It was the night of the Milton's ball, one of the grandest events of the season, and instead of talking animatedly with Susan as they readied themselves for the evening out, Charlotte stared absently at her reflection in the mirror, catching Susan's eye as she fastened a rather beautiful ruby necklace around her throat, an unmistakable feeling of dread pressing down upon her as Susan stepped away. It was the final finishing touch. They were nearly ready to leave.
"Absolutely stunning. It complements the gown rather well," said Susan, her tone brighter than it needed to be, and Charlotte suspected that she was trying her best to break her out of this sombre mood.
Charlotte had been dressed in the finest gown in her possession that evening - cream in colour with an outer layer of gold-embroidered gauze that created a shimmering effect each time it caught the light. She began to nervously adjust the curls that framed her face, chewing on her lower lip as she did so.
"Let me hazard a guess," said Susan calmly, "you are worried that Mr Parker and Mrs Campion will be attending this evening?"
Charlotte stopped, her fingers releasing a curl that she had been tugging at, causing it to bounce back into position, and looked at Susan in the mirror. "How could I not be?"
"My dear, it will be quite alright. You may stay by my side all evening if you wish it. I am more than happy to do the talking where Mrs Campion is involved. It may not be enjoyable conversation, but at the very least, it will keep me on my toes. One must practice the ability to retort in a quick and clever manner, and she is certainly no novice."
"It's just...it will be the third time this week that we have seen them."
"Well," said Susan, "then we shall find you a dashing Baronet to dance with to put her off the scent, and you will be fulfilling our mission of making new London connections in the most entertaining way possible."
Charlotte's face relaxed slightly. "Remember, my dear," Susan said, stepping toward her to adjust her sleeve, "you have every right to live your life. This business with Mrs Campion is merely an obstacle in our path."
"And yet, I would not have guessed that it would affect me so...that it would be quite so hard."
"All things worth having must be worked for, dear."
"Yes," she said, breathing deeply, "Yes, of course."
"Charlotte...are you alright? I know that we have spoken about it, but I must admit to worrying incessantly that Mrs Campion's visit rather got under your skin."
She blinked, as if startled by the comment. "Yes, of course...at least I will be. Just a bit weary, I think."
"Then, if you wish it, you need only give me a signal tonight and we shall return home immediately."
"Really, Susan, I will be fine. Once we arrive, all will be okay again."
Susan eyed her sceptically, pursing her lips in thought. "I trust you to know yourself, dear, but my offer stands. You have my protection if and when you need it. And, if you are quite sure that you are ready for the evening to be underway at last, then I suppose we should make haste and ready ourselves for the carriage, or Bradford will have both our heads," she grinned mischievously.
"You know, Susan," Charlotte said, taking her arm as they made their way toward the entrance hall, "sometimes I think that I might be happiest to live out my days at Weston Place."
Susan smiled, a hint of concern in her expression, "and know, dear, that you are always welcome here, for however long you wish, but I very much believe that you will be far happier with your Mr Parker when we get this straightened out at last. Promise to visit often when you are happily married. I have grown so fond of your company that I admit I can't quite imagine going through the day-to-day without it."
----------
Susan's carriage drove through the rain to St. James's Place for the ball that evening, arriving at the palatial home of Lord and Lady Milton, its gothic spires and pointed arches amplified by the light of the full moon. "Each is larger than the last," murmured Charlotte as she approached the open carriage door.
"What was that, Charlotte?" asked Susan who had just been handed down from the carriage.
"Oh, nothing," she said sheepishly, "just admiring the scenery."
"Very grand, indeed, is it not?" said Susan, taking her arm as they walked toward the entrance. "I would wager that in a house this size, the potential to make new acquaintances is an undeniable likelihood tonight."
The front doors opened to reveal a spacious entrance hall, featuring the grandest staircase that Charlotte had ever seen. Even with the crowds surrounding them, it was the very first London house she had entered that seemed large enough to hold every last member of the Beau Monde. She imagined that this was the sort of opulence that the Prince Regent himself lived in. Surely, there must be potential investors among such a crowd.
She could not help but gasp in delight as they entered the immense ballroom just moments later. "Oh, Susan, it looks like something out of A Midsummer Night's Dream," she remarked, quite unable to contain her excitement.
"Yes, Lady Milton clearly has an eye for that sort of thing. You will find among the London set that the need to out-perform every other ball often results in more elaborate themes as the season progresses. It has become quite the sport for ladies, in fact."
"Is this your way of telling me that we are to ready ourselves for a garishly overdone event at Weston Place this season?"
"Not a chance, dear Charlotte. I admit to not always being immune to the pressures of others, but I find that I am past all that now. One's life becomes far more enjoyable when they stop caring quite so much about the opinions of others."
"Is that why you were reading a book at Mrs Maudsley's rout when we first met?" she asked, curiously, "I often wonder why you were hiding that evening."
"Yes, I find Mrs Maudsley's events, in particular, to be very tedious, and yet, one must make an appearance for the sake of maintaining their social standing. It is all quite ridiculous, but at least I had the great fortune that particular evening of meeting you. Now, what do you say, Miss Heywood? Shall we make use of our talents and spread the word of our little town?"
Charlotte followed Susan's lead, walking a few paces behind as nearly every person in the room turned to greet her as she passed. She scanned the crowd before them, catching sight of the Babingtons across the room, deep in conversation, their eyes fixed upon one another, but saw no sign of Sidney or Mrs Campion, and for the very first time that evening, she exhaled in relief, feeling the sense of dread lifting from her body. As they progressed through the room, Lady Milton, herself, approached them at last.
"Lady Worcester!" she said, rather enthusiastically, "so happy that you could join us this evening."
"Lady Milton," Susan greeted her warmly, "We are so delighted to be here. Have you met my dearest friend, Miss Charlotte Heywood?" After a brief conversation with the surprisingly pleasant Lady Milton, not only had Susan managed to broach the subject of Sanditon and her plans to spend time there over the summer months, but by the end of it, they had walked away with an invitation for tea the following week, and a chance to discuss the town further.
"Nicely done, Susan," Charlotte said, impressed.
"Oh, it's nothing that a bit of practice won't help. Now, why don't you take the lead on the next conversation we have? We can produce a tally at the end of the evening to see who had the largest number of positive responses."
Charlotte smiled, "I suppose that I could use a challenge to distract. Now, who is next? And be fair, mind." she said with a twinkle in her eye.
"Why, Charlotte, I wouldn't dream of sending you to the wolves immediately. Perhaps two conversations in, we can approach the Duke of Northumberland and see how effective your charms really are."
"A Duke? So early in the evening?"
"Yes, and this particular Duke is the most ornery gentleman in all of England. I can hardly believe he made an appearance at all." She leaned closer to Charlotte's ear, "gout, you see, and quite a severe case."
"So, no dancing with the Duke, then."
Susan erupted in laughter. "If you were to persuade this particular Duke to dance, I should convince the Prince Regent to present you with an entire estate along with a title, for it would be nothing short of a miracle."