"There could have been not two hearts so open, not tastes so similar, no feelings so in unison, no countenances so beloved." Jane Austen-Persuasion
Chapter Nine: Persuasion
John returned to Crampton the following Tuesday, prepared for both his lesson with Richard and for the discussion he would have with Miss Hale.
It was still bitterly cold, but he felt invigorated by his excitement for the evening ahead. He had not seen Miss Hale for several days since the Hales had not yet returned to church. He had missed her sorely.
Dixon greeted him and took his hat and coat. He showed himself to the study. John paused in the doorway a moment. Margaret looked up and their eyes met. Her face lit up with pleasure at seeing him. She stood up to greet him, as did Richard.
"Mr. Thornton, we are happy you could join us this evening."
"I have looked forward to it, Miss Hale, Mr. Hale."
Richard gestured to John to sit in his usual chair and asked, "How are things at the mill, Mr. John?"
"The canteen has now been fully repaired, and Mary will begin serving meals again tomorrow. The men have missed her cooking. Also, we got a new order today, and it will take several weeks to fill. I would say things are going as well as they can be since we are still recovering from the strike."
Margaret smiled at him, "I am glad of it, Mr. Thornton."
Dixon brought the tea tray and set it next to Margaret.
Margaret prepared John's tea, just as he liked it. She offered him some ginger biscuits, his favorites. He asked, "Did you bake them, Miss Hale?"
She smiled and said, "I helped, but I was not able to roll them out properly, so Dixon had to do it."
He added two more to the ones he already had on his plate.
As she handed him his tea, their fingers brushed slightly. The moment their skin touched, Margaret's eyes darkened, and she lowered her eyes demurely. John had not missed her reaction, and he was encouraged that her affection for him was growing.
Richard was ready to begin the lesson, and John did his best to stay focused. Margaret was asked to add her thoughts from time to time, and John marveled at how intelligent she was. Few men could discuss the classics as well as she could.
She looked so beautiful, even in her black mourning gown. When she had served him tea, he could not help but notice that she was not wearing a corset. She was slender but had regained a few pounds. Without the alteration to her figure provided by tight stays, he could make out her true form. He found it very pleasing. He closed his eyes for a moment, willing his errant body back under control.
"Margaret, didn't you tell me that you and Mr. Thornton were reading the same book?"
"Yes, Papa, the book is by Miss Jane Austen, Persuasion. Mr. Thornton and I are going to begin our discussion of the characters tonight."
"Why don't you begin your discussion now? I shall sit with you."
Margaret refreshed everyone's cup of tea and picked up her copy of Persuasion. John had his copy of the book as well.
"Mr. Thornton, I have made a list of topics I thought we might discuss. Would that be agreeable to you? Next time, perhaps you could assume the task of the topics we will discuss. Of course, you are welcome to introduce a topic tonight as well."
"Yes, I can do that, Miss Hale." John was pleased they were sharing the task of the discussion topics as equals. He imagined their marriage would be much like that if she would ever accept him. Margaret would want to have agency in her life, and he would give it to her. Their marriage, he thought, would be a partnership.
John reigned in his thoughts, remembering that they had only just weeks ago started spending time together as friends.
Margaret took her list from her book, "Let us talk about Miss Anne Elliot, who is the heroine of this story. What is your impression of her, Mr. Thornton?"
"She seems to be the one person in their family everyone relies on, and she acquiesces to their demands because taking care of everyone else seems to be her purpose in life."
"Yes, Mr. Thornton, I feel the same. Miss Austen describes her as a woman "with an elegance of mind and sweetness of character."
John thought Miss Elliot and Margaret had much in common and remarked, "She is depicted as a caring woman, one who puts others before herself, and I admire that greatly, Miss Hale."
Margaret agreed, "Mr. Thornton, I think it is intrinsic in a woman's nature to put those she loves before herself."
"Not every woman is so selfless, Miss Hale. I can think of several ladies among my acquaintances who care about themselves most of all. Their primary concern is about what they can do to improve their station in society."
John continued, "I found Lady Russell, Miss Elliot's godmother, such a woman. In the book, Lady Russell wanted Miss Elliot to marry a man she felt was Miss Anne's social equal both in fortune and social standing. I find little to admire in her advice to Miss Elliot to end her engagement to the captain."
Margaret turned to look him in the eyes, "But, Mr. Thornton, aren't people in Milton concerned about position and wealth?
She continued, "Don't people here marry for status and to advance their family's station in Milton society? How is that any different than the society in which the Elliots lived?"
John answered, "Yes, people are concerned about position and wealth, as I would assume they are everywhere. There are those who marry for money and to advance their position in society, but there are marriages for love as well. The difference is that the Elliots were born into their station in society with their titles and inherited fortune and in Milton, men earn their way through success however they choose to make a living."
Margaret continued, "Lady Russell is much like other matrons charged with the care of a daughter, a goddaughter, or a niece of marriageable age. Marrying for love is what we all aspire to, but that is not always possible. Many young ladies must make a match for security. At the time Captain Wentworth asked for Miss Elliot's hand, he had yet to see the fruits of his ambition pay off as he had not been given command of his first ship yet."
Richard joined in the conversation, "Your mother married me, in spite of her entire family trying to persuade her against it because as the second son of an Earl, I would not inherit the family fortune." He continued, his voice filled with emotion, "The day we married was the happiest day of my life."
Margaret patted her father's hand, "You must hold on to those wonderful memories, Papa, and let them carry you through your grief."
"Yes, my Pearl, I have my memories." Richard leaned his head against the back of his chair and closed his eyes.
Margaret resumed the discussion, "I know Miss Elliot believed him to be a gentleman and a man worthy of her love, but what do you think of Captain Wentworth, Mr. Thornton?"
The word gentlemen had been a point of contention between the two of them at one time, so John chose his words carefully.
"It speaks well of Miss Elliot that she saw Captain Wentworth's character and fell in love with who she knew him to be. However, as a man who has earned his way by being very intentional in all my decisions, I find I cannot relate to a man who is so carefree about life in general."
"At the same age as Captain Wentworth was when he became briefly engaged to Miss Elliot, I had just become master of Marlborough Mills and nothing but hard work was going to make it a success. While I am sure Captain Wentworth worked hard as a naval officer, I take exception to his attitude that luck would always be on his side. There is nothing certain about luck and when a man must provide, he needs to be sure that his family is well-taken care of."
"Mr. Thornton, do you not think both you and Captain Wentworth share an ambitious spirit?"
John thought about it and answered, "Yes, we both wanted to improve our station in life." John did not add that they both loved women who broke their hearts.
He continued, "He did end up being a self-made man, and there are some who would say the same about me. I have heard it said, "Ambition is when you close the gap between your circumstances and your expectations."
Margaret said, "You are a successful mill master and magistrate, and the Thorntons are a prominent family in Milton, thanks to your hard work. I would say you are the epitome of a self-made man."
"Thank you, Miss Hale. You know the struggle my family faced, and it pleases me to be able to provide for my mother's comfort now that she is getting on in years."
Margaret smiled at him and continued, "I know how proud of you she is, Mr. Thornton."
John continued, "My own success with the mill has come not about through luck, merit, or talent, but 'simply the habits of life which taught me to despise indulgences not thoroughly earned.' One's circumstances, to me, are a direct reflection of one's character."
Margaret answered, "Mr. Thornton, my brother Frederick, served in our royal navy, just as Captain Wentworth did. Before the terrible event at sea that changed the course of his life, he loved his life on board a ship. Wasn't it not a matter of bad luck for him to be assigned to the Orion? I do think luck can change a person's life, whether it is good luck or bad luck."
She pressed on, "Papa and I have been missing Frederick terribly, so we reread some of his old letters this afternoon. What an adventurous life he had at sea! They worked from dawn to dusk on the ship, but there was a camaraderie among the men. It was not until he served under Captain Reid that he became dissatisfied with life as a sailor."
Richard sadly said, "John, I raised my children to obey the call of their conscience, but I would give anything if Frederick had not felt the injustice of the circumstances he found himself in so keenly. We might never see him again because of it."
Margaret reached over and patted her father's hand, "But Papa, you followed your conscience as well as a dissenter. Surely it is better to live an authentic life than to live without integrity."
"I do believe so, Margaret."
John took in the scene before him. Margaret was so caring with those she loved. She would be a loving wife and mother.
Margaret turned to Mr. Thornton, shall we resume our discussion of Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth?"
John smiled at her, "Yes, Miss Hale, and I am sure you will have a brilliant defense of Miss Elliot."
"Mr. Thornton, Miss Elliot was only nineteen, the same age as I am now. She made a difficult choice which, at the time, seemed to be the right one. Do you not think she suffered terribly, just as much as he did?"
"Miss Hale, women have no idea the power they wield over a man's heart. Yes, the man has the right to offer, but the woman holds the right of refusal. Miss Anne Elliot accepted the captain, then refused him. That man went from the pinnacle of happiness to the depths of despair."
Margaret took a deep breath to steady her emotions and said, "My sympathies are with both of them. Surely their parting was agonizing and made more so because they were both so alone in their pain."
The air was charged with electricity. Their eyes locked and held for a long moment.
John wondered if she was speaking about Anne Elliot and the Captain, or the two of them. He dared not hope that she felt the pain of their estrangement as much as he did.
Deciding it was time for a change in topic, John asked, "Miss Hale, what is your opinion of Mary, Miss Elliot's younger sister?"
"Mary was about eleven years old when their mother died. Anne was about fourteen, if I recall the information correctly that we were given at the beginning of Chapter One. Elizabeth was the apple of her father's eyes, so to speak. Anne had the love and affection of Lady Russell, but Mary had no one to make her feel valued or special. It greatly affected the young woman she became."
Margaret continued, "Sadly, to get attention, she became a hypochondriac and a malcontent. I feel sorry for her. She lacked a close bond with anyone, and even in her marriage, she was Charles Musgrove's second choice. Of course, she knew that he offered for Miss Anne first."
John thought about his own sister. Fanny had lived her whole life excluded from the close bond between him and his mother. A bond forged during those difficult years after his father died.
He had never given much thought to why Fanny felt the need to dress so ostentatiously. Maybe it was a way of getting attention. He felt shame that she had not felt as important to his mother as he did.
She had been so young when George Thornton decided to exit this world and had known such little affection. His mother was a reserved woman and found it hard to show affection, even if she felt it. He worked long hours, and sadly, had not spent much time with his sister. A deep feeling of sadness swept over him as he thought of how isolated Fanny must have felt at times.
Margaret realized Mr. Thornton was lost in his thoughts, and she allowed him to ruminate over what was occupying his mind.
Richard had dozed off in his chair, and it gave Margaret a chance to discreetly study Mr. Thornton. His brow was furrowed in thought, and his eyes were shuttered by his lashes. She imagined he was thinking of Fanny.
John lifted his cup of tea and took a sip before meeting her eyes.
In a move that surprised him, Margaret reached over and laid her hand on his.
"Mr. Thornton, you are a wonderful son and brother. I do not know of any man who has done more for their family than you have."
Margaret continued speaking, "Fanny's wedding was one of the most extravagant occasions I have ever attended. You made her dreams come true that day, Mr. Thornton. Papa and I both remarked that you did well to give her such a beautiful day."
"Thank you, Miss Hale."
Did she know him so well that she could read his thoughts? It pleased him to think so. When she began to pull her hand away, John turned his hand to capture hers. He squeezed it before reluctantly letting go.
Margaret began to speak, and her voice soothed him, "My cousin Edith is a few years older than I am. For the nine years I lived with my Aunt Shaw in London, Edith and I were raised as sisters. Before her marriage, she reminded me of Fanny in some ways. She does not dress in such brilliant and eye-catching colors as your sister, but she does love her gowns to be generously adorned with lace, ribbons, and anything else that catches her eye at the modiste."
"Growing up, we could not have been more dissimilar in personality, but I loved her dearly. Since she has married and become a mother, I have seen her mature into a lovely woman. She is still the same person, Mr. Thornton, but she has grown to care about far more than fashion and gossip."
"I believe our character is malleable, no matter what stage in life we are at, if circumstances demand it of us."
John was moved by her hopeful words, "I hope Fanny will experience a similar transformation."
John felt close to Miss Hale, and he felt understood. It pleased him beyond words because finally, they were speaking from their hearts.
Richard stirred, and John finished the last of his tea.
"Miss Hale, regretfully, it is time for me to leave. I found our discussion most enjoyable."
"Mr. Thornton, as much as I love reading, it is a solitary occupation of my time. Sharing this experience with you is most pleasant."
John agreed, "Yes, it is, Miss Hale."
"I will need to hold on to the railing with one hand and your arm with the other, but I will see you out, Mr. Thornton."
Margaret slowly made her way downstairs with Mr. Thornton right beside her to catch her if she stumbled.
Margaret removed his coat from the rack near the door, and instead of handing it to him, she moved back to the stairs and took one step up. She held his coat open for him to put on. He had to bend down to shrug it on, as she did not have the ability yet to raise her arms, but he would get on his knees if need be for her to show him such care.
He turned back around to face her, and as he buttoned his coat, he felt his arm brush up against her body. She caught her breath and their eyes met. For a moment, all time suspended.
Margaret hardly knew what to do with all she was feeling. Her body was aware of him as a man. She inhaled his scent and clenched her hands at her sides to keep from smoothing his coat front.
When she lowered her eyes, he stepped back, and helped her down the step.
She handed him his scarf, "Wrap up warmly, Mr. Thornton. It is quite cold out there." Then she handed him his gloves and hat.
She offered her hand to him, and he took it. "Goodnight, Miss Hale. I will see you soon."
She smiled at him and said, "Take care, Mr. Thornton."
He stepped out into the night air and began the walk home.
The sidewalks were icy, and he had to concentrate on keeping his balance. When he finally made it to the mill house, after divesting himself of his outerwear, he went to the drawing room where he knew he would find his mother.
"Good evening, Mother." He laid his hand on her shoulder for a moment before taking a seat on the couch.
"I am sorry I missed dinner."
"Even though you are over an hour late, I held dinner for you. We should go in to eat now."
John and his mother ate a delicious dinner of lamb stew and as usual, they spoke of the mill. He explained to her that even with the recent new order, the mill was in financial peril.
Hannah believed her son could do anything he set his mind to, and she patted his hand. "You will set things right, Son. I have every faith in you."
"Thank you, Mother. You always have."
... ooOoo…
In Crampton, Dixon helped Margaret get ready for bed, then wished her goodnight.
A fire was lit to keep the room warm, and Margaret stood by it, her gaze on the flames.
The more she got to know Mr. Thornton, the more she regretted refusing him. She grew to love him more each day, and there was nothing she could do about it. A lady was not permitted to speak of such matters, and besides, he had withdrawn his affections after seeing her with Fred at Outwood. Even now that he knew the truth, he had not offered again.
He was friendly with her, and she felt he might still care for her, but she had lost his love, she was sure of it.
She might never have the chance to be his wife, but she could show him she had changed, and that she did in fact care for him very much, unlike her words the day of his proposal. Her love for him was something she would hold in her heart always.
Margaret went to her writing desk and sat down to compose an important letter. She would give it to him when he next came to Crampton.
After completing her task, she stood by the window. The moon was high in the sky and as she looked out of her window, she cast her eyes toward Marlborough Mills.
In the privacy of her room, she dared to whisper the words aloud for no one else to hear, "I love you, John Thornton."
She sighed and crawled into bed. She hugged her pillow to her body and regretted that she would never know John's embrace as a husband.
Margaret let the tears fall.
…ooOoo…
The following day, John paid a visit to Hayleigh to speak to his sister. He had given much thought to his conversation with Miss Hale yesterday.
After having their first cup of tea, Fanny asked, "To what do I owe this visit from you?"
John teased her, "I need a reason to visit my baby sister, Fanny?"
"No, but this is the first time you have wanted to speak to me privately, so I admit that I am a bit curious."
"Fanny, I want to talk to you about our life before Marlborough Mills."
John told Fanny about what life had been like for him and their mother when they were brought low in society's eyes by the circumstances of George Thornton's death. Fanny was too young at the time to understand how difficult things were.
John spoke to her of the isolation he and Hannah had felt because not a single person who had once been a friend stood with them. Not the Hampers, nor the Slicksons who had been their father's colleagues, offered them shelter or support of any kind. No family members offered a comforting word.
They were alone, the surviving Thorntons, and survival was an apt word for the daily struggles John and Hannah endured to keep food on the table, a roof over their heads, and clothes on their backs.
"Our own family was brought low due to circumstances, just as the Hales have been brought low by the gossip about Miss Hale. That little house in Crampton is a palace compared to some of the places we lived during that time. We lived on porridge and bread, Fanny."
John turned to his sister, "My friendship with the Hales is important to me. I will be the friend to them that our family did not have during those difficult years after Father died."
"Richard is a true friend to me, and Miss Hale is someone I care about. When you speak ill of her, it grieves me."
John took her hand, "Please remember that you are a Thornton always, and even as a married woman, Mrs. Watson, you represent our family. Gossiping does not look well on anyone, Fanny, and I am sure our father would have agreed with me."
Fanny did her best to hold back the tears, "I am jealous that you knew him, John, and I was denied the chance to be a daughter to him."
"I am sorry that you missed having his guidance, Fanny. Anytime you would like, we can talk about him, and I will tell you all I remember of him. Mother does not speak of him, and out of respect for her, we will have our conversations away from the mill house. We could visit Father's gravesite together."
"I would like that very much, John."
Fanny tilted her head to look at him, "John, how much do you care for Miss Hale?"
He smiled at her and said, "I care, Fanny. That is all I will say for now."
John had to get back to the mill and stood up to leave. "May I have your word that you will stop gossiping about Miss Hale, for my sake?"
"Yes, John, I will, or at least try to. You know I do not always think before I speak."
Fanny walked him to the door and before he left, Fanny said, "Please come more often, John. I rather like having you to myself for a change, even if you are an ole' stick in the mud!"
John gave her a scowl for good measure, then kissed her cheek before leaving.
On his way back to the mill, John vowed to spend more time with Fanny, just the two of them. He could do nothing to change the past, but he could be the best brother he could be from now on.
Author's Notes:
I took the following quotes from:
Jane Austen's Persuasion, "with an elegance of mind and sweetness of character"-narrator
Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South, " simply the habits of life which taught me to despise indulgences not thoroughly earned."-John Thornton
"Ambition is when you close the gap between your circumstances and your expectations."-James Clear