The Journey Home

Chapter 19 - A Manufacturer Comes to Tea

Margaret sat in the faded, over stuffed chair reading to her niece. She had passed a quiet afternoon alone with the girl, while others had gone shopping. She was feeling anxious, knowing that the time would soon come when she would speak to Aunt Shaw. Maria Louise was curled up in Margaret's lap, and the warmth of the small child provided her a sense of calm.

The house was so quiet that Margaret was startled when she heard the sound of the heavy front door knocker echoing up the stairs. She slowed her reading aloud, until a gentle rap sounded on the nursery door. Lilly opened the door with a curious look upon her face. "A gentleman to see you, Miss. A Mr. Thornton?" Lilly needed to only look at Margaret's expression to comprehend the importance of the man's arrival. She smiled to herself in seeing her mistress' happiness. Lilly motioned towards the sleeping child in Margaret's lap, holding one finger up to her pursed lips. She gently took Maria Louise from Margaret's arms, and placed the child on her bed for her afternoon nap.

Margaret looked in the small mirror above the dresser, smoothed her eyebrows with a damp finger and twirled a loose tendril of hair into an obedient curl. Silently, she looked to Lilly for approval, and having received a nod from her, quickly left the attic room and went downstairs.

She could barely contain her desire to run to John when she saw him, handing his black hat and gloves to the family's butler, in the foyer below. He sensed Margaret's presence, turned and gazed up to watch her descend the stairs. His heart filled with joy, as he took in Margaret's regal feminine movements. She was dressed simply, much like the Margaret he remembered; a plain white linen blouse, with a simple black skirt. Her trim waist was cinched with a simple grosgrain ribbon, tied in a small bow on the front of her skirt. She wore her luxurious black hair twisted in a coil, high on her head, with a few natural curls escaping at her temples.

Margaret glided down the stairs, singing out "Mr. Thornton!" and extending both her hands, grasped his when she reached the bottom. He felt the delicateness of her, but at the same time, her long, slim arms and small hands were surprisingly strong when she held tight to his. He kissed her cheek as she went up on tiptoe to receive it.

She took a moment to look up and take in the clear blueness of his eyes, noticing the creases that extended out from them when he smiled. The lines in his broad forehead were more deeply cut now, and she saw the gray that had lightly flecked his temples and beard. She thrilled at every small detail of his handsome face and used every once of restraint not to reach up and caress it.

"I've missed you." She said to him. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "And I, you." His voice was passionate and resonated deeply through her whole being. She trembled as the deep tones of his voice reverberated within her. He looked at her with concern. "Are you not well? You are shaking."

"Quite the contrary, sir. Your presence has caused a feeling so deep within me," she paused as she did not know how to express the yearning she felt for him. She looked at him wordlessly, trying to express her feelings. She could not and hid her face against his chest in embarrassment. He drew her closer and kissed the top of her head.

"As you do to me, my love," he assured her. Margaret wrapped her arms around his waist. How was it that this man, this incredible being, understood her so well? She was only just beginning to understand the magnitude of John Thornton's affections. Was this what love was? Was it knowing the words without needing to hear them spoken?

He placed his fingers beneath her soft, round chin and drew her face up to look at his. "Are you ready, Margaret?" he asked with a look of concern. He was, of course, speaking of Aunt Shaw. Margaret's enthusiasm deflated; she knew what she must do, and the thought of the conversation ahead of her caused her to become unsettled all over again. She tried to hide her anxiety behind a smile and a cheery countenance.