A/N- So thanks for reviewing my story! It really encouraged me to write more, as this is my first fanfiction. I did take the advice of a quick update and a slightly longer chapter. Please read and review. Don't be afraid to offer some criticism just because I'm a newbie. I'm not overly sensitive, honest.
Ch.2- A Reputation
Edith could have kissed Mr. Bell when she heard the news. Margaret could have killed him for telling her. All week had been an unbearable parade of London's most eligible bachelors. How Edith had managed to fit four extravagant dinner parties and six social calls into the last five days Margaret would never understand. Edith still favored her brother-in-law to become Margaret's betrothed of course, but she was not about to put all her eggs in one basket. Besides, the introduction of fresh competition seemed to add a renewed vigor to their courtship. Or so she thought.
At the moment they were in the Harley Street drawing room on their seventh social call of the week. These social calls with aging spinsters seemed to fall into one of two formats. Either they came to Harley Street and blabbered on about their bright and promising sons who had as of yet failed to form a suitable attachment, or Edith and Margaret set off to visit the women in their homes and just as they were laying on a thousand praises for the male candidates the praised one would show up unexpectedly to retrieve something from the house or 'drop by' during an unrehearsed walk through the neighborhood.
Today was the former scenario and Lady Hawkins was working diligently to sell her son to the famous heiress while Margaret tried in vain to pay the minimal amount of attention required so as not to offend their guest. Luckily Edith interjected with an invitation to the Lady and her son for the fifth extravagant dinner party to be held that week at Harley Street. This was always Margaret's cue that she was no longer needed in the conversation. After all, Lady Hawkins had not come to survey the finer qualities of the women she sought for her son's fiancée. She was much more interested in the size of Mr. Bell's purse strings, which were comprehensively advertised throughout the county, and that her son might simply have an invitation to make acquaintance with this promising fortune.
Honestly Margaret had always thought that women would act shamelessly in pursuit of husbands for their daughters, but now that she was confronted with every desperate mother in all of London she could see that the shamelessness could just as easily be brought to the surface in the face of handsome dowry.
Margaret turned her attention to the window and began to drift into her private world of deep regret and longing. As she did this Lady Hawkins turned to Edith with the usual offended and bewildered expression, and Edith made the usual whispered apology about the recent loss of both parents. The woman nodded in understanding and began to make her excuses to leave when a servant came in to announce Mr. Bell and Margaret was suddenly awakened from her dreary pastime.
Margaret turned away from the window and smiled brightly at Mr. Bell as he entered the room. "What new acquaintance have you introduced my Margaret too?" Mr. Bell inquired of Edith as he looked to Lady Hawkins.
"Oh, Mr. Bell, this is Lady Hawkins. She and her son live not five miles from here. I was just inviting them to our little dinner party this evening" Edith said cheerily as she introduced the pair. Mr. Bell smiled wickedly at Margaret, quite amused at Edith's ferocity in the quest to torture his goddaughter with a never ending array of single men.
"Nice to make your acquaintance Lady Hawkins," Mr. Bell said with all the genuine airs of a true gentleman. Then he turned his attention to Edith. "I regret to inform you that I won't be able to dine with your party this evening. I have a business engagement that will take me away from all your lovely company for a couple of days," he explained cordially, "but I'm sure you will have the room filled with much younger men than I," he added with another of his wicked grins. Edith blushed at being so exposed in front of their new acquaintance but she did not deny the accusation and added only that he would be sorely missed.
With the niceties out of the way Mr. Bell crossed the room and asked if Margaret would join him on what was becoming a routine morning stroll. She hid the extreme relief at being thus saved from the torture of the social call, and excused herself readily to join Mr. Bell.
They set off down the road at a leisurely pace as Margaret inquired after Mr. Bell's health and he inquired after Frederick's case. After the oft repeated announcements that he had no painful troubles and Henry was working hard to exonerate Frederick Mr. Bell set into his usual bit of teasing.
"So what new accomplishments does Mr. Hawkins possess? Is he successful in business? Well-educated in the classics? A talented soldier? An amicable gentleman?"
"Oh Mr. Bell you know I can hardly keep up with all these ridiculous men Edith has foisted in front of me. Won't you please call off this charade? I'm begging you. She has taken your last request as her personal mission and will not rest until I have accepted the advances of some intolerable toad."
"Oh, come now Margaret, I've told you before I'm quite serious about this matter. Of course I will not force you to marry someone you find intolerable, but if I am unable to see you matched with someone who can provide you with the proper companionship I will die with regret. Please dear, do try to give them a chance."
Margaret sighed under the guilt of his entreaty. She did want to give him some peace but believed that the incessant attempt to find her a husband was misplaced to say the least.
"Mr. Bell I have told you," Margaret pleaded, "that there is not a man in all of London who could give me the companionship which you describe."
If only she knew how well he understood the meaning of that statement, she might not repeat it so freely.
"My dear please" Mr. Bell countered, anxious as he always was to pry some confession from her, "you know I do not wish to persecute you with Edith's barrage of unpleasant men, but I am hardly qualified to gauge the eligibility of suitors. Only name the lucky gentleman who could win over your affections and I will send for him at once. You know I would circle the globe to see you properly matched. There is no need to confine your search to London men."
At this part of what had become a routine exchange between the pair Margaret always fell silent. Mr. Bell would give her a few moments to compose her thoughts, hoping that she would finally give way and tell him the cause of her true heartache. She never did.
A sillier girl may have entertained the idea of using the opportunity to call after the man that haunted her thoughts. She might have given way to Mr. Bell's offer and gushed the details of the romance that might have been, hoping against all hope that the object of her affection would receive the letter with joy, and rush to her side eager to forgive all her past misjudgments. Margaret was many things, but a silly girl was certainly not one of them. She kept the silence as she always did until Mr. Bell turned the conversation to something shallow and light.
"Far too many gardens in London, and too few flowers. Don't you think my dear?"
"Indeed Mr. Bell. And far too many people with far too little purpose these days."
Margaret often made such comments; remembering fondly the small things she loved about Milton. The things she had taken for granted in her haste to overemphasize the misfortunes of the place. Such comments were lost on most of her company at Harley Street, but Mr. Bell understood them more than she knew. She would not overtly admit that the key to her happiness lay in Milton, but Mr. Bell could hear it well enough. He sighed and let the moment pass as he contemplated whether the other half of this untold secret might be more willing to confess.
Mr. Bell took his leave of Margaret that afternoon and she reluctantly retired to her bedroom where Dixon awaited her, anxious to prepare for yet another extravagant dinner party. Dixon was perhaps the only one who rivaled Edith in her amusement at Miss Margaret's predicament. It had been many a long year since she had waited on a mistress who received all the attention deserved of her gentle breeding. Dixon would chatter away fondly about the countless parties and suitors that surrounded the life of the young Maria. Margaret allowed her this familiarity. All the years of faithful service to her family had allowed her a certain privilege to speak of her late mistress as the dear friend she truly was.
Dixon busied herself with the ironing of another of Margaret's fine gowns before lunch. When Margaret came up from afternoon tea Dixon applied herself to the task of twirling ribbons through her soft curls.
"If only my mistress were alive to see you Miss Margaret. The talk of London society. Sought after by dozens of proper, decent gentleman."
Occasionally Margaret would stiffen at such remarks, recognizing them for the thinly veiled slights at Milton society that they were. Today she hardly noticed the insult, so deeply was she entranced by her memories of the society Dixon despised.
Dixon's remark that Margaret was "the talk of London society" was, if anything, an understatement. Edith's shameless inquiries into every single man of London combined with Mr. Bell's passing remarks to every business colleague and fellow scholar he could possibly meet had ensured that news of the sizeable dowry and indecent haste traveled throughout the entire county. Mr. Bell's efforts paid off when the shocking gossip about Miss Hale became the tittle-tattle of Milton. A former Milton resident, about to inherent a large fortune, and seeking to marry with what could only be described as indecent haste could hardly fail to captivate the minds of every gossip in town.
Mr. Thornton had heard of it of course, but he forbade any lengthy discussion of Miss Hale in his presence. He did not know the details and chose not to wonder at the idle gossip of strangers. Hearing her name whispered in the streets of Milton did send an eerie chill up his spine, but it was quite impossible that she should enter his thoughts any more than she already had, day and night, since she left Milton without looking back.
Mr. Thornton often found himself in those days intruding on the whispered conversations of mill workers. He assumed they were all concerned as to their fate, faced with the impending failure of Marlborough Mills. His was not the only mill to close in recent months. As work grew scarcer, men in need of it only became more plentiful. Little did Thornton know that the real object of their conversation rested on his own fate. Many a man who had seen their fateful embrace at the riot wondered why the master spent his days pouring over paperwork when his problems would be better solved by some time courting a certain heiress in London.
That evening the heiress descended the stairs at Harley Street, searching for his face with as much futile desperation as he sought to banish hers from his mind. Truth be told, she would have rebelled against Edith's matchmaking dinner's a long while ago if not for the small, almost imperceptible hope that a certain eligible bachelor of Milton might be one day included in them. Not as a candidate from Edith's list to be sure, but as a business associate of Mr. Bell's or an acquaintance of her friend Henry Lennox. Her hopes were dashed once again as he was nowhere to be found, and she repeated to herself again the cold words that kept her hope in line.
"I hope you realize that any foolish passion for you on my part is entirely over."
He had forgotten her. She should concentrate on following his example.
Margaret sighed as she surveyed the room one more time. It would not do to excuse herself from the dinner party when half the guests could see her there on the stairs. She mustered her courage and headed downstairs for another tedious evening of entertaining unattached men.
Henry came to meet her at the bottom of the stairs. He was the only company she could tolerate at these events. It certainly was not lost on any of the conspirators at Harley Street that the more men who sought her attentions, the more she clung to the companionship of Henry Lennox. They would escape the crowded dinner parties for a private stroll whenever Mr. Bell was unavailable to escort her. She would speak over any number of eligible bachelors to respond to one of Henry's passing comments.
Perhaps it was naïve, but Margaret took comfort in reuniting this old friendship. She truly thought that with her early refusal at Helstone she had buried any possibility of romance between them. If Margaret had thought for a moment that a gentleman might endeavor to propose a second time to a woman that had refused him, Henry Lennox would not have been the gentleman foremost in her mind.
Henry was pleasant company, as he had always been, and it was a relief to converse with someone who wasn't on Edith's list of possibilities. From time to time Henry would let slip some passing comment about Milton. Business occasionally took him to the manufacturing town, and it was the only subject about which Margaret truly wanted to hear. He had noticed how her face lit up whenever he talked of it, but he wrongly attributed this fascination to a misplaced love for the town where her parents had spent their last days. His comments about Milton were usually confined to shallow observations as to the weather, or prejudiced slights at the inhabitants, but Margaret remained grateful for any moment when the topic of conversation neared the subject of her every thought.
It is fair to say that Margaret was completely oblivious to Edith's stifled giggles every time she approached her brother in law, and she never gave a passing thought to the idea that Henry harbored any regard for her beyond a cordial friendship. It was for this reason that she was surprised at the eerily familiar feeling of their walk through the garden that evening.
"Well Miss Margaret, it seems you have again failed to be tempted by any of Edith's most eligible candidates for your affection."
Margaret was a little taken aback by his forward manner but she supposed for a man privy to some of her most guarded secrets as to Fred's whereabouts it was silly to hide from him the truths that all the world could see.
"You know that not a single gentleman on Edith's list of hopefuls could tempt me into a loveless marriage, regardless of how much comfort it might give my dear Mr. Bell in his last days."
Henry was emboldened by her honest statement. He took a couple of long strides ahead of her and turned to face her, blocking her path forward through the garden. The intensity of his manner made her nervous.
"So the man that could tempt you has been on your list long before your cousin's showering of dinner parties?"
Margaret blushed furiously and lowered her head in answer. Could he know the true source of her love for Milton? His next words served to snap her out of this demure stance with a start.
"Oh Margaret, I knew when I took on Frederick's case that it would bring us closer together, but I could not have foreseen how Mr. Bell's situation would awaken you to the realization that I am the only suitable match for you."
Margaret looked up suddenly in horror. "Excuse me Mr. Lennox. You are too forward." His Christian name seemed too familiar now.
She panicked as she took in the familiarity of the situation. The walk in the garden. The unwanted advance. But this time instead of startled embarrassment she felt a fury rising up within her. This was more than a simple misinterpretation of her feelings. She seethed at the realization that what she had interpreted as honest aid in her brother's case had been a calculating attempt to win her affection.
Henry was oblivious to her feelings as he often was. He saw only what he wished to see as he often did. He interpreted her rising passion as permission to speak more freely.
"My dear Margaret surely you must know that I took Frederick's case only as a statement of my feelings for you. Even though I knew it was a lost cause, I worked tirelessly to demonstrate for you that my regard had not faded despite your misguided refusal at Helstone."
Tears welled up in Margaret's eyes at this confirmation. She had invented this kind friend, willing to help her through a trying time. The only misguided decision she had made about Henry Lennox was her unwarranted faith in him. As usual Henry misinterpreted the gesture.
"Oh tsk tsk my dear. No need to apologize. I have already forgiven you for your little mistake."
He reached out to her, placing his hand on her arm. To his surprise she jerked away from him and took two heavy steps backwards with a look of disgust clouding her countenance. She was unable to express how deeply he had wounded her. Her breathing grew heavy as she fought the urge to scream.
"Come now Margaret, surely you do not fault me for saying that Frederick's case is a lost cause. It's as plain as day my dear. But you are right. I shouldn't have said it so casually. I only meant to express how I still care for you. I love you Margaret."
Margaret responded with the most piercing words she could muster. She hoped to hurt him as deeply as she had long regretted hurting another.
"Well I do not love you, and never have" Margaret exclaimed with even more bitterness that she had that day in Crampton.
To her surprise Mr. Lennox did not respond with the pained look or regretful surrender that she had often replayed in her mind's eye. Instead he strode forward with quick purposeful steps and grabbed her wrist, jerking her towards him. Margaret yelped and tried to pull away but only fell to her knees in the effort to be free of his tightening grip.
"Do not try my patience Margaret. You have teased me long enough with your unladylike advances. I thought Mr. Bell's fortune would be payment enough for how you have mistreated me but if you refuse to concede it I will simply have to punish you myself."
His eyes grew dark as he towered over her with the seriousness of the threat evident in his entire being.
Despite her fear, Margaret fought back with more biting words, "I only sought your friendship Mr. Lennox and look how you have punished me for that." She continued to struggle in vain against his tightening grasp on her wrist. Her green silk gown was covered in dirt and the distress in her face made her a pitiful sight. As Margaret struggled Mr. Lennox became suddenly aware of the sound of footsteps in the garden. He was struck with an idea.
Without hesitation he pulled Margaret to her feet and forced his mouth to hers with a violent intensity. The servants rounding the corner could only describe the scene as a passionate lover's embrace. As quickly as it began he shoved her away from him in an act of pretend indignation and began to shout.
"I am a gentleman Miss. I am no northern tradesman that you can seduce with your forward ways."
The servants gasped in embarrassment and turned away, leaving the garden before they could be identified by either party. Henry smirked at Margaret triumphantly as her eyes widened with the realization of what he had just done.
If the news of a rich heiress seeking a husband traveled fast, the news of Margaret's indecency traveled much faster. A new rumor of a garden tryst rose up to join old ones of the gentleman at Outwood Station and the embrace at Marlborough Mills. Everyone who had giggled over the news of Margaret's fortune whispered indecent remarks about the real reason for the high dowry and incredible haste.
Edith and Aunt Shaw offered some sympathy to Margaret in light of Henry's indecent behavior, but they were unwilling to believe he was entirely at fault. They honored her wish to be free of his company but at every opportunity attempted to reason with her.
"Please understand," Edith said one morning "he must have thought you were welcoming him to the kiss in the garden. You flirted with him so in this past week. Besides he has apologized for his jealous exclamation. Many a righteous man has been overcome by passion. It's just that he loves you so dearly Margaret."
"Edith you can not understand. Don't you believe what I have told you."
"Margaret I can't believe that you would lie about such grave matters, only that you must have misinterpreted his behavior. Even if he was somewhat out of line surely you know the gossip that you are currently subject to. You should accept his proposal and lay it to rest with a long engagement."
Margaret was hurt by their lack of understanding. She spent two days in her room and would see no one but Dixon who was wise enough to keep her mouth shut on the matter. The 'couple of days' until Mr. Bell's return stretched on a like an eternity. Finally on Sunday Dixon announced his arrival while the rest of the family was away at church.