While Sidney and Eliza were individually mulling over the state of their marriage, their history and the consequences of their choices, Sanditon's remaining residents were enjoying the delights of a bazaar that had been planned for the penultimate day of the summer regatta.
The bazaar, which had been moved at the last moment to the shelter of the town hall and parish church as an unanticipated downpour commenced, was a treasure trove of unusual goods and produce. There were sundries and grains and spices from foreign lands, silks and fashions being peddled by travelling merchants and stalls with trinkets galore scattered about the two halls as the crowds bustled amongst them, admiring the strange things to be discovered and purchased.
George and Charlotte could be spied browsing the many trestles that had established themselves in the central atrium of the town hall. They stopped here and there to examine a piece of jewellery or to comment on the craftsmanship of some pretty thing or other and George would discretely purchase those things his wife admired most with the intention of presenting them to her over the coming months as little tokens of his love.
Charlotte, however, had observed her husband's attempts at subtlety and could only silently sigh with fond exasperation at his atrocious excuses when she asked after his frequent disappearances. She had caught herself from showing too much preference for some of the priciest items, no matter how delightful she found them. George observed her tempered delight and saw it for what it was and purchased them regardless much to her consternation at the utterly unnecessary expense. Some were indeed extravagant and extortionately ticketed.
It was when the couple ventured back into the streets and made their way to one the inns of better repute for luncheon that saw a peculiar confrontation between the Ladies and the gentlemen who were present in their party.
The ladies had entered the inn some half an hour before the rest of their many companions and had proceeded to scheme many numerous approaches to controlling the worst of Georgiana's wildness in an effort to engender greater humility and propriety in the wilful young lady whom their dear Charlotte claimed as a bosom friend. It was upon this discussion that the Ladies' husbands had stumbled upon and resigned themselves to the doubtlessly futile endeavour of managing their wives' intention of interfering in matters that they had no right to concern themselves with.
"Why do you ladies feel the need to manage the behaviour of a young lady who is of no significance or relation to yourselves?" The Earl of Carlisle asked of his wife and her companions.
"But she is of significance to us, my Lord Howard." his Countess said. "Miss Lambe is a close friend to our Charlotte. Her behaviour, if she is allowed to continue as she currently is, will reflect poorly on our son and daughter-in-law and, by extension, we will also be affected. Charlotte is much too strong-willed and loyal to those she cares about to simply give up her friend, regardless of the cost to her own reputation, so the friend must be managed and brought to heel." Lady Howard explained.
"Indeed." Lady Susan concurred much to the consternation of her own husband. The Marquess took great pains to avoid involving himself in his wife's social schemes where there was no political benefit and this one, unfortunately could not be avoided; his fellow lords were sure to label him a traitor if he attempted to escape the Ladies' clutch and abandon them now.
"I have, however, been attempting to make our Little G see reason. Miss Lambe is not a child and appears quite fixed in her ways. She will not be easily changed. It is also true that the young lady has matured a very great deal in recent years. She was much more wild when she and Charlotte first befriended each other."
The Ladies' husbands paled at this knowledge. Georgiana Lambe was quite wild as she currently was and the thought that her present manner was a marked improvement was a frightful thought.
"We have been considering what more⦠creative means we can use to encourage the girl to moderate her behaviour in public." Lady Granville confessed.
It was at this moment that George and Charlotte stepped into the public dining chambers and were hailed by the ladies and their company.
"Oh look, here come George and Charlotte! Perhaps they can help us?" Lady Granville called to the newcomers as they stepped across the threshold and motioned them over with a few deft flicks of her wrist upon gaining their attention. George commandeered two additional chairs from a neighbouring table on their approach and ensured his wife was sat comfortably before snapping out his coat tails and relaxing back in a chair of his own.
His father grasped his shoulder from his own position standing next to his wife as they all smiled at the newly arrived couple. "I understand congratulations are in order, son? Your mother could hardly contain herself when I arrived yesterday in her eagerness to tell me your news. You must both be very pleased. Your mother and I certainly look forward to greeting another grandchild soon."
"Thank you father. I do endeavour to please and this, I think, pleases us all very much." George said as his father held him in the briefest of hugs.
Charlotte's cheeks grew warm as they took on a rosy hue at her husband's thanking of his father with a satisfied grin that had been appearing at odd moments since he had learned of her present condition.
"Oh yes, you have all our most heartfelt congratulations. You have surely taken to marriage with alacrity." Lady Granville said too with a knowing secretive sort of smile and a conspiring look to her fellow ladies and their husbands. "Now, Charlotte, you must lend us your thoughts. We have been considering how we might curtail the very worst your friend's improprieties."
Charlotte eyed the older Viscountess shrewdly and with some concern. "I suppose you are referring to Miss Lambe?" she ventured.
The Ladies nodded in agreement, confirming both Charlotte's assumption and fears. "And for some reason you feel it necessary to take it upon yourselves to guide the further development of her character." Charlotte said in realisation.
"You are aware that Georgiana's character is already quite fixed? She is not likely to take kindly to being overtly controlled." She divulged that choice knowledge of her friends personality with some degree of wariness. Charlotte did not think it wise to encourage one friend's interference with another lest she find herself caught uncomfortably between them.
Charlotte pondered her next words carefully before settling on offering a choice piece of advice. "If you want her to convey the appearance of being more... mannerly than she truly is, you will need to convince her in such a way that she believes it was of her own design."
"Yes, I take your meaning. She is very wilful is she not? And of like to anything she does not decide to do for herself?" Lady Susan elaborated, though it was more for the benefit of the gentlemen who could not claim any depth of acquaintance or understanding of the female in question.
"Quite. I confess I doubt that you will experience much success with this project. Georgiana is too spirited to moderate herself for long at the best of times; it will be no small challenge to change that.
"For myself I am of the opinion that her spirit is something to be cherished. I have known too many girls who have allowed those strongest parts of themselves to be overwhelmed and silenced in the wake of what is expected of them. That Georgiana has not allowed herself to be so affected speaks to her resilience and it is a quality better admired than suppressed."
The Ladies made non-comital murmurs as Charlotte spoke and offered her thoughts on their approaching endeavours. Charlotte released a resigned sigh, knowing it was futile to argue against their collective determination. She had made her opinion known and could only hope they carefully considered their methods of convincing her friend to fall in line with their expectations.
She pushed such thoughts from her mind and sent George a beseeching look. She would rather speak of other things as they enjoyed their luncheon. Miss Lambe would likely soon be joining them with Charity and Mr Crowe and it would do no one any favours for the other girls to hear the ongoing discussion amongst the Ladies who were attentively ignoring the pleas from their own husbands to drop the matter.
"Mother, Caroline's last letter mentioned you were considering sponsoring a school for foundlings." George abruptly steered the conversation away from their tyrannical social scheming towards a less controversial topic.
"Oh, that sounds like a wonderful idea! Won't you tell us about it?" Charlotte pressed.
Lady Howard raised a querulous brow at the forced change in direction but, spying the very cause of their disquiet entering the dining chambers ceded to her son and daughter-in-law's manipulation. "Very well, but don't think me ignorant to your purpose, George." She scolded her eldest child but continued on to share her plans for her latest charitable project.
Georgiana, Charity and Mr Crowe, who were in company with Lord Babington as chaperone, joined the already large collection of their friends in time to hear the most pertinent details of the Countess' plans and the Ladies were pleasantly surprised by the enthusiastic support expressed by the younger girls. Perhaps Miss Lambe was not entirely beyond hope.
"I do agree, sister. It seems a most sensible and worthy project to undertake. But will it not be very demanding on your time? I hope my nieces will not abandon you to oversee it alone?" Lady Granville said as her sister concluded.
"I am quite sure I shall manage, Harriet. If she is willing, Charlotte shall aid me. I'm sure you will have a far better understanding of what skills are needed by those females less fortunate than ourselves. I cannot image flower arranging and china painting will serve them so well in life?"
"No. I should imagine not Ma'am. And I should imagine that Lady Babington would welcome the diversion after the babe arrives as well so you shall have quite sufficient support. I remember how terribly lonely she found the first few months after Freddie's birth and he is still not old enough to occupy her for very long and so cannot be depended on to entertain her while she restricted from her usual society. I presume she did not wish to venture into the rain today, Sir?" Charlotte agreed and suggested that her absent friend might also welcome something to busy herself with.
"Ah, Lady Babington begged off today's festivities. She would sooner be dry and ungainly than sodden and ungainly." Lord Babington said with his usual joviality. "You are correct in your thinking, however. Esther would be very grateful for some project or another to attend to while she is not able to maintain her usual engagements over the autumn and winter months."
Their conversation progressed along this vein as they indulged in the light refreshments that had been brought to the table a few moments previously by one of the local men employed by the inn. Their afternoon was spent similarly to their morning though was of shorter duration with the need to prepare for the Midsummer Ball that was to be held that evening at the Pavilion Music Hall.
Charlotte and George had departed the bazaar long before the rest of their friends and family retreated to their own abodes. Charlotte's energy had waned a little over the course of the afternoon and was desirous of a rejuvenating nap before setting forth for what was sure to be an eventful evening.
