Licensing Note Based on Characters and story lines from Persuasion by Jane Austen and North and South by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, with influences from the BBC miniseries of North and South. All original content and plot for A Circumstance of Tolerable Similarity is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license by Morgan A. Wyndham. I've also published this on the Derbyshire Writer's Guild as MorganA and Archive of Our Own as Morgan AW.

Summary: Thirty- seven years after she finally married the love of her Life, a 64 year old Lady Anne Wentworth (nee Elliot) observes a curious interaction at the Great Exhibition in London. When she sees Margaret Hale and John Thornton playing through the same melodrama that she and her husband acted out so many years ago, she feels she must intervene.

Author's Note: In Persuasion, Sir. Walter references an actual noble family with the surname Wentworth, so "Lord Wentworth" was already someone's title. But for this story I'm sticking with Lord Wentworth for the name recognition with the book (I don't want to strip away all of the names we know and love.)

Chapter 1: The Great Exhibition

London, October 12, 1851

Lady Anne Wentworth allowed her eyes to wander the impressive displays of modern machinery that surrounded her as she and Frederick listened to to a presentation given by a Mr. Thornton, cotton manufacturer. He was outlining the new machinery he had installed in his mill and the benefits to both the health of his workers and productivity and output. Her eyes fell on an elegant young woman as she wandered into the periphery of their group. The intent look the young woman settled on Mr. Thornton tugged at forgotten corners of Anne's heart. She knew that look. She was certain she had worn just such a look of admiration, love, desperation, and regret frequently in the fall of 1814. The talk shifted to the recent strike in Milton and Anne noted the moment that Mr. Thornton espied the young woman. His face took on an altogether different but still sadly familiar expression: prideful loathing with an undercurrent of pain and regret. His tone turned bitter and he spat out toward the young woman. "Miss Hale here knows the depths we men in Milton have fallen to. How we masters only strive to grind workers into the ground." The comment was undoubtedly full of anger, hurt, and pride and meant to injure Miss Hale on a deeply personal level.

The arrow struck home as Miss Hale briefly paled before narrowing her eyes and responding. "I certainly do not think that, as Mr. Thornton could tell you if he would know me at all!" Miss Hale spun around to make a hasty retreat.

Mr. Thornton's face showed a moment's sorrow at his hastily spoken insult and he hurried after her, hovering close to her as he said, "I have presumed to know you once before and have been mistaken." The scene was so heartbreakingly familiar to Anne and she fancied she could read the events of the past and the sentiments of the present from just this short interaction. He had loved her. She had refused him. He was angry. She now repented and was suffocating under the pain of a seemingly unrequited love. Anne also knew by the violence of his anger and the warmth of his gaze that he loved her still, if he would but admit it to himself. She shared a glance with Frederick to see if he drew the same parallels as she had, but he was distracted in conversation with Mr. Lattimer.

Two groups converged on the pair, ending their tete-a-tete, even though Mr. Thornton did not diminish the space between them. Of Mr. Thornton's party, a young blond woman – presumably his sister – tittered and praised Miss Lattimer, who in turn raked Mr. Thornton with a proprietary gaze while shooting Miss Hale haughty looks. Most of Miss Hale's party remained detached, casting interested glances at the group. Anne recognized a Mrs. Shaw – an insipid woman with whom she shared a slight acquaintance – cast a disdainful eye over Mr. Thornton. One of the gentlemen of Miss Hale's party approached and Miss Hale unguardedly called him Henry, but then seemed to shiver away from properly introducing him. Henry clearly taunted Mr. Thornton with his intimacy with the young lady and dismissed his career as a tradesman by suggesting his brother's desire to "dabble in cotton." In turn Mr. Thornton's eyes took on a hard glint of jealousy and pain as he cynically rebuked Henry. In addition to whatever misunderstandings existed between the principal couple, there was some level of opposition on both sides from their family and friends.

"I must go. You may enjoy the machinery like an exhibit in the zoo. I have to go and live with it. I must get back to Milton today," Mr. Thornton growled.

"Give our regards to the Hales. You must tell them how the London break is suiting Miss Hale. Don't you think, Thornton?" Sneered the haughty young Henry, intentionally baiting Mr. Thornton, "Doesn't Miss Hale look well?"Miss Hale pierced the young gentleman with a quelling look, but as Mr. Thornton was occupied in glaring down his rival, he missed her reaction entirely.

"Good day." Mr. Thornton said with resigned pride as he turned away.

"Tell my mother I will be home soon with so much to tell her." Miss Hale's desperate plea tugged at Anne's heart. Mr. Thornton paused to listen, but did not even turn to acknowledge her request. This would never do. Anne moved quickly to intercede.

"Mr. Thornton, it is a shame you must be off so soon." Mr. Thornton started slightly at being addressed as if he had forgotten her presence – a common occurrence as Anne had a tendency of fading into the background to observe until she could be of use. "I had hoped to learn more about your efforts to modernize your mill and improve conditions." She could see his impatience to be away, and added an inducement she knew he would not be able to ignore. "Mr. Lattimer had told us you were looking for investors." Frederick eyed her cautiously, but at her reassuring glance he nodded and waited for her to continue. "If you could delay your departure until tomorrow, we would be delighted to discuss the matter over dinner at Wentworth house."

John Thornton was torn. He had been introduced to Sir Frederick Wentworth and his wife as potential investors, but had assumed that they would lose interest just as quickly as all the others he had met with that weary day. He knew that he could scarcely afford to turn away any potential investors for the mill, but he was fighting the urgent need to flee from Miss Hale's earnest expression and Mr. Lennox's proprietary manner towards her. Fanny interrupted his reverie with a frustrated, "Oh John, don't be such a stick in the mud! A dinner in London at the home of a baron! We cannot refuse!" Crass as her outburst was, he knew she was correct.

He bowed slightly and replied, "thank you Lady Wentworth, we would be honored."

His heart dropped as Lady Wentworth then turned and said sweetly to Miss Hale's aunt – who had remained on the fringes of their group – "Mrs. Shaw, would you care to join us? As we are all acquainted and the young gentlemen have shown an interest in cotton manufacturing," – John scoffed, as if their interest in cotton was any more than a fleeting frivolous thought – "it shall be an enlightening experience for us all." His eyes shifted of their own will to Margaret's face, which was suddenly pale and drawn. He silently prayed for Mrs. Shaw to decline. Fashionable people, of course, always had dinner plans.

Mrs. Shaw looked at Margaret's worried expression. She did not like to promote any further link between her niece's reputation and the tarnish of Milton. However, one simply did not turn down a dinner invitation by the wife of a baron without reason. It had been a long time since her youth as a ward of Sir John Beresford, and she was loathe to admit that her circle of friends was no longer as exalted as it used to be. Although they had some rather modern notions about the roles of the nobility, the Wentworths were undoubtedly good ton and a worthy social connection to cultivate. "We would be delighted Lady Wentworth!" Margaret started and glanced uneasily at Mr. Thornton. Poor dear. I would not like to acknowledge the connection either, but we cannot help it!

Before the groups parted, the remaining introductions were made and it was decided that the party consisting of Sir Frederick and Lady Wentworth, Mr. and Miss Thornton, Mr. and Miss Lattimer, Aunt Shaw, Margaret, Captain and Mrs. Lennox, and Mr. Lennox would all meet again that evening. Margaret's mind boggled somewhat at Lady Wentworth's ability to host an impromptu dinner for eleven with mere hours of time to prepare. They must be rather wealthy. She silently hoped that they would invest in Marlborough Mills, Mr. Thornton deserved success and his employees deserved stability. Margaret was already searching her mind for a way to refuse the invitation without giving offense, but could find no immediate means of release.