My dear Edith,

I am writing to you from Milton, where Henry has probably told you that I went yesterday. I am terribly sorry not to have returned to Londonand you, but you see I could never go away from Miltonagain, after I met Mr. Thornton by chance on the railway platform and discovered that he still loves me.

Yes, he loves me, Edith! Despite my mistaken prejudices against him and the north, regardless of my cruel words to him when he proposed the first time-he loved me then, and he loves me still. And I love him so very much. I could not come back to London, Edith, once I realized that my heart was always here. Please console Henry as best you can. I know that at one point he cherished his own notions towards me. I should not like him to be hurt.

Mr. Thornton and I have decided to be married in two weeks' time. I am staying at MarlboroughMills until a few days before then, when I should like to have you and the captain arrive if you can. We can all take rooms in the G- Hotel together and then, I hope the captain will agree to give me away at the Miltonchurch. Please say that you will come. I want you to meet John and see for yourself the goodness of the man who has completely won me by his noble and compassionate nature.

Eagerly awaiting your answer, I am

Your loving cousin,

Margaret Hale

"How will the two of you occupy yourselves today?" Thornton asked at breakfast the next day, his smile showing his profound delight at the inclusion of Margaret in the intimate family group.

"We will begin preparing wedding clothes," Hannah answered decisively. "You and Margaret may want only a small wedding, but it will still be as dignified as possible. I owe it to your mother, my dear," she added, speaking to Margaret, "to see that you are cared for in this matter just as you would have been if she were still here. You may rest assured that no detail will be overlooked." Margaret smiled her gratitude.

"We will also," Hannah added dryly, "call on Fanny and let her know your news, if Margaret is willing. No doubt she will believe that Margaret came all this way simply to see the glory of her Indian wallpaper, but we will inform her otherwise."

All three laughed before Margaret gained the courage to shyly ask, "And what will you do today-John?" blushing furiously as she did so.

Thornton hesitated momentarily. "I have an appointment quite early this morning, with a gentleman who may be offering me a position where I can make a respectable salary for myself."

"John!" This was from Hannah, spoken in shock. She abruptly set down the pitcher of cream she had been holding. She knew, of course, of the wealth which Margaret had inherited so unexpectedly, and of the role it had played in bringing Margaret together with her son. It had all been explained to her the night before. Margaret said nothing, but she looked at John with wide-eyed concern.

"You will not be a master again?" Hannah demanded.

Thornton took a deep breath, preparing himself for opposition. "No, mother, not at this time. I am not minded to use my wife's money for my own business interests. It will be better if I work hard for a few years, set aside my own earnings, and then begin again, on my own, just as I did before."

"I do not agree!" Margaret said strongly, startling even herself. "I meant what I said to you yesterday. I mean to invest in your business, in Marlborough Mills."

"My love, you have no need of my poor skills," Thornton answered with a tender smile. "You have more than enough to keep you comfortably for the rest of your life. You need not risk any of the principal. If you must invest, let it be with a well-established business somewhere else. It will take me some time to save enough to start my own business again, and in the meantime, my venture would be too risky."

"But I want to invest my money with you! There is no need to wait to save your own money when everything I have will soon be yours."

"Mine by law, perhaps, though it could never be so in truth. I will not take your money, your only means of support and independence, away from you."

Margaret looked away, hurt and disappointed. Hannah looked at her son. "You should listen to Margaret. You will never find a more willing investor."

"My mind is made up, mother," Thornton replied firmly, though he did observe Margaret's expression with concern. It occurred to him that perhaps he should have spoken to her about this subject in private rather than bring it up for the first time at the breakfast table. Yesterday's events, though delightfully concluded, had proceeded too quickly to permit the level of reflection which he usually brought to business matters.

Margaret sat with downcast eyes, not touching her food, while John looked down the length of the table at her, his forehead beginning to crease. Hannah looked at Margaret with concern, and then glared angrily at her son. Without warning she stood and left the room, her skirts swishing indignantly behind her. Thornton ate his remaining bites of food wolfishly, then glanced at the clock. "Margaret, I have to leave soon. Please do not let us quarrel on the first day of our engagement."

"What is there to quarrel about? Your mind is quite made up." Margaret answered with a false sincerity that her intended did not sense. Had he known her better, had his own emotions not still been so aroused, he would have recognized the concealed emotion in her tone and the masked expression on her face. As it was, he smiled in relief.

"I am glad you understand." He drank the rest of his tea in one gulp and stood, then came to her where she still sat motionless. He placed his hand lightly on her shoulder. "My love, I shall see you again later today." Margaret looked up at him and gave her bravest smile, in which Thornton saw only what he wanted to see. He swiftly leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, then left the room. Margaret heard his quick step move through the house, collecting his things and bidding his mother farewell, and then the opening and shutting of the front door announced his departure. After a minute Hannah re-entered the room and looked at her sharply.

"What is this nonsense of John's? Were you able to talk him out of it?"

"Not at all. He will not take my money."

"Surely you tried to convince him?"

"There was no time. He had to leave already."

Hannah sat heavily down again at the table. "Thornton men can be pig-headed about money."

Margaret stared at her in shock. In her upbringing, money had rarely been discussed so freely, or with such frankness.

"John is just like his father," Hannah commented, resuming her breakfast. "Oh, I do not mean that," she added, seeing Margaret's look of dismay, "I just mean that they are bound and determined to be the only means of support for their family. John handles his money much more responsibly than his father ever did; the mill's failure was not his fault, as I am sure you know. But he and his father share the same trait as most men, I suppose-they will not allow that they might ever be dependent on a woman!"

"But John would not be dependent on me, if he were to take my money," Margaret protested. "It is merely an investment, just as any other investment would be. He could pay me back if that were so important to him."

"But you are not any other investor; you will be his wife, and he feels obliged to be your provider, not the other way around. It will be hard enough for him to accept that you come to him as an independently wealthy woman, needing nothing from him. He will need time to become accustomed to the idea."

"It is not true that I need nothing from him," said Margaret, vehemently, "but what I do need, I scarcely know how to describe."

Hannah did not seem to hear her. "John's father, now, could have saved himself and the rest of us much trouble, if he had not been so determined to set things right on his own. He had his pride, you see. He would ask no one for either help or counsel, and no matter how badly his affairs went, he refused to admit his troubles even to me. He would be beholden to no one."

"I never imagined that John-Mr. Thornton-would refuse to accept my help," said Margaret, her voice revealing her distress. "I do not want it to be a point of contention between us."

"Talk to him," Hannah urged her, "and tell him how you feel about his refusal. In time he may come to accept your offer in the spirit in which it was made. But do not push too hard. You will have to find your own ways of convincing him to accept your assistance without injuring his pride."

Author's note: I regret that I will have to end this story at this point because this story has now been published on Amazon. This was not my goal. I had been assured by other authors over the last few months that Amazon allows published stories to remain here because they are free on this site, so I was going to leave it here. However, I received an email from Amazon last night saying otherwise and directing me to remove it here, as per my contract with them. This story is now for sale on Amazon under the title Common Ground, by Elaine Owen. Thank you to everyone here for your reviews and support!