There's no love like a lost love and no pain like a broken heart." – Ben Harper

Cadiz, Spain-1854

Frederick Hale hated to see the deep sadness that surrounded Margaret like a dark, heavy cloak. He sensed that the root of her melancholy was more than the death of both of their parents only four months apart. No, there was something else that had taken a deep root in her heart, and Fred had a good idea what that, or rather who, that might be.

Six months ago, Adam Bell and Dixon, the family maid, escorted Margaret to France where Fred met his sister to take her home with him to Cadiz, Spain. Fred was relieved to have Margaret in Spain with him, since it was his right and his duty to care for his sister. They were all that was left of the Hale family, and he would not have wanted her to live anywhere else.

The Barbour home was lively and full of love. Dolores's parents, Senor Barbour, and Senora Barbour had been happily married for over twenty-five years and were thrilled their daughter had found happiness with Fred. Their only son had died from cholera during an outbreak when he was a boy.

Fred and Dolores had met when Fred had found employment with Barbour and Company, an international trading company that shipped everything from wine to cotton all over the world. From the first moment Fred had laid eyes on beautiful and exotic Dolores Barbour, he was smitten.

Fred had learned to speak Spanish, Italian, and French while sailing the seas as a sailor for the Royal Navy. His understanding of languages, his natural intelligence, and charming personality made him a valuable asset to the company. Fred had been honest with his employer that he was a fugitive of the Navy due to his involvement in a mutiny at sea. He could never return to England, nor travel the seas where the Royal Navy had ships.

When Fred returned to Cadiz after his trip to Milton to say goodbye to his mother, he asked Senor Barbour for his daughter's hand in marriage, and the couple was married shortly afterwards. The marriage was a very happy one, and Fred wanted the same for his sister.

One evening after dinner, Fred asked Margaret to take a walk on the beach to watch the sunset. Living near the ocean had many benefits, and the sunrises and sunsets were especially beautiful. Of course, it was stiflingly hot at times, and Margaret had put away her woolen dresses for cotton ones. She was still in mourning, so all of those cotton dresses were black, but in another week or so, she would give in to Dolores's encouragement to add some color back into her wardrobe.

Fred and Margaret walked along the beach remembering their mother and father, and Fred told his sister that in seven months, she would be an aunt.

"Fred, that is wonderful news! I am so glad that you found such happiness with Dolores and that you will soon be a father."

"Thank you, Sister." Fred stopped walking and turned to face Margaret. "I want the same for you, dear Margaret. Your happiness is important to both Dolores and me."

A look of deep sadness passed across Margaret's countenance, and Margaret felt the sting of tears forming in her eyes.

Fred did not miss the look on Margaret's face, nor the tears that threatened to spill and make their way down her beautiful face.

He took his sister in his arms and held her for a moment.

"Margaret, has someone broken your heart?"

She shook her head and said,"No, he did not break my heart, but I made a very foolish mistake before Mother passed away, and there is no way that I can ever go back and change things.

I am reconciled to being a doting aunt and a spinster. I will never marry another man while my heart is so firmly and irrevocably his."

Fred had an inkling who that man might be, but he wanted Margaret to talk to him about what had happened to ruin any chance she had of happiness.

"Please tell me what happened, Margaret. Maybe I can help."

"Fred, I am afraid there is nothing you can do to help, but maybe it will unburden my heart a bit to tell you what happened."

Margaret told Fred that the man she loved was John Thornton, the cotton manufacturer who had come to their home during their mother's last days, but had not been admitted into the house because of the necessity of keeping Fred's presence a secret. John Thornton was the Hale's friend, but he was also a magistrate and knowing about Fred would have put Thornton in an untenable position.

Fred remarked, "I had wondered then if you had tender feelings for him because you spoke of him with regard that I had not expected given that he was a tradesman. I want you to marry a gentleman, Margaret, as I am sure our parents would have wanted the same for you."

Margaret's back stiffened, and she said, "Fred, he is a gentleman, and man of great moral integrity. If you knew him as I do, and as our parents did, you would know that there is a kindness about him. I cannot name all of the gestures of friendship that he offered our family when Mother was so ill. And...when I was implicated in the death of Leonards the night you left Milton, Mr. Thornton protected me from an inquest that could have endangered your life. You were still in England at that time."

Fred was stunned! "What are you speaking of?"

Margaret went on to explain that Leonards had been found dead the following morning and that the porters at the train station had told the police that she was on the platform with an unknown man. Because Leonards had accosted Fred, and Fred had pushed him, Margaret was asked to explain her whereabouts that night.

"Fred, I lied to protect you, and said I was not there. Mr. Thornton had seen the two of us on the train platform and thought the worst of me for embracing a man whom he did not know was family. Still, he protected me from the inquest and probably saved your life. If the police had informed Scotland Yard that you were in England, they could have tracked you down, and you may have been court-martialed."

"He closed the case to protect me from the inquest. Father and I could have gone to jail for harboring a criminal, but thanks to Mr. Thornton, I was never asked to give my testimony in court."

Margaret continued, "He thinks of me as a liar, Fred, and a woman of poor moral character. Any remnants of affection he may have felt for me were destroyed from that point on."

Fred was mortified that his sister had suffered from the incident at Outwood Station, and he wished fervently that he could have protected her from it. She did not say it, but Fred knew that her reputation had been destroyed as well. A lady was never seen after dark with a man who was not family. In their grief, they did not think of the repercussions of Margaret going alone with him to the train station. They should have asked Dixon to come with them.

"Sister, I cannot tell you how sorry I am for all you have endured because of that night. Please forgive me."

"There is nothing to forgive, Fred. I would not change that you were by Mama's side when she left this world. It was the last time we would all be together as a family."

Fred once again embraced his sister to comfort her.

They began walking again, and Fred asked, "Margaret, you said that any remnants of affection that Mr. Thornton may have had for you were lost now. Had he declared himself to you? Asked for your hand?"

Margaret said, "Yes, he had, but I barely knew him at that time, and I quite frankly did not like him very much. We disagreed on so many social issues and had very little in common. I am afraid the whole incident was regrettable, and I hurt him terribly."

"It was only after that, when he stopped coming for lessons, that I realized that I cared for him. I rarely saw him because I could not go out into town as I was considered a fallen woman. Milton society is unforgiving, and I was shunned by society. He did resume his lessons with Papa, but seldom came to the house."

"After the Outwood Station incident, he told me that any foolish passions for me were over. And, Dixon had mentioned that he was seen walking out with another woman, Ann Latimer. I myself have seen him with her. He moved on from his love for me to someone else."

"Margaret, if he truly loved you then, he still does now. I know that many men marry for convenience, but perhaps he is not yet married or even attached to Miss Latimer."

"No, Fred, I missed my chance for happiness, and I shall just have to live with my mistake for the rest of my life."

Fred, threaded her hand through his arm, and they continued walking on the beach, both lost in their thoughts. He had to find out if John Thornton was still unattached and if there was any hope for Margaret and Mr. Thornton to find their way back to each other.

oooOooo

The following morning at the offices of Barbour and Company, Fred asked his father-in-law if he ever did business with Marlborough Mills in Milton, England. Senor Barbour said that it had been a long time since he had, but he believed he still had the address to Marlborough Mills, Milton-Northern.

Fred searched through the file cabinet, going through all of their business correspondence from England. There it was, the address Fred needed for the letter he would write very soon.

Fred took the folder to his desk and thought about what he might say to Thornton without betraying Margaret's trust and the fact that he was her brother. Margaret had said that Thornton was a magistrate, and it was imperative that Thornton not know Fred and Margaret were siblings. Thornton had a duty to a crown, and if he knew where a known fugitive of the Navy was, he had to report it.

After dinner, Fred and Margaret spent a few moments alone in his office before joining the rest of the family in the beautiful courtyard that was enclosed by rooms of the house.

"Margaret, please hear me out before you respond and know that I am speaking as someone who loves you dearly."

"In order to forgive yourself for how you hurt Mr. Thornton, you need to ask for his forgiveness. I suggest that you write a letter to him and apologize. If nothing else, you will know that you have done all you can to make amends, and maybe then, you can move forward with your life.

Margaret felt the tears gather in her eyes. Yes, it was improper, but maybe it would make her feel better. "Let me think about it, Fred."

He nodded, and they went to join the rest of the family..

oooOOOooo

When Margaret went to her room for the night, she dressed for bed, then stood on the balcony and looked out over the ocean. She was so far away from the man she loved, and she wondered if he ever thought of her. The night was clear, and there were a thousand twinkling stars in the sky.

What did she have to lose by writing Mr. Thornton? At the very least, she would know she had done what she could to right the wrongs of her past.

Margaret prayed for the right words to say in her letter to convey her regret for how she had treated Mr. Thornton and for the lie she had told that would forever debase her in his eyes. She missed him so much, and her heart ached in her despair.

Leaving the doors to her room open to the cool ocean breeze, Margaret sat down at her desk and began to write. Her first few attempts were too stilted and formal to convey what she felt. She crumpled them up in a ball and threw them in the trash bin.

She took a deep breath, picked up her quill again, and this time, the right words came, and her quill flew across the paper. When she was finished, she blew on the ink to dry, and addressed the envelope to Mr. John Thornton of Marlborough Mills.

As Margaret crawled into bed, she thought of him. She took out a worn black glove from its hiding place beneath her pillow and traced the expertly embroidered initials, JT. She slipped it on her small hand and laid her cheek on her gloved hand on her pillow.

It was all she had of him, and for the rest of her life, it would have to be enough. Margaret blew out the candle and closed her eyes.

oooOOOooo

Author's Notes:

I must thank Mimosa for her extraordinary editing skills and for the inspiration from the other millers who also write for this fandom.

Comments are always welcome and much appreciated!-Annabella Grace