Chapter 8

Charlotte spent a good portion of the afternoon looking over her shoulder. The last thing she wanted was another unexpected meeting with Mrs. Campion. Though Charlotte and Genevieve had departed Bond Street some time ago, Charlotte was still ill at ease. She did not believe she could withstand another conversation with Mrs. Campion today. Charlotte had believed she would be ready to face Mrs. Campion at the dinner. She imagined steeling herself against Mrs. Campion's wintry gaze and cutting remarks. She imagined raising her chin high and standing with her shoulders back, projecting an air of confidence and sure-footedness. But this morning's meeting had caught Charlotte completely unprepared. Mrs. Campion deliberately called Willingden Willingham, Charlotte had decided, as another insult to Charlotte's upbringing on a farm. And it was wholly unnecessary for Mrs. Campion to tell Charlotte that she and Sidney would be traveling to Paris after the wedding, nor was it necessary for her to share that she was in the jewelry shop for earrings Sidney had purchased. Even though she seemed just as surprised to see Charlotte, Mrs. Campion could not waste an opportunity to flaunt her relationship with Sidney. Mrs. Campion had done so at the regatta and at Lord Babington's wedding, clinging to Sidney as a barnacle clings to a ship. Why should today have been any exception?

Charlotte was now dreading the dinner more than ever. She had managed to put it out of her mind for most of the morning, as she had been so excited about shopping. The apprehension, however, had returned with powerful force. She wished she could take comfort in the fact that there would be a room full of people at the dinner. But she knew all too well that being surrounded by people was no deterrent for Mrs. Campion. It simply gave her an audience for her spitefulness.

Charlotte replayed the meeting in her mind over and over again. She also replayed Lady Worcester's reaction. Lady Worcester seemed surprised enough that Mrs. Campion was in the jewelry shop. And Charlotte supposed it was true that the wealthy people of London all gathered in the same places. In any case, how would Lady Worcester have known Mrs. Campion would be there? Lady Worcester was many things, but Charlotte was sure clairvoyant was not one of them. It was simply a coincidence that they encountered Mrs. Campion, Charlotte determined. An unfortunate coincidence.

More positively, Genevieve was a charming companion and her conversation helped Charlotte focus on something other than the morning's events. Genevieve knew London well, having worked for Lady Worcester for nearly five years. She guided Charlotte to the city's most notable buildings, including Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. Charlotte was in awe of both. She had never seen architecture so extraordinary. She thought her father would love to see this, and if she could pull him away from the farm, she would bring him here. She knew it would be a difficult task. Charlotte's father was content to be in Willingden, as was her mother. Charlotte wasn't certain why she was the odd one in the family and why she alone yearned to see the world and experience everything she could. When she was younger, she had wondered what it would be like to leave the farm and live in a large city like London, or stow away on a ship and travel to far-off countries such as Spain or Greece. But such ideas weren't feasible. She was a woman first and foremost, and a woman without connections. She knew of no one who could help feed her inquisitive nature. And then the Parkers came along, and though Sanditon wasn't Barcelona or Athens, it would most certainly do. Now, at twenty-two, she was here in London, and she no longer had to imagine what the city was like.

During the time she shared with Georgiana, Charlotte had asked about Antigua. Georgiana told her it was warm, with sand that stretched for miles and water so clear you could see through to the bottom of the ocean. Charlotte added that to her list of places to see. She thought of Georgiana often; saying good-bye to her friend made leaving Sanditon all the more agonizing. She had written Georgiana once since she had been in Willingden and Georgiana had written in response. Georgiana would be in London soon to be near Sidney and Mrs. Campion, as he was still her guardian. She wrote of missing Mr. Otis Molyneux terribly. It seemed time had not dampened her love for him. Charlotte could empathize even more greatly now, having experienced the anguish of being without Sidney.

While touring London with Genevieve, Charlotte looked for Mr. Molyneux. There were so many people in London, and she knew seeing him would be highly improbable, but she looked through the crowds anyway. She was not sure what she would say to him if she saw him. She truly just wanted to know if he was all right. In the brief time she had known him, Charlotte had come to consider him a friend. As she had predicted, she did not see Mr. Molyneux. In fact, she saw no one that looked like him. Everyone's skin was the same snowflake color.

"Genevieve?" Charlotte asked as they rode toward Hyde Park, where they would meet Lady Worcester again. "Where are all the people from Africa?"

"The people from Africa?" Genevieve repeated in her heavily French-accented voice. "Do you mean the Negroes? You will not see them here. This is the west end of London. Only the wealthy live here. The east end is where you will find them. No one goes to the east end."

Charlotte's eyebrows knitted together as she contemplated this. "I was in the east end," she said, remembering her first trip to London. "I was searching for a friend. A former slave."

"Oh, you are fortunate you survived. There is nothing good there. It is dirty and full of poor and disreputable people. How did you come to have a friend there?"

"It's a long story."

"Did you find her?"

"My friend was a he and yes, I found him."

"Well, I hope you do not plan to visit him while you are here. A young woman such as yourself does not belong there."

Remembering the east end, Charlotte had no desire to return to that part of London. But the thought of Mr. Molyneux in a dirty place remained on her mind for the rest of the day. People like Mr. Molyneux, regardless of whether he was a gambler or not, regardless of whether he was from Africa or not, did not deserve to live in dirty places.

Eventually, Charlotte's thoughts turned to Sidney. He had not been with Mrs. Campion that morning, and try as she might, Charlotte could not help but wonder where he was. In looking for Mr. Molyneux among the throng of Londoners, she knew deep inside that she had been looking for Sidney, too. He would be aware by now of the dinner invitation and of her visiting Lady Worcester. Charlotte did not foresee Mrs. Campion keeping that to herself for very long. How would he make sense of her appearance four days before his wedding? They had parted believing that they would be separated forever. Now, she was in London and they would see each other again tomorrow.

Despite Lady Worcester's protestations, Charlotte still worried Sidney would think badly of her when all was said and done. Would he still love her in the same way if he thought she had been plotting with Lady Worcester? Moments of disquietude such as this caused her to ask: was Lady Worcester's mysterious plan worth it? Were she and Sidney even meant to be together? How could any courtship this fraught with complications result in a satisfactory outcome?

Charlotte thought if she could just see Sidney, without the looming shadow of Mrs. Campion, that she would know everything was going to be well. She searched and searched the sea of faces, but, to her disappointment, she did not see his. It was all right, she told herself. Tomorrow would be here soon enough.