the topic, "my Watson had this brilliant scheme that he said should bring him lots of returns and he said he had been trying to speak to you about it for at least two months now."

Thornton groaned and rolled his eyes. He did not want to talk about money with Margaret present, but his sister had this tendency to jump from one uncomfortable topic to another with dizzying speed.

"Is it like speculation?" Margaret asked, sipping her elderflower cordial.

"Yes" Fanny said.

"Mr. Thornton will never speculate. He will never take such risks, what, with the livelih…." Margaret started and faltered. The room fell silent but for the distant droning of the mill and all eyes were now on her, Fanny with astonishment, Hannah with amusement, and John with a combination of admiration and annoyance. It was now her turn to wish for the chandelier, the ceiling, anything to drop and distract everyone.

"Pray, continue, Miss Hale" Thornton said. "You clearly know my mind, to know what I will or will not do."

"I'm so sorry, sir" Margaret whispered, her head bowed and eyes clamped shut, hoping to open them and find out it was just a dream, a nightmare even but most certainly not reality. She opened one eye and saw Mrs. Thornton peering at her still amused, and promptly shut it back and raised her hand to shield her red hot face.

On that note, lunch ended, Thornton made his excuses and went back to the mill. He could not stop thinking about this woman that had captured his heart, tormented his body, invaded his dreams, both day and night, also now knew his mind, for indeed, he would not take a risk at speculation as she had rightly observed. "Is there no respite from Margaret Hale?" he asked himself. "Vexation indeed."

"You may open your eyes now, Margaret" Mrs. Thornton said, "John has gone"

"I am so sorry, ma'am," Margaret said. "Everyone is cross with me"

"Not everyone, my dear" Mrs. Thornton laughed, "Just John."


After lunch Fanny resumed talk about her decorating projects. Soon it was time for Margaret to leave. As she was leaving she remembered that she had brought a gift for Fanny, but had forgotten about it in the earlier drama, so reached into her reticule and brought out a little scroll.

"Mrs. Watson, I almost forgot. I had been meaning to give this to you." Margaret said "My cousin, Edith sent over sheet music for Rosina's cavatina from Rossini's Barber of Seville. It was performed at Covent Garden in the spring. I hear it is beautiful. I hope you enjoy learning it. I would love to hear you play it sometime."

"Thank you Miss Hale, and please call me Fanny"

"You may call me Margaret too"

She then said her goodbyes and left.

Fanny's eyes welled up in tears as Margaret left.

"Mother, I thought she did not like me. Maybe I was wrong," she said

Mrs. Thornton said, "I would like you to be friends with her, Fanny. She is thoughtful, and she will make a much better companion for you than Anne Latimer."

"You seem to like her, a lot…, more than me….. I think," Fanny said

"Margaret, you mean? Of course not, you are my daughter" Mrs. Thornton replied. "Why would you say a thing like that?"

"It's the way you look at her…..like the way you look at John….like you are proud of her." Fanny clarified.

"I am proud of her, yes, and I love you Fanny and I'm very proud of you too. You are a good wife to Watson, and you have no need to be jealous of Margaret. I think if you get to know her, you will like her a lot too. See, she even gave me this beautiful magnifying glass for my birthday," Mrs. Thornton said

"I'm not jealous. It's just that way she poured the tea, you would have thought she owned the place," Fanny said

"I know you wished to distance yourself from Marlborough Mills as much as possible, but I want you to know you are welcome here anytime, and this is still your home, and I am still your mother. You could always join us for lunch when you get the chance, and get to pour the tea," Mrs. Thornton said.


.

That night, Thornton talked to his mother about the financial difficulties he was experiencing in the business.

"I was wondering about what Margaret said today. Was she right? That you would not speculate, I mean?" she queried.

"I'm afraid so" he said. "If the scheme doesn't work, the workers will be out of work and destitute, and I could not bear that."

"Well, she seems to know your mind," Mrs. Thornton said.

"You think so? I wish I knew her mind," he said.

"I don't think she even knows her own mind," she replied

…/


A/N Green fabric dyes in Victorian times had arsenic in them and poisoned the wearers through their sweat. Arsenic was also used for rat poison. Quicksilver, also known as mercury nitrate was responsible for the hatter's disease, which had symptoms resembling mental illness immortalized by Lewis Carroll's Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. Steel corsets were controversial in Victorian times for causing problems to ladies' internal anatomies and vertebrae

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