Finding Margaret Fuller: A Novel

After her disastrous teaching experience with Bronson, Margaret gratefully retires to Concord for a month in the spring. Lidian, whose baby has been born, seems more relaxed and less inclined to feel threatened by her house guest. In early June, Waldo invites Margaret to accompany him on a day trip to Salem to purchase a bed for his son. There, they encounter a budding writer named Nathaniel Hawthorne. Margaret is enthralled by the good-looking young man but is put off by his frank admiration of her: “Closer up I can see how handsomely his features are arranged—and yet, it’s in a crisp, even cold, sort of way. The cruel beauty of a hawk” (107). Hawthorne complains of the dreariness of Salem and promises to visit Concord soon.

By summer, Margaret is ready to tackle the next phase of her life. Waldo has arranged a teaching job for her with Hiram Fuller of the Green Street School in Rhode Island, who will pay her $1,000 a year ($34,000 current value). On the day she leaves, Waldo makes her promise to return to Concord for a visit.