Mrs. Hale wore a new gown of lavender silk. She watched all the proceedings with tears in her eyes, grateful to gain thisglimpse of her daughter’s future. How she wished Frederick could be with them!
Mr. Hale was moved even more than he had imagined he would be. Memories of his own wedding streamed into view before him, and he looked to his wife with misty eyes and held her hand tighter. He had been proud to give his daughter to John. He could not imagine a better man for his Margaret. It erased much of his pain and guilt to see that coming to Milton had filled a greater purpose for his daughter and his dear friend.
Mrs. Thornton’s lips quivered as her son made his vows to his bride. Her heart beat strong with the hope her son’s marriage would be happy, as hers had been, before its tragic end.
Her chin lifted at the thought of the streams of people who had come to see her son married. He was the pride of Milton in her estimation. Every dignitary in this town respected and admired him.
She wore a dress of dove gray silk for this occasion, surprising her daughter, who had never seen her in anything but black.
Fanny was amused that her brother, so serious and secretive, seemed to be truly affectionate with Margaret. She watched the whole ceremony with a mind to how she would haveherwedding, and judged every lady’s taste in what they wore.
Edith beamed as Margaret’s attendant. She had seen at once why Margaret’s Mr. Thornton had fascinated her and was overjoyed to see her cousin smitten in love.
Aunt Shaw sat next to her sister Maria, with Edith’s husband on her other side. Mrs. Shaw was impressed with the large number of people in the church. Mr. Thornton was indeed a great man in this town. However, she still took some pity on Margaret, who was now installed in such a place.
The Higgins family was there, very near the front, as Margaret desired. Mr. Thornton bought Bessy a blue dress for theoccasion, such as she had always dreamed of. Mary, too, was given a dress to wear.
Bessy, sitting in a wheelchair near her father, glowed with contentment at the sight before her, satisfied her prescient glimpse of a better peace among men and masters now had a foothold in this town. She was filled with spiritual happiness, beyond her own misfortunes.
Nearby, Mary cried at the beauty and peace around her. She had never seen the like and believed she might never know such a heavenly scene again.
Nicholas still held his doubts about how much could be improved between workers and masters, but for the first time in his long life he carried more hope in his heart. And it was the couple being married before his eyes that had brought such a change in his attitude. If this was the work of the divine hand, he would be grateful for it and try to have more faith that good could prevail.
In the back where the lower classes congregated, Jem and Jenny Daugherty were there, and John Boucher, who had been given work at Thornton’s mill instead of being sent to prison.
Everyone in attendance agreed that the bride and groom looked exuberant indeed. Many commented that they’d never seen such a smile on the Master’s face before—or perhaps had never seen him smile before at all!
The only undercurrent of sorrow present was the silent disappointment of several young ladies who saw their dreams of pursuing Mr. Thornton at an end.
The church bells chimed gaily, their deep resonance echoing off the stone church to announce joy throughout the town. The newlywed couple emerged from the church with beaming smiles. Hand in hand, they stepped onto the flower petals strewn on their path.
Margaret looked up into her husband's face and smiled brightly.
She was home.
Epilogue
Summer roses, peonies, and foxgloves of mixed colors filled a wide silver vase at the center of the long elaborately set dinner table where invited guests sat. New wallpaper of pale yellow with slender floral vines gave the grand room a warmer, gentler tone. Indeed, the entire atmosphere of the Thornton dinner party was much lighter than that of the year before.
The same people attended, with one fresh addition—the Thorntons had invited Nicholas Higgins to join them, to allow a different perspective to sit at the table. The other mill owners were surprised to see him there, but they kept their opinions to themselves. They assumed the new mistress of the house impelled this change. Indeed, she seemed also to be mistress of Mr. Thornton himself.
When conversation at the table lulled a moment, and the clinking of silver on fine china was the only sound, Mr. Hamper spoke up. “How has your experiment in creating a workers’ dining hall fared thus far?” he asked the host at the head of the table. “I imagine it comes at quite a cost to you,” he added, giving a knowing glance around the table at his colleagues.
“The initial investments such as cooking equipment, tables, and dishes have indeed been costly. But I’m not running a charity. The workers pay for their mid-day meal with us, and it will eventually cover all costs,” Mr. Thornton explained.
“But if there’s no profit in it, why go to all that trouble?” Mr. Slickson asked, with hums and nods of agreement from many of the others.
“There’s more than monetary profit to be had, gentlemen. I’ll let my friend Higgins here give you an idea of what I mean,” Mr. Thornton answered.
The newcomer cleared his throat; himself surprised to be sitting among these men. He had bought used apparel in town that he thought would pass muster for the occasion.
“Yo’ ask if there’s any profit in helping a man find a decent meal while he’s spending long hours at your mill. Mayhap it doesn’t fill your coffers to set up a dining hall. But it fills a worker’s belly for a decent price and keeps your workers sharp and alert instead o’ dreaming of his supper with a grumbling stomach. It gives men a space to gather and enjoy the company of others for a time.”
“And when the Master comes a time or two to eat with us, it helps to knock down that wall of distrust between us. We see each other as humans, each of us with our own concerns—all of us needing to eat.”
“Given a place to eat good food for a good deal while at work, the workers see their needs being met. Men are less apt to grumble, to be careless in their work. They begin to take pride in their work. The profit is in making a man feel that he counts for something.”
There was silence in the space after his speech.
