Thank you all so much for your kind words and encouragements. I am very happy to give you another chapter so quickly. I just hope to keep his momentum going. I hope you enjoy this chapter and if you do, please feel free to let a review. I do love the feedback. x
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Margaret spent the rest of the day tending to her mother and otherwise keeping to herself. Nicholas had left to speak with Mr Thornton soon after their conversation and Margaret had stayed to help Mary for a while. She was a sweet girl and Margaret suggested that she could earn some extra money running errands for her parents. She knew that Dixon would be happy for the help as well.
By midday, Margaret was just opening her book to read when she heard a knock on the door and Dixon's bustling footsteps. She inclined her ear to try to discern who it might be, but she couldn't make out anything from her position in her room. Her curiosity got the better of her and she closed the book and walked quietly out into the hall. The sounds of Dixon puffing up the stairs were clear, but there was another set of footsteps behind her.
Margaret continued up the hallway as Dixon reached the top of the stairs, revealing Mr Thornton walking behind her. The butterflies went into a frenzy in her stomach and she swallowed thickly.
'Mr Thornton for you, Miss,' Dixon announced and then immediately turned to descend the stairs. 'I'll make some tea'.
There was complete silence between them for several seconds. It seemed that in that moment, neither one of them could find the bravery to speak.
'W-would you like to sit in the parlour?' Margaret asked softly.
Mr Thornton nodded.
She led the way through the doorway to the small sitting room. The tension in the air was palpable and Margaret's body was stiff as she took a seat on one of the lounges.
'I did not expect to see you again so soon,' Mr Thornton observed as he took a seat in an armchair nearby.
'I did not expect to be here,' she confessed.
'It seemed as though you were retreating when you left for London'.
Margaret sighed quietly and kept her eyes down on her hands that rested in her lap. 'Perhaps I was'.
'Why?'
She lifted her eyes to look at him. 'I had to,' she whispered.
'What you did was foolish,' he murmured, and Margaret recoiled slightly, 'but I am very grateful'.
'You do not need to be grateful,' Margaret shook her head softly. 'I asked you to go'.
'And you would've gone yourself if I didn't,' he growled.
Margaret did not say a word as Mr Thornton sighed.
'Forgive me, I have a temper as I'm sure you're aware,' he stood up from his chair and began pacing about the room.
'Mr Thornton, you seem troubled. What is bothering you so?'
He took a deep breath and turned to face her from his position across the room. 'I came here for a reason, Mrs Lennox…' he frowned and paused a for a moment to collect himself. 'I know that this will most likely cause me more misery than not, but I cannot go on without knowing…' he trailed off as the sounds of footsteps met their ears and Dixon arrived with a small tea tray.
Margaret thanked her for the tea and poured it with shaking hands. Dixon left again and Margaret was very aware of Mr Thornton's gaze on her face as she poured his cup. As she moved to hand him the cup, he reached out and took her gently by the wrist. His sudden proximity caused her stomach to flip and she inhaled sharply.
'I know that I am presumptuous, and I have no right to ask, but I will. Had things been different and we had met before Lennox…would you have…'
Margaret closed her eyes for a moment as John trailed off. 'What good would answering that question do for either of us?' she whispered.
'Margaret'—
'Mr Thornton,' she cut him off quietly, 'You are young and very eligible. Do not waste your time on impossible things. I have a husband, and whether I am happily married is unfortunately not the point. He is the man I pledged myself to and that cannot be undone, no matter what anyone may wish'.
Her words echoed in his head as silence overcame them. He wanted to take her in his arms and tell her the true depth of his feelings. He wanted to run away with her and never look back. In all his years he had never felt so out of control. He felt like a foolish child.
The sound of the door opening again downstairs caused him to slowly release her hand. She could see the defeat on his face as he turned to the window.
'Margaret?' called a cheerful, male voice.
Margaret's stomach dropped.
'Margaret?' the voice called again as he ascended the stairs quickly.
'I am here,' she called back a little hoarsely.
Moments later, Henry emerged into the room, only to stop at the door. His eyes moved from Margaret to John and then back again.
'I'm sorry, am I interrupting?'
Margaret stepped forward. 'No, of course not. Henry, I'd like to introduce you to Mr Thornton. Mr Thornton, this is my husband Henry Lennox'.
She saw the recognition dawn on Mr Thornton's face and then gone was the vulnerability she had only seen moments before.
'Pleasure to meet you,' he recited, extending a hand.
'The pleasure is mine,' Henry smiled and whilst he still eyed the two of them with an unreadable expression, he continued to converse politely with Mr Thornton.
Margaret was silent as Henry asked some questions about Mr Thornton's work and the latter in turn answered everything as politely, but concisely as possible.
'Well then,' Henry nodded along with what Mr Thornton had just finished saying. 'I suppose we may have a chance to continue this conversation this evening'.
'This evening?' Mr Thornton queried with raised eyebrows.
'Yes, I've got some business with a Mr Latimer here in Milton and I have been invited to a gentlemen's dinner this evening. I was under the impression that masters were often in attendance?'
Mr Thornton nodded slowly. 'Yes, that is true, although we might be a bit unpolished for a London gentleman such as yourself'.
'Of course not,' Henry was still smiling, but his smile did look a little strained. 'Until this evening then'.
'Until this evening,' Mr Thornton nodded. His head turned back towards Margaret and she tried to show her apology with her eyes as he tilted his head to her. 'Good afternoon Mrs Lennox'.
Margaret bowed her head. 'Good afternoon Mr Thornton'.
After they had heard the door close behind him, Henry turned to Margaret, who was sipping from her cup of tea.
'What did he want?'
Margaret looked a little taken aback. 'Mr Thornton is a pupil of father's, and a very respectable man. He has helped my parents a great deal with settling here and he is a good friend. He often calls upon us here'.
'I'm surprised that a tradesman would value lessons in philosophy,' Henry scoffed as he picked up the spare teacup and poured himself a cup. 'Men who live for money don't often think of such things'.
'Then I suppose he isn't one of those men,' Margaret replied coolly. 'I am surprised at your accepting the invitation if you did not wish to mingle with tradesmen. This is after all an industrial town'.
Henry nodded. 'I confess, they would not be my first choice of company, but Mr Latimer insisted, and I thought I'd better oblige him'.
Xxx
Later that evening Mr Thornton sat alone in his office trying to bury himself in work. Margaret's words had continued to echo in his mind since she had uttered them. She could never be his, which he already knew, and yet it cut deeper every time he heard it in his mind.
The evening had been uneventful and dull as far as John was concerned. He heard the same complaints from the other masters and had the same responses. Mr Lennox had been a diverting addition for some of them as his ignorance when it came to business was quite remarkable. John would have been amused too, had it not been for the overwhelming feelings of jealously that overcame him when he beheld that man. That man who had everything he wanted and yet undervalued what he had.
Still, Mr Lennox had not been altogether unpleasant company, and took it upon himself to befriend most of the men. If Mr Thornton had not known about Margaret, he would perhaps even find the man tolerable.
Xxx
The days that followed were quiet ones. Henry spent most of his time away from the house as was the usual. Mary would come and go regularly to fetch things and help Dixon. Margaret herself spent some time in the kitchen with Dixon. Despite never needing to do anything of the sort in London, she enjoyed having the knowledge of such things. It helped her feel useful and not quite so dependent on others to survive.
Fanny Thornton had sent a note for Margaret on their third day in Milton to announce her engagement to a Mr Watson. Margaret had no idea that Fanny had ever even met such a man, but she was pleased for her, nonetheless. Fanny was sweet when she wanted to be, but Margaret had long seen how spoilt and shallow she really could be. In marrying Watson, who was undoubtedly fabulously wealthy, Fanny would be able to have all the things that Mr Thornton was too sensible to allow her.
When Margaret had first read the note, she had to laugh a little. Fanny had not bothered to write a word to Margaret since the riot and yet she knew to send word of her impending marriage immediately. Still, Margaret wished her well. A loveless marriage was something that she would not wish on anyone.
She did not have direct contact with Fanny until two weeks later, when Margaret ran into her whilst shopping for fabric. The young blonde woman shrieked excitedly and showed Margaret her enormous ring. Mr Watson was an older, gentlemanly man, if not a little plain, but Fanny assured Margaret of his great wealth.
A week after that, Henry left for London again and Margaret felt as though a weight had been lifted. Of course, she still avoided Mr Thornton when possible and her mother was still ill, but there was still freedom to be had.
It pleased her that Mr Thornton continued his lessons with her father, and she would make herself as scarce as possible during these times to prevent his discomfort. This was relatively successful until one evening when Margaret was curled up in the parlour reading and her father and Mr Thornton came to join her.
'Oh no, please don't trouble yourself,' Mr Hale assured her as Margaret made to gather her things, 'I was hoping that you might join us in our discussion'.
'Oh?'
'Yes,' Mr Hale nodded enthusiastically and turned to Mr Thornton. 'Margaret has been reading so much recently that I believe she'd make a better teacher than I would at this point'.
Mr Thornton smiled, and Margaret blushed. 'Oh no father, you are exaggerating. I have merely a had a lot of time to myself with little else to do'.
'Nonsense,' Mr Hale proclaimed as he gestured for John to take a seat. 'Let me just fetch that volume I was talking about and we can continue'.
Without another word he left the two of them sitting in silence. Margaret continued to read for a moment, but her eyes continued to flicker to Mr Thornton, who was watching the fire intently.
'I am sorry if we are disturbing you,' he spoke up after some time. 'Your father was adamant we include you'.
Margaret smiled softly more to herself than anything. 'It is quite alright, Mr Thornton. As you can see, I wasn't doing anything important'.
'Perhaps he will make a scholar out of you yet,' he replied in a serious tone, but Margaret could see the smirk on his lips.
'That I cannot imagine,' she mirrored his smile.
Their eyes locked again from across the room and Margaret realised after some time that neither of them was looking away. It wasn't until the sounds of her father returning reached her ears that she looked away, her cheeks burning.
Even as Mr Hale distracted them both with talks of philosophy and history, Margaret could not help but think of their exchange with shame. No married woman should behave so familiarly with a man who wasn't her husband. Still, the conversation was interesting, and Margaret participated happily until Dixon came with a request from her mother to see her.
Mrs Hale was not getting any better. The colour was gone from her handsome face and her breathing was becoming more laboured than ever. Margaret knew that her mother was not long for the world and she only hoped that Fredrick had gotten her letter and might visit before it was too late.
Xxx
Another week passed with more deterioration to Mrs Hale's condition. Margaret feared that she would leave them without seeing Fredrick or even hearing back from him. It wasn't until night fell and Margaret was sitting in the kitchen with a hot cup of tea, that there was a quiet knock at the door. Margaret shared a confused look with Dixon before crossing to the door and carefully opening it.
Before her stood the shadowy figure of a man. She could not see much of him, other than the fact that he was dressed plainly with a hat darkening his facial features further.
'Is Mr Hale in?' he asked, and Margaret's heart leapt in her chest.
'Fred!' she gasped and pulled him inside. He embraced her warmly, both feeling the racing heart of the other. No sooner had they pulled apart when Mr Hale entered to enquire about the door.
The reunions were emotional, to say the least. Mr Hale wept tears of joy, while even in her weakened state, Mrs Hale positively sobbed. Margaret watched on happily as for the first time in years her family was whole again.
xxx
So there we are. Things are starting to get a little more complicated. I am already working on the next one, so hopefully the wait won't be very long :) Thanks again for your support!
