A carriage ride trough Willingden

be alone together

When they finally arrived in Sanditon, Georgiana could not help but make a pointed remark.

"So you'll forget me like you forgot your dog?"

"Georgie!" cried Charlotte in horror and Sidney turned to her with a serious face and said at the same moment.

"Never!"

And while they were still standing at the carriage, not only Mary and the children came running out of the house, but also Grumpy. It seemed as he had grown a bit, but you could still see his clumsiness. His fluffy paws still looked a little too big for his gangly legs. He jumped at Charlotte first and then Sidney and licked his hands and wagged his tail excitedly.

"My big one!" cried Sidney and scratched his friend extensively behind his ears before greeting the other family members.

As if Grumpy suddenly realized that he was actually angry with his master and mistress, he retreated to the children and went back into the house with them. Hurt, he hid under Tom's desk.

After Mary was told what had happened in London, she wrapped her arms around Charlotte's neck and greeted her a second time like a sister and then asked them to join for tea.

In order not to continue to upset her loved ones, Charlotte decided to write the important letter to her parents and sent Sidney with Grumpy for a long walk. But the dog seemed to be ill and sat in his not so secret hiding place under Tom's desk and did not let Sidney persuade him. He just looked at him with a very sad look and even turned his back on him at some point. Only when Sidney was able to bribe him with a treat from the kitchen and lure him out from under the table, the little one was ready to forgive his master for his long absence.

They went for a long walk and played with throwing sticks, catching and even hiding. Sidney was like a different person, happy, cheerful and even-tempered. He talked to Grumpy, where the best place for them could be to build their home. And so it took them almost all afternoon to find the ideal spot.

The preparations for the regatta took up most of Charlotte's time, so she hardly found time to talk to her husband, search with him for a common house or for Grumpy. So it was all the nicer when the two of them persuaded her to take a boat trip on the day of the regatta. Sidney tried to teach her how to row and with Grumpy sitting between them, it was rather a difficult undertaking. The two of them had hardly had any time alone in the last few days and when they were finally alone, without being at the mercy of prying eyes, they couldn't help but kiss over the head of the dog. But he could never stand the tension, so he jumped into the water and swam to the shore.

The sight was just too funny how his ears were lying on the water and Charlotte noticed laughing,

"He is jealous."

And then persuaded Sidney to return to shore as well. And as if he had been waiting to show the two of them his displeasure, Grumpy only shook himself off when they were close enough to get splashes.

Since her parents were expecting them after the Midsummer Ball in Willingden, the two newlyweds had the urge to choose a place for their new home before they left. Of course Tom wanted Sidney and Charlotte to live in the town, so Charlotte could continue her work for Tom. But since Sidney was a selfish man, he did not want to share Charlotte so he decided against it.

Sidney trained Grumpy to find his way alone to the place where he wanted to built their home. It was to be a surprise for his Charlotte and he was looking forward to see her face. On the morning of the Midsummer Ball, Charlotte took Grumpy for a walk by the sea where she could collect her thoughts for the visit in Willingden. She couldn't quite interpret their letter, whether they were offended and very angry, or that they had expected nothing else...

After Grumpy was again unsuccessful in trying to catch the waves, she strolled with him through the town looking for Sidney.

"Where is he?" she asked herself, but that was Grumpy's cue and he suddenly took off, so she could barely keep up with him. After a while, she realized they were out of town. The dog was just panting and ran up the hill.

"Oh!"

Charlotte suddenly found herself standing in front of a blanket in the grass, where her husband was waiting for them with a small lunch.

"I thought I'd show you the place Grumpy and I found for our house."

Her heart beat a little faster at his words, she was so much looking forward to the life with him. The longing to finally be alone together, and not in Trafalgar House with all the others, grew with every day they had to be there.

"What do you think of that?"

He pointed to the view around her and it was overwhelming. The grass rushed in the light wind and she could see the sea glistening deep below them.

"The clifftops are very much to my taste." She answered with a smile and took his hand.

They lost each other briefly in this moment, while they took each other in their arms. The sound of the waves in the distance, whisper soft promises and the seagulls flew screeching over their heads. Tears glittered in her eyes, she could already see their future children in her mind's eye, running over the lush green hills.

"It's beautiful."

Charlotte pushed her arms around Sidney's middle and pressed against him. She was happy. When he began to kiss her temple and began his journey to her cheek, she broke away from him. He stared irritatedly at his wife and made an amused face as she walked over to the picnic basket and rummaged through it. Then held out the plate with the cold roast to him and pointed to Grumpy. He laughed with a nod and ordered the dog to come with him. At a safe place he pointed the dog to sit down. Grumpy looked at him expectantly.

"You stay here, I want to be alone with my wife and you make sure nobody comes!"

Grumpy seemed to roll his eyes and Sidney shook his head as he gave the dog the treat and then ran back to the blanket where Charlotte had already made herself comfortable.

She grabbed him as soon as he sat down and he almost fell on top of her, which didn't seem to bother her when she claimed his lips and overwhelmed him with her longing for him. He couldn't resist her, and stroke tenderly her face and neck.

"Charlotte?" the sound of her name a question like 'are you sure?'

"Yes," she replied breathlessly and eagerly tried to take off his coat, and as he understood he was happy to show her his longing as well. When he let his hand wander down her side, she wrapped her leg around his and he kissed the soft skin of her shoulder.

"I'm sure this will be our bedroom," he gasped in her ear as he kissed her neck. She moved under him and slowly pulled his shirt from his breeches to feel his warm skin under her fingertips. She then whispered,

"I want to know what it feels like with the wind on my skin."

He growled and kissed her passionately and did what his wife wanted him to do.

Who was he to refuse her?