Chapter 4: Making of Friends
"Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light."
-Albert Schweitzer
Lily decided that the best form of action was to take a walk around Milton today. Maybe she would be able to clear her head somewhat. Maybe she would be able to understand what it was she was to do next. As it seemed Margaret had no intentions at the moment to be coming to Milton. A selfish part of Lily hoped that she never wanted to come back and that maybe she would be able to be with Mr. Thornton. But in reality that was far from likely to ever happen.
She walked to the Hill, she found herself able to think here the wind blowing her face, and she felt the calm from the noise of the town below her.
‘I know you, you’re the woman who put S’evens in ‘is place’ she turned standing in front of her was a woman, a little younger than her, but only maybe by a year. She looked at her face and blonde hair; this must be Bessy she thought.
‘I am. I am afraid I don’t know you’
‘I am Bessy Higgins; I work at Marlborough mills’ she smiled.
‘My name is Lily Spacey’
‘You have been seen with the Master a few times, there are workers taking bets about how long for him to fall in love with you’
‘That is not going to happen’ Lily blushed.
‘Yeah and I am the Pope’ Bessy smiled.
‘You are a long way if you work at Marlborough Mills’ She inquired.
‘I am meeting my father; he works at one of the other Mills. Not many women would have stood up to someone like Stevens, the only person would have done that would have been the Master’
‘I was not really thinking of my own safety at the time, I know that fire is always a problem in the mills. I don’t like to think that so many people could have lost their place of work and possibly their lives because of the stupidity of a man that could put other people lives in danger’
‘That is a very modern thought you have there, lass’ it was a different voice that made her turn around, it was a man’s she knew instantly it was Nicolas Higgins. If only you knew how modern, she thought to herself. One of her favourite characters was him. She loved the interactions that Higgins and Mr. Thornton would have and how Higgins would be able to make Thornton realise when he was wrong.
‘Father, this is the woman I told you about, Miss Spacey’ Bessy smiled. She looked to Lily looked like in Bessy she had just made her first friend that didn’t involve a Thornton.
‘Well it is a foolish woman who thought that she would be able to talk reasonably to that man’
‘I am sorry Sir’ Lily replied, ‘But don’t think that you know me because of one action that I have done’
‘Come on Father, we should be going’
‘I would like to call on you if I may, where bout’s do you reside?’
‘We have a house behind the Golden Dragon not that you would remember’
‘I will. Would I be able to call maybe next week?’
‘If you wish’ Nicolas replied, he was unsure about this girl.
‘I shall see you next week then’
She moved away from the both them and walked back down the hill to the cobble streets. Looking around when she approached the row of shops. When she approached them. She stopped at the jeweller’s window seeing a beautiful pendent in it. It looked like a pendent that her grandmother once showed her. Her Grandmother or her Nan she owed a lot to her. Susan was her name. She told Lily to go and make something of her in the world because you only have a precious amount of time to do something worthwhile. Her Nan was the main reason that she went to university, because after she died Lily wanted to make her proud.
Mr. Thornton watched her as she looked in the shop window it was the jewellers. He was not meant to be watching her. He was meeting with his accountant today to discuss the plans for the Mill. However, he spotted her looking in the shop his breath caught. He was about to move towards her and inquire what she was looking at. She turned nearly knocking him as she did so.
‘Mr. Thornton, we really must stop meeting like this. People will start to talk’ she blushed, but her eyes sparkled with mischievousness.
Mr. Thornton smiled to her. ‘Well we can’t have that can we? I was amused to see what you were looking at in the shop window’
She turned at pointed, ‘It’s the locket, and it reminded of one my Grandmother showed me when I was younger’
‘You were close to her’
‘She brought me up, when Mother had problem with dealing with father leaving when I was born, Grandma pulled up her sleeves and was determined that I would not go without’
‘She sounds like an amazing woman’ Thornton smiled. It was a contrast to when she was talking about her mother he saw pain in her eyes. When she spoke about her Grandmother he saw nothing but love.
‘She was, I would have been a handful if she had not reigned me in’
‘Why don’t you buy the necklace if it reminds you of her?’ he asked.
Lily smiled. Well one she did not technically have any money to be able to, ‘No it’s good for me to see it when I pass the jewellers reminds me of a time when I was happy, a time which I can’t go back to’ she pulled herself back from her memories, ‘I am sorry what is it you are here at this hour, shouldn’t you be at the mill?’
‘I have a meeting with one of my advisors which I cannot get out of although I would like to’ He sighed, there was a sadness as he spoke, ‘Anyway I was meant to inform you that next month, My mother will be holding her annual dinner and I would love you to come… with the Hale’s of course’
‘If I am still in town, try and keep me away’ she smiled.
‘You may not be in town?’ John felt his heart constrict as she said about leaving, why would she want to leave him… to leave Milton?
‘I’m only meant to be here until Miss Hale comes to take up residence, I do not know how long that would be, but as I said Mr. Thornton if I am still here, I would be honoured to come’ she blushed, ‘Now I must let you be getting on’
Mr. Thornton nodded, and walked away from her. He looked back to her one last time before heading to his meeting. Lily watched him walk away. She turned on her heels and headed back home, and she chided herself it was not her home, her home was her flat in 2011, not in a home in Milton in 1855.
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As she opened the door to the parlour when she got back she heard Mrs Hale coughing again. She was not a doctor but something told her this wasn’t just the Milton air that was doing this to her.
‘Lily is that you?’
‘Yes Mrs Hale’ she smiled, her smile disappeared as the look of paleness on Mrs Hale’s face made her jump.
‘I think I may need to see a doctor’
‘I could ask Mrs Thornton if she knows of any that would be willing to come and check you over’
‘You would do that?’
‘Yes Mrs Hale, I would do that’ Lily nodded.
‘Thank you Lily’
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Lily strode up to Marlborough Mills she really hoped that she would miss Mr. Thornton hopefully he would still be in his meeting.
Knocking on the door she declared to the servants, ‘I am here to see Mrs Thornton’
Mrs Thornton had been sitting looking through a book, the book that her son seemed to be so interested in reading, it was because of this girl she thought, never before had her son been so distracted and it all started when Miss Spacey came to town. She nearly dropped the book on the floor when Jane the maid, declared that Miss Spacey was here to see her. In her House! What on earth could this woman want?!?
‘Ah Miss Spacey what is it that brings you to Marlborough Mills?’
‘I have come to acquire an address for a doctor, you see Mrs Hale is in low spirits, and I would like her to see someone to make sure that she is alright’
‘Our Doctor, Doctor Donaldson would be happy to see her I am sure’ Mrs Thornton wrote down the address, ‘he should be able to see Mrs Hale within a few days’
‘Thank you Mrs Thornton that is very kind of you’ she smiled.
Mrs Thornton looked at this girl before her. What made her so special why would her son desire someone like her? It just did not make sense, of all the women that he could possibly want in his life he chooses the one who is the most unsuitable how convenient.
Lily smiled to Mrs Thornton. Although she did not sometimes agree with her as a character, especially when it came to the over protection of her son. Lily had deep respect for her, she had not had it easy, but she had come through it the other end.
‘I should be getting back to Mrs Hale’ she said, ‘Thank you again Mrs Thornton’
Lily walked across the Mill courtyard when she heard a few of the Mill workers speak directly to her, ‘been to see the old dragon Miss’
‘Hello Jenny’ she smiled, ‘I hear your Mother is sick how is she?’
‘A little better Miss, why were you seeing her?’
‘That’s for me to know’
Jenny and her friend both suddenly stopped talking; Lily turned around and physically jumped when she saw Mr. Thornton staring at her.
‘Now seeing you twice in one day I am honoured’ the corners of his mouth twitched up.
‘I was actually here to see your mother’ she began to walk away. He followed her.
‘Is everything alright?’ he asked.
‘I got the name of your doctor’
‘Are you ill?’
‘No not me, Mrs Hale, I am worried that something is wrong with her and not just the Milton air as she keeps saying’ she looked at Mr. Thornton, ‘I am fine’
He half smiled, ‘I hope Mrs Hale will be too’
‘I do too, Mr. Thornton’ she replied.
They stopped looking at each other for a moment. Both knowing that they were meant to move but neither of them able to. Lily needed to get moving she would be expected to be back at home, while Mr. Thornton had a million and one things that he was meant to be doing at the mill.
‘I am sure you being as astute as you are have heard the rumour of a strike’
Lily’s heart stopped for a moment. This was a pivotal part of the book and the TV drama but what if she well and truly messed this part up. ‘I am afraid I have not, you think that the workers will strike’
‘I don’t see how they would not, I cannot afford to meet the terms that they are to give’ Mr. Thornton said.
‘But you are one of the Good masters’ she replied passionately.
‘But they want to be in solidarity on this one, Miss Spacey, I fear that I will not be able to come back from this if it happens’
‘Mr. Thornton’ she started, ‘in your heart you know what is right, I should be going to take this to Mrs Hale, don’t give up so easily Mr. Thornton, I have faith in you’
He bowed and watched her go. Did Lily really mean what she had spoken? That she had faith in him. No one had ever said that to him let alone a woman. A small smile crossed his lips. He looked up to the window; his mother was looking at him. He wondered how long she had been there watching. Making his way to the Mill he was sure she would tell him soon enough.
The rest of the afternoon went very slowly, Mr. Thornton put himself in his work. Trying not to think about what Lily had spoken but no matter how much he tried the words swam in his head. He could not get them out of his head. He sighed he needed to get his head focused. He had to prepare himself for what his mother would say to him when he got home to him with her you never could tell.
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Mr. Thornton walked into the house, just before the sun was sitting over Milton, as he walked in he spotted his mother, she was sitting at her desk writing what he thought to be letters.
‘John, you are home’ Mrs Thornton smiled.
‘So it would appear’ he smiled and kissed her cheek.
‘I see you saw the visitor in the mill this afternoon, Miss Spacey?’
‘I did’ He nodded; he knew what coming next. Mr. Thornton’s brow crinkled up.
‘She came to say that Mrs Hale is not well, the look on her face. She looked at me with such disdain, she seems to think she has power over me, I am sure she was surveying the place so she could see what she could do if she called this her home’
‘She was not doing that at all I am sure, she would never have me if I asked her hand anyway not that I would anyway’ he stuttered. ‘I do wish you would try to like her mother’
‘How well you know her?’ Mrs Thornton replied. ‘I was not aware how much you defend her’
‘She is a Lady, while I manufacturer of cotton, I don’t think I am what they call a prize’ Mr. Thornton replied.
‘I think she is very much eyeing you as a prize that if she uses her charms will ensnare you’
‘She does not, Mother, please can we not talk about Miss Spacey any more, I am tired and I would just like to relax before bed’
Mrs Thornton did not want to stop talking about Miss Spacey. She had a feeling that her son was beginning to fall for this Lady, but she did as her son wished although she was not happy in doing so.