Chapter Thirteen: The Wedding Weekend
The next two weeks in Milton flew by. John and Margaret continued to exchange letters every day and counted down the days until their wedding. According to Margaret's letters, Edith and her Aunt Shaw were keeping the wedding and breakfast more to her simple tastes, but it was only because time did not permit a more elaborate affair.
John and Margaret had invited Nicholas and Mary to the wedding, but they did not feel comfortable going. They were practically family to Margaret, and she was disappointed that they would not be at the wedding.
His mother had moved, albeit reluctantly, to Fanny's and was settled in. She grumbled about it, but when asked if she could accept Margaret as his wife, she said once again that she just needed time. To Fanny's credit, she had gone out of her way to make her mother feel welcomed into their home. Hannah spent her days with little George and sewing clothes for the new baby to come in less than six months.
John had moved his office to the mill house. John's bookkeeper moved his office to the mill house as well, and Williams, John's overseer, took over John's previous office at the mill. John had turned the drawing room into an office for Margaret. If she were agreeable, she would take over running the accounts for the canteen, at least until they had a family.
The food for the meals served at the canteen was now stored in the massive larder at the mill house. The ladies prepared the meat and vegetables in the mill house kitchen and then put the stew together in the canteen kitchen.
The Ridley Street house was ready for Margaret to move in. Cook had filled the larder, and the servants had cleaned every inch of the house. Fanny had helped to oversee the renovations with the exception of the master suite and John had seen to that. On this last night, before he was to leave for London to marry his Margaret, he took one last walk through the house.
When he made his way to their room, he walked to their bed, and sat down. He hoped she would be pleased with his efforts to make this house ready for her. He ran his hand across their bed, and he felt overcome with emotion. In just two days, she would be his wife. When they returned from their wedding trip, they would share this bed every night for the rest of their lives.
He got dressed for bed and climbed in. Tomorrow, the family would travel from Milton for the wedding in London. John reflected on everything he and Margaret had been through to get to this point.
He had met Margaret two and half years ago. Their journey had been one fraught with misunderstandings and heartache. He had never stopped loving her, but he had not seen a path forward until Fanny had stepped in to help. It was because of his sister's love for him that in a few days, he would marry the woman who had held his heart from the moment he met her.
Fanny was excited for the two of them, and John knew she would be instrumental in helping to forge a bond between Margaret and his mother. It would not be an easy task to accomplish, but with time, he hoped his mother and his wife would find a friendship with one another.
But first, his mother had to find her way with her own daughter. He thought about Fanny's childhood and how lonely she must have felt in their home. His mother had done her duty by her, but he knew Fanny did not have the same mother in Hannah as he did. Of course, Fanny was too young to have been aware of the hardships their family had faced, but maybe they had protected her too much from reality. Marriage and motherhood had been good for her, and he hoped his mother would come to appreciate the woman Fanny had become once she was allowed to blossom in her own home.
The next afternoon, the Milton family left for London. Fanny had been exchanging letters with Margaret and filled them all in with the latest details. There will be several of the mill masters present tonight for the engagement dinner, and even more would attend the wedding as well as the breakfast.
John and Watson talked about the mill, and Watson would be looking after things at Marlborough Mills while John and Margaret were on their week-long wedding trip.
"Where are you taking her on your wedding trip?" Fanny asked.
"I am not going to say just yet, as it is a surprise for Margaret, but it is not far from London. When the mill is doing better, later this year, I hope to take her away for two months or so on a longer trip."
"I am sure Margaret will be happy wherever you take her. All she cares about is your company. She does love you so dearly, John," Fanny assured him.
Watson quipped, "I have a feeling you and your bride will be honeymooning at home for a long time, John."
John smiled, and replied, "I hope for a lifetime of honeymooning with my Margaret, Watson."
Everyone but Hannah laughed, and the conversation continued with good-natured teasing.
Hannah listened to her children talk and wondered how a simple invitation to a ball had brought such changes in their lives. She was not happy with the changes in her life, but she was the only one who felt unhappy. Her mother's heart wanted to be happy for her son, truly it did, but she was not a woman who would give up first place in her son's affections easily. If she were honest with herself, she had not held that place since he had fallen in love with Miss Hale.
When they arrived in London, they made their way to their hotels. John had reserved a room at a different hotel for the weekend. He wanted to have a night alone with his bride before they traveled for their wedding trip the following morning.
John walked into the room he would share with Margaret the next night, as his wife. He had no experience with women, and he was as nervous about their first night as he imagined she was. However, they would find their way, he was sure of it.
He got dressed for the engagement dinner at Harley Street, and then left to collect his mother and the Watsons at their hotel.
Margaret had a special gown made of rich green silk for this evening, and Edith told her that she had never looked more beautiful. Earlier, Edith and Aunt Shaw presented Margaret with some of the family jewelry, as Aunt Shaw had inherited it all as the eldest daughter.
Edith fastened the onyx and pearl necklace around Margaret's neck, and Margaret put on the earrings. Margaret could scarcely recognize the woman before her in the mirror.
Edith said, "Happiness becomes you, Margaret. I do not think I have ever seen anyone glow with happiness as you do at this moment. Treasure every moment of your wedding weekend, my dear cousin. It happens only once in a lifetime."
"Thank you, Edith, and I remember how happy you were as well. I only wish Mama, Papa, and Fred could be here. But at least Mama and Papa knew him and approved of him."
Edith said, "Yes, the last time I saw your parents was at my own wedding. They are such happy occasions for family and friends to unite."
"Our guests are arriving, and I have left mother and Maxwell alone downstairs long enough, so let's go downstairs."
Edith and Margaret had just made their way to the drawing room when the Milton guests arrived. Margaret stretched out her hands to take John's hands in hers, and said, "My love, you are here at last!"
He smiled and told her, 'Yes, at last. These last two weeks have been made tolerable only by your daily letters."
Margaret turned to greet the Watsons and Mrs. Thornton.
She took Fanny's hands in hers and said, "Fanny, I am glad you are here. Edith and I have been enjoying your letters and as you will see tomorrow, we took several of your suggestions."
"Mr. Watson, I am glad to see you. The Slickson's and the Hampers are coming as well."
Margaret then greeted the formidable woman who would become her mother-in-law tomorrow.
"Mrs. Thornton, welcome to Harley Street. I do hope you will enjoy yourself this evening."
Hannah just nodded to her and stood closer to her son. They had just arrived, and she felt uncomfortable already.
Margaret took the Milton family around to introduce them to the other guests. The Milton guests congregated together, and Maxwell joined them. Fanny sat down next to Edith and patted the seat next to her for her mother.
Margaret and John were the center of attention, and the London guests were all curious to learn more about the Milton manufacturer that had won Miss Hale's heart.
Henry was standing with a member of Parliament, Mr. Colthurst, and he could not help but feel bitter. This should have been his special evening with Margaret. He had to mask his emotions or risk the ire of the family.
At that moment, he saw Margaret and Thornton look at each other, and the love on Margaret's face for Thornton hit him like a thunderbolt. She was lost forever to him, and he had to move on. He had been a fool to believe she could ever love him.
Dinner was announced, and John escorted Margaret into dinner. Edith had requested that Mr. Colthurst escort Mrs. Thornton, and everyone made their way into the dining room.
The meal was elegantly served and the food delicious. Conversation flowed freely and the mill masters fit right in with the London crowd. The Milton ladies, used to excess, took note of the courses served, and the beautiful table settings that were so different from the ostentation of how things were done in Milton.
Fanny determined that when she hosted a dinner in Milton in a few weeks to introduce the new Mr. and Mrs. Thornton to Milton society, she would do it London style.
After dinner, Edith led the ladies to the drawing room, and Maxwell led the men to the study for the customary separation of the men and women.
Hannah and Mrs. Shaw were civil to each other and that was the best they could manage. Hannah listened to the conversations around her and had never felt so alone. Her daugher fit in here, but she felt so out of place. The other ladies all wore vivid colors, but she wore her customary black. Fanny was attentive to her mother, and made sure to keep her close. She wished her mother would try to have a good time, but it was not to be.
After the men rejoined the group, several of the ladies played the piano to entertain the guests, and as always, Edith was in a class of her own.
The evening was not a late one due to the wedding the next morning, but it had been a lovely one. Fanny and Watson escorted Mrs. Thornton to the carriage and left John to have a moment alone with his Margaret.
"Tomorrow night, you will be Mrs. John Thornton, Margaret, and I shall not have to leave you ever again."
Margaret wrapped her arms around him and said, "Never again, my dearest John."
He kissed her, and said, "Until tomorrow, Margaret Hale."
The carriage dropped the Milton family off to their hotel, and John dismissed the carriage to walk the rest of the way to his hotel. He was restless and knew he needed to walk off his nervous energy. He needed to rest tonight, but his mind and his heart were just too full to be able to sleep just yet.
John thought about all the times he made the two-mile walk to Crampton house to see Margaret, even when it was bittersweet to be in her presence. After she had left for London that snowy day after her father had died, he had willed her to look back at him, but she had not, and the long year of separation had begun.
Now, they would have a future together, a future he had longed dreamed of, and he felt joy wash over him. Tomorrow morning, she would take his name and become his wife.
The next morning, the house on Harley Street was a beehive of activity. The servants were all getting the house ready for the wedding breakfast and cleaning everything again after last night's dinner.
Upstairs, Dixon and Edith were getting the bride ready for the most important day of her life. There was much laughter and a few tears, but Margaret felt closest to these two special women in her life and was glad they were both with her this morning.
Edith said, "Margaret, before your John left to go back to Milton for two weeks, he gave me something to present to you this morning."
She handed her a box and watched as her cousin opened it. Margaret gasped as she looked at his gift of jewelry for her. He had chosen a pearl necklace and earring set with small emeralds as accents. The set matched her engagement ring.
Dixon and Edith agreed that Mr. Thornton had wonderful taste, and the ladies helped her put on her new jewelry.
As she had done countless times before, Dixon arranged Margaret's hair, and she sniffled at time or two. "Your mother would be so proud of the woman you have become, Miss Margaret."
Margaret patted Dixon's hand, and the two of them knew they shared a special bond in their love for Maria Hale.
Aunt Shaw came in and declared Margaret as beautiful as her mother had been on her wedding day to Richard Hale.
She was carrying a veil of the finest lace. "Margaret, this is a family heirloom. Both your mother and I wore it, as did Edith, as you may recall. Would you continue the tradition and wear it as well?"
Margaret was happy to continue the tradition and hugged her aunt. "Thank you, Aunt. I would be honored to wear it."
Dixon helped Margaret into her wedding gown. Aunt Shaw and Edith placed the veil on her head, and all of them proclaimed Margaret a stunning bride.
Maxwell knocked on the door and told the ladies it was time to go. He waited for them downstairs and helped them all into the carriage to go to the church.
Once in the carriage, Maxwell handed Margaret the wedding bouquet that John had chosen for her.
John and his family arrived at the church a half-hour ago, and Fanny noted the beautifully decorated pews. There were vases of flowers everywhere to complete the decorations.
John walked to the front of the church, checked his pocket for the wedding band he would place on her hand, and then turned to face the back of the church.
The church was filled to the brim with family and friends, and a string quartet was playing as Maxwell escorted his wife to the pew where their family would sit, and Henry escorted Mrs. Shaw.
Maxwell went to the back of the church to escort the bride down the aisle to her groom.
The musicians signaled it was time to proceed and Maxwell asked, "Are you ready, Margaret?"
She answered with a smile and nod, and the doors opened.
Margaret was aware that the church was filled with people, but she never took her eyes off John. He looked so handsome in his wedding attire, and he smiled at her the whole time she was walking toward him. When Maxwell placed her hand in John's, Margaret knew this was a moment in time she would treasure for the rest of her life.
He looked at his bride with such love that it took Margaret's breath away.
They turned to face the vicar, and after repeating the traditional vows of their faith, John placed the wedding band on her hand, and they became man and wife.
After lifting her veil and kissing his wife, he leaned down and whispered to her, "I love you, Margaret Ann Thornton."
She whispered back to him, "I love you, husband."
After signing the registry, they walked down the aisle as Mr. and Mrs. John Thornton.
Before the crowd spilled out of the church, John bent down to bestow another kiss on his bride's lips.
He took some good-natured teasing about it later from the other mill masters, but he took it all in stride. He was happy and he did not care who knew it.
Aunt Shaw, Edith, and Maxwell all congratulated the couple before leaving to go to Harley Street to greet their guests as they arrived for the wedding breakfast.
John and Margaret thanked all the people who wished them well, and it was clear to everyone present at the church that this was a marriage of love.
Henry did his best to be sincere in his congratulations, but he was still bitter to have lost Margaret to Thornton.
Hannah, and the Watsons were the last to congratulate them, and John was glad to have a moment alone with his family.
Margaret hugged Fanny and said, "We are truly sisters now, Fanny."
"Yes, and I am glad of it, Margaret. Somebody had to rescue that stick-in-the-mud brother of mine from his days as a bachelor."
Everyone but Hannah laughed, but she had seen the unbridled joy in her son's face, and she was trying to be happy for him.
The bridal carriage, decorated with flowers, was pulled up in front of the church to take Margaret and John to Harley Street. John helped his bride into the carriage and was glad to finally had a moment alone with his wife.
"Mrs. Thornton, you are a beautiful bride. You took my breath away when the doors of the church opened."
Margaret smiled at him and said, "I must thank you for this beautiful jewelry and for my bouquet. You spoil me, John, and I have no gifts for you."
John took her face in his hands and said, "You have given me the greatest gift a man could ever be given from the woman he loves by becoming my wife, Margaret."
He bent down to kiss her tenderly, and Margaret felt tears of joy sting her eyes. She had never known such happiness as she felt now.
The wedding breakfast was a festive occasion with delicious food, music, and dancing. It went on for hours, and John became restless to be alone with Margaret.
Maxwell noticed and went to speak with Edith. She agreed it was time to cut the cake, so waiters passed out glasses of champagne to toast the happy couple, then John and Margaret cut their three-tiered wedding cake. Everyone was served a slice of the delicious confection.
A half-hour later, Maxwell told John their carriage was waiting for them, so the couple said their goodbyes and John helped Margaret into their carriage to take them to the hotel.
Hannah had clung to her son when they had said goodbye, and he knew that his wedding had been an ordeal for her.
"See you in a week or so, Mother." He bent to kiss her cheek.
Margaret added, "Goodbye, Hannah, and we will invite you to dinner once we are settled into our new home."
Fanny and Edith had arranged for all the wedding gifts to be packed and sent to Milton with the Watsons on their return trip the next day.
When they arrived at the hotel, John showed her to their room. When he carried her over the threshold, he was stunned by how the room had been transformed. There was a fire crackling in the fireplace, several vases of flowers from the church had been placed around the room, and a bottle of champagne was on ice, along with tray with an assortment of fruit and cheese for their enjoyment.
Margaret's luggage had been sent over, and Dixon must have come to unpack her things during the wedding breakfast.
Finally, they were alone. John sat his Margaret down but did let go of her.
He bent down to kiss her with all the love he felt for her, and she returned his kisses with equal passion.
A maid knocked on the door and asked if Mrs. Thornton needed assistance, and Margaret said she did. There were tiny buttons all the way down the back of her dress, and it would require deft fingers to get her out of her wedding gown.
John went to get more comfortable in the adjoining room. After what seemed like an hour, but was in fact only a few minutes, he heard the maid leave the room.
He knocked on the door between their rooms and Margaret said, "Come in, John."
He stared at her, this beautiful angel who was his wife. She was wearing a light green peignoir and robe set made of silk, and her hair was unbound.
She opened her arms to him, and he crossed the room to her. He held her close and allowed them a few minutes to get accustomed to this new freedom of holding each other without the restraints of so much clothing. Margaret laid her cheek on his chest and could feel his heart racing.
She laid her hand on his cheek and said to him, "I have longed for this moment, John."
He asked if she was afraid, and she said, "Never of you, nor of any expression of our love."
John carried her to the bed and made her his wife in every way. They spoke of their love for each other with every kiss and caress which built a fire that soon raged within both of them. There was a moment of fleeting pain for Margaret, but it was quickly replaced by blinding pleasure.
Later, much later, John told her that they would leave in the morning to go to Scarborough for a week. Margaret was pleased to go away to the seaside with her John.
The excitement of the day and their lovemaking had made Margaret sleepy, and as much as she did not want the day to end, she snuggled close in John's arms and went to sleep.
John fell asleep with his wife in his arms and where she would sleep for the rest of their lives. He had never known such perfect happiness.