Becoming Mrs. Thornton: A Sequel to North and South

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

   She held John’s arm as they ventured from his side of Milton to the Crampton street where she’d once lived. The familiar walk cleared her head and steadied her. They shared a lighthearted conversation that would have eluded them in the early days.

Twilight tinged the sky when they returned to house. Cook brought a tray of food to the sitting room. She assured the new Mrs. Thornton that a large kettle of water for tea would simmer on the stove all night and a cold breakfast waited in the pantry. She excused herself so the newlyweds could have the house to themselves until luncheon tomorrow. 

They ate soup and biscuits in front of the crackling fireplace, the anecdotes from the day eventually dwindling to silence. John leaned on the mantle for several minutes, staring into the flames. He turned. “I would like to retire now,” he said in his direct way.

Margaret nodded and took his hand to rise, willing yet terrified, feeling exactly as Edith had warned her she would feel. When they were upstairs, he indicated she should go to her room then meet him in the sitting room again. 

She donned the long-sleeved satin nightgown Edith had insisted she have made. The V-necked bodice clung too tightly to her breasts. The waistband accentuated her hips scandalously. “Trust me,” Edith had said. “And let your hair down. He will never look at you the same way again once he has seen you in this.”

Margaret stared at herself for a long time in the glass. She brushed her hair over one shoulder, as she imagined courtesan might, the long black curls harsh against the silky white fabric. The gown gleamed through the darkness of the room, casting her as a forlorn ghost with bare feet poking from under the bottom ruffle. She smoothed her hand down the front. The gold of her wedding band flashed. She remembered her husband’s countenance as he had placed it on her finger. The memory braced her. “He loves you,” she whispered to herself. “You love him.” She forced her legs to carry her to the sitting room, ridiculously remembering Captain Lennox’s encouraging words as she slipped through the door. “Time for the charge.”

* * *

John rose to stand formally, as if the Queen had entered the room to find him as he was, without jacket or waistcoat, his shirt loose at the collar, neck cloth discarded. He seemed to be rendered momentarily speechless by the sight of her. 

She, too, was a little surprised. Her gaze slid down to his feet, wearing socks but no shoes. He did not say a word. What must he think of her audacious display? His hands flexed. She was about to apologize for her boldness when he finally spoke. 

“Margaret,” he said reverently. “You are so beautiful. Certainly more beautiful than a man like me deserves.”

She smiled, still not able to look at his face. “I think I am underdressed,” she said.

“Not at all,” he assured her. “When I wear a night shirt I could be mistaken for a water bird. All legs. I was afraid you would run for the train and never come back if confronted by that vision.” His teasing calmed her nerves a bit. He held out his hand. “Come, sit. You might enjoy some sherry while we talk for a moment.”

She sat on the edge of the deep-seated settee, feeling ridiculous as the hem of the indecent gown rode up to the middle of her shins, though the sight of his shoeless feet next to her bare ones encouraged her a little. He pressed a goblet in her hand. She took a fortifying drink, letting the warmth burn to her stomach as she glanced nervously around the room, noticing a small writing desk flanked by an upholstered chair that might be more comfortable for reading a book than the seats they now occupied.

“I have never spent much time up here, so I hope you will make whatever you want of it. These rooms are yours and mine, where we can be private as husband and wife, man and woman. Behind this door I ask you to speak as you will to me, to do as you like, to dress as you wish. You may be Margaret and I may be John, and neither of us will expect more or less than that.”