Sanditon Season 2: The River and the Man

Chapter 35

Early the next morning Georgiana rushed at the earliest acceptable time to call and found herself in the Foyer of Pessham place.

"Ah, Miss Georgiana." Captain Warrick greeted. "I'm just on my way out for business, I do hope you enjoy your tea."

She nodded and smiled and then found Charlotte coming down. "Georgiana, you are here early."

She nodded shrugging off her jacket and bonnet as she handed them to the maid and butler. "Sidney did not come home last night," she said with a huff. "Men are infuriating. He just left me at the ball with Mrs. Griffiths and did not even take his leave. We both had to ask around to find out if we had been left." she huffed. "We looked pathetic and to find we had indeed been left behind was awful. I am just an afterthought to those people.

Charlotte felt a pang at the mention of Sidney not going home. Was he well?

"As it was I only danced with gentlemen with poor fortunes with only an interest in my money. Honestly, Charlotte if I had access to the money I would burn it. It has only brought me misery." Georgiana ranted.

Charlotte looked at her sadly. "I am sure you would." Her own eyes were puffy and red from crying into her pillow half the night.

Georgiana smiled. "I don't want tea...How about a walk to the Monument and climb the stairs for the view?"

Charlotte looked outside. "It is frightfully cold." she laughed.

Georgiana shook her head. "I don't care. It reminds me of how much I hate this island. Too cold. Just what I need when I am in a state."

Charlotte smiled. "If you insist," she said slipping on her cloak.

Georgiana looked at her maid. "You stay here and when my keeper asks you say I never left."

Her maid nodded and curtsied.

"She has decided to listen to me and not report to my keepers. She wants to remain, my maid when I am independent of my jailers.'' Georgiana explained.

Once outside and alone Georgiana moaned. "Why did you have to go and fall in love with my guardian?" she said frustratedly once outside of the house. "It makes it ever so hard to complain about him to you. You are not near sympathetic enough."

Charlotte shook her head. "Please, I am your dear friend. I have only ever wanted your happiness, and as confusing as Mr. Sidney Parker's actions seem he is trying to do right by you."

Georgiana shook her head. "Not if he is out risking his life with his drinking and fighting. If he dies I don't know who will then be my guardian."

Frowning as they entered the towering monument with a circular stair. Being in the middle of winter there were few who had any interest in climbing the steps to the top to look out on London.

"Shall we make it to the top you think?" Charlotte asked as she looked up at the swirling stair.

Georgiana shook her head. "This is nothing, what three hundred some odd stairs?" she said moving at a lively pace up until perhaps the ninetieth step.

"Is it still nothing?" Charlotte asked with a wry smile.

Georgiana laughed. "Can't have an English girl beat me," she said in a challenge and they both tried to race up but within fifty more steps, they stopped and had to sit. No one was coming up or down so they thought it safe to catch their breath.

"I can't believe he asked me to dance last night," Charlotte whispered between breaths. "Honestly I want to scream at him for the position he keeps putting me in. I am not Mrs. Campion's enemy and I don't want scandal on Sanditon or the Parkers, least of all myself."

Georgiana's face grew serious. "But she is your enemy. She could ruin not just you but everything Tom worked to build and stupidly lost. She can ruin Sidney now."

Charlotte nodded sadly. "That is why I just wish they would get on with it and marry." she wiped at a tear. "Then it would be settled and over."

Shaking her head Georgiana's gold earrings dangling, "You don't really mean that." she said resuming the trek up. "When Sidney Parker loves it is all-encompassing. He becomes quite incapacitated when he finds it all hopeless. It was only anger that sobered him up a bit, but soon he was boxing and gambling again." she sighed. "Back in Antigua my father watched out for him. Tried to help him through the pain of his rage. I saw it too even though I was young. I found him a volatile man when unhinged with grief. And he was that way...Until this summer is when I noticed he had changed. " she wiped her face. "I told you not to trust him it was because of this tendency to get reckless when he is overcome by disappointment."

Charlotte shook her head saddened. "Then we must hope he does the right thing," she said. "Accept his fate as cheerfully as possible."

Georgiana frowned. "Is that what you have done?" she scoffed.

Charlotte swallowed but could not answer.

"I haven't been able to face losing Otis," Georgiana whispered. "Charlotte I am afraid I may never recover from my broken heart. He never tried to send word."

Charlotte frowned. "Did you give him any hope that your affections remained?"

Shaking her head the stood. "No. I told him to go." wiping a tear they realized how near the top they were and they both stopped to gasp for more air. Talking and climbing were becoming a real effort.

Coming to the top they found that the entire city was at their feet. The churches were lining the skyline along with all the smoke from the active fireplaces in the many buildings that stood in the ancient city that was more modern by the day.

It was windy and cold, but in its way was breathtaking. A view of the power of mankind...It did not hold a candle to the crashing waves and the wide expanse of the sea.

There was just one other person upon the view deck. A gentleman with a sad look in his eye.

"Do you think he wants to jump?" Georgiana whispered.

Charlotte frowned at such a macabre idea. "Heavens, I hope not."

Seeing them arrive the man quickly went down and left the lookout nest leaving just them alone.

"I dare say he was going to jump, but we came up here and he lost his nerve for it," Georgiana said looking out with the same lost look in her eyes as she had on the cliffs.

Charlotte now understood what desolation Georgiana felt and Sidney... she felt it too. The pull to just leap and let go. The heartbreak of knowing you are equally loved in return but it could never be. Tears gathered in Charlotte's eyes and she gasped.

"Mr. Molyneux is in London." Charlotte blurted out.

Georgiana turned and looked at her shocked. "What?" she took her hand and squeezed it. "Charlotte you must tell me everything and don't leave a single thing out," she warned.