A/N: Hi everyone. Sorry for the great delay between chapters. This last quarter of my first year of college is quite busy. As of yesterday, my story turned 1 year old, so I felt the need to update but I didn't have the chapter ready. Enjoy?

Disclaimer: I do not own "North and South."

Chapter 21: To the Countryside

Margaret walked in to find John standing beside the child's crib. He had his back to her, but she could tell that he was cradling the newborn in his arms. She could not help but smile at the scene, and she cautiously advanced, he was humming a tune that sounded oddly familiar. And then she remembered that it was a tune she had often heard Hannah humming.

'What's it called?' she whispered.

John looked up, surprised. 'I did not hear you come in.'

'I did not wish to disturb you,' Margaret smiled as John turned to face her, a bundle of blankets in his arms. 'What's it called?'

'Anna-Belle,' John joked.

'Don't be silly.'

'Have you heard it before?'

'Your mother, she hums it. I've just never asked her.'

'She would hum it for me when I couldn't sleep. Little Anna here was crying, and it was the only thing that soothed her?'

'You did not call the nurses?'

'There's no need.'

Margaret stood silent for a moment. John had yet to let her hold the child, and he seemed to be quite enthralled at the idea of watching after the child himself.

'She's very pretty.'

'She looks like Fanny, has her nose,' John was still looking down at the child.

'Fanny says Watson won't speak with her,' Margaret said, trying to find a way to bring up something that was painful for her to speak of. But perhaps the presence of the child would change things.

'I can imagine.'

That was it. Margaret's worst fears were confirmed. Fanny had been right. She must bear John a son or be faced with the same fate as Fanny had.

'Then Fanny speaks the truth.'

'About what?'

'About what? What else John?' Margaret said, aware that she was acting up but somehow she was unable to control her emotions. Her sudden outburst, however, startled the child who began to whimper.

'Nurse, please,' John called to the nurse who had been sitting in the corner of the room idly. She eagerly took the child, glad to be of use once more. John then faced Margaret, who was flustered at having disturbed the child. 'Margaret, dear, what is it?'

'The child, John.'

'The nurse is handling her, now please, sit down and tell me what it is that puts you in such a state. You must calm down, these past days of rest would not be of any good if you are to exert yourself too much on your first day out.'

Margaret allowed John to escort her to a seat. He kneeled beside her, taking her hands in his. 'Now tell me, what is it? Was it something I said? Please, Margaret, you must tell me what is bothering you, how else am I to mend whatever it is that I have broken.'

Margaret looked at John, her eyes meeting his tentatively. 'A daughter. Fanny gave Watson a daughter, and he won't speak to her. You said you could imagine why. It's true then, every man wants a son, an heir.'

John only smiled. 'Watson is a foolish man. His head it too caught up in his business at the moment. He does not know what he wants. And Fanny, living with her is not easy. Watson would just rather avoid her.'

'So it is not because she bore him a daughter?' Margaret said, returning to the question that John had not fully answered.

'It might partially be due to that, but their marriage is young. Just because the first born is not a son does not mean that Fanny is a failing in her duty as a wife.'

'Fanny says she will not bear another child.'

'Fanny says a lot of things.'

'But does that mean that you too want an heir, to the mill?' Margaret asked, looking away from John to look at the nurse who had fallen asleep while lulling Anna-Belle to sleep. She felt a hand on her cheek, and turned to face John, her eyes closed, waiting for an answer.

'Margaret, look at me,' John whispered, Margaret obliged. 'I promise to love any child that you give me.'

'If it should happen to be a girl?'

'Then she shall be my princess. And if she were the only child we have, then I would teach her the ways of the mill so that she could run it.'

Margaret laughed, her heart suddenly seemed lighter. John only reflected that happiness that she felt.

'But I have a feeling that this one is going to be a boy,' John smiled.

'Oh? Pray tell me, how is it that you would know this?'

'A small inkling, father's intuition if you will.'

'Do you hear your father? He will be mightily disappointed when you are a girl,' Margaret spoke to her growing abdomen. After their conversation she felt that the subject was something that had never worried John. Besides, like he said, this would not be the only child that they had. She had imagined a large family, surely there was to be a son among them, if not all of them.

It had been two weeks since their conversation in the nursery, and Margaret had gone to visit Fanny and Anna-Belle at least five times since. Today was the day that Fanny would be leaving for the countryside, away from the clouds of smoke that surrounded the industrial town.

'I do hope Fanny does not get too lonely,' Margaret said, looking out of the window into the mill yard where the workers moved about. It was impossible to ever be alone in the mill, there was always someone there.

Hannah looked up from her knitting and eyed Margaret, 'Fanny has Anna. Are you sure that you won't get lonely Margaret? If I am not mistaken, I must say that you rather enjoyed your visits to Fanny. Perhaps you will miss her more that she will miss you?'

Margaret blushed. It was true, once she had let Fanny speak of anything without believing half the things Fanny said; she had come to enjoy the visits. Especially because Fanny would let Margaret hold the child so long as Anna-Belle was asleep. Margaret had come to enjoy the soft weight of a sleeping child in her arms.

'Do you think John will let me visit her?' Margaret inquired eagerly. It would be nice to visit the countryside again; Helstone was always at the back of her mind.

'You should ask him. I think he can arrange a visit for you.'

'I think I shall,' Margaret beamed; she would like to know where it was that Fanny would be living for the next few years. And perhaps she would be able to see what conditions the doctor had seen fit to raise a child in. That issue had also been in her mind, becoming more prominent with each week that passed. Soon it would not be able to remain unaddressed.

'To visit Fanny?' John asked, removing his cravat. Margaret nodded, listening to him as he washed his face in the adjoining room as she lay on their bed. She had only asked for her to go, and she hoped he would include himself in the visit.

'Yes. I do miss her, and Anna-Belle,' Margaret watched John out of the corner of her eye, she was pretending not to pay attention to him, but her ears were straining to hear him mutter to himself.

'If you wish to go I suppose that we should.'

'We?' Margaret sat up eagerly.

'Of course, I'm not going to leave you to travel to the countryside on your own. You do want me to, do you not?' John said, lying beside her and smiling.

'How much longer?' Margaret asked, she was quite impatient to get to the house that Watson had taken up for Fanny. It had been two weeks since her conversation with John, he had needed that time to prepare for his short week's leave from the mill.

'We should not be long now. You are as impatient as a child.'

'I must admit, I did not think I would long for green pastures. I had not realized how gray Milton is,' Margaret mused. During these past months of her marriage there had been so many happy moments that the monotone scenery that Milton offered had become the least of her issues.

'I am sorry,' John tensed up beside her.

'For what?'

'For making you leave your paradise.'

'London was not my paradise. And I had long since left Helstone. I did — I do love it. But I think I traded the fantasy of my childhood attachments for something that is much stronger than that,' Margaret reached out to hold John's hand. She could feel him relax immediately and was pleased with the effect she had on him.

'Sometimes it is still difficult for me to believe that I have had such good fortune to have you as my wife. I, a mill owner.'

'Perhaps it is I that has been the fortunate one.'

One hour later they had arrived at the border hedges of the property.

'We have arrived.'

Margaret could hardly suppress a smile as she peered outside the carriage windows, the first signs of spring were beginning to show here and the bright sun promised warmth. She felt as if she were a child returning to Helstone for a month. 'It's lovely.'

'Do you think Fanny will be happy then?'

'I certainly hope so. I know I would be quite content.'

'You do not miss the noise of the mill?'

'Perhaps I will find it difficult to sleep without the soothing humming of the mill,' Margaret smiled back at John, who also seemed to be refreshed from the amount of sunlight that they were experiencing.

A servant escorted them inside the cozy house. Fanny was not in the drawing room when they entered. The curtains were open wide to let in the sunlight, and the sofas were arranged in such a manner that the sun would warm its occupants.

'You like it then,' John said as they took the seats nearest the windows.

'Yes.'

'You would not be unhappy spending a few years here?'

'Under the appropriate circumstances I think I would be quite happy,' Margaret placed one hand on her abdomen and took John's hand with another.

He leaned in closer to her. 'Many of the houses that I had looked at are not far from here. Would I be asking too much if I asked for us to visit them while we are here?'

Margaret could feel her throat constricting. Had this been his intention of accompanying her?

'I have come up with some ideas. This is not too far from Milton, a distance easily traveled within a day. The mill is faring quite well. And I have been training one of my overseers to fulfill many of the tasks I see to everyday. I would only need to return to Marlborough Mills every so often.'

Margaret could see that he was trying his best to please her. That he had put some thought into fixing this situation. And now that she thought about it, the distance was not as far as she had felt it to be in her excitement to arrive.

'I would like to see these houses,' she finally agreed. She knew that this was one step towards a resolution.

'Thank you. And you know that I do not want to leave you longer than is necessary.'

'I know.'

'Margaret!' Fanny entered the room. 'I feel as if I have not seen you in ages. How was the trip?'

'Quite well thank you.'

'So John, what news has Watson sent with you?'

'He is thinking of visiting next month.' Margaret glanced between John and Fanny, whose happy façade had fallen at the news.

'That is perfect. But enough about him, I have both of you here,' Fanny comforted herself. Margaret's thoughts could not help but turn to the idea of another woman. Another problem, and for a moment she looked at John, thinking of the possibility.

A/N: Would it be terrible of me to ask for reviews? *grovels*