"The power of finding beauty in the humblest of things makes home happy and life lovely." ."

—-Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

Margaret was out on the balcony reading when Dolores brought up the mail to her sister-in-law.

"Mi hermana, a la carta has arrived for you. Papa brought it with him from the office this morning."

Thank you, my dear sister." Margaret smiled at Dolores.

"I will leave you to read your letter, but please come down to the courtyard to visit when you are finished."

"I will, Dolores, and thank you.

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Margaret waited until she heard the door click behind Dolores before breaking the seal on the letter from Mr. Thornton.

Dear Miss Hale,

I hope this letter finds you well and content.

Enclosed you will find a gift from Mary Higgins. After Bessie died, I am told, Miss Higgins found a small scrap of lace used as a bookmark in her sister's bible. She used a bit of Marlborough Mills cotton to sew this scrap of lace to, and then embroidered it for you to make a bookmark for your own Bible. Mary said that Bessie often asked you to read the scriptures to her, and it gave her peace at the end of her life to learn more about Heaven.

I have included a small book of devotions to go with it, and I hope they give you comfort during your time of mourning.

Margaret held this precious gift in her hand and ran her fingers over the flowers that Mary had embroidered. It was beautiful and she would use it daily when she read her Bible. Mr. Thornton's gift was also thoughtful. She opened the cover and discovered the inscription he had left for her:

Miss Hale, I take great comfort in my faith and the power of prayer. Our faith is something we share. I hope you will garner some peace from these devotions and know that I understand the depth of your grief. With my deepest affections, John Thornton

Margaret wondered how she could have ever thought him unfeeling. Mr. Thornton was considerate and thoughtful. She held the book up to her chest and held back the tears. How she missed him! When she collected herself, she continued reading his letter.

Thank you for the lovely watercolor you painted at my request. I will enjoy having this painting to remind me of the beauty our Lord created in this world. Milton does have some beautiful places as well, but a person must travel three or four miles outside of the center of town to experience them. However, none of them compared to the beauty of the view from your balcony.

One particularly beautiful place is Ashworth Falls. The waterfalls are not tall, but they are lovely nonetheless and are located out in the wild. There is a water wheel powered mill nearby, and the village itself is quite picturesque.

My day at the mill is quite boring, I am afraid, but I will comply with your request and tell you about it anyway. Each day, the routine is the same, I rise early and am at the mill before 6:00 am. Williams gets to the mill before me and begins to feed the fire that will power the engines. Before the workers come, I do a walk-through of the sheds to make sure all equipment looks in good repair.

Throughout the morning, I work on correspondence and my ledgers. At ten, I make my rounds of the sheds and see that all is going well. I also must see to shipments, both incoming and outgoing.

Something that brings me pleasure each day is having lunch with Higgins at the canteen. I find his company enjoyable as he has a keen sense of humor and is quite intelligent. He loves to tell me "Miss Margret" stories, and I enjoy hearing them. He has many fond memories of you. Miss Higgins is a very good cook, and it was no surprise for her to catch the eye of one of the workers. I know Higgins will miss her when she marries.

Today, Higgins and I ate a late lunch, and we took the box you sent to the canteen for Miss Higgins.. She was quite moved by your gifts, as was Higgins. Both of them appreciate very much that you still remember Bessie.

I read to the Boucher children each week when I am at the Higgins home. Tommy is a bright young man, and he sometimes comes up to the mill office to wait for Nicholas. He reads while he waits for Higgins to finish work, and I enjoy his company. It makes me wonder what it would be like to have a son or daughter of my own. The other children listen while I read, often playing with their toys on the floor. All of them are doing well.

Miss Hale, something I have realized through my visits to the Higgins home and my friendship with Higgins, is that while I may have more money in my pocket and live in a bigger home, I am much poorer than he is. His life is filled with love, and he comes home each night to a family who needs him. He has lost so much, yet he never stops giving. I can never thank you enough for sending him to me, Miss Hale. Besides your father, he is the only friend I have known in my adult life. All of the other mill masters are acquaintances, and I can never imagine having a personal conversation with any of them, even Watson.

Thank you for asking about my family. Mother is well, and Fanny is expecting her first child in four more weeks. Mother has sewn more clothes for the babe than he or she could ever possibly wear, but it keeps her busy.

Mother is going to move to Hayleigh this weekend to help Fanny during these last few weeks of her confinement. I expect she will stay for a while after the baby is born as well. She worries about me living alone in the mill house, but I am perfectly fine with it. I far prefer her to be with Fanny during this time. They have grown closer since Fanny learned that she is with child, and I am glad of it.

Congratulations on the impending birth of the new baby in your family. I am sure the new addition to the family will be loved beyond measure by all in your home.

Miss Hale, I wanted to address the subject of my mother as I know there has been discord between the two of you. As a boy, she was the best mother I could have wanted after my father died. She kept our family together through sheer grit and determination. I learned many things that have served me well from her such as integrity, the value of hard work, and honor. However, I have found that as I have wanted to make choices she does not approve of both with the mill and my personal life, she and I are in conflict. For quite some time now, we have spoken of little else than the mill. There is a chasm between us that has only grown wider because as a grown man, I chafe against the hold she wants to have on me.

My mother's need to be first in my affections is not something I understand because I am not a parent. I have spoken to Higgins about it, and he told me that the love a man feels for his children is a protective love, and a deep love. He spoke about Mary's engagement to Matthew and how he welcomes Matthew into the family as a son. Mary's love for him as her father will never change, and he is glad for her to find her own happiness. Her primary relationship will be with her husband, and that is how it should be.

Higgins says, "It be a selfish man that would keep his girl from seekin' her happiness because she was afeared of makin' her Papa sad. My Annie would've been proud to see our Mary all growed up and soon to be a bride. It is somethin' to celebrate when your daughter finds a good man to give her heart to and be loved in return. There will be dancin' and a barrel of ale the day she marries, Master. My heart will be full of gladness to see her so happy."

Upon reflection, I have loved so few people in my life, and I envy Higgins in some ways for having shared his life with Annie and for having created a family with her. He told me once that there is not a day that goes by that he does not think of her and miss her. Higgins said that the ache in his chest is duller now, but always with him. He said, "Master, when she looks down from Heaven, I hope she's proud of the father I have been to our girls. When my time comes, we will be together again."

When Higgins spoke of his late wife, I could see him struggling to control all he felt even though she left this world seventeen years ago. He told me his Annie hung the moon and the stars, and he would always be glad he married her even though they only had five years together. Mary is all he has left of her now and his memories, of course.

Higgins has known tragic loss, and he lives a hard-scrabble life, yet he is determined to make the most of the life he was given. From what I know of him, he is not afraid to love because he has already experienced the worst loss he could have suffered in losing both Annie and Bessie. As I am sure you know, he is a devoted father to the Boucher children.

I wonder now about my parents' marriage, Miss Hale. I know little of it because my mother never speaks of my father. She has a wall around her heart that seems impenetrable. I know her well, and beneath her harshness and rigid morality, there beats a heart that has been so deeply scarred that she guards it carefully from more pain. I hope having a grandchild will bring more joy into her life and soften her into the person she was before my father's death. She has a tender heart for those she loves.

Now, to address your question about Miss Latimer. My womenfolk have done their best to impose their will on me to form an attachment to her, but while she is a lovely woman, she is not the right woman for me. She holds no place in my heart now, nor has she ever. We are merely acquaintances. I believe that she will marry the mayor's son according to Fanny, and I wish them every happiness.

Miss Hale, I once told you how I felt about you, and that has not changed. I miss you so terribly that my heart aches fiercely at times. I wish that I could walk the two miles to Crampton, sit in your drawing room with you and talk things over in person. We cannot go back in time, but we can learn from our past mistakes. I like very much what you said about never parting in anger or ending a conversation or letter with angry words.

The weeks drag on interminability between your letters, so please write soon.

Affectionately Yours, John

Margaret reread the letter three times, and she was certain she had never loved anyone more than she loved John Thornton. She also wished that they were able to talk things over in person, but that was not to be, not with over 1900 kilometers between them.

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Fred knew that letters had arrived from Milton earlier today, but he had not had time to read his correspondence yet. There had been problems at the dock with an incoming shipment, and it took more than two hours to resolve.

He had sent the letter addressed to Margaret home with his father-in-law earlier this morning, and he sat down to read the one addressed to him. As he opened it, a note addressed to Margaret fell onto his desk..

Mr. Dickenson,

I hope this letter finds you well.

Please allow me to begin with some hard truths. My financial situation is not what it was when I asked for Miss Hale's hand the first time. My mill is struggling to stay in business, but I believe I can turn things around. I wanted to be forthright with you that I will always provide for Miss Hale, but there are fluctuations in mill profits that are inevitable. Currently, I am striving to overcome the impact of the strike that occurred a year ago. I am not afraid of hard work, nor so prideful that I would not take whatever work I could find to take care of those I have been entrusted to provide for should the mill fail.

Miss Hale and I are coming to a deeper understanding of each other, and I believe the time has come to ask for her hand again even with the troubles at the mill. I know from all she has revealed in her letters, even though she has not stated it directly, that she does care for me. I have made my own feelings known to her in the letter I sent to her with this one to you.

After she reads it, and if she wants me to travel to Spain, will you write to me immediately so that I can make arrangements to come? I know Miss Hale's full year of mourning is not yet completed, but I can time my trip to Spain when she will be ready to rejoin society. I want her to be surrounded by those she loves when we marry.

What are the requirements for marriage in Cadiz? I am assuming that the banns must be read given that Margaret attends the Anglican church. Can you help me navigate this matter?

I have one other favor to ask of you. I wonder what advice you might have for me about being the best husband I can be to Miss Hale, assuming of course she agrees to marry me.

Sincerely, John Thornton

Fred sat at his desk for a few long minutes. The decision was up to Margaret whether she was ready for Mr. Thornton to come to Spain. It seemed like only yesterday that she had come to live with him, and he was not ready to give her up. But…he must if she were to have the same opportunity for happiness that he had found with Dolores.

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Author's Notes:

As always, thank you to Mimosa for her amazing editing skills. Comments and discussions of the characters are much appreciated!

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