Shadow in the North

Chapter Nine - An Invitation

Upon the following morning, Margaret found two letters; one was a note for her mother, the other a letter from her Aunt Shaw. She set about reading the letter to her mother, as she convalesced in bed, having suffered a turn the evening before.

'Aunt Shaw is in Naples, Mamma. She complains of the heat.' Margaret read on and frowned. 'Oh! it is too hot! She has taken rooms in Sorrento.' Mrs Hale was greatly interested in her sister's travels, and asked Margaret trifling questions until each line had been talked over some four or five times. Mrs Hale, taken to her bed, could find no greater enjoyment than in thinking of foreign travels and sumptuous ballrooms and hotels, lavish dining tables and gleaming silverware - for surely, an enjoyment - taken only vicariously - is still an enjoyment, indeed.

It was with alacrity, therefore, that Mrs Hale - upon opening the note which had, until then, been overlooked in favour of Aunt Shaw's letter, and finding it to contain an invitation to the Thornton's annual dinner on the twenty-first of the month - insisted that Mr Hale, daughter and goddaughter must attend. A formal dinner, hosted by such a proud and formidable woman as Mrs Thornton, was sure to be a fine affair. And, although merely manufacturers, the Thorntons were - Mrs Hale knew - well respected amongst the wealthy business owners of Milton, and so surely, an invitation to such an occasion was an acknowledgment of the southern family's worth, and therefore not to be ignored.

'But Mamma is unwell!' complained Margaret to her father, upon leaving the invalid to rest. 'Surely we cannot think to go with Mamma being so unwell?' But Mr Hale would not hear of it. Mrs Hale wished for them to go, and he would not deny her this one small happiness.

'But Margaret, my dear, your mother would not think of our going if she did not consider herself well enough to have us leave her. And she has been so much brighter to-day. Do you not think so?' And Margaret did, for Mrs Hale had rallied as a result of her bedrest, and she did so long to see her daughtered dressed in all her finery, once again.

'And Isabel, Margaret. Think of Isabel. She will never have dined at such an occasion - I hardly think she can be accustomed to formal dinners, having lived so long abroad, and not even in Europe! No, we must do as your mother bids, for her sake and for Isabel's.' Margaret relented, for she could see that accepting the invitation would bring her mother pleasure, and what better opportunity to promote an attachment between Isabel and Mr Thornton, than to have her dress in a splendid gown?

'Mother,' asked Mr Thornton, as he stood before her in the mill house dining room, 'who have accepted our invitations for the annual dinner?' Mrs Thornton cast about for the notes of reply and proceeded to read through them.

'Collingbrooks accept, Slicksons accept, as do Stephenses, but the Browns decline. Hales -Father, daughter and goddaughter do come, but the mother is too afflicted. Macphersons come, as does Mr Young and Mr Horsfall. I thought I might invite the Porters, seeing as the Browns can't come.' She looked up at her son, hoping him well pleased.

'Very good,' smiled Mr Thornton, before his smile fell. 'I have been thinking, Mother, that Mrs Hale might be truly very far from well; I think it more than a trifling southern softness, from what Dr Donaldson has told me.' Fanny quirked an eyebrow above her embroidery hoop and spoke up in a loud, brash voice.

'I think it very strange that they should come at all, if Mrs Hale is so very ill.'

'I did not say she was very ill,' scowled Mr Thornton, vexed that his sister should imply some discourteous impropriety on the part of the Hale household. 'I merely said that I thought her very far from well, and it is very likely that the family may not even know of it.' But then he recalled the words of Dr Donaldson; how Miss Darrow had sat in on his examination of the patient, offering her insights and asking probing and astute questions. Indeed, Mr Thornton had been greatly surprised to learn that Miss Darrow had even seen fit to take down a list of medicines and tonics from the doctor. So competent, had Dr Donaldson called her, that he had lamented to Mr Thornton, how very vexatious it was that Miss Darrow - with all her expertise - was doing him out of what he otherwise felt would be a very fine patient. Distasteful, Mr Thornton had thought it at the time, but now, as he recalled that fleeting conversation with the family doctor, he felt intrigued, and a strange sensation he could only have described as pride, but that, he thought, was incongruous, and so he pushed the thought from his mind and turned his attention back to his friend and teacher. No, thought Mr Thornton, he cannot know. Miss Darrow would not wish to alarm him; not if she is capable of managing Mrs Hale's illness. And Miss Hale! She would never wish to alarm her father.