The gardens of Denham House were beautifully appointed with extra flowers, garlands, colored glass lanterns and refreshment tables. The wedding guests were quietly mingling as Lady Denham and the bride and groom held court under a tent with their own table of champagne, cakes, and strawberries. Charlotte was anxious to leave now that the ceremony was over, Mrs. Campion had maintained a healthy distance from her throughout the day which was perfectly amenable to Charlotte. She overheard plenty of gossip regarding the obvious enmity Mrs. Campion was showing Charlotte but she forced herself to say nothing about it and comfort herself with the knowledge that in two days she would be heading home to Willingden. She decided to get a glass of lemonade and find Georgianna before letting Mary know she wished to walk back to town. She chose a glass and turned around to nearly spill it on Sidney's chest.
"Miss Heywood, excuse me."
"Excuse me Mr. Parker," she said without meeting his eyes, then turning again to leave she got out, "good day to you sir."
"Wait...Please, Charlotte... Are you umm, well?"
"Perfectly well thank you Mr. Parker. I imagine you are thoroughly busy with your own approaching nuptials." She still couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes, seeing the sadness in them which she knew was there would only multiply her own.
"Well, Eliza has taken full control of that area. It will sadly be nothing like this wedding which is much more to my taste."
"I see. Well good luck to you sir." And she turned again to leave.
"Wait!" then he whispered, "Charlotte, I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for how she has ill-treated you. I wish there was some way to make amends."
"Think nothing of it Mr. Parker. I did what anyone should do. And Mrs. Campion has made no secret of her regard towards me. Anyway, it shall all be over soon enough."
"What do you mean?"
"Only that I am going home on Sunday. Truthfully, I miss my family and can't bear to be so idle and useless here in Sanditon as I have been of late. I beg you would excuse me, good day Mr. Parker." And with that she set down her untouched lemonade and made a direct line for Mary and Tom who were paying their respects to the bride and groom. Charlotte could not leave without congratulating her friend on her happiness, though hers seemed so far away now as to appear lost in twilight.
Lady Denham watched Sidney speaking to Charlotte and couldn't help but abandon the tent and walk towards the bewildered gentleman just as Charlotte was heading towards her with tears in her eyes. Lady Denham stopped her and quietly said, "Do not give way to grief my dear. He loves you, but he is a man and will therefore take his time in finding his way. He is in love with you, not that creature! And don't you forget it!"
Charlotte looked at The Great Lady of the County with utter disbelief and said, "I thank you my lady but I cannot allow myself to hope. It is far too painful and there is little cause to believe it will ever come true. I appreciate your concern and your attention; however, I feel it is best for everyone for me to separate myself from this place as soon as I can."
"Well that woman has another thing coming if she thinks she is going to come into my town and have some gaudy wedding in MY assembly hall. So, you take comfort in the fact that there are many of us in your corner my dear!"
Charlotte was on the verge of tears and all she could do to acknowledge the kind sentiments was to bob a curtsey and flee before she lost her composure. Lady Denham continued her trek over to Sidney and blurted out at him, "you know of course that she's still in love with you, you fool."
Sidney looked at her with his eyes wide, then mastered his features quickly as Mrs. Campion approached.
"And as for you," she continued, "I can't begin to understand why my niece invited you to my home with the way you have behaved towards our friend Miss Heywood. She saved your life and you have been nothing but selfish and disagreeable."
"You are mistaken my Lady," Mrs. Campion said with a smirk, "As a token of my thanks I have invited Miss Heywood to mine and Sidney's wedding only today."
Sidney turned quickly to look at her with unguarded pain mixed with utter disdain in his eyes.
She turned to him slowly, "What? Did you think I had forgotten to pay my respects to my savior? With you reminding me daily of what you say my duty should be?" The venom in her voice was unmistakable. "I cannot understand why I should pay more than a general courtesy to one who is little more than a serving girl for doing what any person would have done."
"She should've left you to your own folly. Swimming to the deep on your first try! You, having no experience whatsoever in the water- then shaming the girl who saved your life? Shame on you! Madam, if it were not for this joyous day, I would say that you are welcome to leave my home this instant. However, I do not wish to behave in the same manner that you seem to be so easily accustomed to so I will simply say that in the future I hope our interactions are limited to investor meetings, and I hope you have a second location in mind for your wedding reception!And Mr. Parker, aligning yourself with this creature will be the worst mistake of your life."
They were drawing some curious looks so Lady Denham chose this moment to make her way back to the happy couple. Esther and Babington may wholeheartedly agree with Lady Denham's sentiments with regard to Mrs. Eliza Campion, but she did not want to ruin their day by relating her words to them today.
*****
Charlotte made her way back to Trafalgar house in a haze. The lovely day, with its joys and beauties had nearly been ruined by her interaction with Sidney. Why did he persist in torturing her by being so kind? And Lady Denham! Though Charlotte was not surprised by the Lady's lack of adherence to convention, she was still shocked by her words and sentiments. How could she possibly take such a stand with their wedding as Mrs. Campion being the financial savior of the Sanditon project and Sidney being the brother of the primary businessman? Charlotte knew that Lady D did not care for social niceties and was generally determined to have her way regardless of how people may speak of her. How freeing it must be to have position and fortune to vindicate your behaviors no matter how forthright and strange they may be!
The countryside around Sanditon was indeed some of the most beautiful Charlotte had ever seen. Fields of flowers under cover of trees which transformed the ground into dappled blue and white with green above and sunlight filtering through. She had always found comfort in the quiet places provided by nature and took this walk as an opportunity to breathe freely for what felt like the first time in weeks. The air was full of the moist smell of rain and earth with wisps of breeze lightly tinged with bluebells and honeysuckle.
It had not warmed enough in the woods for the scent flowers to be overwhelming and Charlotte couldn't help but think how different this place was compared to her home. In Willingden the trees were older, and thicker on top than by the sea. Mary said that it was because of the wind off the sea, it made all the trees in its direct path grow towards the land and have fewer leaves than their inland brethren. But the forest undergrowth was thicker because of the extra moisture from the ocean. Observing these differences helped her take her mind off of the drama of the day and comforted her immensely. She decided to write once more to Alison before leaving on Sunday and pressing a few of the flowers she had come to love in her letter.
Upon reaching Trafalgar House Charlotte found she had two letters; one from Lady Susan and one in a hand she did not recognize. She took them to the sitting room to read and write her own letter as well. She decided to read Lady Susan's letter first because she may wish to write her again as well before she left Sanditon.
My Dear Charlotte,
I have been made aware of the situation with Mr. Parker and Mrs. Campion in the form of an invitation to their wedding. Apparently, it is to be held in Sanditon in order to potentially drum up more interest in the place. I know that I shall not shock you when I say that I am not surprised she would use her own wedding as an opportunity to further her business interests and investments. What boastful conceit! She may be wealthy and elegant in company, but she has no substance of character.
I am terribly sorry to hear of the death of Mr. Stringer, and of Mr. Tom Parker's poor choices and how they are still affecting his family. Though I am not surprised having been apprised of Mr. Parker's financial situation previous to attending the Regatta.
I find myself quite enchanted by the town and seaside and am happy to encourage those in my influence who will listen to take houses there. In fact, I have already written to Mr. James Stringer to inquire about the potential building of a summer home for myself in Sanditon! My thoughts were to be closer to you in Willingden and potentially supply enough capital to Sanditon through my connections that it might be at least a portion of what Mr. Parker owes and possibly free Mr. Sidney from his agreement. There would need to be substantially more interest to free him completely, but I will try to drum up what interest on that score that I can.
I fear that this is all the help that I am able to offer Sanditon town, and as for you, my dearest friend, I have another scheme in mind. I would like to invite you to join me in my home in London for the little season after you have spent some time with your family and secured their consent. It would please me greatly to have your company for the season as well as having you to bear witness to the delights and beauties of Sanditon and relate them to a particular friend of mine. Please write soon to let me know if these ideas please you and you think any of them would be of help to you and those you care for. Be strong my dear, the race is not over and you have a comrade in me!
Yours etc,
Lady Susan Worcester
Charlotte was flabbergasted. How on earth did her friend not only know exactly what to do to help ease the sorrows of every hurt in her heart, but also to offer her hope for the future in one small note? She could not believe her good fortune in not only meeting Lady Susan as she did, but having the ability to form such a true friendship with a woman as influential, elegant, and caring as she. As much as Charlotte disliked London, she could see the sense in staying with Lady Susan and promoting Sanditon from there in order to find more investors in the project and loosen the noose that Mrs. Campion had around the Parker family. As much as Charlotte wanted to write back to her friend immediately, her curiosity won her over and she opened the other letter.
Her glowing heart after her friend's letter immediately turned to stone. It was a stiffly formal note, likely written by a servant inviting Charlotte and her sister to the wedding of Mrs. Eliza Campion and Mr. Sidney Parker. She stood and immediately thought to burn the letter, but thought better of it. Above all she had no wish to behave on the same petty level as Mrs. Campion so she decided to write a polite but firm decline to the invitation which she would make sure was delivered before she left Sanditon.
Charlotte's letter to Lady Susan was brief but grateful and accepting of her offers. She explained that it may be difficult to convince her father, and perhaps a visit from Lady Susan would sway him since she would be coming to Sanditon for the wedding it would not be that much further of a journey to join her at her family's home in Willingden. Charlotte hoped she was not being too presumptuous or asking too much of her friend!
What she didn't know was that Lady Susan was unspeakably bored of London and its tedious society, therefore Charlotte's life and family were a pleasant distraction and making Susan quite content to feel she was doing some good in the world by her friend. Not to mention the fact that she truly did enjoy Charlotte's company and had, for some time now, watched the meteoric rise of Mrs. Eliza Campion since her husband's death with concern- for although it was generally agreed upon that she was an elegant and wealthy woman, no one could speak to her actual character and tastes.
Since their formal introduction at the Sanditon Regatta, Mrs. Eliza Campion had done everything in her power to attempt to create a friendship with Lady Susan and societal conventions forced their meetings to be frequent, polite, and unavoidable. Mrs. Campion was saccharine in her manners and attentions towards Lady Susan and became more of a nuisance than anything. Her treatment of anyone she perceived to be lesser than herself was irascible and petty, she tended towards self-promotion at any opportunity, and was constantly attempting to subtly make parallels between herself and Miss Heywood in an attempt to belittle her friend (which were not really subtle at all and only served to irritate Lady Susan to no end.)
It seemed as though all she cared to talk about were her wedding plans, (though Mr. Parker was rarely in attendance to her,) and she was insufferably rude to the staff anywhere they went. Lady Susan considered it a severe mark of ill manners and breeding to be rude and condescending to those of a lower station than your own so Eliza's manners were absolutely insufferable. Charlotte would know soon enough what the primary motivation was for her interest in Sanditon and what she planned to do in order to facilitate its progress...
*****
The beating of his stallion's hooves amplified the throbbing headache and turmoil in his stomach that had plagued him since awakening this morning on the couch in his rooms at the Inn. Sidney had drunk too much the night before trying to drown his sorrows over what would soon be his life and the fact that Charlotte would be leaving the next day and he would likely never see her again. He thought that if he got drunk enough, he could forget, and potentially still be drunk enough in the morning so that he would not be tempted to chase her down and stop her from leaving Sanditon. He was still a bit drunk, but that was beginning to wear off with his renewed purpose. He vaguely remembered spilling his sorrows to Crowe and Babington the night before, he was sure they had already known, but it didn't matter now.
He was going to stop Charlotte and the two of them would leave this place together...no...he could not do that to her. To leave her family behind, to leave his family destitute...he must keep his word, but how could he?
His renewed acquaintance with Mrs. Campion had only brought back all the memories of their incompatibility that he had discovered in his sorrows over the past ten years. Sidney could now remember vividly how disdainful and spiteful she had behaved towards his family. At the time he was so in love that he overlooked it, but now it was a thorn in his side. Even more so because he could see that same behavior in how she treated Charlotte, and quite frankly, everyone; including himself. Her actions reminded Sidney of a spoiled child used to having everything and anything as she pleased. She seemed to treat him as though he were a toy, one she had simply left on the shelf of her childhood nursery which she had ignored until someone else had dusted it off and made it look new again, that person being Charlotte Heywood.
Dearest Charlotte, his eyes began to fill and it was not just the wind in his eyes as he raced to catch her carriage which he had just glimpsed in the distance. He could not bear to think that she was alive anywhere in the world and thinking badly of him.
He wanted to be the man who he felt he was when he was with her, he knew that it was impossible to let go of the desire to be that man, to embrace the world in that mindset, and yet he still did not know any way for it to become a reality- Money truly was the root of all evils in this world. Without Mrs. Eliza Campion and her thousands his family would be ruined, and if he did not uphold his end of the bargain the town of Sanditon would be ruined as well.
"...I find that I am my best self, my truest self, when I am with you."
How his own words tormented him; not that he had finally found the courage to speak them, but the truth of them burned him to the core. He had now made it close enough to the carriage that he could wave to the drivers to stop. As he leapt down from his horse his stomach turned as he remembered his first real conversation with Charlotte, how rude he had been to her! And only because he did not want to admit to himself that he was truly interested in her opinion, and had surprised himself by the honesty behind his asking for her thoughts at that first ball in Sanditon. Then he took his irritation in himself out on her, his rude response masking his interest with irritation. He saw the carriage door open as he handed off his reins to one of the coachmen.
Charlotte's face was full of hope and confusion, her eyes lined with questions. He took her hands in his.
"I could not let you go without..." He shook his head, I can barely breathe! How can I possibly let her go? "Tell me you don't think too badly of me..."
Of all the things in my heart this is what I say to her...Though in all fairness, how could I possibly justify burdening her heart even more by relating to her all the torment inside mine?
"I don't think badly of you."
Her face, her eyes, I can hear the tears in her words already! What a cad I am to do this to her, my being here is only breaking her heart more. I wish I could comfort her with all of my being...
"I don't love her you know." The moment the words left his lips he knew it was wrong to say it.
"You must not speak like that. She loves you and you've agreed to marry her, you must try to make her happy."
"Yes, yes you are right. I have to fulfill my side of the bargain." Grab her, take her, run away together and be happy... and by doing so condemn everyone I love to a life of misery and destitution... "Goodbye Charlotte. I wish you every happiness!"
"Goodbye."
She leapt back into the carriage and the groom brought my horse around to me. I watched the carriage leave and hurled my guts up when she passed the crest of the hill. The wind and surf covering the sounds of my distress.
*****
Babington woke next to his beautiful new wife unaware as to how he was able to make it home after ]his night with Sidney and Crowe. He had to confess that Sidney's revelations with regard to his wedding had not surprised him, but he was certainly glad that his friend was finally able to confide his troubles to himself and Crowe. Crowe... where was Crowe? He slowly climbed out of bed, conscious of the angel still asleep in his bed, he had no wish to wake her and was still overly enchanted with just looking at the bewitching creature he was somehow able to persuade to be his wife. He must find Crowe, something inside him told him that they had hatched some sort of plan to save their friend from a lifetime of anguish in a loveless marriage. There was something about investing? And possibly building? His mind was too fuzzy still to recall. He rang the bell for his valet and went to wash his face in cold water in his dressing room.
While dressing his valet informed him that Crowe had managed to make it into a guest bedroom down the hall and had not yet risen from his bed. He sent his valet to wake him and dress him while he went down for breakfast.
In the morning room as he nursed his hangover and went through his post he came across an unusual letter. It was from Lady Susan Worcester and contained information and a plan which could very likely save his friend Sidney from a loveless marriage, and his family from destitution. Upon finishing reading it Babington immediately stood to write her back and give his agreement to her ideas. He was about to go and do just that when Esther came in to the breakfast room, all smiles and jokes about his carousing the night before. He kissed her soundly, shoved the letter into her hands and dashed to his office to write to Lady Susan.
A few minutes later Esther joined him in the office.
"Is it true? Did Mr. Parker truly intend on marrying Charlotte and gave her up to save Tom Parker and Sanditon by marrying that horrible woman?"
"Yes, it's true. And I believe that Lady Worcester and I could potentially find the necessary investors to make Sanditon a success without her. I could potentially buy her out of her current investment if we are able to drum up enough interested parties to fill the houses and apartments in town."
"One particular person of interest you mean."
"Yes of course, though he is only a small part of the scheme, and hopefully will be an unnecessary one."
"What are you planning Henry?"
"Ah my dearest Lady Babington, I promise you that as this unfolds, I will keep you apprised of every important piece as it happens, but since much is still only ideas and possibilities there isn't much to tell as of yet. For now, we must prepare to leave for London. Lady Susan informs me that she has asked Miss Heywood to come stay with her for the little season and there is much to do before she begins her stay."