John 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 Miss Margaret Hale will bring John Thornton's untutored heart to full and vibrant life.

Reputations, like the delicate petals of a Helstone rose, are fragile things indeed... Upon discovering Margaret in the arms of an unknown man, John intervenes. How will their story end when reputations are questioned? **This is a North and South fanfiction. As my first time publicly posting anything I have written, I encourage whatever feedback you can offer so I can improve.** Cover photo and design by beautiful_red_head (me!).

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.

Based on the classic novel North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell, this modern story of John and Margaret takes them on a magical adventure filled with intrique, suspense, and romance. John Thornton spends all his waking hours working in the family business. In his leisure time, he hunts for antique books. When one literally falls on him, he is shocked to find the ancient looking text is written about him. Margaret Hale has no time for love. Having started a bakery with her best friend Tara, she needs to concentrate fully on that venture for now. But at her cousin's wedding reception, a stranger approaches and explains he is the man she will marry in three months time.

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.