A carriage ride trough Willingden

the cool morning by the river

Every time she was near him, she blushed. His eyes penetrated her and her heart seemed to lift in her chest. It felt in her stomach like when she first jumped from the strong branch of the thick oak into the river. A brief feeling of flying. And the disappointment! So strange to get that feeling every time she had to leave his room, or like last night when he went out with her father. How she would have loved to be in her father's place.

Again her heart was beating wildly in her chest, just at the thought of him. How could she survive the carriage ride to Sanditon when he was so close to her? Probably she would not be able to look at him and would look silently out of the window until he could finally flee from her. Charlotte didn't know what he thought of her, nor what made her to forget how to speak every time he spoke to her.

She had to get a clear head and ran like every morning across the fields to her favourite place. There she could think, read in peace or even write poems without anyone watching her.

When Sidney swam to the shore to rest for a moment, he realized how the accident and the days tied to the bed had exhausted him. He was out of breath and his heart was beating wildly. Fortunately it was relatively mild and he had no problem cooling down. He really longed for it, after all he had been swimming in the cold North Sea every day since he could swim. Even in winter. Indeed only for a short time, but his father had demanded this from his sons. To toughen them up.

Nevertheless, he now realized that the effort after days of lying down was a bit too much and he was intelligent enough to know that weakness in the water could be life-threatening. He decided to take the shortest way back. So just cross the river and stay close to the shore to get out of the water in case it was getting too much.

It was not long before he reached the opposite bank. Totally exhausted, he pulled out of the water and sink into the grass. Now it would be really unpleasant if someone saw him in this state. Yet he almost wished she would see him like this. Wondering what she would do. Run away? Or would she bend over him in concern? The thought sent a shiver down his spine.

When he had gathered enough strength, he sat up and looked around in all directions. To his right were dense bushes and tall trees. Under the shelter of the forest he would safely advance to the place where he had left his things. As he had returned to his place unnoticed, he let his gaze wander, lost in thought, over this nice little spot of earth when he saw her.

She sat under the shelter of a thick oak whose branches reached over the river and wrote in a book. Maybe a diary? He wondered if he was in it. If so, he would love to know what she thought and wrote about him.

His thoughts were still busy when she put her book aside and stared up at the top of the tree and stood up.

She was a really beautiful creature. Of course, he had noticed she was a pretty girl before. Her big warm eyes, showed her intelligence. The light smile on her full lips. Her demeanor, resolute and courage while she looked after him. Shy and witty he had seen her, tense and embarrassed. These were all attributes that made her attractive to him, but never before had he been so aware of her as in this moment when she looked detached into the sky. She was young. Inexperienced, but interested in life. And her body!

Distracted by her delicate neck, he realized too late what would happen. Her small hands, which he had already felt warm and firm on his skin, which had lightly and tenderly chased a burning path over his body, now slid to the front of her dress.

He didn't want to stare, but he couldn't take his eyes off her as if he were under some kind of spell. Her spell. In a flash, the fabric slipped off her and exposed her shoulders. She had apparently taken off her stockings before, because she was only standing there in her undergarment.

Her hands reached for the bow of her petticoat and pulled it up. His mouth became dry when suddenly she stood there only in a chamise. Although she was hidden by the trees and bushes around her, a protective instinct rose in him. He couldn't stand the thought, that anyone could see her like that, except him.

As she slowly slid into the water of the river, he realized that he was still standing there. Though it was quite cool, his skin was tingling as if the sun was burning down. Miss Heywood reappeared in the middle of the river and he took the opportunity to go back into the water.

Not only did he suddenly need to cool down, but he was afraid that she might see him standing there, starring. Naked, exposed, and barely able to hide his desire for her. In order to cool down further, he stood there for a while and then left when he thought it was safe to leave the water again.

While he was getting dressed, he could not prevent his gaze from wandering to the place where she had been. And there she stood. The water was up to her waist. The chamise stuck to her body and showed her remarkable curves.

He stared at her for a moment before he was able to turn away. Since she had closed her eyes and held her face to the sky, he could only hope that she hadn't noticed him.

It would be an interesting breakfast, he thought as he ran back to his hosts' house. But he was sure, he had a problem, a serious one.