Lost In Gaskell

Chapter Five: What's a Strike?

Mr. Thornton walked down the road and he saw someone with a woman, hitting her, he shouted at him. The man scarpered, but when he went to the woman, anger swelled up in him. The woman in front of him was Lily.

‘Miss Spacey… Lily’ he gasped, he did not wait for anyone else he picked her up and took her to the direction of the Mill, as he past Williamson he shouted ‘Go and get Doctor Donaldson now!’

He took Lily into his office and laid her down on a couch he had. He brushed her face, ‘Come on Lily you have to wake up, you cannot leave me’ he almost was crying, he was unsure why someone would hurt someone so beautiful.

Lily groaned, she could hear his voice. It was like it was calling her not to leave him, but she could not find the energy for her eyes to open.

Dr. Donaldson walked in and saw Mr. Thornton holding the hand of Miss Spacey, Mr. Thornton quickly withdrew it.

‘Doctor I am so glad you are here’

‘Mr. Thornton, do you know what happened?’

‘I was walking down the road and I saw a man attacking a woman I did not know it was Miss Spacey’ Mr. Thornton replied, ‘Help her please, she hasn’t woken up yet’

‘I will do my best’ Dr. Donaldson smiled, ‘you should wait outside I will call you when I have examined her’

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Mr. Thornton waited outside for what felt like an eternity, finally Doctor Donaldson came out.

‘How is she Doctor?’ he asked.

‘She is awake, but the blow to her face and her stomach will be sore for a few days. Whoever did this to her did not want her to get back up. It is lucky that you got to her when you did’

‘Thank you Doctor, May I go in and see her?’

‘Yes you may Mr. Thornton’ Doctor Donaldson replied, ‘I will call on you both in a little while’

Mr. Thornton walked in to the room, he saw Lily was awake the bruising on her face was beginning to come out. It nearly broke his heart. ‘You gave me quite a scare Miss Spacey’

‘It was you that found me then’ she said.

‘I did’ he pulled a chair so he was sitting near her on the couch, ‘Who did this to you?’

‘I don’t want to get a man in trouble’ She said, this was something still very raw to her. And not just because of today.

‘Lily’ he breathed, taking her hands, ‘a man should not have done this to you’

Lily felt tears fall from her face, she did not want to cry in front of Thornton, it was wrong for a woman to cry, she knew that this was wrong of her to do in this time, it was hard enough to do in her century but in Victorian era it was bad ‘It’s my fault it happened’

‘How can you say that? It is not your fault’

‘It …. Was… Stevens’ she sobbed uncontrollably. No holding back the tears now. She could not stop them even if she wanted to. She was mixed between being absolutely mortified that she was crying in front of him and tired that she could not express her feelings in front of him. Darn society and darn rules.

Thornton did what any man would have done even though it was not proper for him to do. He pulled her into his arms, ‘Hush, it is not your fault; I am going to kill him if I get my hands on him’

She leant into his chest there was no denying that she felt safe in his arms. She heard him speak when she heard him say he would kill Steven’s she pulled away. ‘Mr. Thornton, NO! You can’t’ She tried to make her words steady but she failed.