Sanditon Season 2: The River and the Man

Chapter 37

Impatient to see that Sidney was well enough to live Mrs. Campion burst into the lovely home of the Lord and Lady Babington.

Lady Babington came to the top of the stair. "He is not on death's door Mrs. Campion, you could have spared a moment to take off your bonnet or knock." Esther's tone was imperious as the two women met on the landing.

Mrs. Campion looked at her. "I will be the judge of that." and with that, she brushed past her and went directly to check him.

Lord Babington looked up at his wife who looked down at him. "I thought you were just going to the Parker house?" she asked.

He nodded. "She was already there when I arrived."

She sighed. "Gant me the patience to put up with her."

Lord Babington shook his head. "I don't believe her to be the nursing type. She will not stay. Never fear."

"The doctor said he will get better. But it may take a few days," she told him. "I have given him laudanum to help him sleep."

Lord Babington winced. "Don't overdo that... he does not need to become an opium dependent," he said with a heavy sigh. He was terribly tired.

Neither of them had a good night's sleep.

"You are tired, Lord Babington. Please find your rest," she said leaning on the railing of the landing.

He nodded. "Quite right my dear. If he wakes he needs to be informed Georgiana is unwell. Seems she has taken ill with a hot fever."

Lady Babington frowned. "We should not trouble him with a trivial fever. Mrs. Griffiths is more than capable to handle that problem herself."

He nodded. "Quite right my dear. I suppose we can tell him once he is more improved and perhaps then the problem will be resolved."

She smiled warmly. "Come, my love, find your rest."

He shook his head. "I am afraid I cannot when I know how unhappy Sidney is."

Lady Babington hushed him. "She will hear." she mouthed. "We don't need to make the situation worse."

Mrs. Campion could indeed hear the conversation. She had found Sidney but hesitated to look him over. She could not suppress the gasp of horror she felt upon seeing how bad he looked. He was lucky to be alive.

Mercifully he was asleep so she was able to take time to accustom herself to the image. His once beautiful mouth was split and a stitch was now there and the rest looked purple and red. Swollen beyond recognition.

She inched closer and took careful note that it was his head that bore most injury.

'Oh, Sidney Parker you fool. Always were though." she laughed slightly as her anger dissolved and she wiped a tear. "Is this what you did when I broke our engagement? If I had known..."

His form remained motionless and she reached out to touch his hand seeing that he could not pull away.

"Too much time passed and your love for me turned to anger. I see that now." she sighed and sat stiffly in the chair that was already beside his bed. "Now it is too late to change things," she said softly.

He groaned and she wiped at another tear.

"Charlotte," he whispered in his delirium.

She nodded. "She is well enough Sidney dear." she chuckled trying not to let anger burn. "But you are not."

He grunted.

"Do you think she is killing herself over you?" she shook her head.

"Women are infinitely stronger in love than men are. We are often thought of as silly creatures but we bear terrible disappointment with great equanimity."

Looking over his broken face she felt remorse for the way she had trapped the both of them in this terrible arrangement of her own making and Tom's folly.

"We will be friends again will we not?" she said voice heavy with regret. "Perhaps I can make room in my life for you to have a mistress," she said softly. "Would you like that? Would that change things between us?" she asked but did not deny the jealousy that flashed in her breast.

"I know you don't believe she would be the kind but I am sure she could be persuaded," she whispered. "Sidney... We can make this work." she tried. "Stop ruining yourself over love. It never serves anyone any good."

She sighed. "Unfortunately I may need to have this conversation with you once you are better," she said nervously.

"I mean to make this work Sidney. I don't want your misery, nor mine. I am terrible at sharing so I am not sure how that will work. But if not Miss Heywood, it would be someone else I suppose." she thought knowing the appetites of men.

She took a shuddering breath. "I would let you go, but you understand I cannot. My reputation has already been damaged enough and now my fortune tied up in a terrible venture that I don't even want to succeed but it must or I lose my fortune." she laughed at the conundrum.

Her heart and mind were opening with a captive unconscious audience and it felt good to speak freely.

"My husband used to call me his silly wife. I though myself so much smarter than he thought." she shook her head. "Judging by my choices the last number of months I suppose he was right."

She took a shuddering breath. "We need to settle things between us, and I promise to keep your heart in mind. I am so often thinking only of myself."

Lady Babington opened the door and leaned on the frame. "Please Mrs. Campion would you like a cup of tea?" she asked.

Wiping her face she nodded. "Yes, may we speak?"

Lady Babington frowned and shrugged. "If you like." she turned and waited for her to walk with her.

Once seated in her parlor Mrs. Campion sighed shakily. "I want to make this work. How do I recover my standing in society?"

Lady Babington laughed. "Standing?" she frowned. "You are a woman of large fortune, you will always have a standing."

Shaking her head she took a sip. "I have been cut and I need to repair it. I need to have leverage on the Beau Monde to help Sanditon."

Lady Babington smiled and lifted her chin. "So you have decided to help in the venture instead of funding it and self-sabotaging it?"

Mrs. Campion looked on her with a sigh and slammed her cup down. "The town is a failure."

She nodded. "Yes, but it could have worked and could still."

Putting her cup aside she leaned in. "How do I help?"

Lady Babington smiled and swirled her sugar in her tea. "By getting out of the way. This wedding that you are now planning in the middle of peak season for travel to Sanditon does not sound helpful."

Mrs. Campion sighed and nodded. "The date will remain, but how can I help otherwise?"

Lady Babington put her cup aside and straightened up. "You will have to solicit the influence of Lady Worcester and Miss Heywood. Currently, as it stands they could move mountains in regards to events and actually having guests flock to them."

Mrs. Campion shook her head. "It is Lady Worcester who has cut me."

Lady Babington laughed. "No my dear Mrs. Campion, you cut yourself when you treated Miss Heywood abominably at both the regatta and my wedding. It is known among enough people that you do not hold Charlotte in high esteem. They simply chose her company over yours. If you would heal that rift perhaps your standing will follow?"

Mrs. Campion nodded. "I suppose." she sipped. It was not to her taste, however.

Lady Babington appraised her and squinted. Like Lord Babington said she did not stay long. Watching her from the window leave she sighed. "Mrs. Campion the cat if there ever was one... you will land on your feet yet I suppose," she said with an eye roll. Her predictions were often right and she felt comforted.