Mrs. Thornton awaits her son's return. With mills failed and house to be given up she expects nothing but more grief in the future. Mostly series based. Extrapolating the train scene on the subsequent behavior of Mr. Thornton and Miss Hale.

The shock of sudden death of Mr. Hale crushes Mr. Bell, rendering him unable to bring the sad news to Margaret himself. He is forced to delegate the terrible duty to the only one he can entrust it: his friend and tenant Mr. Thornton.

When she arrives with her parents in Milton after her father takes a job there, Margaret Hale, with the prospect of adapting to a new life ahead of her, catches sight of a man in the street that looks like a "perfect stranger". However, on an errand to speak to the family's landlord, Margaret finds this romantic image shattered when she finds that her perfect stranger is not so perfect after all. For John Thornton, both the Hales' landlord and proprietor of the Milton Hotel, this first encounter with Margaret has an equally profound impact when she catches him arguing with his brother-in-law. He knows that he must try and rectify her bad opinion of him - but first she has to agree to talk to him.

I love both the book and miniseries North & South, and it has inspired me to finally start writing, with a sequel. It starts at the last scene in the movie, a scene I have probably watched hundreds of times, and mostly draws from the miniseries rather than the book Enjoy, and please comment..I'm interested to know what you think!

When John and Margaret catch a fleeting glimpse of each other at a railway station in the Midlands after months apart, it gives John the impetus to travel to London in the hope of meeting Margaret again. When he impulsively proposes to her and is accepted, it seems that their happiness is complete. As they adjust to their new situation as an engaged couple, both of them find themselves having to deal with the doubts and opposition of others as well as having to resolve old issues and face new ones as they come to learn that falling in love is just the beginning. This story picks up at the point towards the end of the BBC adaptation when Margaret goes to visit the mill while John is in Helstone. It is based upon both the adaptation and the novel. PLEASE NOTE: The chapters of this story tend, as they go on, to become very long. I have considered making them shorter for posting on here, but have decided against it as I think they work well as they stand at the moment. Please also note that this story is still ongoing. I will complete it at some point, but cannot say when at the moment.