The days passed by in a melancholic blur. John Thornton managed to focus on his mill, leaving behind his heart. Or that was he thought. Everyday the shadow of Margaret's presence hounted him, as a ghost from the past. He saw her in Higgins, he saw her on the girls passing by the street, he saw her in his own eyes facing the mirror. However, he was struggling with his finances, he would lose everything. His mill was a lost cause, as well as Margaret's love. The first he could endure, the latter he could not bare.
Eventually, the mill started to fail. Thornton's finances were crumbling in front of his own eyes. There was nothing he could do. On his last evening as master of the mill, he looked through the window and remembered the happy days he spent just a few months ago. They were not happy because there were no problems. They were happy because he had Margaret. Even though she was not his, only seeing her would bring joy to his grey day. "I'll go to the south" he thought. Margaret always spoke of the south as a blessing, a refreshing place where problems disappeared.
Margaret could not manage to focus on her daily activities. She was bored, angry, disappointed, in love. Everyday the shadow of John's presence hounted her. She saw him in the men on the street, she saw him in her books, she saw him in the her bank papers. Her focus now was to understand her business position and be a woman of means. That was her only connection with Milton, and her only connection with Thornton. The first she could live without, the latter she could not.
"I should have stayed", Margaret's conscience screamed. She read on the daily newspaper that morning that Milton would lose one of its biggest mills, Thornton's. It was economically unsustainable. All workers would be dismissed, and the buildings abandoned.
While Margaret was still musing about Milton, Henry appeared, with a smirk on his face. "It appears that you will have to find another tennant". His sarcasm stung Margaret's heart, and she turned to face Henry, her cheers flushed and her eyes shining in anger. He felt his mistake and apologised.
"Is there anything I can do for you?", he offered, taking her hand, which she removed quickly. "I can give you advice, I can help you to be independent". That idea called her attention. "Would you do that, Henry?" she asked, looking at his eyes. Independence, helping Thornton without anyone's interference, finding her own way back to Milton.
"Yes, why don't we sit down and study a solution? Maybe... a business proposition!"
[connects to the series, when Margaret goes to Milton and Thornton to Helstone]