And yet there will be happiness...

Mrs. Campion

Mrs. Eliza Campion-one of the richest widows in England, a model of beauty, elegance and style looked at herself in the mirror. Usually she liked her reflection very much, might say that she loved it, but today her beautiful face did not give her the usual pleasure. Mrs. Campion was furious, neither upset nor distressed, namely, furious.
The evening didn't Bode well, it was just a social event they'd attended with Sydney. She had an interesting time playing cards and chatting with her companions, and everything was going well, except that Sidney was extremely thoughtful, distant, and reluctant to engage in conversation. However, he had been behaving this way for a long time, so Eliza decided to turn a blind eye to it.
Everything changed when Lady Susan and her protégé appeared at the reception. Mrs. Campion, like any other representative of the London Beau Monde, was extremely curious about what kind of lady might appear in their circle, especially since there were already rumors around her that she could neither confirm nor deny.
Eliza glanced across the Room and saw two ladies, who immediately formed a group of people who wanted to be introduced. One of them was Lady Susan, as usual a model of elegance in everything, down to the graceful turn of the head. The second lady was younger, slim, with a light blue dress that accentuated her figure(which Eliza couldn't help noticing) , and her thick dark hair was pulled up and decorated with ribbons. Unfortunately, Eliza couldn't see her face right away. But curiosity, spurred on by Mrs. Burke's words, still prevailed.
Suddenly the lady in blue turned, and Eliza, who was saying something to Mrs. Burke, was momentarily speechless. Miss Haywood was standing next to Lady Susan! Charlotte Haywood - a farmer's daughter! Eliza vividly remembered her and Sydney sitting in the boat, him looking her straight in the eye, smiling and holding her hands. Anger and jealousy filled her whole being and she could not help but almost cry out "What the hell? What is she doing here?". A moment later, Mrs. Campion was regretting her outburst, for she had drawn Sidney's attention with an involuntary exclamation. The in an instant has changed, in his dark the eyes of emerged a twinkle, was in sight, that he about than the intensely thinks, not ripping glance from this girls. All of Eliza's attempts to distract Sydney had come to nothing. Finally, he smiled and muttered something in response and left her alone. Everything that happened next was like a bad dream. She, accustomed to shine, was absolutely sure of her superiority, but her conversation with the two ladies seriously shook her confidence. She received her slap from Lady Susan, which was unpleasant and humiliating, but especially humiliating was the fact that it happened in the presence of miss Haywood. But even that was not what infuriated Mrs. Campion. The real reason she'd been pacing the room for an hour, unable to contain her anger, was Sydney Parker.
"How dare he do this to me? How could he contradict me, pull my hand away?.. leave? Because of what? Due to some sort of country girl? This is his part of the deal and he must fulfill it!!! I can destroy both him and his brother with a flick of my fingers."
Eliza could not quench her anger; she wanted to tear Sydney apart, destroy him in the eyes of society, trample him underfoot. The only thing that stopped her was her own plans, which made her even angrier.
The door opened and a maid entered, trembling with fear.
"Would the Lady like to undress?" she asked softly.
Eliza whirled around, still furious.
"Get out!"!!!!!  she grabbed a book from the dressing table and threw it at the maid.
The poor girl barely managed to duck through the doorway and slam the door behind her. The book hit the wall with a crash and fell to the floor.
Eliza looked at the book in disbelief. The object on the floor suddenly brought her back to reality. Eliza took a deep breath. The anger gradually began to recede, bringing his thoughts back to normal.
"I am Eliza Campion, and only I decide what and how will happen in my life. I will always have the last word, no matter what it takes!"
To finally calm down, Eliza remembered her last triumph-the engagement, which, by the way, also got her not easy.
The conversation after the regatta with Sydney was extremely unsuccessful (as indeed the whole trip to Sanditon), all her tricks and exhortations did not lead to anything, he was adamant, but incredibly tactful and polite. She would not have been Eliza Campion if she had accepted defeat so easily, knowing full well that the real reason for his refusal was his infatuation with this girl. Eliza decided to retreat for a while, waiting for the right moment for her appearance. This, to her delight, did not take long. The news of the fire at Sanditon during the summer ball spread through London almost as quickly as the smell of burning from the fire itself spread around the area. Eliza, who had previously made inquiries about Tom's state of affairs, and who knew about his debts, was well aware that this event would put Tom in a critical position. This was a chance that Mrs. Campion could not miss. With considerable money and connections, it was easy for Eliza to close all the doors in London for the Parker family, thus depriving Sydney of the last opportunity to solve Tom's problems. She was smart, and she knew that Mr. Parker would have no choice but to turn to her, which was what happened soon after.
Sidney came to her, telling her honestly about his brother's state of affairs, and asked for money in debt, promising to return the required amounts as soon as possible.
She didn't beat around the Bush for long, and offered him a mutually beneficial deal - a promise to marry in exchange for a financial injection at Sanditon. As Eliza had expected, Sidney was extremely indignant and refused flatly, expressed his gratitude for the time spent on him, and left. Knowing the true state of Affairs, she knew that this was not the end, and waited quietly. By the end of the week, having tried all possible and impossible options and been rejected everywhere, being in utter despair of his impotence, Sydney came back to her and still accepted the offer he had so boldly rejected at first. The engagement was announced, and Eliza had achieved what she had dreamed of. She was well aware that all this had happened against Sydney's will, but for some reason it only increased her joy at her own triumph.
So Mr. Sidney Parker was soon to be her husband, and the preparations for the wedding were going on, but much more slowly than she would have liked. Constantly there were some new problems and questions, it tired Eliza, but being very persistent, she insistented in her new goal. Sidney, for his part, showed no interest in preparing for the wedding, and his help was out of the question. This was fully appreciated by Eliza at Вabbington and Esther's wedding, when Sydney responded to her successful attack on this upstart village Haywood with a deathly silence. Eliza felt the anger creep back into her. "That damned girl, how dare she show up here in London? I need to find out as much as possible about her."Because of her position, she could easily crush Charlotte like a nasty bug, the only thing that stopped her was the patronage of lady Susan, with whom she would not risk fighting now, especially without knowing the real state of Affairs. "What could she find in this country Bumpkin? She can't even put her hair together. Ugly girl!". As she searched for more and more flaws in Charlotte, Eliza couldn't even admit to herself that she was completely consumed by envy and jealousy.
In her cold and rational head, it was hard to understand how another woman, with nothing but her youth (no title, no position, no dowry), could make Sydney look at her like that, smile, and do completely reckless things. The concept of love for Eliza was always relative, her impulses were more likely to be compared to interest, attraction, and passion, but even in these rare moments, her brain was fully aware of what was happening. All the more terrible for her today was a fit of anger that flooded her all, without a trace. Sydney had dared to hurt her vanity and pride, and she couldn't let that go.
The thought of why she needed Sidney Parker at all popped into her head. And probably for the first time in her life, she could not give an exhaustive answer to this. Mrs. Campion did not fully understand her desire to marry him, and this frightened her to a certain extent. Sometimes it was like a game of cat and mouse, and it gave Eliza an indescribable pleasure to feel that he was in her power.
10 years ago, when they met, she was fascinated by his beauty, voice, and manners. She allowed herself to be attracted to him, accepted his advances with joy, and even agreed to become his wife. She was well aware that he was head over heels in love and indulging all the whims of his fiancee, and this fact suited her perfectly. The offer from Mr. Campion was somewhat unexpected, he was much older than Sidney, and was not nearly as attractive in appearance, but marriage to him offered undeniable advantages: he had a title and was incredibly rich. Eliza was perfectly aware that with Sidney, no matter how attractive he was to her, she would have a much more modest and boring life, devoid of the comfort that she so longed for. After a brief hesitation, Eliza broke off the engagement and agreed to a new marriage. "Poor Sydney, he was crushed by her decision", she was sorry for him and at first she missed their communication, but no more, the decision was made and she was not going to retreat. Her marriage was by no means perfect, and her husband was old and unsociable, but Mrs. Campion was quite satisfied, and she successfully compensated for all possible inconveniences with luxury. Eliza possessed an incalculable number of jewels and dresses, in which she regularly shone at balls, receiving a great many compliments and offers from her many admirers. There were no children in their marriage (by a lucky chance for her), which she was very happy about, so she took care of herself with a clear conscience.
After Mr. Campion had passed Away, Eliza felt completely happy and free. The inheritance after her husband's death was so great that Eliza's self-esteem soared, she realized that now she can choose any life that will please her and indulge any whim. She often went out, accompanied by a handful of confidants who agreed with her in everything and laughed at any of her jokes. Mrs. Campion had no illusions about their friendship and loyalty, knowing full well that they were only there to snatch a small piece of her inheritance, which was fine with her, so she felt her power over them.
So it went on until she saw Sydney at that ball in London, where he danced with this girl. As a very sophisticated woman, Eliza could not help noticing their looks and sparks flying from these two, and it did not escape her attention that at the end of the dance, Sidney, not wanting to let go of his partner, missed the last movements and pressed her to him. Knowing full well that she had probably never really loved him, Eliza still received a cruel pang of jealousy, and she wanted to possess him, as well as everything else that she could so easily buy. In any case, she was determined that Sidney Parker should be in her power, and all his further attempts at resistance only strengthened her decision. She never doubted herself for a moment and was sure that she would easily fall in love with Sydney, as she did 10 years ago. Today, however, her confidence has been significantly shaken.
"It will still be mine, no matter what it takes. They will regret contacting me."
Mrs. Campion picked up the bell to summon the maid; she needed to rest, for tomorrow would be a new day and a new battle that she had no intention of losing....

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