A/N: Beware, I like to mix and match history. Therefore, whereas, some of the things or events I describe are historical fact I may alter their chronology to fit my story.

….oOo….

When it was time to return home for the evening John took this precious relic of his future bride and placed it in his Gladstone bag. He typically only used this bag when attending meetings with his banker or other occasions when he was required to bring official paperwork along with him. Therefore, it might seem a little strange for him to bring this bag home and take it to his room, but it was the only means at hand with which he could conceal and transport his newfound treasure.

His mother, of course, was in her usual perch at the drawing room window as he strode home across the mill yard, his leather bag in hand. He could see the question on her face before he even entered the house. John was never good at lying to his mother, but he certainly couldn't tell her the truth now.

She met him at the top of the stairs. He greeted her with a kiss on her cheek.

"Good evening, mother," said he.

"Good evening, son John," she replied, plucking cotton fibers from the sleeve of his coat, "Why the portmanteau?"

Reaching up to brush away the cotton fluff himself, John also petulantly brushed away his mother's hand. Now that he had one in mind, he no longer wished his mother to perform such personal tasks as were befitting a wife.

Not quite meeting her eye, he dissembled, "I have a meeting with Latimer later in the week that I must prepare for." This was said in as even a tone of voice as he could muster.

His mother was slightly offended by his brush off and she was suspicious. She knew he wasn't being forthright. As usual he had informed her of his upcoming business schedule, and she knew well there was no meeting with Latimer in the near future. However, Hannah Thornton recognized it was not her place to question the bread winner of her family. Instead, she filed away his odd behavior for future contemplation.

John quickly ascended the stairs to his bedroom. Once safely inside his inner sanctum, he removed the prized boot and, cradling it close to his heart, he caressed it lovingly. Gently placing it in a cabinet where he kept valuables, he locked it away.

He came back down in time for dinner with his mother and sister. As usual, the family discussed the happenings of the day which, more often than not, meant that Fanny would prattle on and on about the friends she met, or her trip to the haberdashers, or whatever trumpery she purchased, with his money, at the draper's shop, or some other such nonsense.

However, tonight would be different.

"Fanny?" interjected her brother when she was in the middle of an expose on the color mauve, which was the dernier cri, "What type of shoes are in vogue these days?"

He began with this line of enquiry, hoping to find that the lady in question was one of Fanny's acquaintances. That would make it rather convenient for him to meet with her once again.

This question, however, surprised both ladies of the party so much that they sat there and blinked at him for a few seconds. Finally, Fanny, thinking he must be asking about men's shoes replied, "The slippers in fashion for men these days are black and trimmed with black flat bows or black ribbon rosettes."

"I'm sorry," replied John, before she could go on any further, "I meant boots."

"Oh!" said Fanny, "Well, if you are interested in boots, patent leather is all the rage now. And as men don't ride horses as often as they used to, with the advent of trains and the ubiquity of carriages, men's boot heels are now lower. Which is an advantage for you, John, since you are tall enough as it is."

John was forced to apologize once more, "Sorry, dear Fanny, I was asking about women's boots."

"Well then," said Fanny, settling in for a conversation on a topic she was quite passionate about. For when has there been a time in all of history that women were not obsessive about shoes? "There are opera boots," she continued, "and Juliets or carriage boots, then there are Adelaides and Barrettes. Balmoral boots, like mine, have become quite popular since the Queen likes them." This launched Fanny into a recitation of all the lovely boots she saw at the local souter and which of her gowns would go best with this or that pair.

After about a quarter of an hour, and a growing ache between John's temples, she finally slowed down enough for John to get a word in edgewise. He asked more specifically about women's leather walking boots.

As these were a matter of practicality, his mother knew more about walking boots than any of the aforementioned footwear. Therefore, both mother and daughter were able to give him a tutorial in current styles of women's walking boots.

"But what about elastic in the boots?" he asked.

Neither lady had heard of such a thing, so he attempted to explain. The boots of which he spoke had rubber gussets seemingly to allow ease in donning and doffing the footwear.

Now they were curious as to where John had come up with this idea. He certainly couldn't make up a story about one of his hands having elasticized boots, as it seemed they were some new invention, and likely expensive. He had to fabricate another story.

"I saw them somewhere and now I can't remember. That is why I am asking. You know me," he added with a smirk, "I thought it was an innovative idea and it caught my eye - so to speak," he added the last three words under his breath. "It must have been some catalogue or newspaper in which I saw the boot - I mean pair of boots." He attempted to cover his blunder but neither lady seemed to notice.

The ladies commented on the sensibleness of the invention but assured him that they had never seen such a shoe nor did anyone they knew own such a pair. John was dismayed.

The conversation devolved into Fanny's plans for the next few days. It seemed she had numerous friends who wished to get together for tea.

As John's mind chewed on her words, a thought came to him. While Fanny had not seen any such boots, there was still a chance that the lady was an acquaintance of hers.

"Fanny," he said, "why don't you invite your friends to have tea here?"

Fanny was shocked into silence for the second time that evening. His mother nearly fell out of her chair. John was acting very strange indeed. First the leather bag, then the inquisition on footwear, and now asking Fanny to invite her friends to tea!

The two ladies looked at each other, mouths agape. Mother nodded at daughter, and she gratefully accepted her brother's suggestion. Glancing again at one another, the women of the household knew they must wait until they were alone to discuss John's odd behavior.

….oOo….

A few days later, the Hales had settled the particulars themselves with the landlord in Crampton and began moving into their new home. Margaret helped Dixon get her mother settled while her father unpacked his own things. By the time she got to her own room it was all she could do to change into a night gown and collapse on the bed.

The next day dawned bright and early for Margaret. She stretched languidly in her bed, a smile upon her lips. Like every other night since first seeing him, she had spent most of the previous one dreaming of a certain tall dark and handsome man with piercing blue eyes. She would never forget the moment she saw him for the rest of her life. She had never felt that way in the presence of a man before and she wondered what it meant.

In the days since she had first seen him, her mind often wandered to the imposing figure dressed in black. When she was out and about, she continually scanned the people around her, hoping to catch a glimpse of the tall mill master. But alas she had not seen him.

As she pushed down her blankets and swung her feet to the floor, however, the reality of her situation struck her. The dreamy thoughts of her handsome man vanished in an instant.

Her room was cold. A fire in her own apartment was a luxury they could not afford and if she wanted hot water for her morning ablutions, she would have to fetch it herself. Dixon, her mother's loyal lady's maid, was stretched to her limits. Her duties toward her ailing mistress coupled with shouldering all the kitchen work, occupied all her time.

Margaret wondered enviously if the handsome mill master had a wife. If he did, she was certain the fortunate lady would not have to fetch her own bath water, or darn her own stockings, or do any of the myriad of tasks that were now Margaret's lot. Oh, how she longed for the South, with its slow days of careless ease, or the opulence and luxury of her aunt's home in London.

Maybe she should have accepted the offer of marriage she had received from the promising London barrister – her cousin Edith's brother in law – Henry Lennox. She could have been happily settled near Edith by now.

No, she was fairly sure she had made the right decision. She would not have been happy in London as Henry's trophy wife and Edith's puppet. And to be sure, what would her parents have done without her?

She would just have to make do with what she had. Any dreams of a handsome prince and a happily ever after were simply that – dreams.

….oOo….

On top of all of her other work, Dixon also set herself the task of engaging an under-maid, but as yet there wasn't anyone within a radius of 50 miles who was remotely suitable to wait on the family hand and foot.

They could hear of no girl to assist her; all were at work in the factories; at least, those who applied were well scolded by Dixon, for thinking that such as they could ever be trusted to work in a gentleman's house.

"I'll sit, if you don't mind," said one candidate upon entering the Hale's kitchen to interview for the position.

"Hm," Dixon looked her over disapprovingly. A girl in her position, seeking work, should never take a seat unless invited. "You'll be expected to be well up before the family to light the fires," she informed the prospective maid.

"I'm sorry," the young woman replied rudely, "I'm not getting up at five in the morning. And I'm not working for those wages. I can get four shillings as a piecer at Hamper's."

Margaret sat with her mother in the drawing room, darning the hole in her stockings, when they heard the kitchen door burst open and the offended girl march toward the exit.

"I'll come and go as I please! And I don't need no bossy, jumped-up servant to tell me what's what and how to behave! You can keep your rotten job!"

They heard the front door close with a slam.

"Me, a servant, indeed!" said Dixon in a huff, as she climbed the stairs to complain to her mistress of of the behaviour of these would-be servants.

When she was done with her diatribe, Margaret proclaimed, "I will help you."

"You, Miss Margaret?" replied Dixon, "In the kitchen?"

"Yes. Me," Margaret reaffirmed, "I can learn to starch and iron, and I will until we find suitable help."

When Dixon finally gave up the search, it fell to Margaret's share to have to look out for a servant to assist her.

Margaret accordingly went up and down to butchers and grocers, seeking for a nonpareil of a girl, as well as the tall figure of a man; and lowering her hopes and expectations every week, as she found the difficulty of meeting with any girl in a manufacturing town who did not prefer the better wages and greater independence of working in a mill, and the impossibility of catching another glimpse of her mystery man.

In the meantime, Margaret helped around the house, looking forward to the day when they might find a maid to take up the work instead, and she might have some leisure time with which to pursue her dreams.

….oOo….

A/N: The first Gladstone bag was designed and manufactured by J G Beard at his leather shop in the City of Westminster. The patent for "An Improvement In The Frames Of Traveling Bags" was registered by Edward Cole on 4 February 1854 and sealed 14 July 1854. (Wikipedia)

I understand the color, mauve was not invented until 1856.

My information on 19th century footwear came from an article titled "Nineteenth Century Boots" on the blog "History of Boots" on Blogspot. E.g., Boots for women became more elaborate from the 1850s onwards, partly due to the introduction of machinery. The Bustle dress allowed more opportunity to reveal the feet. Shoes became more fanciful and elasticised boots were worn for daytime wear, where at night leather slippers were preferred for formal wear. (Bigelow MS 1970 Fashion in history apparel in the western world Minneapolis: Burgess Publishing Co Black, J. Anderson and Garland, Madge A History of Fashion. Orbis Publishing, Ltd., 1975).