Notes: This chapter is a little Alison POV and Charlotte POV. I hope it doesn't confuse anyone.
~~Alison~~
I saw him. I know it was him. Why did Sidney Parker follow us to Sanditon? I didn't like it. I saw him watching Charlotte when we were at the building site then he ducked into one of the shops. When we walked by the shop, I looked again just to be sure and it was definitely him. Charlotte would be beside herself if she knew he was here. She was finally starting to seem normal again. Having a new project seemed to give her purpose. I needed to keep her away from Sidney Parker.
When we arrived back at the house and Charlotte told Lady Denham of the upcoming visit from Lady Worcester and The Prince Regent, she was overwhelmed with excitement.
"Didn't I tell you!" she said. "I knew you were the right person for the job. How wonderful. We have so much to do. Spare no expense. I want everything to be perfect for when they arrive. It'll be on the colder side. Oh, hopefully we don't have any dreary rain. I think it best for them to stay here during their visit. It is the best house in all of Sanditon. I'll need to plan a luncheon party in their honor. Charlotte, I'll need you to think of all the details. Perhaps we should have a ball as well. Write to Lady Worcester at once and find out what their intentions for their visit are. How long are they staying? What do they wish to do while here? We will need to make sure all the accommodations are prepared for their arrival."
"Yes, Lady Denham. I'll send a letter first thing in the morning."
"What will the terrace look like during their arrival? We can't possibly have it sitting in ruins during their visit."
"I've talked with Mr. Robinson. He is enquiring about some laborers to start the cleanup. I think once we get most of the burned wood out, we can salvage most of the apartments. I won't know for sure until we get started. We will need to hire a new stonemason. I can ask Mr. Robinson if he knows of any or if we should enquire in London. Alison and I plan to go in everyday to help with the process. We aren't afraid of a little hard work."
"Think of what it'll mean for our little town to have such a powerful man visit," she said dreamily. Charlotte and I smiled at each other watching her work herself up.
"Alison and I will take care of everything, Lady Denham," Charlotte offered. "Don't worry."
"You'll both need some appropriate attire for their visit. I can't have you looking like paupers when they arrive." Charlotte and I looked down at what we had on. I didn't quite understand. We definitely didn't have ball gowns on, but we weren't at a ball. Did she want us to dress like we were attending a ball the entire time they were visiting? "Go to the dress shop and have some new dresses made. Whatever you need, have it added to my account. Spare no expense to make yourselves look the part as my guests."
"That's very kind of you, Lady Denham. We don't want to overdo our welcome. Perhaps we could stay with Tom and Mary while the prince and Lady Susan visit?" Charlotte offered.
"Nonsense! Lady Worcester will be expecting to see you. I can't possibly kick you out when they arrive."
"Very well," Charlotte accepted. I was truly excited at the thought of buying new dresses like the ones Charlotte had brought home. Lady Denham was very kind to us.
Charlotte was exhausted after her busy day and retired to her room early, leaving me alone with Lady Denham. I had gotten a little more comfortable with her, but still felt it necessary to guard myself with her. I had played the piano for her all evening until my fingers were numb. Thankfully she finally gave me the freedom to stop as she said I was giving her a headache. I thought about returning to my room, but Lady Denham insisted I sit with her while she wrote letters of business.
"What are your thoughts of marriage, Miss Heywood?" she asked suddenly, distracting me from my reading. Lady Denham had given us access to her large library of books, which I was very grateful for. But I found it hard to focus on reading when Lady Denham was in the room.
"I'm afraid I don't have an opinion," I answered truthfully. I hadn't really thought about it. Of course, I enjoyed the attention of men at dances and truly loved to dance. I never thought of anyone I had danced with as the marrying type, though. Like Charlotte, I was only interested in marrying for love. It was what we were brought up to believe in.
"Much like your sister, I presume," she said. "Country girls are full of hopes and dreams instead of the realization of what marriage is truly about."
"Is it wrong to want to walk through life with someone you care about?"
"With that kind of expectation, you'll never find a husband."
"I don't believe that. I apologize if I speak out of turn, but I don't want to marry if it means I can't be happy."
"Your sister thought the same thing until she had her heart broken. I too had my heart broken in a similar fashion in my younger years. I believe Charlotte is learning the hard way that marriage isn't about love but about business. It's best you learn the same thing."
I narrowed my eyes and thought on it for a moment before speaking. "Lady Denham, it seems Sidney Parker has returned to Sanditon. I can't figure it out, but he seems to be watching Charlotte from afar. I'm not sure what to think of it."
"Isn't he to marry in just a few days?" she asked.
"I believe so. Yet, here he is in Sanditon. Why do you think he's following Charlotte the way he is?"
"I imagine she has him wishing things were different. One last glance at what could have been before he follows through with his business arrangement," she said. "Like I said, Miss Heywood, marriage is about business, not about love. I truly am sorry for Charlotte and for Sidney, but he has a duty to do."
I dropped my head not liking the answer she gave, yet I knew she was probably right. I imagined Charlotte would be in a rather dreadful state on the day of the wedding knowing what was happening and thinking on what could have been. I had to be sure I was a good sister and helped distract her from the pain she was sure to feel. Perhaps we could focus on doing something fun rather than work. Knowing Charlotte, though, she'd probably welcome work to distract.
I knew one thing for sure. If I had to choose between money and love, I'd choose love.
~~Charlotte~~
I woke early the next morning after a frightful dream of Sidney marrying Eliza looking happy and in love. I wanted nothing more than for him to be happy, but it hurt to see. I needed to keep myself distracted. Being at the building site during the day would definitely help keep me busy. I was already up and writing a letter to Susan when Alison came down to join me. Lady Denham had not been up yet, but her butler told us she was sleeping in and wasn't to be bothered.
Alison and I left early not to disturb her and stopped at the post office first to send my letters. Next we went to the dress shop and picked out the most wonderful colors of fabric and designs to have dresses made for us. I wasn't sure how the news had gotten out, but even the shop patrons had already heard the news of The Prince Regent arriving at the end of the month. Everyone was buzzing with excitement.
After spending most of the morning at the dress shop being measured and going over designs and patterns, we walked over to the building site. I was entirely shocked to find Mr. Robinson talking to a group of men and showing them what needed to be done. I walked up and listened in until he was finished.
"Miss Heywood," he greeted excitedly.
"Are these all laborers?" I asked. "I wasn't expecting this many so quickly."
"Isn't it wonderful!" he said. "Mr. Parker sent them from London." Tom did this? What a wonderful surprise, it was. Just when we needed them, too. The thought of Tom doing what he could in London to send the laborers our way sent a shock of guilt through me. I needed to send him a letter and let him know of the new arrangement Lady Denham and I had. I hoped he'd understand that I truly did all of this for him and his family. I wasn't asking for any gain from Sanditon being prosperous.
"Alison, I need to go back down to the post office and send Tom a letter."
"Perhaps I'll go down and visit with Georgiana," Alison suggested. "I fear I'll just get in the way here." I nodded my approval and took her arm in mine. We walked as far as the post office before I turned to go inside, and Alison continued down the street.
I spent the rest of the day at the building site and discussed with Mr. Robinson what I'd like to get started on first to at least make it look nice for when the Prince Regent arrived. It wouldn't nearly be finished, but at least we could have it looking nice. I met with the new stonemason Mr. Fritz, who assured me he'd had lots of experience and would build a grand building for us. He seemed a little like a flirt as he winked and smiled a lot. He wasn't an older gentleman like Old Stringer, but he wasn't exactly a young man either. I wasn't quite sure how to make him out. He gave me an odd feeling.
"Charlotte!" a familiar voice called out from the street below. I turned around from where I stood in one of the apartment openings and saw Esther down below. She looked so different than the last time I saw her. She was in a stylish dress and hat and had pink cheeks with her hair up in an elaborate updo. She looked happy. I waved and smiled down at her before making my way down to where she stood.
"Esther," I greeted giving her a hug. In the days leading up to her wedding to Lord Babington we had gotten very close. I even served as her bridesmaid. "What a wonderful surprise. I wasn't expecting to see you here in Sanditon again."
"Yes, well, my dear husband has decided to buy Denham Place as our summer estate. I wasn't thrilled with the idea at first, but he has given me freedom to design and renovate in any way I please. That excited me," she said with a devilish grin. I smiled in return.
"Have you seen Lady Denham yet?" I asked.
"We just came from her place. I was surprised to hear you and your sister are staying with her."
"No more than I was when the invitation from her came," I laughed as did she. "It's been nice, though. She has been quite kind to my sister and I."
"And Lady Denham has put you in charge of rebuilding this place?" Lord Babington asked coming up behind Esther and joining the conversation. I watched as he placed his hand on Esther's back and she leaned into him so naturally.
"I'm not exactly sure why, but I'm enjoying the work," I answered.
"And where is this sister of yours?" he asked.
"She's visiting with Miss Lambe at the moment. Perhaps I can bring her by to introduce you."
"Yes, please do come by and visit," Esther insisted. "I'm going to be rather lonely without anyone to talk to."
"Am I not good enough to talk to?" Lord Babington teased.
She slapped his chest playfully. "Oh, you know what I mean. I need a woman to talk to. Especially in my state." She smiled excitedly at me as if she was trying to tell me a secret with her eyes and my glance at Lord Babington showed me the same excited grin on his face. Realization filled my senses and I couldn't help but smile as well.
"Are you?"
Esther nodded her head and took my hands in hers. "I can't tell you how thrilled we both are to have a little one. I never thought I'd have a child, yet here we are. In just a few months we will be parents."
"I'm so happy for the both of you. I can't believe how well you both look. It'll be nice to have more time to catch up."
"Miss Heywood!" Mr. Fritz called. I turned around and waved my acknowledgement but didn't go straight over.
"We will be having dinner with Lady Denham tomorrow night. I'm sure we will have more time to speak then," Esther said giving me the freedom to return to the job. I gave her another hug and wished them well. I watched as they walked away arm in arm looking at each other with grinning faces and a quick kiss on the lips. I didn't like the pain I felt from watching them. I should be happy for them. I could only imagine the pain came from longing to have the same thing they had. I'd never wanted it before, not until Sidney. But with him not an option anymore, perhaps someone new would come along. I smiled at the thought, but only for a moment. With the thought of new love only brought sadness of lost love.
"Miss Heywood!" Mr. Frits called out again in an angry tone. I quickly collected my thoughts and met him up on the terrace to see what he needed.
~~Alison~~
"You will never believe what has happened," Georgiana said guiding me to sit on the bed with her. She seemed rather excited and I wondered if she had also heard of the Prince Regent coming to visit.
"Is this about the Prince Regent?" I asked.
She looked at me with confusion on her face. "I don't know what you are talking about. The Prince Regent?"
"Yes, he's coming for a visit at the end of the month."
"How do you know this?"
"Lady Worcester sent a letter to Charlotte informing her of their impending visit."
"That is exciting news, but that's not what I was going to tell you."
I looked at her with a confused expression this time. "Then what is it?"
"Sidney gave me my freedom!" she blurted. I looked at her curiously not quite understanding her meaning. "Well not entirely. But he said I am free to come and go as I please with either you or Charlotte as my companion. Can you believe it?"
I was still quite confused. Perhaps Charlotte would understand her meaning better than I.
"What are you waiting for?" she shouted and shook my shoulders. "Invite me to go somewhere. I need to get out of here."
"Oh. Um. Where should we go?" I was still unfamiliar with most of Sanditon.
She rolled her eyes and took my hands in hers. "Tell Mrs. Griffiths we are going for a walk along the clifftops." I still wasn't quite sure what was happening, but I followed her directions and went to talk to Mrs. Griffiths. A few moments later Georgiana and I were leaving arm in arm towards the cliffs.
"Could you possibly explain a little more what all that is about?" I asked.
"Mrs. Griffiths has had me locked away in that house for months. And before that I was a prisoner at that wretched girl's school. I've barely had any fun and I want to go out to explore the world."
"And Mr. Parker has forbidden you from going out?"
"Unless it's approved by him. Until now anyway. He has given me permission to go anywhere I please as long as I'm with you or Charlotte."
"Why would he do that?" I asked.
"I'm not entirely sure. He just said he was trying to make amends. But it doesn't matter. What matters is, I'm free to do as I please." She ran a distance in front of me and ran through the grass like she had done in Willingden with my siblings. The wind blew her skirts up and billowed her hair. She laughed and turned in circles enjoying the breeze. I laughed watching her and chased after as we played in the grass. We spun in circles, hand in hand until we went so fast that we both went tumbling to the ground with fits of giggles. We stayed on the ground staring up at the sky until our laughter calmed.
"Georgiana," I began with a more serious tone. "I saw Sidney Parker watching Charlotte yesterday. She didn't see him, thank goodness. He tried to hide when he saw I had detected him. What do you think of it?"
She sat up and our eyes met. "He's a fool who loves her. That's what I think of it."
"But he's to be married. Is he planning to follow Charlotte around forever and make her feel even worse than she already does? If she had saw him watching her, she would be in hysterics. You didn't hear her late at night crying when she got back to Willingden. She tried so hard to hide her pain, but I could see it. I can't stand him if he's going to continue to make Charlotte sad."
"I used to trust him and love him like a brother, until I saw who he truly was."
"How do I keep him away from Charlotte?" I asked.
"If he goes through with marrying Mrs. Campion she won't let him out of her grimy hands. I'm sure he's back in London already. You don't have anything to worry about. He's gone."
"I hope so."
"Miss Lambe!" a voice called out. "Miss Lambe!" We both sat up and saw a portly man nearly running towards us.
Georgiana waved and giggled seeing him. I assumed it must be someone she knew. We both got on our feet and straightened our skirts.
"Mr. Parker," she greeted to my surprise.
"Miss Lambe, I was filled with joy to hear you were safe and back here in Sanditon," he said with a pleasant smile on his face.
"I was never in any danger, no matter what Sidney told you," Georgiana said rolling her eyes.
"Still, I feared for your safety." Georgiana gave him an endearing smile and turned towards me.
"Arthur I'd like to introduce you to Miss Alison Heywood, Charlotte's sister. Alison this is Arthur Parker, Sidney's brother."
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you miss. Any friend of Charlotte's and Georgiana's is a friend of mine." He grinned and looked pleased with himself. This was the Arthur Parker Charlotte had written about. She described him perfectly. "Would either of you be interested in joining me for a walk into town to the bakery? It's been a long trip here and I'm in need of something sweet."
"We'd be delighted, Arthur," Georgiana said. She took his arm and then took mine as the three of us walked back into town.
"Where is Diana Parker?" Georgiana asked. "I don't believe I've ever seen you out of arm's reach of her."
"I must confess, I've left the comforts of my sister's nurturing for the first time," he said. I stifled a giggle at the way he said it in a foreboding way.
"And she let you?" Georgiana asked also trying not to giggle.
"I have found that London isn't for me. When I was here, I enjoyed myself and had a laugh or two with friends. In London, I'm not important to anyone. No. London isn't for me. My sister, on the other hand, is a true Londoner. She enjoys the gossip and the excitement of gentile society. That's not for me. I plan to stay here for a time. Perhaps permanently."
"I'm happy to hear it," Georgiana said. "Have you heard the news of the Prince Regent visiting Sanditon?"
NOTES: At some point in this story, Lord Babington and Mr. Crowe are going to need Christian names. As far as I'm aware there is never any mention of a first name in the show or the book. I've decided to give them both names and I want them to be as pretentious as possible. I'm leaning towards Montgomery or Reginald for Babington and Albert or Theodore for Crowe. Anyone have any other good names or have an opinion on any of these?