"N&S: John Thornton, Love Lessons", Ch. 76 (PG-13): Arrivals and New Beginnings, August 24, 2014 Gratiana Lovelace
An original fan fiction copyrighted by Gratiana Lovelace; All rights reserved; Based on the Elizabeth Gaskell novel, North & South and its 2004 BBC adaptation; No copyright infringement intended)
[I will illustrate my story using my dream cast from the 2004 BBC production of "North & South" and other actors for additional characters: Richard Armitage for John Thornton, Daniela Denby-Ashe for Margaret Hale, Lesley Manville for Mrs. Maria Hale, Tim Pigott-Smith for Mr. Richard Hale, Sinead Cusack for Mrs. Hannah Thornton Ogilvy, Jo Joyner for Fiona/Fanny Thornton Ogilvy, Brendan Coyle for Nicholas Higgins, Graham McTavish as Dr. Cameron Ogilvy, Holliday Grainger for Angharad Ogilvy MacIntosh, Simon Woods for Baird Ogilvy, and Emma Ashton as Mrs. Dillard, John Light as Henry Lennox, Tim Faraday as Watson, Gillian Anderson at Carlotta Quint Watson, Jeremy Northam as Dr. Miles Houghton, Gerard Butler as Lord Jamie Ogilvy, Juliette Lewis as Lady Thistle Ogilvy, and Helena Bonham Carter as Brigid Gordon, etc.] [(1) story logo, top right]
Author's Mature Content Note: "N&S: John Thornton, Love Lessons" is a story with mature themes of love and relationships set within a period drama of the 1850's. As such there will be heartfelt moments of love and sensuality (S)--as well as other dramatic emotions (D), including some violence (V)--and I will rate those chapters accordingly. If you are unable or unwilling to attend a movie with the ratings that I provide, then please do not read that chapter. This is my disclaimer.
Author's Recap from the previous chapter: John and Margaret meet the little baby boy and girl that they hoped to adopt from Cameron and Hannah's Airlie Castle orphanage. Uncertain at first about each other, John and little Caty warm to each other--well, thaw. Then the newly expanded Thornton Family spends the next few days at Airlie Castle getting even better acquainted in familiar surroundings for Caty before they all return home to Milton. Caty is less fearful and shy around John now that she sees him interact with other children. And in partially renaming their newly adopted children, John and Margaret want a way for their baby boy and toddler daughter to retain part of their Scottish heritage, while also embracing their new family. So it is a newly expanded Thornton family that returns to Milton the following Sunday--John and Margaret, Audrey Grace, Catriona "Caty" Maria Thornton, and baby Douglas John Thornton.
"N&S: John Thornton, Love Lessons", Ch. 76 (PG-13): Arrivals and New Beginnings
The train ride from Angus, Scotland to their new home in Milton, England this mid April 1855 is the first for little two year old newly named Catriona Caty Maria Thornton and her one month old baby brother now named Douglas John Thornton. And the wonders of train travel--with everything moving so fast past their train compartment window fascinates little Catriona. However John and Margaret Thornton's almost four year old daughter Audrey Grace takes the homecoming with a new baby brother and new little sister in her stride--afterall, she is her parents' [usually unflappable child].
And the Thornton's are not alone. Since baby Douglas is only one month old, the Thornton family is also accompanied by his Scottish wet nurse [(2)] the widowed Brigid Gordon and her own almost weaned seven month old baby boy Arthur Gordon who will also seek a new life for themselves in Milton after her disappointment. John and Margaret are only slightly aware of Brigid not having a father for her child--though they were spared the details from their stepfather/father-in-law Cameron. Of course, the baby had a father or it wouldn't be in the world. It is just that the father was already spoken for--by his wife. But Brigid is a plucky Scottish lass of twenty-five--practically ancient for having only her first child from the Scottish village where she comes from.
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"N&S: John Thornton, Love Lessons", by Gratiana Lovelace (2013-2014) (Done)
FanfictionJohn Thornton has an eager mind, starved for intellectual stimulation. But what John could not have foreseen was that just as his mind needs nourishment, so does his heart. Mr. Hale's proud, beautiful, kind, stubborn, and compassionate daughter Mi...
