I'm back! Sorry for my absence. I didn't really go anywhere. It's not like I could if I wanted to these days. Anyway, with the current world situation, I've had more motivation to write. I haven't necessarily got more time, as I am a nurse in a nursing home and shifts are very plentiful, but I will try to keep this pumping out between work and uni work. Thank you guys for continuing to read this story and I apologise for the wait!

xxx

Two days after the Thornton's dinner party, Margaret made her way through the streets in the direction of Marlborough mills. Since she had discussed her leaving with Mr Bell, she felt resigned. Thus, she had spent the last two days preparing her things, spending time with her few good friends, and delaying her departure. It was that day that she finally resolved to not only tell Miss Thornton of her departure the following day and bid farewell to the man she longed not to leave.

The streets were far quieter than days previous, and she wondered what had become of the people. Even with the strike, there had always been someone in the street. The quiet was eerie for what was ordinarily such a bustling place, and Margaret pulled her shawl more closely around her as she walked.

By the time she reached the gates to Marlborough mills, she had scarce seen a single soul. She rushed through the gates and was just about to make her way across the open yard when hurried footsteps startled her.

She turned to see Mr Thornton himself, jogging in her direction. 'Mrs Lennox, what are you doing here?' he questioned earnestly.

'I've come to see Fanny,' she responded softly. 'Forgive me, but is something wrong?'

'I'm sorry that you had to be here for this moment,' he murmured as he rushed past her to close and bolt the door.

'Mr Thornton, what is'—

'Please, Mrs Lennox, you must get inside where you will be safe'.

Still incredibly confused, Margaret heeded the seriousness of his tone and did as he bid her. The door to the house burst open as she approached and Fanny emerged, gesturing wildly for her to hurry inside.

'Fanny, what is the matter?'

'It's the strikers. They're coming to the mill! They're going to kill us!'

'Calm yourself, Fanny,' Margaret urged as she closed the door behind them. 'I am sure they will do you no harm'.

'Mrs Lennox,' a voice called from above and Margaret looked up to see Mrs Thornton at the top of the stairs. 'You chose a most opportune moment to visit today'.

'I merely wished to see you all one last time before I depart for London tomorrow,' Margaret replied calmly.

'You're leaving Milton?' Fanny asked just as a series of loud bangs erupted from outside.

'Upstairs,' Mrs Thornton ordered, and Fanny shrieked in fear.

The two younger women followed her quickly and took position by a window to observe the yard below.

Margaret's heart was thumping in her chest as she scanned the space. Where was he? Would he be safe?

'How long does it take to secure those workers?' Fanny huffed. 'If those strikers catch him, they will tear him limb from limb!'

'Fanny!' Mrs Thornton chided. 'They will do nothing of the sort'.

'What workers?' asked Margaret.

Mrs Thornton looked as though she wasn't going to answer for a moment before sighing. 'Hands from Ireland. With the strike going on so, we thought it a better idea to fill the jobs the strikers abandoned'.

'I see,' Margaret murmured and went back to looking out the window. Down below, she saw Mr Thornton hurrying to the house entrance and heard a servant conversing with him as he ascended the stairs.

'Did you send word, John?' Mrs Thornton asked instantly. 'Are you soldiers coming?'

'Aye,' Mr Thornton nodded. 'They will be here soon'.

'Could you not try to talk them down?'

Mr Thornton's head turned to her and she was met with his intense gaze. 'What would you have me say to them that would calm them?'

'I don't know, but surely there's a better alternative to violence?' Margaret suggested hopefully.

At that moment, the doors to the yard burst open as a flood of angry workers came coursing into the yard. They watched as some of the men went straight for the doors to the mill.

'Will you speak to them?' Margaret asked again.

Mr Thornton did not respond, but his eyes did not leave her face. She could see the thoughts swirling in his head and knew that he was trying to think of the best course of action.

'I will go,' she whispered.

'You will not,' he hissed quietly and took a step towards her.

'If they get into that mill, there will only be more violence. I will go,' she repeated.

'You will not'. He stepped even closer and took hold of her arms. His tone was lower and more dangerous than she had ever heard it and her heart was in her throat. 'I will'.

Margaret was shaking slightly as he slowly released her arms. As he went to move past her, she caught hold of his forearm. His eyes widened a little in confusion.

'Be careful, Mr Thornton,' she begged with soft eyes.

He turned and made his way out of the room.

Margaret's face burned brightly with colour as she took a moment to compose herself. The other two women were not so far away to have missed the exchange between them and she had no doubt of Mrs Thornton's thoughts when she met her hard eyes. She did not speak, but Margaret knew that were they not with Fanny, there would have been something said. It was after all, highly improper for a married lady to be so familiar with another gentleman.

As she observed the exchange between Mr Thornton and the angry mob, Margaret's heart sank. She wished only for there to be no violence, yet as she watched a man bend down to pick up a stone, she knew there was little hope for peace.

Fuelled by the same recklessness that had caused her to seize Mr Thornton's arm, she hurried out of the room and down the stairs. A servant tried to stop her as she strode purposefully towards the door, but she could not be stopped. She burst through the front entrance and out to where so many voices were attempting to be heard over one another.

'Stop! Please stop!' she cried to the crowd and Mr Thornton whirled around in bewilderment. 'How does this achieve anything? The soldiers are coming. Go back to your homes and this can be resolved peacefully'.

'Are you going to send the Irish home?' one man yelled to cries of agreement from others.

'Never!' Thornton yelled back with surprising ferocity that only made the men angrier.

'Please, this does not need to happen!' Margaret cried.

Mr Thornton turned to her. 'You need to go inside'.

'I will not. You cannot be here alone'.

'Please, Mrs Lennox, this is not safe for a woman,' he gestured to the door behind them.

'It is no safer for a lone man,' she retorted as he attempted to shepherd her in.

'Please, Mrs Lennox,' he hissed and took her wrists in his hands.

'I will not,' she shook her head and threw her arms up to stop him from pulling her away. They found purchase on his shoulders and their change in proximity was immediately apparent to them both.

'Margaret'—

Margaret felt a sudden sharp pain strike her temple and her vision went black. In that moment she had no idea where she was, and then she succumbed to unconsciousness.

xxx

When she finally awoke again, she was laying on a soft surface and cool breeze was fluttering across her face. Where could she possibly be?

Opening her eyes slowly, the first thing she noticed was Fanny in front of her, fanning her gently.

'Goodness, Mrs Lennox, I thought you'd never wake up'.

'I'm quite alright,' Margaret murmured groggily as she sat up.

'Don't move too much,' Fanny shrieked. 'Mama has gone for the doctor. You must rest'.

'Truly Fanny, I am alright,' Margaret assured her. 'Just a little worn out'.

'Fetch some water,' Fanny called to one of the servants. 'The doctor will still need to see you'.

'How did I get up here?' Margaret asked quietly.

Fanny pursed her lips. 'John carried you. A little improper of him, but I suppose that wasn't the only improper behaviour today'.

'Fanny'—

'She's up here,' the voice of Mrs Thornton carried up the stairs. She emerged moments later with a man in tow.

'I assure you, I am perfectly well,' Margaret insisted as the doctor knelt in front of her and had her turn her check to him.

As it turned out, she was correct in her claim and the doctor only cleaned the small wound and prescribed rest as her treatment. This was a great relief to Margaret, as she wished nothing more than to be away from those whose eyes were undoubtedly judging her.

As she gathered her shawl and purse, she turned back to the ladies once more before taking her leave.

'I only came to say my goodbyes. I am leaving for London tomorrow and I've been very grateful for your kindness and hospitality. Not only to myself but to my parents as well'.

Mrs Thornton nodded stiffly. 'While I'm sure that you will be in no hurry to return to this smoky place, rest assured that we will endeavour to extend every kindness to your parents, so much as they will accept it'.

'Yes, and you'll have to come back,' Fanny stepped forward to took one of Margaret's hand. 'Truly, there is so much more I wish to talk about. Perhaps I may even come to London sometime'.

The look on Mrs Thornton's face told Margaret that such a thing was unlikely to occur, despite Fanny's wishes. She bid the two of them goodbye and made her way out of the house. Whilst the strikers were gone, the streets had more life than they'd had earlier. Curious faces were peeking out of doorways while others were restoring the order to things that had been disturbed by the crowd.

Out across the yard, Margaret's eyes caught sight of a tall figure calling out orders to some workmen as they worked together to tidy up some of the mess. She secured her shawl around her and moved hastily in the direction of the exit. She could not speak to him. Her actions had betrayed her feelings and she knew not what he would think of her.

She paused before the gateway and could feel his eyes on her before she looked. His expression went from confusion to concern and he began to move in her direction. Fear shot through her and she hurried out of the yard and out into the streets.

He did not follow her. This gladdened her, as she did not need him to be involved any further in the gossip, she was sure she had already elicited by witnesses. Despite her heart's wish, they were not to be, and she would not have his reputation in tatters on account of her recklessness.

Xxx

She was gone. This same thought plagued John's mind as he made his way to the Hale residence the next afternoon. She wouldn't be back for quite some time, he imagined. That lovely, fearless creature was gone. He brought his hand to the place where she hand seized his arm for perhaps the hundredth time that day and remembered the warmth. Her earnest tone and her flushed cheeks. Oh, she was so beautiful. Despite his inner demons telling him otherwise, he did feel in that moment that she cared for him.

He was let into the house by Dixon as usual and was told that Mr Hale would be with him shortly. Standing silently in the foyer, he couldn't help but glance up the stairs in the direction of the bed chambers. He remembered the layout of the house from his original inspections for the Hales and he was certain he knew which room was hers. The temptation to venture there was almost too much, and only the sounds of Mr Hale approaching tore his thoughts from it.

'John,' Mr Hale greeted. 'I'm glad to see you looking well after yesterday. I half expected you'd be too busy for our lesson today'.

Mr Thornton smiled. 'I find myself in need of distraction'.

Mr Hale beamed back at him. 'As do I, my good fellow. The mood of the house is not the same now. I suppose you know that Margaret has gone back to London?'

'Yes, I did hear that. I suppose she was needed back in London. Not that it's any of my business'.

'I suppose so,' Mr Hale said with a sigh, offering John the chair opposite him. 'I'm a flawed man, John, as I'm sure you're aware, but if there's one thing I regret in my life, it's agreeing to let my daughter leave us'.

Mr Thornton leant back in his chair and raised his eyebrow a little in surprise. 'Did you not condone the match?'

'Well, I had no reason to truly object. Henry is a respectable man, as far as any lawyer I've met can be. He had as much chance to make her happy as any other man, yet now I see my child suffering'.

There was a pause while John tried to think of something to say. He longed to tell Mr Hale how he truly felt about his daughter. How he could have happily been his son. How he too wished that this man had never married Margaret.

'I'm sorry to burden you with this, John,' Mr Hale continued with a frown on his brow. 'I know it's not what you came here to hear'.

Mr Thornton smiled softly at that. 'I consider you a good friend, Richard. You've listened to my stories with patience. I'm happy to return that favour when needed'.

Mr Hale returned his smile. 'You're a good man, John. Now, back to what we were discussing last week…'

xxx

So, stuff happened. I finally found my notes again for this story while I was trying to blindly remember the things I wanted to include. Things should pick up a bit after this as we'll get more Henry and just general action. Thanks again for reading. Stay posted for the next chapter ;)