Chapter One: Introductions
Fifteen years after their fateful goodbye, some familiar faces have met again. The occasion? None other than the wedding of Jenny Parker, daughter to Mary and Tom. Sanditon is now the preferred holiday spot for the cream of London society, and Jenny's wedding is to be the grandest affair the sea town has ever seen. Our ill-fated lovers, now widowed, will finally see one another after they have lived completely different lives.
But first, allow me to introduce a few of our key players:
Lady Charlotte Dryden, Dowager Countess of Leyburn, widow of Lord James Dryden, Earl of Leyburn. Now 35 and a widow, Charlotte ventures to Sanditon for the first time in 15 years with her lively children in tow.
Her fourteen year old son, Lord Anthony Dryden, Earl of Leyburn. Anthony is shy around strangers, but is all entertainment with his family. Stepping into the role of earl at a young age, he misses his father.
Her daughters, Lady Theresa (13), Lady Junia (10), and Lady Helen (8). The Dryden girls are funny, sweet, and full of wit. They are one another's best friends, and dote on their big brother.
Sir Sidney Parker, widower of Lady Eliza Parker. Knighted by King George for his charitable endeavours, Sidney has been a devoted single parent since his daughters were very young. With a flourishing career in Parliament, he is seemingly on top of the world.
His daughters, Miss Annabella (15) and Miss Marianne (13). Having lost their mother at the ages of 3 and 1 respectively, Annabella and Marianne Parker are extremely attached to their father. Raised in Sanditon and London, they are sure to be society beauties in no time.
Lady Esther and Lord George Babington. Old friends of the Parkers, they have had a happy marriage and have inherited Sanditon House and the Denham estate from Esther's late aunt. They are parents to 8 children (and more on the way).
Their oldest daughter, Ruth (14), and oldest son William (13). Best friends to the Parker daughters.
Tom and Mary Parker. Now with grown up children, and grandchildren of their own, Tom and Mary have settled comfortably into middle aged life in Sanditon.
Jenny Parker and David Shannon. Tom and Mary's younger daughter and her entirely unsuitable (in Tom's eyes) Irish fiance. Though he comes from a wealthy Dublin background, their engagement causes strife in both families.
James and Clara Stringer. Once the former suitor of Charlotte had made his way as an architect in London, he met none other than Clara Brereton, the cast off cousin of Lady Denham. Though at first their marriage was one of convenience, it blossomed into love. The Stringers are parents to twin boys.