Author's Notes: Toward the end of this story, there is a paragraph about Charlotte visiting the cove where she saw Sidney sea-bathing. I have written a one-shot of this moment for Charlotte and it is called, "Sidney's Cove." His last words to her on the cliff tops at the end of Season One were, "I wish you every happiness, Charlotte." In my story, "Life Lessons," she has finally found her happiness, all that Sidney wished for her and more.
Chapter Fifteen: My Heart Has Found Its Home
A few days later, the doctor declared Mr. Heywood fit to get out of bed, but he was not to be outdoors chopping wood or any other laborious task. He was not a man to be content to sit, but his wife was always close at hand to make sure he followed the doctor's orders.
Charlotte had gone to sit with him for a while when her mother came in to sit with her father as well.
Mr. Heywood looked at his daughter and said, "Charlotte it is time for you to get back to your own life and back home to Sanditon.
Charlotte said, "But Father, I am home."
Mrs. Heywood took her daughter's hand and said, "This will always be your home, but your life is in Sanditon now. You have grown beyond what our little village has to offer you here. We are happy for you, and so proud of the woman you have become."
Mr. Heywood agreed with his wife.
Charlotte said, "You know, Ralph said something similar to me when we ended our engagement. He said that if I had never experienced life outside of our village, he thinks we could have been very happy. He said that I had come back to Willingden a changed woman, and I know that to be true."
Mr. Heywood said, "Home is where our heart is, my dear girl, and your heart is in Sanditon. Declan wrote to Mr. Colbourne and asked him to come and take you home."
Charlotte smiled at him and said, "Thank you, Father."
The next day, before lunch, Mr. Colbourne and the girls arrived at Heywood Manor. They were expected, and Mrs. Heywood would not take no for an answer when she invited them to stay for lunch.
It was cold outside, but that did not keep Leo and the younger ones from running in the woods and having a grand time. Rachel and Augusta went up to Rachel's room to talk, and Mr. Heywood gave Mr. Colbourne and Charlotte a moment of privacy while he went to tell Declan and Alison that the Colbourne's had arrived.
Alexander asked her, "Are you well, Charlotte?"
"Yes, I am. It has been good to be here with my family, but I am ready to go back to Sanditon."
He said, "We have all felt your absence, Miss Heywood."
Charlotte smiled at him and said, "I have missed you all as well."
Mrs. Heywood came into the room and asked Charlotte to help her finish getting the table set for lunch, so they did not get to spend more time together, but Alexander did not mind. There would be time later for the two of them to talk.
Lunch was served, and it was a typical meal around the Heywood table with delicious food, multiple conversations going on and much laughter.
Alexander noticed that Alison and Charlotte seemed to be having a conversation with just looks and smiles, and he wondered what it was about.
After the girls helped clean up after lunch, Alexander told Miss Heywood and the girls that it was time to go. They wanted to be home before dark.
Alexander handed in both of his girls before he turned to Miss Heywood. He extended his hand to her, and before she let it go, she squeezed his hand, and smiled.
He smiled back at the woman he loved so dearly.
He got in, and made sure everyone was warm enough with blankets covering their legs.
With final waves to the family, it was time to leave for Sanditon.
On the ride back, Charlotte filled them in on her father's health. Her oldest brother would inherit the estate someday, and her father had decided it was time to turn some responsibilities over to him.
Leo said, "I am so glad your father is better now, Miss Heywood and you are able to come home again."
Charlotte said, "My father told me that home is where your heart is, Leo, and my heart has found its home in Sanditon."
Augusta and Leo exchanged smiles.
Alexander felt his heart racing. Could she be saying that she loved him? His heart began to race. Dare he hope?
He smiled at her, and he wanted to tell her that his heart was hers, but he could not in front of the girls. When they had this conversation, he wanted it to be in private.
When they got to Trafalgar House, it was almost dark and the conversation that Alexander wanted to have with Miss Heywood alone would have to wait until morning.
He asked her if he could send the carriage for her tomorrow after breakfast and she said, "Yes, I would like that."
He got his girls home, and after dinner, everyone was tired and went to their rooms early.
Before he went upstairs to his room, he went into his study and opened the top drawer in his desk. He took out the little black box that he had put there weeks ago. The box held an engagement ring he had made for Charlotte. He had gone to the jeweler in town, and asked him to create a ring that he thought would suit Miss Heywood. He had it made even though he only had hope that one day he would secure her hand.
The band was gold with a beautiful round cut diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds. He hoped that soon, very soon, it would find its rightful place on her finger.
He replaced the box back in the drawer and went upstairs to rest.
He got into bed and his thoughts drifted to his beloved Charlotte. He closed his eyes and imagined her lying there beside him, where she belonged.
The next morning, the distinctive green Colbourne carriage arrived for Charlotte, and she left to go to Heyrick Park.
When she got there, she greeted the girls, and then Mrs. Wheatley told the girls that Miss Heywood was there to have a conversation with their father.
Alexander showed her into his study, and the door was left partially open for propriety's sake.
"Miss Heywood, yesterday when you said that your heart had found its home, dare I hope that you meant that your heart is mine?
She replied, "Yes, that is what I meant, Mr. Colbourne."
He desperately wanted to kiss her, but he could not.
He smiled and he said, "You know that my heart is yours, Miss Heywood."
Charlotte replied, 'I believe you made that clear to me when you sent that note to me with the bouquet of cornflowers."
He pressed on, "Does this mean you are ready to move to the next step, a courtship?"
Charlotte said, "Yes, I am ready, Mr. Colbourne."
"May I ask what has changed, Miss Heywood?'
She smiled and said, "You stopped being afraid of your love for me, and I stopped being afraid of you hurting me again."
"The day that you came to get the girls in Willingden, I ached for you to hold me in your arms. I needed you to hold me close and to comfort me.
"Over the course of the next two weeks, I found myself thinking of you so often, and wishing you were near. I did not realize it at first, but I had come to trust you with my heart again, and finally, the walls I had erected to protect my heart began to crumble."
"I once told you that I must know who you are. Now, I believe I do. I know you to be a loving father, a man of integrity, and a man worthy of everything that is wonderful in this life."
"You are so endearing in many ways. The evening you hosted dinner here, I saw a man who was not altogether comfortable, yet striving to make everyone else feel welcomed in your home."
Charlotte took his hands in hers, "You even invited Mr. Stringer, a man who you knew wants my hand, and you did it because he is my friend. It took such confidence to do that! When I looked around the table that night, I noticed that aside from Samuel whom I did not know well, everyone you had included were the people who make Sanditon home for me, and Lady Susan who has guided me to know my truth."
Alexander said, "I gave the dinner to please you, but also to prove to myself that I had left the old Alexander Colbourne behind, the recluse, and the man too afraid of failing to try to move forward."
"Miss Heywood, I never want to be that man again. I want to embrace the future and for that future to be with you."
He continued, "Even though it has been painful at times, and I have had to be patient, every day we have been apart was necessary to bring us to the place we are now."
Charlotte agreed, and said, "I agree. We both have learned many life lessons along the way."
Alexander stood up and went to stand behind the partially closed door. He turned to Charlotte, his Charlotte, and he opened his arms. She stood and went into his arms. He gathered her close, and she snuggled into his embrace. She laid her cheek on his chest and could feel his heart racing. She was sure he could feel hers as well.
When they heard footsteps in the hallway, they reluctantly broke apart, and went to sit back down.
Alexander asked Charlotte, "Do you want a long courtship, Miss Heywood?"
She told him, "I do not think so. The purpose of a courtship is for a couple to get to know each other better, and I think we do know each other. However, there are many things we have not spoken of such as what we want for our future together, and what you see as my role with Augusta and Leo."
"Also, I need to write a letter to Mr. Stringer and tell him that you and I have come to an understanding. Tom can include my letter when he sends his next correspondence to Mr. Stringer."
"Before he left for London, we took a walk on the beach, and Mr. Stringer told me what he hoped for with the two of us."
Alexander said, "If he had not been a rival for your hand, I might have liked him better. I realized when Samuel was here for the Autumn Ball, that I have been a loner for all of my life. I now have a friend in my brother, and one in Declan as well."
Charlotte said, "Mr. Stringer and I have been friends since I have known him. He will be coming to Sanditon often to oversee the build for the Sanditon Royal Theater."
She continued, "Mr. Colbourne, he told me that I will always have his friendship, no matter what I decide for my future. He will always have mine as well."
Mr. Colbourne said, 'I have your heart, my love, and I am not threatened by your friendship with him now. It is inevitable that you will see him from time to time, and I trust in your love for me."
Alexander said, "I want to suggest a short courtship, maybe four weeks or so, and during that time, we will talk about the future we want to create for ourselves, and work out any compromises that may have to be made. I want a partnership with you, and a marriage like your parents have."
Charlotte agreed, and said, "Yes, that sounds wonderful."
They went to find the girls to have a cup of tea before Charlotte returned to Trafalgar House.
On the way back to town, she asked the carriage to stop on the cliff tops. She walked down to Sidney's Cove, as she referred to it now, and she sat there for a while and thought of him. She was ready to let him go now. Her relationship with him had taught her many life lessons, and she would always remember him. She had found the happiness that he had wished for her in their last conversation on the cliff tops.
She walked the rest of the way home, and she stopped by the church to reflect on her life this past year and a half. She had been through so much pain, and yet, with faith and the wisdom of friends to guide her, she had found the life she was meant to have.
When she walked out of the church, she felt lighter and ready to embrace a future that would be very dear indeed.
Later that afternoon at Heyrick Park, Alexander saddled his horse and took a long ride on Hannibal on the beach. He looked out over the ocean and felt his love for Charlotte wash over him like waves.
How he loved her! He had never known such love in his life, and he was grateful, so very grateful to have been given a second chance with her.
Their conversation this afternoon had set their future in motion. He felt certain that they would be engaged in a matter of a few weeks. He smiled to himself, he owed Mrs. Wheatley a shilling because she had wagered that he would win Miss Heywood's hand before the new year. And he had.
He turned Hannibal towards home. The word had new meaning to him now.
Her heart had found its home with his.
At last.