It is in this portion of the book that Mr. Bell dies in Oxford. Margaret is, of course, devastated. She is also shocked because in his letters Mr Bell had denied that he was ill, so she thought that he was merely out of spirits. When word comes of his stroke, Margaret tries to reach Oxford before his death but fails to do so; she has yet again lost a father figure unexpectedly and at a distance. Besides her natural sorrow over the death of her godfather, Margaret also suffers pangs of guilt because she lets it cross her mind that now Mr. Thornton will never know the truth about what happened at the Milton train station. When Edith and Sholto travel to the seaside to spend a couple of weeks, Margaret goes with them but spends the time mostly by herself on the shores, gazing out at the ocean and thinking about her life. When they return to London, she is more rested in body and spirit, and has decided that she must take the reins of her own life, rather than just drifting along.
Of course, Margaret is now quite wealthy, having inherited all of Mr. Bell's considerable fortune and land holdings. As we know, Mr. Bell was Mr. Thornton's landlord so this means that Margaret now holds this position although it doesn't appear that this has, as of yet, crossed her mind. She is, however, determined to learn all the ins and outs of her financial and business affairs and to this end she needs a lawyer to handle all the legal aspects and explain them to her. Who- as Edith points out- better than Henry Lennox, who is already often present and available.
Henry has been a constant visitor at the house in London, not unexpectedly since he and his brother are close. He and Margaret have gotten over the awkwardness of his refused offer of marriage three years previously, but are not good friends as they were before. This is due to the fact that Margaret's time and experiences in Milton have changed her; she notices things about Henry's character that she didn't before, and she doesn't find them attractive. One of these is the slight shade of contempt that colours his tone when talking to his brother and Edith. He is fond of them, but obviously considers himself intellectually superior. This is no doubt true: Henry is an ambitious barrister, determined to make his mark in the world, while Sholto and Edith are content to be amiable social butterflies, living off their comfortable fortune. Nevertheless, Margaret finds Henry's inability to completely mask this sense of superiority off-putting. In addition, at Edith's frequent dinner parties, Henry and his friends talk about various topics in very cynical and mocking ways. Margaret again very much dislikes this habitual tone of mocking contempt, perhaps contrasting it with the Milton dinner party and teas at the Hale's house there, where serious issues were discussed seriously, not made a mockery of. Henry notices Margaret's look of restrained distaste at one of these dinners and later asks her about it. She is honest with him, and he tells her that, if she would but take the time, he could learn how to please her.