A Heart for Milton

A Heart for Milton - Chapter 21

A Heart for Milton - Chapter 21

From private drawing rooms and stately gentlemen's clubs, to rowdy pubs and simple servants' quarters, the talk of Milton revolved around the shooting at Marlborough Mills and the upcoming trial. In the Princeton district, the workers at Thornton's were not immune to the swell of self-importance that rose in their breasts when they were sought out for their rendition of the events of that day. Most, however, swore by the faithfulness of the Master's wife and decried the sordid rumors that raised the eyebrows of well-coiffed ladies at tea and prompted derisive snickers from men in smoke-filled billiard rooms.

Mr. Thornton and his wife continued their daily routines, unfazed by the whirlwind of tattle about town. Suddenly the recipients of an influx of social invitations, they politely declined most, choosing to attend occasional gatherings to quell suspicious scrutiny with their placid composure and genuine contentment.

Margaret carried herself with quiet dignity, aware that Albert's vociferous rants would have undoubtedly incited a slew of rumors concerning a romantic entanglement. She consoled herself to endure such slander with the knowledge that she was innocent of any inappropriate behavior. She was especially grateful that her pregnancy was not yet evident, for she believed her condition was known only to her husband's family and Nicholas and Mary.

The Mistress of Marlborough Mills walked with a purposeful gait across the mill yard one morning a week before the trial. The late August sun warmed the air as it climbed toward its pinnacle of glory, hidden behind the mottled grays of Milton's bleak skies. Although surrounded by the colorless world of man's making, she smiled in satisfaction at the hope and progress her husband's enterprise represented. She envisioned a shared prosperity, in which both Master and men benefited from the diligent work of the other.

A small flock of children gathered around her skirts as she approached the schoolroom.

"Please, Miss?" asked a young lass as she looked inquisitively into the elder woman's eyes.

"Yes, Nancy?" Mrs. Thornton politely responded as they reached the doorway, glancing at the girl in fond acknowledgment.

"Are you really going to have a baby?" the girl asked innocently, her eyes wide in expectation.

Margaret's smile faded and she grew pale at the inquiry. "Whatever makes you ask that, Nancy?" she queried anxiously, endeavoring to brush off the question as childish curiosity.

"I heard my mum and dad arguing over it. Mum said you was carrying a baby, but me dad said it weren't nothing but foolish blather. Even if you were, says he, there would be nothing to hide about it," she said triumphantly, hoping her father's words would please the mistress.

Margaret felt queasy with dread. "I am going to have a baby, Nancy, but it was meant to be kept a secret a little longer," she told the child kindly in a lowered voice.

The girl nodded her understanding and everyone took their place for school to begin.

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As soon as the whistle for the noon break sounded, Margaret hastened to see her husband. Distracted and unsettled since the child's unexpected query, she had mentally wrung her hands the past few hours in contemplation of all it implied.

She entered the Master's office and shut the door behind her without a word.

Mr. Thornton looked up from his work, at once alarmed by her sullen appearance and the listless look in her eyes. "Margaret, what is it? Are you ill?" he inquired, his brow knit with concern as he abandoned his desk to come to her.

"No, no," she assured him half-heartedly, only briefly meeting his gaze. 'I have just discovered something quite...unsettling," she revealed with sorrow.