~~Charlotte~~

I had spent more time than ever working at the building site. At night when I wasn't working, I was either crying or angry. Sidney Parker had hurt me more now than he ever had before. I still couldn't believe he had lied to me all this time and then accused me of showing favor towards Mr. Stringer and Mr. Robinson. He probably assumed I led Mr. Fritz on as well and I deserved what he did at the ball. I was done fighting with him. If I never saw Sidney Parker again, I'd be perfectly well. He's always inspired an anger in me. Lady Susan led me to believe I was in love with him and I began to believe her, especially when I saw how Sidney had similar feelings for me. But now, I don't think I ever loved him. I think I enjoyed the thought of being in love and the thought of someone loving me in return. Now I realize, I was naïve and should have known better than to fall in love with someone like Mr. Sidney Parker.

"Charlotte," Mr. Stringer said quietly, breaking me from my thoughts. I stopped hammering the nail and stood up to face him. "I believe the nail has been pushed into the wood as far as it'll go." I looked down and saw the indentations from the hammer in the wood from hitting it far too many times. I sighed, then put the hammer down. "Are you alright?"

"I've been better. But I'll be fine," I assured.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

"No. Thank you, though," I smiled trying to fake a good mood.

"I'm on my way out to see Lady Denham as you requested. Would you like to take the rest of the day off and walk with me out there?" he asked.

I thought about it for a moment and knew I couldn't. If Sidney thought I was doing something inappropriate with Mr. Stringer, I'm sure others thought the same thing. I wasn't about to give anyone anything else to gossip about.

"I should probably stay here. Lady Denham is expecting you," I said picking up the hammer and turning around to go back to work.

"Alright," he said hesitantly. He started to walk away but stopped again. "You know if something is bothering you, I'm always available to talk to."

I smiled halfheartedly. "Thank you."

I continued to work, trying hard to focus on what I was doing rather than on the thoughts consuming me. I saw Mr. Robinson nearby watching me intently, which made me uneasy. Was Sidney right about Mr. Robinson having feelings for me? I truly hoped not.

"Charlotte!" Mary's voice called out. I stopped and looked down to see her waving at me. I waved back and headed for the ladder to go down and see her. I felt horrible for not taking the time to go see her and the children since they'd been back in town. I hadn't had time to even see Georgiana lately.

"It's so good to see you, Mary," I greeted giving her a hug.

"I've missed you, as have the children. The girls ask about you every day," she said.

"I will make the time to go visit them soon," I promised.

"Precisely why I'm here. Diana and I are taking the children for a picnic later today and we were wondering if you'd be able to join us. Of course, Alison is invited as well."

I thought about it for a moment. "I'm not sure I should leave," I said hesitantly.

"Don't worry about us, Miss Heywood," Mr. Robinson interrupted. When he came up behind me, I jumped. I didn't like him coming up behind me and truly wanted him to leave. "You deserve an afternoon off. You work harder than anyone here."

"Thank you, Mr. Robinson," I said without looking at him. He understood the lack of acknowledgment and walked away, thankfully.

"He is right, you do work harder than all these men. You are starting to worry me. You look pale and quite exhausted. Take an afternoon off. I think it's just what you need."

A carefree picnic with Mary and the children did sound enticing. "Would you mind if I invited Georgiana? I have neglected her this week and she probably needs an afternoon away."

"Of course. Invite whoever you like," Mary said with a smile.

"I'll be ready in an hour."

After letting Arthur know I was going to be leaving for the rest of the day, I went to go find Alison. She was in one of the apartments painting and quickly took me up on my offer to take the rest of the afternoon off. We walked down to Mrs. Griffith's place and visited Georgiana.

"It's about time!" Georgiana shouted. "I thought you both abandoned me. I've had no visitors or anything exciting to do all week."

I looked at Alison and we both had guilty expressions. "We apologize, Georgiana. We've been so busy at the rebuild. It's only a week away before the Prince Regent arrives," I said.

"Who cares about the Prince Regent visiting? It's just another powerful man who thinks he has control over everything," Georgiana complained.

"It's an important step for the town of Sanditon to be fashionable. We want Sanditon to be prosperous," I reminded.

"I don't care about Sanditon. I'm only here because both of you are here," she reminded.

"Then how about we get out of here for the rest of the day?" Alison suggested. "We've been invited to have a picnic with Mary Parker."

"Anything is better than being stuck in this dreary room," she said. She grabbed her coat and followed us out into the street. We walked down to Trafalgar house and met Mary and Diana with the children ready to go. One of Mary's many servants carried a picnic basket as well as a couple blankets. The nanny carried little James along with a basket or toys."

"It's so good to see you again, Georgiana," Mary greeted. "You too, Alison. I feel like it's been a lifetime since we've seen all of you."

"I agree," I said. "We should try to get together more often."

I wrapped my arm around hers as we began to walk down the street. Jenny grabbed my hand and Alicia took Mary's while little Henry led the way in front of us. Diana walked a step behind us while Georgiana and Alison walked a distance behind talking secretively. I wondered what they were talking about. Alison seemed distant today, but she never let on why.

"Where should we picnic, girls?" Mary asked. "Down by the river, perhaps?"

"We could go out by Sanditon House?" I suggested. "We won't be bothered there, and we'd have plenty of room for the children to run."

"You don't think Lady Denham would mind?"

"Surely not. We won't be too close to the house. She won't even know we are there. I saw that group of deer the other day, perhaps if we are quiet, we will see them again," I told the children.

"Time for a hunting party!" Henry shouted.

"We will have to arm ourselves with our hunting rifles," I said playfully.

"Have you ever gone hunting, Charlotte?" Jenny asked.

"I surely have. My father taught me how to hunt when I was very little. Then I taught my younger siblings."

"If I remember correctly, Charlotte and Alison were on a hunting excursion with some of their siblings when they found your father and I in our overturned carriage," Mary reminded.

"You are right. We were hunting rabbits," I said. "Suddenly there was a carriage coming down the road going far too fast and we watched it tumble over. My siblings and I went running across the field to go help your parents out of their wreckage. It was quite exciting!"

"Exciting!" Mary shouted. "It was terrifying."

I laughed.

"How many siblings do you have, Charlotte?" Alicia asked.

"Other than Alison, I have ten more at home in Willingden."

"Ten!" Henry shouted from in front of us. "Are any of them boys?"

I laughed. "Quite a few of them are. My eldest brother is to be married next week."

"Any boys my age?" he clarified.

"I have a brother just your age, Henry. You two would be as thick as thieves," I said.

"Will we ever get to meet them?" Jenny asked.

"Perhaps someday," I said. A part of me knew it probably would never happen. I knew mother and father would never bring all of them to Sanditon for a visit. I doubted Mary would ever wish to go to Willingden again, especially with the children in tow.

"Could you teach me how to hunt?" Alicia asked in a small, timid voice.

"Alicia, you are a lady. There's no need for you to hunt," Mary scolded.

I took offense to what she said. "I don't believe there's any reason why girls shouldn't know how to survive. Hunting is a survival skill, is it not?"

"I just mean, they have no reason to do so. Not even Tom takes pleasure in the sport," Mary excused.

"I brought our boats, Charlotte," Alicia said changing the subject. "Is there any water where we can have another race?"

"We might be able to find some," I said smiling at her. "If not, we will walk down by the river."

"We are sure to win. Poor Henry doesn't have Uncle Sidney to help him," Jenny teased. The mention of his name tightened my heart.

"Perhaps I should be a deserter and fight for the opposition this time," I suggested. "It's not fair if poor Henry is ambushed by the three of us girls, is it?" Henry turned around with the biggest grin on his face. I smiled back at him and winked.

"Charlotte, you are so good with the children. How do you always know what to say to them?" Diana asked.

"I guess it's just growing up with lots of younger siblings. I had to entertain them somehow," I explained.

"I have yet to find anything you aren't good at," Mary added.

"There are plenty of things. Ask Alison." I laughed and turned around to join Alison in the conversation, but she and Georgiana were deep in conversation far behind us.

We walked the rest of the way out to Sanditon House and set up a blanket under a tree a good distance away from the house. We ate and had lots of fun with the children. I was glad Mary talked me into going. I think a day away from the building site was exactly what I needed. I felt better by the moment.

After running and playing with the children for quite some time, I plopped back down on the blanket with Mary.

"You are looking much better, my dear," Mary said.

I sighed, still a little out of breath from our imaginary hunting trip. "I definitely needed this, Mary. Thank you for making me come. I guess I hadn't realized how much I was working to get Sanditon ready for the Prince Regent's visit. I'm running myself into the ground."

"I imagine Sidney being present isn't making things any easier," Mary said. "He did let on that he told you he broke off the engagement."

I dropped my head and furrowed my eyebrow. "I'm more bothered that he's sacrificing his family for his own desires."

"He still loves you, Charlotte. Everything he does is for you. You can't blame him for desiring you."

"Does it not bother you that he's sacrificing his family by breaking off his engagement and going back on his word to Lady Denham?"

"If there's one thing I know about Sidney Parker, he always comes out of difficult times stronger and wiser. I believe this time is no different. I don't blame him for falling in love with you. Who wouldn't?"

"How do you know what Sidney's thinking? As a matter of fact, he's never once told me he loves me," I spat, getting angry and trying hard not to show my true feelings. "He's still very much a mystery. I'm fairly certain that's how he wants it to be."

"Charlotte, you can't be serious," Mary said gently. "I know you care about him as he does you. I wish you would give him a chance to explain."

"No matter. Even if he does have feelings for me, I've decided to put him from my mind and move on. I'm not going to hold on to some illusion of us being together."

"Not every love story is easy, my dear. Sometimes it takes work. Sometimes it takes time. Sometimes it takes two people to put aside their differences and truly listen to the other."

I thought about what she said and stared off in the distance. I had made my decision. Nothing she said was going to change my mind.

As I was staring out in the distance, I saw a figure walking towards us. "Who might that be?" I said standing to my feet and using my hand to block the sun so I could see better.

Mary stood also to look. "I can't tell from here. Was Lady Denham expecting anyone?"

"Not that I know of," I said. "But I don't always know about her guests."

Diana, who had been resting under the shade a distance away, heard the commotion and stood up as well to come over and have a look for herself. "Is that not my brother, Arthur?"

"I do believe you're right, Diana," Mary said. "I can't make out who the woman with him is."

Alison quieted the children and she and Georgiana brought them closer to us. We all stared out at the mystery woman walking with Arthur until she was within sight. None of us knew who she was, but she was dressed well and seemed to be a woman of higher standards. Her hair was up with a rather fancy hat on her head.

We curtsied to greet her as did she. Arthur walked up breathless and holding his belly. Diana fussed over him and eased him down on the blanket.

"A drink, please," Arthur requested in nothing more than a whisper.

"Of course, brother," Diana said, quickly pouring him a drink and handing it to him.

Without Arthur to introduce us properly to the mystery young woman, we stared at each other nervously until she finally spoke. "I'm looking for Lady Denham."

"Lady Denham is more than likely in the house just up the road," I explained. "Might I ask who you are?"

"I'm Mrs. Stringer. I was told my husband was out this way doing work for Lady Denham," she explained.

"You're Mrs. Stringer?" I asked excitedly. "Mr. Stringer talked about you quite fondly. I'm Miss Heywood."

"Oh yes," she said with questioning eyes. "My husband has spoken of you."

"I'd be happy to walk you up to the house," I offered noticing how Arthur was probably not going to escort her any further than he already had.

"I'd appreciate that," she said. I wasn't quite sure what to think of Mr. Stringer's new wife. She seemed on the shy side. Perhaps she was also a little insecure being in a new place where she didn't know anyone. I decided I would do my best to make her feel welcome here in Sanditon.

"Can we come?" Alicia asked pulling on my skirt.

"If your mother agrees, I wouldn't mind," I agreed.

"I suppose it would be alright. Little James could probably use a nap anyway. Mary smiled and nodded her head. "Be on your best behavior. And please don't bother Lady Denham," she warned.

"We won't," Jenny shouted.

Jenny, Alicia, and Henry ran out in front of us, still carrying their sticks I had deemed hunting rifles for our hunting excursion.

"How do you like Sanditon?" I asked trying to make friendly conversation.

"I can't say I've had the pleasure of seeing much of it. I've only arrived this afternoon," she explained.

"Does Mr. Stringer know you are here?" I wondered.

"Why would you ask such a thing?" she said looking a little put off by my question.

I felt uneasy by the way she looked at me. "I only ask because he didn't mention your arrival. If I had known you were arriving today, I wouldn't have asked him to come out here to help Lady Denham."

"I daresay he doesn't. I thought I'd surprise him but when I came upon the building site, he wasn't around," she explained. "Mr. Parker back there mentioned you were in charge of the building going on in town. How exactly did you come upon such a task with such authority?"

"Lady Denham is a wealthy woman and soul benefactor of the construction of Sanditon. She didn't like how Mr. Tom Parker was handling things. She asked if I would oversee the rebuild as she knew I worked closely with Tom and knew his plans quite well when he left Sanditon."

"I can't imagine it an easy job; being among all those men," she said.

"She's their boss," Jenny interjected with a smile.

"Not exactly, Jenny," I said with a giggle.

"My husband has mentioned you took a liking to architecture like he did. Is that true?"

"Very much so. I know I can never be an architect of any kind, but I'm enjoying having a say on how things get built here in Sanditon. It's actually why I asked Mr. Stringer to come out here to help Lady Denham. I found her yesterday with a supposed architect from London who had all these grand ideas on a renovation Lady Denham wants done. I knew within moments he was a fool and was on the verge of ruining Lady Denham's home."

"Do all the men, including my husband, do as you say?" she asked.

"Not always. Sometimes I have to truly fight for my position with them," I explained.

She was quiet for a moment as if she was thinking hard. She almost looked sad.

"Is something the matter?" I asked.

"I've always idolized the work my father did. I wanted to learn everything he did and become an architect like him. When I was a child, he catered to my every whim. As I grew, I was informed I could never do the work I dreamed of and was merely meant to be a wife to someone. I refused to marry any suitable match my father tried to make."

"But you married Mr. Stringer?" I said trying to understand where she was going.

She smiled. "James is different. He also caters to my dreams like my father did. I may not be able to be an architect in the eyes of society, but he allows me to give him advice or have an opinion on his jobs. I believe it's why I fell for him so quickly. He didn't have an issue with me stating my opinions or trying to interject my thoughts on projects he would discuss with my father. My father may have gotten irritated with me, but James would just smile and agree with my thoughts, which I found quite endearing."

I thought about how Sidney did the same thing for me. Without Sidney allowing me to take control, I wouldn't be where I am today; Lady Denham's money or not. "I can understand how that might feel."

"I suppose hearing you are in charge of this whole project here in Sanditon truly has me curious. If you, a woman, can be in charge of all these men, why couldn't another?"

"Perhaps in time it'll be more acceptable. I don't imagine my position will last much longer than this particular job. After it's over, I will go back to being just another woman who is ultimately on the hunt for a husband, as clearly that's all women are after."

"Is that what you're after?" she asked with a smile.

"Surely not!" I said with a smile. "If I have my way, I'll continue living in a man's world regardless of my sex. Would it surprise you if I told you I recently learned how to punch a man?"

She tucked her arm around mine as we continued to walk. "I think we might be the greatest of friends, Charlotte Heywood."

I smiled back and nodded my head. "I'd definitely like that, Hannah Stringer."

When we reached the house, the children had stopped at the door and stared up at the house in amazement. "Go on," I encouraged. "Open the door."

Henry ran and burst through the front door with Jenny and Alicia following behind. I excused myself from Hannah and chased after the children, following them down the hallway into the drawing room laughing excitedly with them.

"Uncle Sidney!" Henry shouted when he saw Sidney standing in the room with Lady Denham. I stopped in my tracks and my smile fell. I didn't know Sidney was back in Sanditon. Last I knew he was going to London. Sidney scooped up Henry while Alicia and Jenny ran over to him and pulled on his arms excitedly.

"What's the meaning of this?" Lady Denham shouted. She didn't look happy at all.

"I'm sorry, Lady Denham. I wasn't aware you had a guest," I apologized. I caught Sidney's gaze for a moment in between him giving attention to the children. He looked pained but tried to hide it for the children's sake.

"Why on earth did you bring the Parker children here?" Lady Denham asked.

"We were picnicking nearby. I'm looking for Mr. Stringer. Is he still here?" I caught Sidney's jaw tighten and his forehead wrinkle at the mention of Mr. Stringer.

"He's probably still in the library," she said dismissively.

Hannah slowly walked up behind me looking nervous. "Lady Denham, Mr. Parker, allow me to introduce Mrs. Hannah Stringer. Young Stringer's new wife." Sidney's eyes rose and caught mine. His expression changed from anger to shame. A part of me enjoyed seeing him uncomfortable as he understood how wrong he was with his assumption the other day.

Hannah curtsied towards them, but Lady Denham barely gave her another glance. Sidney bowed his head in her direction but didn't say anything.

"Hannah?" Mr. Stringer said walking into the room. He smiled and ran to her taking her hands in his. "I wasn't expecting you for a few more days."

"I couldn't wait," she said with a giggle.

Mr. Stringer smiled and I could see the adoration for his bride in his eyes. "I'm glad you're here. I have so much to show you." They looked at each other as if no one else was in the room. I had to admit, I felt a hint of jealousy. Not that I was jealous because I had any feelings for Stringer, but more so the jealousy of their relationship. I wanted someone to look at me as if no one else existed. I turned around and caught Sidney staring at me rather than the Stringers like everyone else in the room was. Even the children were watching their exchange.

"If you are done with your measurements, are you going to show me what you've created?" Lady Denham asked.

Mr. Stringer broke his gaze from Hannah and turned towards Lady Denham. "Of course. Let me go get the plans I've drawn up." He walked back down the hallway towards the library with Hannah in tow.

"Mr. Parker, if there's nothing else, you are welcome to leave," Lady Denham said in a harsh tone. Whatever their conversation was about, she didn't seem happy.

"Come play with us, Uncle Sidney," Jenny shouted pulling on his arm.

He chuckled. "What are you playing?" he asked.

"Charlotte is teaching us how to hunt," Alicia said.

"Is she now?" Sidney said, staring at me with a grin.

"Now that I have Uncle Sidney on my side again, we need to race my boats," Henry demanded.

"Yes!" Jenny shouted. "We have to defend our ship against the British fleet."

I laughed as did Sidney. "Come on Charlotte," Jenny said pulling on my hand.

"Lead the way, Admiral Heywood," Sidney said with a grin and dip of his head. As much as I didn't want to smile at the nickname, I couldn't help it.

I bid Mr. Stringer and Hannah farewell and promised to meet with her again soon. Jenny and Alicia pulled on my hands impatiently. Sidney followed behind us with Henry on his shoulder.

We walked back to where everyone else was waiting. Most everything had been cleaned up and put away. The children whined when they saw their toys had been put up.

"You leave with a Stringer and return with a Parker," Georgiana teased.

There were questioning eyes from everyone when we got back.

"Come on, children. It's time to get home," Mary said.

"Please, mama," Jenny cried. "We have to race our boats still."

"Uncle Sidney and I are going to win this time," Henry said as Sidney lowered him to the ground from atop his shoulder.

"No, you won't!" Alicia shouted. "Charlotte won't allow it."

I don't know, Alicia," Sidney said. "Henry and I have got our secret weapon this time." He picked up little James who giggled when Sidney tossed him in the air a little.

"But we have Admiral Heywood. She's not afraid of any beastly boys. She bosses all of them around," Jenny said.

I laughed and leaned down to Jenny's level to whisper in her ear. "Sometimes it is rather scary."

"I want to be brave like you, Charlotte," Jenny whispered back. I smiled at her and gave her a hug thinking about the conversation I had with Mrs. Stringer about how all girls were meant for was to marry a man. I never wanted Jenny or Alicia to feel inferior to a man. They deserved to be brave and do amazing things.

Mary smiled at her children then looked to Sidney and I who were now surrounded by hopeful children. "I suppose you could stay a little longer if Uncle Sidney is willing to walk you back when your fun is over."

"Of course, Mary," he agreed. "After the day I've had, I could use a little lighthearted fun with the children."

"Everything alright?" Mary asked.

"Only time will tell," he answered vaguely. Whatever he meant by his comment, Mary seemed to understand.

"Where did Alison go?" I asked realizing she was not with the group any longer.

"Alison walked off with Mr. Crowe a little bit ago," Mary answered. I noticed her glance towards Sidney and a hint of a grin on her face.

"With Mr. Crowe? Why did she go off with Mr. Crowe?" I wondered.

"I'll explain while we are down by the water," Sidney said leading the children away but watching to see if I would follow.

"Children be good for Charlotte and Uncle Sidney," Mary warned as we walked away.

The children ran off in front of us and Sidney and I walked slowly through the grass following behind them.

"I thought Mr. Crowe wasn't planning to return to Sanditon?" I asked trying to urge Sidney to tell me more.

"I believe Mr. Crowe came to the realization that he is in love with your sister and has come back to ask her to marry him," Sidney explained nonchalantly.

"What!" I shouted almost laughing at the ridiculous notion. "You can't be serious."

"Is it so hard to believe your sister and Mr. Crowe together?" he asked.

"It's harder to believe my sister would accept him. She has had nothing but disdain towards him from the moment they met."

"Quite like us, wouldn't you agree?" he said turning his head to look at me. I turned away from him, not wanting to meet his eyes. "Is it so hard to believe someone's feelings can change in a matter of hours?"

"I suppose not. I just don't know if her feelings have changed," I said.

We were silent for a moment while we continued to walk. The silence felt awkward and I felt the need to say something. "How is your nose?"

He chuckled and ducked his head shyly. "A little bruised, but nothing a little time won't heal."

Silence fell on us again. The only sound came from the children laughing and running in front of us.

"Charlotte," he said sharply, then sighed. "Miss Heywood, I must apologize for my behavior the other day at the cove. I didn't mean what I said about Mr. Stringer to be taken the way it was."

I sighed. "I suppose now that you see there's nothing to be concerned about, you've come to your senses."

"You can't fault a man for feeling the pains of jealousy when he sees the woman he loves, with someone else," he said. My heart skipped a beat and I held my breath. It's truly the first time he's indicated he loved me.

"I suppose I can learn to forgive. But I can't exactly forgive you for sacrificing your brother in such a way. I know Tom has made some mistakes, but he has a wife and children to think about. He can't be sent to debtor's prison," I reminded.

He was quiet for a moment staring blankly ahead as we walked in step with each other. "I didn't sacrifice my brother. It pains me to think you would believe such a thing of me. I made a decision not to tie myself to a woman who disregarded Georgiana as nothing more than another slave in her slave trading escapades. I decided I couldn't spend a lifetime with someone when I loved another. I had to come up with another way to help Tom."

"And did you?" I asked staring at him intently.

He ducked his head then turned towards me, meeting my gaze with a serious expression. "Perhaps."

"Anything I can do to help?"

NOTES: Next chapter we will see how that proposal between Crowe and Alison went.