Chapter 14
Sidney crossed the threshold of Lady Worcester's home, feeling more unnerved than he had on his first visit the day before. He could hear voices and laughter echoing in the grand hall. The other guests were here; Charlotte was among them. He and Mrs. Campion exchanged pleasantries with the butler and Mrs. Campion handed the butler the blue box she was carrying. Willing his legs to move forward in synchrony with Mrs. Campion, Sidney walked towards the drawing room, knowing every step brought him closer to Charlotte. His heart nearly stopped when he saw her standing in the doorway.
He hadn't imagined she would be the first person he saw when he arrived. He had hoped to come in and socialize with the guests, and perhaps simply greet her in passing. But she was now standing directly in front of him. It was impossible to ignore her. It was impossible not to react. She was...resplendent. The embodiment of a spring day, draped from her shoulders to the floor in soft green chiffon. Ringlets of chestnut-colored hair fell against her ears like spiral flowers. A touch of rouge accentuated her round cheeks and her lips, warming her features as if the sun had caressed them. My God, had she become more beautiful since he saw her last? Sidney wanted to stare at her, to memorize every feature of her face, but he dared not to. The act would draw suspicion from Mrs. Campion, and he had to do everything in his power to maintain her happiness and the pretense of his own.
"Lady Worcester. Miss Heywood," he said with a slight bow. He had missed Charlotte, he realized, more than words could ever convey.
Charlotte stood as majestic as a statue, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. She had told herself seeing Sidney again would be difficult and she thought she had prepared herself. But the actuality was almost more than she could bear. His presence pulled at her with a force she could not resist. Could he be any more handsome? The darkness of his hair, the strength of his jaw, the intensity of his umber-colored eyes. She wanted to enfold him in her arms, tell him how much she had yearned for him. She wanted to kiss him, to press her lips to his until they were both sated and still. But she knew none of this was possible. She returned his nod with politeness and tried to push the feelings roiling within her out of her mind.
"Mr. Parker," she said. "Mrs. Campion." She smiled briefly at Mrs. Campion and was met with a look as biting as the wind on a January day.
"Thank you for hosting this dinner in our honor, Lady Worcester," Mrs. Campion. "Sidney and I could not be more delighted to celebrate our engagement. I cannot believe we will be married the day after tomorrow. The time has simply passed so quickly! I do hope it slows down once we are husband and wife. I wish to cherish every moment as Mrs. Sidney Parker." Mrs. Campion looked at Sidney and smiled radiantly.
"You are most welcome, Mrs. Campion," Lady Worcester replied. "Again, I only wish I had been afforded the opportunity to host the dinner sooner. But, we are here now and there is much celebrating to be done. Please, come in and have some wine. I am awaiting four more guests and will be with you shortly."
Sidney and Mrs. Campion walked past, and Charlotte let out the breath she had been holding. She thought she was going to be sick to her stomach. Mrs. Campion had been at Lady Worcester's home for five minutes and had already spared no effort to remind Charlotte that she and Sidney were engaged. Charlotte gave Lady Worcester an alarmed look, but Lady Worcester maintained the serene countenance she always seemed to have. Had this situation been happening to her, Charlotte thought, Lady Worcester most certainly would be reacting differently.
The remaining four guests arrived, and Charlotte tried to remember their names but could not. The first two were a Lord and Lady something, and last two a musician and his wife. All she could focus on was Sidney. She intentionally stayed far away from him and Mrs. Campion as she sipped wine and talked with the guests, but she stole small looks at him when she could. Sidney found himself doing the same, under the guise of admiring the room or looking for someone he had yet to speak with. His eyes would fall upon Charlotte when she conversed with someone, as she was doing now with Lady Babington.
"What brings you to London?" Lady Babington asked Charlotte in her slow, deliberate manner. "Are you here for the wedding?"
"Oh, no," Charlotte said with an emphatic shake of her head. "I am not attending the wedding."
"Why not? You were visiting the Parkers all summer."
"I...I wasn't invited."
"You weren't invited? How is that possible? Everyone in London is invited. It's the social event of the year. Is Lady Worcester not invited?"
Charlotte was uncertain how to answer these questions, and she wished Lady Babington would stop her inquiry. "I do not know. We haven't discussed it. In any case, my visit came about rather quickly."
"Well, perhaps there's still time for you to attend. Mrs. Campion?" Mrs. Campion was a short distance away and turned at the sound of her name.
"Yes?" she said.
"I do not mean to intrude, but Miss Heywood and I were just talking, and it seems she is not invited to your wedding. It seemed fitting that she would be since she spent so much time with the Parkers in Sanditon."
"Respectfully, Miss Heywood isn't a member of the family," Mrs. Campion answered matter-of-factly. "And I was unaware that she would be in London when I created the guest list. We all thought she would be in Willingden. That is where you are from, isn't it, Miss Heywood?"
"Yes," Charlotte said, trying to maintain a sense of decorum. Must the woman to insult her every time she encountered her? Mrs. Campion quickly excused herself to speak to another couple and Charlotte fought the urge to roll her eyes.
"Well, how unfortunate," Lady Babington said. "I was looking forward to sitting with you."
Charlotte looked perplexed. "You were?"
"Yes. I know we did not spend a great deal of time together while you were in Sanditon and now that you are here, I was hoping to correct that." Lady Babington leaned in close. "My husband is wonderful, but it has come to my attention that I do not have very many female companions. You were always so kind to me. I fear I did not always return that kindness."
"Oh, Lady Babington, I would be happy to be friends with you." Charlotte paused. "If I may make an observation, you seem quite different since your marriage. In a good way, that is."
A smile crossed Lady Babington's thin lips. "Perhaps marriage agrees with me. If you are not attending the wedding, then we must have tea."
"Tea sounds wonderful."
While Mrs. Campion was occupied with Mr. Ethan Thomas, the pianist, and his wife, Sidney took the opportunity to talk with Lord Babington in a corner of the room. Lord Babington took two glasses of wine from a servant and gave one to Sidney.
"Is there nothing stronger?" Sidney asked under his breath, sipping his wine. He had already had one glass, but it wasn't producing the desired effect.
"My God, man, what is Miss Heywood doing here?" Lord Babington whispered.
"I do not know. I just learned that she was in London yesterday."
"The week of your wedding? Why did she have to visit Lady Worcester now? And when did she and Lady Worcester become so well acquainted?"
"They met at the London ball and Lady Worcester attended the regatta. But I did not realize Lady Worcester was so fond of Miss Heywood. I also did not have the opportunity to tell you she was here. Things have been...rather odd the past few days."
Lady Babington approached the two men. "I just had the oddest conversation with Miss Heywood and Mrs. Campion," she remarked. "Miss Heywood said she was not invited to the wedding. Mrs. Campion said she did not know that Miss Heywood would be in London when she created the guest list, which makes sense, I suppose. But surely, there is room for one more, Sidney."
Sidney shook his head quickly when Lord Babington looked at him. Lady Babington did not know about his near engagement to Charlotte and he needed to keep it that way.
"Dear, Sidney tells me the church will be full," Lord Babington interjected. "There cannot be people sitting in the aisle."
Lady Babington was finally resigned. "Oh, I suppose not. All right then. I do intend to have tea with Miss Heywood. She is delightful."
"Indeed, she is," Lord Babington agreed. He gave Sidney a sideways glance as Sidney drank his wine. Sidney wanted to drain the glass and have another, but that would have been highly improper in this setting. He took another long look at Charlotte before rejoining Mrs. Campion and engaging in a conversation with Mr. and Mrs. Thomas about Stradivarius violins that nearly bored him to tears.
Charlotte had been watching Sidney throughout the reception, wondering if his affection for Mrs. Campion had bloomed again. For all but a few moments, he had been at Mrs. Campion's side. He smiled when she smiled, laughed when she laughed. They seemed to be enjoying the evening together. In watching him, Charlotte was also searching for signs that her coming to London was a mistake. If Sidney were content, there might be time to stop Lady Worcester from doing whatever it was she meant to do. Charlotte decided to ask Mary, as Mary might know the truth of Sidney's disposition. She touched Mary's elbow gently and Mary excused herself from Tom and the guests they were conversing with.
"Oh, Charlotte, dear! I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to see you again," Mary said. She was thankful for the respite. Tom had been telling every guest he encountered about Sanditon and extolling the town's virtues. It had quickly become tiresome. She followed Charlotte to a location near the massive fireplace, apart from everyone else. "Tell me, how are you?"
"I am well, Mary."
"How did you come to London? I just received a letter from you postmarked Willingden not long ago."
"It was quite sudden, actually. I wrote Lady Worcester telling her that I was in Willingden and she invited me to stay here for a month. She is very fond of my company and I am very fond of hers." Charlotte wanted to tell Mary the true reason she was here, but she decided it would not be wise. As much as she trusted Mary as a friend, Mary was still Sidney's sister-in-law. Charlotte would never wish to put Mary in an untenable position.
"I should say so. I knew she came to the regatta to see you, but my goodness, to invite you to stay with her for a month! And her home is simply splendid. Have you been enjoying yourself?"
"Oh, I have! Everything has been wonderful. Speaking of wonderful things, I hear Mr. Parker has the money for the terrace repairs, from the Prince Regent no less."
Mary's expression became somber. "It is. But Tom no longer will make the decisions for Sanditon. A financier by the name of Lord Fairchild will be managing the finances, the laborers, and just about everything else. Tom is responsible for bringing new business and visitors to Sanditon. That is the extent of his duties. The Prince Regent had to protect his investment, and well, Tom has not been as careful with money as he should have been."
"I see. How...how did the Prince Regent come to invest in Sanditon?"
"I do not know. Tom thought it was Lady Worcester, but obviously it was not. He and Sidney had a meeting with Lord Fairchild yesterday. That is all I know."
Charlotte took a moment to process this information. Again, she wondered, if It was not Lady Worcester who mentioned something to the Prince Regent, then who was it? Knowing the answer would elude her for some time, perhaps forever, she put the quandary aside.
"Mary, may I ask you something? Not about the Prince Regent and Sanditon. About Sidney."
"Yes, of course, Charlotte."
"Is Sidney happy?"
Mary grasped Charlotte's hands. "Oh, Charlotte. I cannot comment on Sidney's state of mind."
"You cannot, or you will not?" The words came out more pointedly than Charlotte had intended. She had been so driven to know if Sidney had fallen in love with Mrs. Campion again. Mary was her only hope, as she could not risk asking Sidney's brothers, sister, or Lord Babington for fear of seeming too inquisitive. "I'm sorry, Mary. I do not mean to presume that you know Sidney's mind. You see, before I left Sanditon, Sidney and I had...come to an understanding. In spite of our earlier differences, I highly regarded him. I just...I wish to know if he is happy. If marriage to Mrs. Campion is what he wants."
Even though Charlotte had not explicitly told Mary she was in love with Sidney, Mary knew why Charlotte was asking. Mary gave Charlotte the only answer she could. "And what if it isn't? What choice does he have?" Mary felt terrible for Charlotte and Sidney, and she carried the guilt of knowing it was Tom's fault that they were separated. Mary supposed she would always carry that guilt. Sidney had greeted Tom when he arrived, but Mary observed that they had still not spoken at length since Tom attempted to apologize earlier in the day.
Their conversation was interrupted by the announcement that dinner was served.
"We are seated beside each other," Charlotte informed Mary.
"That's wonderful, dear. I shall enjoy continuing to share our stories of London during dinner."
Mary left to walk with Tom into the dining room. Mr. Walker, the writer and philosopher, offered Charlotte his arm and they followed. When they entered the dining room, Charlotte sat in her appointed seat and found herself facing Sidney. He offered another brief smile of courtesy but nothing more.
Sidney cursed the damn rules that dictated he be seated to Lady Worcester's right. The dinner was in honor of his engagement to Mrs. Campion, so of course he would be seated near Lady Worcester. If he could have had his way, he would have taken a seat at the other end of the table. How in the hell was he supposed to eat when every time he looked up, Charlotte was there? Could the evening be any worse?