Thank you for all your reviews and comments on the previous two installments! John and Margaret are an amazing couple, and it's so much fun to get to see their developing romance with all of you! I love hearing what you think of each character and your guesses about what will happen next. Please keep it coming! -Elaine

Chapter Two

Across town at approximately the same time, John Thornton, the stern and hardened master of Marlborough Mills, was unaware of eyes that rested on him.

Hannah Thornton, John's mother, had come to the mill that afternoon in order to bring her son something to eat. Thornton was so dedicated to his work that it was not unusual for him to work straight through the lunch hour without stopping, a habit Hannah found alarming, especially on days when he had not bothered with breakfast. So here she was, with her heavy basket on her arm. John would protest the interruption but she would insist. After that she might perhaps go 'round the floor of the factory and help her son by surveying the efforts of his laborers and resolving small matters that did not need his personal attention. But before she left John's office she was determined to tell John something she should have told him weeks ago. He would protest this as well but in the end her will would prevail. It always did.

As Hannah stood in the doorway of the mill office, watching, Thornton copied sums from one book of accounts into the pages of a larger ledger. This, she knew, was her son's way of tracking the finances of his business, recording all transactions twice and using the resulting sums to check for errors. It was an intelligent and thoroughly modern way to maintain financial records for a business enterprise, but it required concentration and careful attention to detail. She almost regretted interrupting him.

While Hannah watched, Thornton's brow furrowed and he drew a weary hand over his eyes, closing them briefly. He had been working without rest, she knew, since before sunrise. "John," she finally called, advancing into the room, "I have brought you your noon meal. Stop working for a few minutes and eat something.

Thornton looked up at his mother with an inscrutable expression. "I am not hungry."

"I insist that you eat. You had nothing for breakfast."

"I had to leave early so that I could supervise shipments going on the first train to Liverpool," Thornton countered, looking down at his books again. "I have no time to waste."

"What are you working on now?"

"I am reviewing the list of orders paid in the last two weeks and adding them to the sums in the general ledger. After that I will need to visit the bank to arrange a payment for the equipment we purchased last year."

"Will you be able to make the payment on time?" Money had been tight at Marlborough Mills ever since the strike that had ended late last summer. Thornton and the other masters of Milton had won the battle with their workers, but the cost to everyone had been immense.

He nodded tersely. "This month, yes. Next month we may not be so fortunate."

"Then you have done all you can for now. Put your books aside and eat. You cannot go without food for a month while you worry over something you cannot change."

Thornton heard the steel in his mother's voice and sighed, pushing the ledgers away from him. He knew she would not stop pressing her case until he gave in. And secretly he appreciated her fussing over him, in the same way a young boy complains at being told to stop playing but comes to the dinner table anyway.

Hannah sat heavily on the chair across from the massive desk as Thornton inspected the contents of the basket she handed over. She studied his face while he ate, wondering how to begin the conversation she knew he would find objectionable. It was probably best to start with something relatively simple and straightforward, nothing that would make him suspect her true motive for coming here today. "How is the mill doing, John?" she asked. "Have we recovered from the strike?"

"Yes- and no," he answered. "The mill is fully operational, as you know, with every loom in production. We have plenty of orders on hand. But some of our buyers have not been paying their bills on time, and the cost of cotton continues to rise. Our margins are thinner than ever before."

"You have a reserve of capital to see the business through hard times, do you not?" she probed. She was unaware of the specifics, but she knew the general outlines of how John had structured his business.

"The strike drew our reserves down considerably, and the rest of my capital is wrapped up in the new machinery. I was counting on maintaining a certain level of production in order to pay off the debt according to schedule, until the strike ruined that plan. But I think we have enough to see us through for now," Thornton answered. He hated giving Hannah any reason to worry. "We will get past this, Mother. All businesses go through their trying times. Now, tell me the real reason you came here today. I know you too well. You could have sent a servant with the food." He smiled mischievously at her, daring her to contradict him.

Hannah acknowledged the truth of the statement with a small huff. She should have known she could not fool her son. "Fanny and her Mr. Watson are engaged."

"Truly?" John raised an eyebrow as he looked at his mother, wondering why his mother had hesitated to share this with him.

"Fanny told me about it last night. No doubt Watson will speak to you later today for your consent. It is a good, sensible match, one that will do our family proud."

"Are you sure?"

"Watson is older than your sister but he is well established in life. He will be able to provide for her, and he seems to be genuinely fond of her. He will do very well for our Fanny."

Thornton considered this briefly. "How does Fanny feel about him?"

"She is pleased with herself at being able to secure such an eligible suitor."

"That does not answer my question. Is she attracted to Watson, or to his purse?"

Hannah stiffened, raising her chin imperceptibly. "Fanny has always known it is her responsibility to pair herself with someone who can add stability and security to the family." Hannah paused. "At least she is not averse to performing her duty for the Thornton name." She leveled a stern look at her son.

Thornton set down the teacup he was holding. "Mother!"

"John, it is time you followed your sister's example and found someone you can marry."

He sat up straight, looking at his mother incredulously. So this was the reason for her visit today. "You said you were dreading the day that I marry and you have to give way to another woman!"

"I do dread that, in some ways," she admitted. "But I will not be selfish with you. I would rather see you settled with someone who makes you happy than spending your days pining away after someone not worthy of you, someone who cannot possibly begin to appreciate the man you are- that Hale girl!"

Thornton winced as the words hit home. His late hours in the office, his restless nights and uneasy days had not gone unnoticed. Hannah knew that he had not been able to get Margaret Hale out of his mind, even months after she rejected him. What was worse, she had broken their vow never to mention her name between them ever again. "I am not pining away for Miss Hale, mother!" he said tersely.

"You have not been yourself since the day she rejected you, and it is time you put her aside," Hannah continued, relentless. "You could have your pick of any girl in town. Amy Latimer, for instance. She seems amiable enough and she lights up whenever you are around. And her father is a banker. You could do much worse."

Thornton looked at his mother indignantly. "I will not marry a woman simply to bolster our family fortunes!"

"Of course not. But you are not getting any younger. You should do as Fanny has done. Find someone who is fond of you, someone suitable whom you can respect and admire in return. In time affection will surely grow."

Thornton's hands tightened as he unconsciously gripped the edge of the desk. A sharp, almost physical pain stabbed his heart as the image of Margaret's face, with its ethereal beauty, came unbidden to his mind. Affection? Respect? He felt so much more than that for her. He felt devotion, passion, and a desperate need to worship at her feet. He wanted to love her, to give her everything inside him and to see inside her heart as well. He had no interest in an affection that might grow over time, when love had already consumed his soul.

"Your sister will be married in six weeks. I want you to promise me that you will find someone to escort to her wedding, someone you could consider marrying when the time is right."

John kept his voice low, controlled. "I will make no such promise."

"Not even for my sake?" Hannah leaned forward in her chair. Disappointing his mother was one of John's deepest fears, and she was not averse to playing on that fear now. "It would relieve my mind to know that you are at least trying to move on. I want to see you happy. Will you not do this thing for me?"

Thornton closed his eyes, trying to block Margaret's face from his mind. His mother was relentless once her mind was made up. Better to let her think she had won a small victory than continue to battle with her. Besides, perhaps she was right. The best way to exorcise Margaret from his mind might be to fix his attentions on someone new. He let the corners of his mouth quirk up as opened his eyes and looked back at Hannah.

"Very well, Mother. As soon as my schedule permits I will call on Miss Latimer, and I will ask her if I may escort her to the wedding. In the meantime, I have work to do. Give Fanny my congratulations, and tell her not to bankrupt me at the draper's when she goes shopping for her wedding clothes!" Hannah nodded and gave a small, satisfied smile in return. She had won her point.

But a few minutes later, as Thornton watched his mother leave the room to go walk the factory floor, he clenched his fists tight in defiance. "When I marry," he whispered fiercely to himself, "if I marry, it will be for love and nothing less!"