Chapter 1- Flashback
'Mr Heywood', says the doctor,' you have a healthy and beautiful baby girl. However, I have detected a murmur in her heart. It will not stop her from living a full and fulfilling life. There will be times, though, when this murmur will affect her. Those times are when she experiences heartbreak or extremely strong emotions. The result will be loss of consciousness and in extreme circumstances a long-lasting coma. Therefore, it is vital that she is made aware of this condition and that she protects herself from such distress. Do all you can to prevent them from occurring. Unfortunately, there is no cure for this condition. She will live as long as God intends for her to do so. Love and cherish her as long as you are able.'
Mr and Mrs Heywood gasped at those words. They looked at their little girl and cried for the unfairness of it all. This precious babe with so much and so little life at the same time. 'Thank you doctor', Mr Heywood responded, 'we will take your advice and love her for as long as she is with us.'
This discussion actually took place nine years before this current time. Charlotte is now nine years old. A happier, healthier and more content little girl one could not find. She ran through the fields, took care of her siblings, hunted rabbits, went fishing and helped run the Heywood household.
The Heywoods now had 10 children. However, they never forgot the doctor's advice. They loved all their children equally, but they somehow made sure that Charlotte was always surrounded by happiness. No sadness of extra upset was to reach their household if it could be avoided. Living in the countryside really helped with that as it was a healthy albeit hard existence. The family was not rich by any means, but they all worked really hard to support their tenants, run their farm and be good to the people around them. They always helped people in need and for that quality alone if not for all their other admirable characteristics, their neighbours valued them immensely.
Charlotte was told of her condition when she reached her tenth birthday. Her parents took her out for a picnic to share the news with her.
'Charlotte', Mr Heywood offered, 'we are going for a picnic just the three of us, your mother, yourself and myself to celebrate your birthday. Would you like that?'
Charlotte's response was enthusiastic 'Oh papa.' Charlotte said, 'that would be heavenly!'
'Excellent', Mrs Heywood replied, 'we will go in half an hour.'
Chapter 2- Flashback 2
It was a beautifully, sunny spring day and both Charlotte and her parents thoroughly enjoyed their walk. They went to a field full of daisies near the brook. One could see the butterflies and bees moving from flower to flower joyfully as if they shared their visitors' joy enjoyment for the beautiful day.
Charlotte delighted at the sight. She could name every species of butterfly and bee by heart as all the Heywood children were home-educated. Their parents helped them learn all the different sciences by using the natural environment around their home. Charlotte especially loved anything to do with medicinal plants and animals. Her parents looked at her proudly enumerating all the different species. What a clever daughter they had!
'Shall we sit here to have some lunch, Charlotte? What do you think?' Mrs Heywood asked her daughter.
'Yes, mama. I am mighty hungry!', Charlotte responded.
They had their lunch and feasted on Mrs Heywood's apple pie and double chocolate cake- Charlotte's favourite as she had a sweet tooth she inherited from her papa. Both desserts were delicious as Mrs Heywood was the best baker in the entire county winning prizes every year at the county's farmer fair.
They also updated each other on the past week's news in Willingden. Nothing was left undiscussed. Charlotte felt it was wonderful to have her parents' full attention. They never neglected her, and she knew they loved her. However, she did have 10 other siblings, so this made it difficult to get them to herself. She truly cherished the times when that happened.
After all three of them have eaten to their hearts' content, they lied on blanket and looked at the blue sky admiring the different-shaped clouds. It was one of their favourite games to name which animal each cloud reminded them of. It was great fun.
At some point Mr Heywood said, 'Charlotte, there is something that both your mother and myself would like to speak to you about.'
'Yes, papa,' Charlotte responded, 'what is it?'
'Well,' Mr Heywood continued, 'it is something that we found out when you were first born. You are a healthy little girl who is growing up fast and who is going to become a teenager soon. We cannot prevent this from happening but there is something that you need to know.'
Charlotte was intrigued and she looked to her mother for a clue on what this could be. Mrs Heywood looked sad. Mr Heywood pressed on saying 'The doctor told us that you will live a happy and healthy life. However, he cautioned us that you have a murmur in your heart. Its existence will not normally affect you in normal circumstances. It will not stop you from doing whatever you want to achieve in your life.
The only times that this murmur will manifest its presence in its most devastating way is when you experience extremely strong emotions such as heartbreak. Should that happen in its mild form, you will faint and lose consciousness. In this case, it will be a temporary condition and it is very likely that no further harm will come to you. However, should it be the case that the emotion is stronger, then this murmur could put you into a long-lasting coma.'
Mr Heywood took a break from speaking for a moment. He looked at his wife pleadingly asking her to continue explaining further. Mrs Heywood understood and continued speaking.
'Charlotte darling,' Mrs Heywood said 'we hope that you may never experience this sort of heartbreak. We pray that you will not because we love you very much so it would kill us to lose you. However, we are not fools to think that you will not meet a young man to fall in love with when you grow older. It is unrealistic for us to think that.
All we ask is that you are cautious whom you give your heart to. It is not of course something that you can control. Falling in love is like the measles. It cannot be controlled. We only ask that you are careful.'
Charlotte was stunned. Of all the things that she expected to hear, this was not it. She stuttered, tearing running down her cheeks. The unfairness of it all!
'Do my siblings know?' she asked her parents tentatively. Mr Heywood responded 'No, none of them do. Nor will they ever find out unless under extenuating circumstances for example should the worse happen.'
Charlotte did not know whether to be relieved or not. She continued thinking frantically how to deal with this. Then came to her this important question in mind.
'Is there a cure for this condition?' she asked. Her parent shook their head sadly.
Mrs Heywood responded 'No, my sweet. There was no cure when you were born. This does not mean of course that there will not be one in future.'
This piece of news devastated Charlotte. So unfair! Yes, she consoled herself that she has already lived 10 years of her life with no incident. She loved her life as it was. The worst-case scenario would be that she would never fall in love. As her parents said one never knows when it is to happen. She reasoned to herself that it was a good thing that she was not made for unhappiness. She should always try to be happy then.
Her parents were looking at her thinking. If they knew their daughter well enough, she was in the process of concocting her own plan to increase her longevity. They were not wrong.
She smiled at them broadly, wiped her tear-stained cheeks and stated 'Thank you both for telling me. I cannot change the diagnosis, but nothing is stopping me from not living my life as I should. I promise you this- I will only think of things that give me pleasure- this way this horrible murmur will not touch me.'
Her parents smiled at her. That was their Charlotte. They would keep her happy and content if they could. They gathered their things and went home.
Years went past. All went well for the Heywood family. Charlotte was now 18 years old. She was a beautiful, young woman with a smile you could not resist. She lived her life to the full as she had promised her parents. She was never, ever sad. All her family, neighbours and friends adored her for her caring and steady personality.
Chapter 3- The engagement
'My dearest, loveliest Charlotte' says Sidney looking at her beautiful doe eyes, 'it was my intention to come back from London and make you an offer of marriage as I love you dearly.'
Charlotte held her breath. She knew there was a 'but' somewhere. She kept looking at him without uttering a word.
Sidney stopped momentarily. He dared not continue. He was dying inside but he had to set her free. He had to say it.
'Charlotte,' Sidney explained, 'I went to every bank in London. None of them would help either Tom or Sanditon. I was desperate for a solution when Eliza suddenly showed up at Bedford Place. She said that she would invest in Sanditon under one condition. This condition was for me to marry her. She put her point forward in such a way that I had no choice but to agree. Tom has helped me so much before I left for Antigua. I could not simply let him go to the poorhouse. I dreaded to think what would have become of Mary and the children if I had let this happen.'
Charlotte was stunned. She was briefly transported at that picnic with her parents when she was 10 years old. She remembered what they told her and what would happen if heartbreak set in. She never told him about it. She saw no need as she really did not expect this development. She expected to be with him as she also loved him, and he was the other half of her soul.
She kept thinking- still as a statue. Sidney kept repeating her name, but she was paying him no mind. How could he say that he loved her? Surely, if he had taken her with him, she could have spoken to Susan. Susan might have helped or if now she might have known who could have helped raise the money. Instead, he left her to go to London and get himself engaged to Eliza Campion. Did he not learn his lesson from the first time that Eliza had hurt him? Did he not realise that she would do again?
She didn't realise that she has started crying. Sidney could not make sense of this. Charlotte was not responding to his pleas. Charlotte simply continued thinking not realising that a feeling of warmth and dizziness pervaded her. Her left arm felt numb suddenly. She could at first not account for the reason. Then, it came to her. She knew then what her parent meant. The murmur-the heartbreak. It has hit its mark. She could not say a word- she never did as the darkness took over and she collapsed right in front of Sidney outside the entrance of Tom's office.
Sidney did not expect this. Charlotte, his Charlotte, has just collapsed in front of him. He has done this to her! He managed to catch her before she hit her head and call for Mary loudly.
Chapter 4- The Aftermath
'Mary! Come quick and get Dr Fuchs. Miss Heywood is unwell'
Mary ran to Sidney and found him holding Charlotte, crying over her and begging her to open her eyes. She knew the truth then. Sidney did not love Eliza- he only proposed to her to save Tom and Sanditon. He loved Charlotte and she loved him back in return.
Tom entered the room as well and stood as still as a statue. He could not make sense of this. All he could see was his brother holding an unconscious Charlotte asking her to wake up and telling her how much he loved her.
Tom's brain went into overdrive- how about Eliza Campion? How about Sanditon? Tom's thoughts were jumbled. What was going on?
In all this confusion, Sidney would allow no-one take Charlotte from him. He kept thinking- she is not waking up! Oh God! Please don't take her from me. I could not live without her. Even if I must live a miserable life with Eliza, let her be well and live.
Dr Fuchs arrived and instructed that they move Charlotte to her bedroom. He asked everyone apart from Mary to leave the room so that he could examine his patient.
In the meantime, Sidney went to his room feeling very much like a spare wheel. He kept pacing back and forth, muttering to himself, whilst fat tears were gracing his cheeks. That was the scene that Tom found when he reached Sidney's room.
Tom entered after Sidney bid him in the room. He did not know what to say to his brother. He didn't understand so he ventured asking Sidney what has happened.
Sidney turned sharply to attention at this question. His response was filled with controlled anger waiting to spill out.
'What happened, Tom, was that I have just told Charlotte, my beautiful Charlotte, the only woman that I will ever love, that I have been obliged to engage myself to Eliza for her money in order to save you from the poorhouse. I sold my soul to Eliza for your £80,000 debt. And now… and now… my Charlotte collapsed. As a result of this, I do not know when or even if I will ever see or speak to her again! What would you have done if that was Mary, Tom? Would you have borne it? Tell me is your brother's happiness more or less important to you than Sanditon? I do not love Eliza- I only live for Charlotte. Do you even care Tom? Or do you just care about yourself? Do you care about your wife and children? If you had done so, then you would have bought the insurance despite the high premiums. This would have saved everybody from a lot of heartache and loss.'
Sidney ran out of breath after expressing all the pent feelings that have been brewing in him since the fire broke out. He tears kept coming during that speech but some of the pressure he has been feeling lifted slightly.
Tom was speechless. He was deeply ashamed. He muttered a simple 'I am sorry brother…' and drifted out of Sidney's room with the weight of the whole world on his shoulders. He went to his study, poured himself a brandy and looked at the blank wall.
Chapter 5- Charlotte's diagnosis
In the meantime, Dr Fuchs was having no luck waking Charlotte up. He tried every possible way in his disposal. He then thought that he ought to listen to her heart. The more he listened to its beats which were uneven and out of time, the more he came to the realisation that he could not help her. It was the murmur. He has seen this condition only once when he was a student in Germany.
He knew that there was a heart specialist in London, but would he come to Sanditon? He only dealt with the beau monde and neither Miss Heywood not the Parkers would be able to afford his services. She really did need to be treated by him. He took a break from his thoughts and addressed a very concerned Mary Parker.
'Frau Parker, this is not good. Fraulein Heywood is suffering from a rare heart condition with no known cure. It is caused when extreme upset takes place, so this has put her in a long-lasting coma. I do not know whether she will wake up from it or not. The only thing we can do is feed her fortifying broth, keep her warm and comfortable. She should not be left by herself at any point. Someone should read or speak to her- it may be especially helpful if that person cares for her. This might induce her to wake up sooner than later. Please also contact her parents as this will speed her recovery up.'
Mary was horrified at this piece of news. She asked Dr Fuchs, 'Is there no other person who can help her?'
The good doctor hesitated before suggesting that there was a heart specialist in London whose fees were very expensive, so he only treated wealthy customers. He knew this was not very helpful but perhaps Frau Parker had some connections in the capital that could help the young lady.
This was not the response Mary was hoping to hear. She sat on the nearest chair and tried to be practical by putting into place Dr Fuchs's instructions for Charlotte's comfort. She advised the maid to get some broth ordered, feed it to Charlotte a spoonful at a time and read something soothing to her until Mary herself returned to the room. Dr Fuchs excused himself saying that he would return tomorrow to check up on Miss Heywood.
She then went to spend some time with her children and tell them about Charlotte. They would be very upset, but it was important that they do not come into her room uninvited to disturb her recovery. This was easy. They were young and they would recover. However, the most difficult task would be to break the news to both her husband and Sidney. She really dreaded Sidney's reaction to the news as his reaction to unpleasant news was unpredictable at the best of times.
Chapter 6- Sidney's and Tom's reactions to the diagnosis
Mary Parker came out of the nursery with revived spirits despite everything. The elasticity of youth allowed her children to take the news better than expected. They started working on some happy drawings for Charlotte to give them to her when she awoke. She then knocked on Sidney's room door and asked him to join them downstairs at Tom's office. Sidney followed behind her like a recalcitrant pouty child who has just had his toy taken away from him not knowing whether he would get it back.
Mary lost no time to recount Dr Fuchs's diagnosis and his advice for Charlotte's recovery to both of them. She repeated to them exactly what Dr Fuchs said in as many details as she could muster.
On the one hand, on hearing the news Sidney collapsed on the chair behind him, put his hands through his hair and started crying quietly. On the other hand, Tom wanted the earth to open and swallow him whole as he stood there. He kept thinking 'I caused this to the people whom I love just for the sake of a seaside town. Charlotte is in a coma with no immediate prospects of waking up and Sidney is about to slip away just like her soon enough'. Luckily for him he never uttered those words aloud as Sidney would have been more than willing to beat him to a pulp. He was in such a turmoil.
Chapter 7- Nothing is done, until it is well done
Tom came out of his thoughts for a moment when Mary mentioned that someone had to go and get her Charlotte's parents. Sidney knew that he could not do so – not as a newly engaged man to another woman no less. It would cause a scandal and that would not be good for Charlotte's reputation. Therefore, he did not comment upon Mary's request though he heard it clearly.
Tom, however, came to the rescue despite himself. He remembered how fond Lady Susan Worcester was of Charlotte. She would want to help her if she could. She may even consider getting this London doctor on her behalf. One only had to ask. Yes, this was a good plan. He could write to her. He would then go to Willingden to fetch Charlotte's parents.
Tom voiced his thoughts to the inhabitants of the room. He got no response from Sidney- he was deep in thought not paying any particular attention to his whereabouts. It was literally the same expression after Eliza Campion left him broken hearted all those years ago. Tom thought he really needed to contact Lord Babington and Mr Crowe. That could wait though. Charlotte's health was the priority at present.
Mary watched all this happen feeling very proud of her husband. He finally understood the effect his decisions had on the people around him. She volunteered to write to Lady Susan herself providing Tom left for Willingden straightaway. This is exactly what happened.
Sidney did not move from where he was sitting throughout all this crucial decision-making process. He kept thinking that this was it. He then thought of how disappointed his Charlotte would be if he started his binging and gambling again. He thought that this London doctor may help her. Hope was there but he had to become a free man again. No matter what the price. He would break his engagement to Eliza. He could help Mary and the children- Tom should face the music and live in the poorhouse for a bit. It might bring him down a peg or two. Sidney would no longer sacrifice his happiness seeing what it is costing his Charlotte. It was his fault and by god he would fix it.
Therefore, he sat on Tom's desk and started his letter to Eliza. It was blunt and to the point- he explained that he was breaking their engagement and explained that her financial contribution was no longer necessary for Sanditon.
He really owed her no real explanation anyway. She was cruel and unfeeling to everybody who did not serve a purpose for her and most especially to Charlotte. Nobody said he had forgiven her of her ridiculing Charlotte at the tent on the day of the Regatta. Eliza would recover very nicely indeed. He had no doubt of that.
He also had no care for his reputation. He was considered a broody scoundrel anyway- why change that anytime soon? He could live without his reputation but not without having Charlotte in his life. That was no life that was hell on earth.
He only realised that he was by himself in the room once he finished his letter. He asked the maid to send it out by messenger post haste. He then thought of Charlotte. Another thing he could do is read or speak to her. She may respond and she could then see her beautiful smile again. He would also tell her that he broke his engagement to Eliza. That would help as well.
All this proactiveness made him feel good. He was taking positive steps towards his happiness. It would take time, but he would get there eventually. He really needed a bath, some food and a nap so he betook himself to his hotel. After a bit of tender loving care to his bruised self, his frame of mind improved considerably. He started making his way towards Trafalgar House to pay Charlotte a visit and inform Mary of his decision. It was really a good thing Tom was away. He was not in the right frame of mind to even look at his older brother's face.
Chapter 8- Discussions and Resolutions
Mary met him at the door and invited him to join her for some tea. He accepted her invitation willingly. It was awkward between them though and this was felt by both of them. She did not know how to apologise to her brother-in-law for all the pain that they had caused him, and Sidney did not know how to tell her that he was to send her husband to the poorhouse. Sidney wished for brandy instead of a cup of tea just for a touch of Dutch courage.
She gave him his cup- black with a touch of milk and no sugar- she always did know how to get his cup of tea just right which was vastly appreciated by him. He has lost count how many badly-served tea services he has had to endure during the London season, so this was truly a breath of fresh air. Mary sighed and said to him 'Sidney, I wrote to Lady Susan asking her to contact the doctor Dr Fuchs recommended. I sent it as an express. Tom has already left for Willingden to fetch Charlotte's parents here.'
Sidney saw his chance and asked hesitantly how she was. He looked into his cup so that his sister-in-law could not see the desperation in his eyes for any news of Charlotte at all. She understood and felt for him. Propriety would not have allowed him to ask her unless he volunteered the information herself. She responded in return 'She is much the same. Betsy is sitting with her for the time being. She is as comfortable as we can possibly make her at present as per Dr Fuchs's instructions.'
Sidney sighed inwardly. He could say nothing to that. He ventured to ask instead 'Do you think that I would be allowed to see her and read to her with Betsy in the room?' He had the same look as little Henry when he was asking for an extra chocolate biscuit. Mary simply said 'Yes, of course, Sidney. She would enjoy that.'
She took her courage in both hands and said to him 'I have long wanted to apologise to you on behalf of Tom. He does love you, but he is not always mindful or attentive of other people's feelings or sorrows. He finally saw the error of his ways earlier today. He did not mean to separate either Charlotte or yourself from each other. It is just that Sanditon has been his dream, aye, his passion for such a long time that he has lost track of what is truly important.'
Sidney was taking a sip from his teacup when she delivered this little speech and it caused him to sputter his tea all over his coat and up his nose. It was the most uncomfortable feeling. He parroted 'How … how long have you known?' His cheeks were bright red.
She knew he was a very private person who kept his feelings to himself. The blush on his cheeks was ample proof of that. She smiled at him the way only mothers can. 'I suspected for a while that you both had feelings for each other, but my suspicions were confirmed when Charlotte collapsed earlier today.'
Sidney did not know how one was to respond to that. He felt as if he had been caught stealing a biscuit. Well, ultimately, thinking to himself, what does it matter who know and who didn't. It is done.
'Well, yes,' he responded, 'I won't deny it, Mary. I broke my engagement with Eliza via letter. She is going to be furious with me. You do realise that this means that Tom is likely to end up in the poorhouse because of his debts, don't you? Both the children and yourself can come to live with Arthur and Diana at Bedford Place in London. All the properties here in Sanditon would need to be sold to raise some capital to cover the owed amount.'
Mary sighed resignedly 'Yes, I thought as much. No fear. We shall adjust accordingly.' Sidney was beyond relieved. At least that was sorted. Oh, wait. The children. He had not asked how they were. 'How are they taking the news of Miss Heywood's illness?' Mary responded 'They were upset but they took it as well as it can be expected. They were so full of optimism that Charlotte will recover that they feel drawing some magic pictures might just do the trick. If only it worked like that. Life would be much easier for everyone concerned.'
Chapter 9 – Flying over a field of daisies
Whilst the air was being cleared between Mary and Sidney, Charlotte felt as a light as a feather seeing that she was floating from side to side above a field of daisies near a pond. Home… Willingden… of course. She was back there. Or was she? When did she learn to fly? It must be one of her new talents.
Well, she could smell the sea. Willingden is not located near the seaside. Was she still in Sanditon then? How was that possible? There are no daisies in Sanditon. Oh, how infuriatingly frustrating! She absolutely detested being confused about anything let alone her whereabouts.
Wait… she could hear another sound. Ah, someone is reading to her. Who might that be? Charlotte! Concentrate, will you? Yes, of course. It was Betsy, her maid. She was reading a passage from the bible to me and feeding me small drops of broth at intervals. The broth was just what Charlotte needed. She was thirsty. She also enjoyed being read to very much- it was actually surprising how pleasing and soothing Betsy's voice was. Thus, reassured and pampered, she continued floating without a care in the world- she had all she needed right here. Bliss!
Chapter 10- Lady Susan Worcester
Lady Susan was sitting in her sitting room when Mary Parker's missive reached her. She was so shocked that she dropped her teacup on the floor. She called her maid, asked her to prepare her trunk for a long stay and asked for outerwear as well as her carriage.
Oh, poor Charlotte! What a shock! A collapse was all that was all the poor girl needed after Sidney Parker trampled on her heart as if it were a pile of stones! It cannot be a fib, though. Mary Parker is too sensible and sensitive a soul for false alarms.
Lady Susan was more than worried about her friend. She wanted to help her. Therefore, she started thinking and planning ahead. She needed to get to Harley Street to see Dr Levinson as soon as possible. She could do this for Charlotte. Her parents would never be able to afford his fees, but this did not mean that she could not. After all, she already considered her as the daughter she was never privileged to have.
By the time, she decided all this, the carriage had already been in place to take her to Harley Street. She got there in no time at all. Luckily, she found him in his surgery between visits and she explained Charlotte's condition to him. She was gratified to see that he was interested in following her to Sanditon and helping her friend.
Dr Levinson cancelled his remaining patient visits for a couple of weeks. He felt really sorry for this girl and he was really not an unfeeling person. However, he was so excited in being given the opportunity to observe this illness that he was even thinking of not charging his fees at all. After all, some medical cases should simply be taken up just to broaden one's horizons and education. This was indeed such a case.
Both Lady Susan and the doctor were on their way to Sanditon within a couple of hours of the grand lady's visit to the surgery. It should only take them an hour or two and they should arrive just on time for tea.
The trip itself was not unpleasant for either traveller. Dr Levinson was a very-well-educated man and Lady Susan enjoyed nothing more than holding an intelligent conversation. She asked all the necessary information on Charlotte's illness and kept thinking of ways to assist her recovery. If not just for the sake of Charlotte Heywood but also for the sake of Sidney Parker. She had already heard the rumours Mrs Campion was spreading in London against him and Sanditon. The engagement was off and if Lady Susan had anything to do with it, it would stay like that.
Lady Susan suspected that she would be able to assist both in a financial and medical way on this occasion. The Regent did after all show an interest in this quaint seaside town after she informed him on how well the summer Regatta was received. He was bored of Brighton and its shallowness. He has, therefore, already given her a cheque for £120,000.
That should cover both the presumed pending debt, the insurance for the project and any repairs from the fire. It would be, what you say, a clean slate, providing Sidney Parker agreed to be in charge of the financial details of the project and agree to an end-of-summer ball on the Regent's honour. She might even be tempted to try the bathing machines herself, who knows? Charlotte did say that it did her the world of good.
Chapter 11- Willingden
The mood was not as optimistic in the carriage going to Willingden. Tom did not have the same pleasure as Lady Susan and Dr Levinson. He was left to his own gloomy thoughts. He kept thinking what possessed him to make such a mess of things. How could she put his wife, his three adorable children, Sidney and Charlotte in such a situation?
He was not so insensitive as people as thought he was. He adored his family. He was grateful for them and especially of their support and loyalty to him. However, one of his faults- yes, it was indeed a fault- was that he missed seeing the big picture and he only focussed on his current goal- Sanditon. In other words, his short-sightedness was his own damnation.
All those gloomy thoughts were poor company Tom. It took two hours to reach Willingden. It was four in the afternoon when his carriage reached the neat and tidy-looking whitewashed Heywood Manor. The house was surrounded by small raised gardening beds- one for each of the family's children. He briefly wondered which one was Charlotte's. Did she like growing flowers or vegetables? All of them were full of new plants peeping out of the ground ready to greet the sun.
Tom could see five of Charlotte's siblings working on the respective patches of land. The children looked up surprised as the family was not really expecting any visitors. When the carriage made its entrance in the yard, Anne-Marie- one of the children- ran to fetch her mother.
Tom saw Mrs Heywood wearing a white apron covered in flour- she must have been baking, thought he to himself- coming out of the door to greet him. He hesitated. How could he tell this mother of 11 children that he was responsible for the near demise of her eldest one seeing that both parents have entrusted him with Charlotte's care in Sanditon?
Mrs Heywood looked at Tom and she expected to see Charlotte with him as well. When she only saw Tom Parker, she started fretting inside. Why was he here without her daughter? Where was she? Her last letter to the family was a happy one. What could have changed since then? Her motherly instinct warned her that something was terribly wrong. Therefore, she asked little Anne-Marie to get her papa from the study immediately.
Tom approached Mrs Heywood and asked whether he could speak to them on a matter of extreme importance in private. Just this request terrified the poor lady! - Tom certainly noticed it as her eyes literally bulged out of her head. - It has happened, hasn't it? She had to compose herself. Panicking in front of her other children would not do anybody any good at all as they were not aware of Charlotte's condition. She took a deep breath and invited her guest to the study for some tea. She also asked Anne-Marie to continue with her gardening and keep an eye on her siblings stressing the fact that they were not to be disturbed.
Tom could not refuse the offer of repast as he was both physically and emotionally exhausted at this stage. Some strong tea may just give him enough courage to explain things to Charlotte's parents. All three adults were in the study. Tom narrated what happened to the Heywoods after all the social niceties were out of the way.
Mrs Heywood started crying and Mr Heywood was not far behind. They both realised that they had to get to Charlotte. Their practical nature won over their grief, so a plan was quickly put in place. This would be a sad parting for the Heywood husband and spouse- they have not been apart ever since they got married to each other. However, their daughter needed them, so they simply had to endure it.
Mrs Heywood wiped her eyes, she had another cup of tea to collect herself and went to fetch her two daughters. An introduction was in order of the second eldest- her name was Alison. She was 17 years old and very close to Charlotte. The third eldest child was Emily, who was 16 years old. Both of those children were told of Charlotte's illness asking them to keep it a secret from the rest of the family. They promised to do just that.
The plan was this: Mrs Heywood and Alison were to travel with Tom to Sanditon. Mr Heywood was to be left behind as he was to take care both the farm and the rest of the children with Emily's help. All the necessary preparations took but an hour before the travellers were on their way. Mrs Heywood promised her husband to send the whole family an update on Charlotte's condition as soon as she had one.
Everyone was silent in the carriage. Neither Mrs Heywood nor Alison knew what to make of this- they did not want to blame anybody. They wanted to see Charlotte. All this extreme distress lulled all three onto a restorative sleep that they would certainly need before dealing with the crisis waiting for them upon reaching their destination.
Chapter 12- Georgiana
Despite all those various events that were in motion at the same time, Georgiana was completely in the dark of Charlotte's condition and Sidney was on his way to tell her of it.
She was reading a book in her room- well, at least that was what she told Mrs Griffiths. In reality, she was sad and thinking of her beloved Otis. She was heartbroken that he had acted so even if it was not his true intention to put her life in danger. How could she still love him so much being fully aware of his horrible gambling habit? She sighed loudly- oh, she would never solve this conundrum!
Sidney knocked on her door just as she got up to put her book away finally giving up on it. She looked at him curiously and blurted out accusingly 'Sidney, what on earth are you doing here?'
Sidney could still not reconcile with Georgiana's poor opinion of him. He focused his attention on his black shiny boots trying very hard to contain his emotions before explaining further. He spoke once he felt more in command of himself 'Miss Heywood collapsed earlier today- she is critically ill. Dr Fuchs suggested that it would help her to have people around her who care for her in order to read or speak to her. Would you come and pay her a visit?' The last sentence came in a whisper from his mouth.
Georgiana did not like Sidney- he was bad news, a rogue and an even worse guardian. However, she adored Charlotte and it was painfully obvious that Sidney had strong feelings for her friend as well. 'Charlotte! She collapsed!' exclaimed she. 'Of course, I will. Let me get my spencer and bonnet to accompany you to Trafalgar House.' She rushed around the room to gather the said items along with 'Camila'- the book Charlotte and herself were reading at her last visit at Mrs Griffiths.
Sidney was quiet on their way to Tom's and Georgiana was too shocked at the turn of events to utter a single word to her guardian. What could she possible say to him, she wondered?
Chapter 13- The Fairy Godmother is here
Lady Susan's grand carriage entered Sanditon in all its glory. The local residents who already knew that Tom Parker had already asked Dr Fuchs to visit Trafalgar House wondered at this coincidence. What business did Lady Susan of all people, the Regent's presumed favourite lady, have in Sanditon? Anyhow, they could wait. They would pepper Dr Fuchs with questions as soon as the visit ended. Patience is a virtue after all.
Sidney Parker and Georgiana were about to enter the house when they saw the said carriage stop outside the house's entrance. To their amazement, there came out Lady Susan and another gentleman whom Sidney presumed was the London specialist whom Mary asked Lady Susan about.
Sidney bowed politely and Georgiana curtseyed out of respect for Lady Susan's higher rank. The lady herself was going to have none of that. 'Mr Sidney Parker, Miss Lambe,' she said, 'well met. You can give me an update on Charlotte's health.'
'Lady Susan,' Sidney responded, 'we were about to seek the same information from Dr Fuchs ourselves. Please do join us for some refreshments.'
So it was that Mary called for tea and asked her guests whether they would like to refresh themselves from the trip in one of the guest rooms. Both Lady Susan and Dr Levinson declined as they seemed more interested in speaking to Dr Fuchs. At the mention of his name, there Dr Fuchs appeared as per magic. His ears must have been burning! He wanted to check on how Miss Heywood's progress.
Mary made the necessary introductions and invited Dr Fuchs to join them for tea. He assented gladly. He repeated to the present company -Lady Susan, Dr Levinson, Sidney, Mary and Georgiana- his findings from when he examined Charlotte for the first time. He said that he was about to go check on the young lady and invited Dr Levinson to join him. Both medical professionals asked Mary to join them to maintain propriety. She, as the hostess, of course agreed and all three departed for Charlotte's room.
This only people left in the small sitting room was Sidney, Lady Susan and Georgiana. Georgiana excused herself to check up on the Parker children. She had the acute sensation that this grand lady of the Ton was about to grill Sidney Parker alive which proved her to be more than a match for her presumably fearsome guardian. She was simply glad to escape when she could.
Chapter 14- Lady Susan delivers
The moment Lady Susan and Sidney were by the themselves in the room, she went on the offensive 'Mr Sidney Parker, do me the honour to explain yourself. Pray leave no details unsaid.'
Sidney could not say that he did not expect this from her. She was very protective of Charlotte which was proven more than adequately on the day of the Regatta and the incident on the tent. Her censure of him was certainly very well deserved and he would not begrudge her this satisfaction. He took a glimpse at her, bowed his head dejectedly and rendered her with the required explanation.
She was a good listener- it was one of her many gifts. Therefore, she gave him her best attention. She did not interrupt him or posed any questions to stop his train of thoughts. She simply waited him out until he finished with his narrative.
When he did, she asked him, 'Mr Parker, thank you for this lengthy explanation. May I kindly ask why did you not look me up in London when you came to enquire over funding? A visit to me would have meant that Charlotte would not be in her current predicament.'
He blushingly responded, 'Lady Susan, I did not want to ask for charity.'
Her retort made him shiver, 'Is that really so? Is that why you ended up engaging yourself to Mrs Campion, the most vicious and unkind widow in London? She is worse than a loan shark- believe me they are kinder in comparison.
Yes, Mr Parker, I know exactly what happened. Charlotte is very important to me so keeping tabs on whoever might hurt her is of high priority for me. In fact, very little that happens in London escapes my notice.'
He was acutely embarrassed 'Yes, you are, of course, correct' and hung his head.
She really did feel sorry for him. She could not help herself, 'Well, Mr Parker, that is all water off the duck's back. It is in the past. As I have been told, that engagement has been broken, is that not so?'
His look of shock was hilarious. She actually laughed outright at him. She knew! Eliza has not even confirmed it in writing to him yet! How did she know?
'Mr Parker, the news of your broken engagement with Mrs Campion is one of the main topics of discussion in all the fashionable salons in London at present. All the matrons and unmarried maidens are talking about nothing else. You are the toast of the season, don't you know?
Mrs Campion has been spreading the news and volubly expressing her displeasure to anybody who would listen to her woes on how badly she has been treated. She hoped to cause you further damage by delaying her response to you and preventing you from making another attachment.'
He sighed, 'Yes, I did expect her to do that. I had no care for my reputation but truth to be told I was concerned for Miss Heywood's.'
'What Mrs Campion was doing could have proven catastrophic for all concerned under the circumstances.' she continued, 'I have already taken steps to stop her on her tracks to avoid further repercussions reaching either Charlotte's and your reputation as well as Sanditon chances of financial recovery.
She has been told to desist and not proceed further with her defamations otherwise she would be at risk of not being received by good society in London in future. She is a woman of fortune, but she is a woman. Her position is not as strong as a man's in the same situation. She is a clever and ambitious woman- she knew that I could make that happen and not to underestimate my power in the ton.
I do believe she is planning a trip abroad to expand her horizons further. It might just help her, don't you think?'
It was Lady Susan's turn to smile like a Cheshire cat and Sidney could not help but join her. It did feel good to have one less impediment to deal with. What a relief! No more vicious and underhand comments and shallow remarks to tolerate!
She changed the topic by asking about Sanditon. Sidney explained what he planned to do.
Her response surprised him, 'No matter how much dragging your brother to the poorhouse would be good for his inflated ego, there is no need to do so. He is a lucky albeit a silly man in that respect. He got away with it on this occasion.
The Regent fancied a change of air from Brighton, so he chose Sanditon. His Majesty has commissioned me to act on his behalf as the liaison on this project. Would you accept a cheque of £120,000 from him on the proviso that you, Mr Parker, and I repeat, not, Mr Tom Parker, take over the financial side of this Sanditon project?
There is also the small matter of hosting a small ball in honour of his grace at the end of the summer here in Sanditon, but I am confident suitable arrangements can be made accordingly.'
Sidney was speechless gaping like a fish out of water. He was also looking at Lady Susan as she had just grown two heads. He was beyond grateful and agreed to the terms instantly.
'Excellent, Mr Parker,' she chirped happily, 'I do have one more task for you before the cheque can be given to your hands. I am not willing to release any funding for this project unless the buildings are insured. I understand this is not the case at present.
This has to be a safe and waterproof investment to encourage future investors to Sanditon. Once it does, I will write to some contacts in London to encourage further investment- do expect a higher level of correspondence to reach you soon. Wherever the Regent goes, the investors follow.
Therefore, I would strongly recommend that you travel to London to make sure that happens. I shall stay in Sanditon to see to Charlotte's health in your absence. It should not take you more than a week to get this done. Be rest assured that you will be promptly notified at Bedford Place should an emergency arise regarding her health. She is in good hands.'
He expressed his gratitude to Lady Susan and took his leave of her. She wished him a successful trip and bid him good day. He then went to get Georgiana from the nursery- she was reading a story to the children when she entered. They were all fast asleep. He escorted her to Mrs Griffiths and gave her a summary of his discussion with Lady Susan. Georgiana was very pleased with those developments.
Sidney left Mrs Griffiths's abode feeling elated. Things were falling into place! Now to London! If only his love would wake up as well, then he would be the happiest man alive!
He went to his hotel room to prepare for this London trip. He took a bath, had a meal, packed an overnight bag and booked a space on the coach to London. He only needed some things as he kept most of his belongings at the Parker residence in London.
Therefore, he was found sitting on the coach heading to London being lulled to sleep only two hours after his talk with Lady Susan. He would sleep whilst he could. He would be a busy man once he reached his destination.
Chapter 15- Free as a bird Everyone Sang
BY SIEGFRIED SASSOON (1886-1967)
Everyone suddenly burst out singing;
And I was filled with such delight
As prisoned birds must find in freedom,
Winging wildly across the white
Orchards and dark-green fields; on - on - and out of sight.
Everyone's voice was suddenly lifted;
And beauty came like the setting sun:
My heart was shaken with tears; and horror
Drifted away ... O, but Everyone
Was a bird; and the song was wordless; the singing will never be done.
It was hard to believe that only a day had passed since Charlotte's collapse and how much for the better things have changed since then. The blessings have only been felt by poor Sidney so far. The rest was to come.
He was on his way to London travelling by coach that was being driven by four chestnut horses. They left on time and they were to make it to London within the pre-arranged time. He was travelling with one middle-aged gentleman who was accompanied by his wife and daughter. The ladies were sitting opposite Sidney and the gentleman next to him. He deduced from their tanned skin that they were holiday makers returning to London after spending some time near the seaside.
Sidney greeted all three with a slight bow and then drifted into his own private thoughts. Thinking made him look very cross and forbidding, which also made his co-travellers hesitant to start any conversation with him. Therefore, they, in turn, did not attempt the customary travel small talk spending the time admiring the seaside landscape out of the coach window instead.
If any of his fellow travellers were so inclined to ask him how he felt, he might have told them that he felt free as a bird and not cross or upset at all. In other words, he was simply overwhelmingly relieved and cautiously- oh, very cautiously- optimistic about his future. He felt as if he had just been pardoned for a grave crime that he had never committed and had just avoided life imprisonment.
His soul was singing aloud to the world that he was free again. It was free from any-previously-feared horrors and pain. It was free to love how and where it wished.
He was free to win his Charlotte back. He was under no illusion that winning her back would be an easy task. Definitely not! When, yes when, she woke up, she would require answers from him. He was unwilling to accept the alternative. She would wake up to ask of him what she wished. He would be ready to respond to her when that happened.
He knew that he had shown himself to be inconstant towards her- his engagement to Eliza would have certainly shown her exactly that. He did not fight for their joint happiness enough- he did not ask for help at the right quarters due to his foolish pride as Lady Susan very rightly pointed out. He gave up too easily and that was on him not Charlotte. He doubted that she would trust him not to hurt her again. Despite this lingering doubt, he was hopeful for a bright future with her.
Yes, thought he to himself again. This is the taste of freedom. May it never go away and may it last forever! That made him grin widely to himself causing his two lady co-passengers to notice how handsome he was when he smiled. The two ladies privately thought, 'Who is the lucky lady, indeed!'. Not that he paid any attention to them. He was too engrossed in his own happy thoughts to care.
Chapter 16- The Heywoods arrive in Sanditon
Happy thoughts indeed for our Sidney! However, as his coach was on the outskirts of Sanditon, another private carriage, which was on its way to Trafalgar House, started entering the seaside town.
This carriage was the one from Willingden carrying Tom Parker and the Heywoods. Its occupants were woken up by the carriage's jolting. They woke up unwillingly as sleeping in a carriage was not very comfortable no matter how tired one was. Nevertheless, here they were awake. And hungry besides!
Tom looked out of the window sighing sadly. His reaction when entering Sanditon would normally be delight, pride and passion for this glorious project! Unfortunately, he did not feel like that right this minute. He felt ashamed, disappointed in himself and like a man with no purpose instead. Sanditon, or so he thought, was his priority and his purpose in this life.
He came to the realisation that his priorities were in the wrong order. Sanditon no longer felt important. Today's events shifted his priorities in life. Sanditon without his wife, children, brothers, sister and friends was merely a place. It dawned on him that the people living in a place made it important, not the place itself. He realised that he was slowly alienating the most important people in his life. If he didn't act soon enough, he would lose them for good. What kind of man would that make him? A coward, that was who!
A plan of action was forming in his mind. He kept his promise to bring Charlotte's mother and sister. That was good! Very good! One promise has been kept and it has been delivered, thought he proudly.
The next step would be to deliver a long overdue apology to both Sidney and Mary. This had to happen very soon. He was not even sure whether they would even be receptive to his apology, but he would attempt it, otherwise he would never be able to either live with himself or look at himself in the mirror.
After that, he absolutely had to write to both Lord Babington and Mr Crowe. Sidney needed to have his friends around him. Tom, as his brother, has definitely failed to provide him with an adequate support network. He did not feel as if he could be a shoulder his younger brother could cry on.
His mind, then, went blank after all that thinking. 'Baby steps, Tom!', thought he to himself. Rome was not built in a day!
Neither Mrs Heywood not Alison had any idea on what was going on their host's mind at that point in time. They woke up when the carriage entered Sanditon.
Charlotte had already described most of the town to them in her letters to the family. One of Charlotte's gifts was that she was especially apt in describing both people or places in such accurate detail that one felt that they were at the described place or that they had met the person, who was being described.
Therefore, both ladies were more than eager to judge for themselves on the accuracy of those descriptions. It was as she had described it- not that they doubted it. However, one thing that they did not quite expect was the view of the burnt terraced houses.
Mrs Heywood, on the one hand, made a mental note to speak to Mrs Parker about this once they have been introduced and have become sufficiently acquainted with each other.
Alison, on the other hand, looked around her in wonder. This was her first trip out of Willingden, so, despite worrying about her sister's health, she was looking forward to exploring this new and wondrous place. She also really wanted to go to the seaside, touch the sand for the first time and find some seashells for her siblings. She had never seen the sea- even Charlotte's letters could not somehow deliver the exact sensation of that experience, could they? Her sister's health first, thought she, and then the rest! One thing at a time!
In no time at all, the Parker carriage halted before Trafalgar House interrupting the travellers' thoughts and aspirations. Tom got out and started helping the ladies out of the carriage. He was just about to help Alison when the front door opened to show the lady of the house at the entrance.
Tom could honestly say to himself that seeing his wife was a most welcome sight, especially, when she smiled at him so brightly welcoming all three of them to the house. He made the necessary introductions.
'Mary, my dear,' said he kissing her cheek affectionately, 'how lovely it is to see you. This is Mrs Heywood, Charlotte's mother and this is Miss Alison Heywood, Charlotte's sister.'
'Mrs Heywood, Miss Alison Heywood', Mary responded, 'it is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. Welcome to both Sanditon and Trafalgar House. Do come in. The footman will take your luggage inside.'
They all entered the house. More introductions were in order though as they entered the sitting room. It was in that room that they found Lady Susan. Mary performed the introductions between Lady Susan and the Heywoods, though, lest Tom decided to say more that it was actually necessary. Nobody could say that she did not love her dear husband or that she was not proud of him but speaking out of turn was certainly one of his major flaws. This was not the time to display it further. There is a time and a place for everything.
Lady Susan was impressed by both Charlotte's mother and sister. She did not know what she expected them to be like, but seeing what she saw, she was more than confident that should Alison wish it, she would break many hearts during the London season. She was as pretty as Charlotte- only her complexion was slightly lighter and less tanned than her sister's. Lady Susan made a mental note to herself to get to know both ladies as much as possible during this visit.
With the introductions and social niceties out of the way came the immediate wish from both Heywood ladies to visit Charlotte. Mary explained that both Dr Fuchs and Dr Levinson examined Charlotte again in Mary's presence earlier. She informed that they were currently discussing their findings in Tom's study. She mentioned further that Charlotte herself was being kept comfortable and Betsy, her maid was keeping her company. Mary reassured Charlotte's family that she had not been left by herself since her collapse. This certainly made both the Heywood ladies feel a bit better about the delay of the visit to their relative.
Mary also suggested they make arrangements for their accommodation due to the lateness of the hour. Lady Susan proposed that she book two rooms- one for each Heywood lady- at the Hertford Arms Hotel where both Dr Levinson and herself planned to stay. Both Heywood ladies accepted Lady Susan's proposal gladly and thanked her most graciously. Thus, the footman was dispatched with all said luggage for all four individuals to the hotel to book the respective rooms on their behalf.
By the time, Dr Levinson and Dr Fuchs finished their professional discussion on Charlotte's case and the party in the sitting room got to know each other better, the footman had returned confirming the hotel booking to Lady Susan. She thanked him and he left to return to his duties.
Dinnertime was also announced just after the footman's departure. The whole Parker family minus Sidney, Diana and Arthur, the Heywoods (mother and daughter), Lady Susan and last but not least Dr Levinson and Dr Fuchs enjoyed this repast. It was an unspoken wish of the whole party that nothing was to be mentioned concerning Charlotte's condition during dinner for the sake of the Parker children.
Henry, Alicia and Jenny were delighted to see their papa again, which made Tom feel even worse. He realised that another apology was in order- one to his precious and innocent children. He had not been spending as much time with them as he should have done. He would need to change that, so he told them that he would play with them before bedtime to his wife's great delight.
The Parker children were also curious to meet the newcomers. They found Lady Susan beautiful with no hesitation to exclaim aloud 'Very pretty lady!'. Mary looked embarrassed on their behalf, but Lady Susan reassured her with a smile and a shake of the head that she was not at all offended. She, in fact, found that all three children had charming manners.
They also loved meeting Charlotte's mother and sister. Both Heywood ladies had a knack with small children. This meant that the adults could enjoy the quietest dinner they have had the pleasure to enjoy for a while- they could even engage in some very sensible dinner conversation in the children's presence. Tom and Mary fully understood where Charlotte inherited the skill of dealing with their children so well. It was truly a sight to behold how well behaved their own children were during dinner!
Dr Fuchs and Dr Levinson simply confused all three children, so they pretended to ignore them. They found that they talked funny!
With dinner ending and with Tom's promise to read and play to them before bedtime, the children were taken to the nursery to be made ready for bed and have their bath.
Chapter 17- The London specialist's opinion
The time for the dreaded conversation finally arrived and every adult certainly felt a chill in the air of the sitting room. The adults had moved there for their after-dinner coffee and biscuits. Both doctors sensed this shift, so they did not delay the disclosure of their patient's diagnosis any longer.
Dr Fuchs started off by saying, 'I would like to thank Lady Susan for fetching Dr Levinson from London.'
Lady Susan bowed and smiled 'It was the least I could do for dear Charlotte.'
He then continued, 'Both Dr Levinson and myself examined Miss Charlotte Heywood in the presence of Frau Parker. We have discussed her condition at length. However, it would be best if I let Dr Levinson explain the diagnosis and treatment options in deference to his wider experience in heart-disease-related conditions.'
He then addressed his colleague, 'Dr Levinson, would you kindly oblige us?' Dr Levinson bowed to the room and responded, 'Of course, Dr Fuchs. As my respected colleague mentioned a moment ago, Miss Charlotte Heywood was examined for the second time by both us earlier today. As my colleague confirmed during the lady's first examination, her heart condition is indeed very rare. I will not tell you that it is not dangerous.'
'Mrs Heywood,' said he addressing his patient's mother, 'I presume that you know what I mean when you hear me say this'.
Mrs Heywood did indeed nod at him acknowledging the validity of his comment. Everybody apart from Alison turned to look at her in a puzzled manner. The lady saw that but chose to remain silent.
The doctor went on with his explanation, 'Surgery is not an option for the patient as there is no anaesthetic that we can give her during the procedure. Unfortunately, the medical advances on this field have not improved enough for that. Enemas, the use of tobacco and other such cures would not help her either.
The only hope for her is to want to live again. I am convinced that her coma was the result of a heartbreak so strong that it has caused your daughter, Mrs Heywood, to experience a minor heart attack. She is basically losing her will to live. This needs to change if she is to survive.
The cause of this distress needs to be found and be permanently resolved. Your daughter only needs good news around her to make her believe that life is worth living again. She is not currently in any distress, so have no fear on that account. Her brain in blocking any unhappy thoughts as a means of self-preservation- she is in some sort of gleeful nirvana. Dr Fuchs's treatment of nutritious broth and constant company is helping her.
However, she is still in a coma. She will not be able to move for herself in order to exercise the muscles in her limbs. We must avoid them going atrophic. It is, therefore, imperative that they are being kept active by massage and movement morning and evening. She also needs smells and sounds that she loves around her. Mind you, all positive, nothing that would possibly upset her. That is very important.
Sadly, that is all we can presently do for her. She may wake up tomorrow, next week or next month. We don't know. The norm is that the patient wakes up after four weeks. If it takes longer than that, then her chances of recovery are going to be considerably reduced.
Someone should always be with her at all times. No noise, plenty of fresh air- it is a good thing that this is a seaside town- rest, loving care and exercise is the recommended treatment.
I will be staying in Sanditon for the next two weeks. This will allow me to consult with Dr Fuchs and monitor the lady's progress in her treatment. Should her condition change when I return to London, Lady Susan knows where to find me. I will, of course, travel to Sanditon post haste when the missive reaches me.'
Everybody was hanging on Dr Levinson's every word. Mrs Heywood and Alison were crying silently, Tom wanted a really strong drink, Mary was terrified of Sidney's reaction and Lady Susan herself was shocked beyond belief.
Mrs Heywood took a deep breath to steady herself and ventured to ask, 'Thank you for sharing your opinion with us, Dr Levinson. When and I say when my Charlotte wakes up from her coma, what is her condition likely to be?'
Dr Levinson was very impressed with Miss Heywood's mother. He has just told her that her daughter may or may not wake up from her coma and she then go to ask this question. Now that is what you call gumption. It must run in the whole family. Good for them! He was now more than convinced that this family were fighters. There was hope for this young lady yet.
He reflected for a moment before responding, 'That is a very good question, Mrs Heywood. Patients may have difficulty speaking and depending on how much their limbs have been exercised, they may need to learn to walk again. It really depends on both the circumstances and the patient.
What is important is that your daughter is mentally stimulated at all times. It may be that she responds to someone talking to her by moving a finger or one of her eyelids. The more emotionally invested she is with the person, the more of a reaction you will get out of her.
Do remember that she will hear you when you speak to her. Make sure to establish ways of getting her to communicate her wishes to you. It may be moving her finger twice for 'yes' or once for 'no'. Anything that works.'
Mrs Heywood thanked him again and asked where Alison, Lady Susan and herself could visit Charlotte briefly before retiring for the day. He assented to the request for a five-minute visit per person. Both doctors then excused themselves and left Trafalgar House after a long and tiring day's work. Tom and Mary went to the nursery to spend some time with their children instead.
Mrs Heywood went for the first visit. She found Betsy reading Charlotte a passage from the bible. She introduced herself and asked the maid whether she wanted to take a break in order to have her dinner. Betsy agreed wholeheartedly as she was indeed very hungry. She asked Mrs Heywood to fetch her from the kitchen when she was needed again.
She took a moment to take in the appearance of her first born. She looked the same as she remembered. She hoped and prayed when she first held her in her arms to protect her from this fate. Oh, alas, it was not to be! She knew she was about to give in to her feelings- she could not be upset around her though. She had to find the strength to seem upbeat and happy. Charlotte's life depended on it.
'Charlotte dearest, it is mama. Both Allie and myself have come to Sanditon to visit you for a while. We arrived earlier today. We will let you sleep, and we will see you after breakfast tomorrow. We have lots to tell you!'
She kissed her forehead, wished her good night and exited the bedroom with a heavy heart. Only then did the tears started falling a tiny voiceless sob escaped her mouth. She closed her eyes to compose herself before fetching Alison to visit her sister. Alison did see her mother's reaction, though. Mrs Heywood wiped her tears and they shared a hug. Thank goodness that she had brought her other daughter with her. Alison sniffled and asked, 'Mama, how is Charlotte?'
Mrs Heywood responded, 'She looks as if she is asleep. She looks no different, but there is a queer feeling of calm around her. Allie be cheerful no matter what. She knows you very well, so she will know when you are upset. Remember what the doctor said - we are not allowed to upset her. Just bid her good night and tell her that we will visit her tomorrow.'
Alison nodded and entered the room. 'Lottie, it is Allie. We have come to visit you, dear sister. You have waxed us lyrical on the beauties of this place. We have decided to come and see for ourselves. Good night to you.' Thus, Alison kissed her sister's warm cheek and departed.
Lady Susan was Charlotte's last visitor. She was never good at the sick room- something that remained with her from her husband's traumatic long illness. She would try for Charlotte's sake no matter how difficult.
'Charlotte, my girl, I have lot of good news to share with you. I have come to wish you good night for now. I shall fill you in tomorrow. I will be staying in Sanditon for a little while as well as your mother and sister. I have missed you, my friend. When you are up and about, you can show me your favourite haunts in the town.'
She squeezed Charlotte's hand briefly and went to join the Heywoods in the sitting room. On her way out, she asked for a footman to ask Betsy to return to Charlotte's room and fetch the master and lady of the house to the sitting room. The Parkers bid their guests good night and invited them for breakfast in the morrow.
Thus an exhausting and eventful day came to an end. Everybody was hoping for a better day to dawn tomorrow.
Chapter 18- Solidarity
A bright, sunny morning ensued the day before. A good night's sleep refreshed our respective party's weary spirits and mind.
For example, Dr Fuchs's surgery, had never been busier. He, of course, could not revel anything about Charlotte's condition to the general public due to the doctor- patient confidentiality act. When he was asked about her, he merely stated that Miss Heywood had taken ill.
The news spread like wild fire in the small town. No matter what they may think of Tom Parker's business dealings, Miss Heywood was an innocent bystander to his schemes. The whole town really liked her. She was a considerate, kind and cheerful young lady with a kind word for everyone. She was clever as well. The way she dealt with Old Mr Stringer's leg injury with such promptness and presence of mind was a wonder to behold. Yes, they would do something to cheer her up!
Firstly, all the families cooked small meals to send to the Parker household daily. Nursing someone ill took time and effort. Having ready meals was a great help. Secondly, the town's children went to beach- all of them knew how much Miss Heywood loved the seaside- to gather seashells. They would make a get-well picture and other gifts for her. Thirdly, the town's baker made Charlotte's favourite pie- chicken and leek- to send to Trafalgar House.
Once the first batch of offerings was ready, the baker approached Mr Stringer, whom they knew was the overseer for the Sanditon building work. They asked him to be their point of contact with the Parker family and deliver their contributions to them as they did not want to overwhelm the family with an excessive number of visitors.
Mr Stringer, who was himself worried about Charlotte, was more than happy to comply with their request as it gave him the opportunity to get regular updates on her condition. He was also curious to meet Charlotte's sister- he took a glimpse of her as she was coming out of the carriage- and he seemed to a charming girl much like her eldest sister.
Therefore, the Parker household was inundated with food and considerate gifts for Charlotte. It was truly heart-warming the way the town took to Charlotte. Both the Heywoods and Lady Susan made sure to pass on their gratefulness for their kindness to the townspeople through Mr Stringer. Mrs Heywood made a silent promise to somehow thank those kind people once her Charlotte was up and about and out of danger.
Chapter 19- A military operation
Breakfast was out of the way- this was a clear sign for both the whole Parker household and the friends who were involved in Charlotte's care to pull together. It was very much like putting together a military operation. Mrs Heywood brought everyone in one room and assigned them their tasks. She knew how to deal with emergencies and large groups, so nobody questioned her authority. They simply went on with their respective tasks with no objection.
Tom was to spend time with the children. He relished the thought. He was no good at the sickroom. He could be more of help by keeping the house quiet and also spend quality time with his children. He decided to take them to the beach for a picnic for the day- he would organise other fun games for the rest of the days. Mary, Betsy, Mrs Heywood, Alison and Lady Susan were to help with Charlotte's care regime.
Charlotte's bedroom- aired every morning to allow the fresh sea air to enter- was decorated with the seashell get-well pictures and decorations that were made by the town's children. They truly looked at home in her room and brought the smell of the sea from outside in the room. Her room was full of fresh flowers as well that were changed every day. Both the fresh air, the smell of nature and the seaside decorations would stimulate Charlotte's senses as per the doctor's directions.
Mrs Heywood also made sure that she would be sponge-bathed every morning and that her physiotherapy exercises were adhered both in the morning and in the evening. The ritual of broths, exercising, reading, speaking to her was followed religiously for a whole week. It was made sure that all of Charlotte's caregivers took several breaks to rest and refresh themselves. This was insisted upon by Mrs Heywood who would brook no opposition in the matter. She knew that everyone had their breaking point.
Throughout all this time, the townspeople kept sending flowers, gifts, fresh food and all manner of trinkets through Mr Stringer- it was one of those occasions that allowed Alison to first meet Mr Stringer- she was introduced to him by Mary who happened to be with her at the time of his arrival. She was very much impressed by how handsome he was, and he was instantly smitten despite not being willing to admit it to himself just yet.
So many contributions were delivered to the house every day in fact that the Parker family's cook only had to make breakfast for the family. This also allowed her to help with Charlotte's care a bit- she really liked the young lady and she was keen to help her get better. She knew Charlotte liked learning about new recipes, so she read her from one her favourite recipe books. She even promised her to teach her to bake if she woke up.
Diana and Arthur visited Trafalgar House the second day after Lady Susan's arrival- they were in London before that and they came to the house as soon as they heard. They were informed of Charlotte's condition and told not to leak any details of her illness to the townspeople. This was not because they did not trust the people in their town- it was just to preserve Charlotte's sensibilities and self-respect. They would not want her to feel embarrassed when she woke up.
Both Diana and Arthur certainly offered their help with Charlotte's care as well. Arthur was to help Tom with the children- which delighted him as he adored his nephew and two nieces- and Diana was to assist the other ladies at the sickroom. Diana would often fancy herself being unwell- that was just the picture she showed for the outside world though- she was a shy creature. Deep inside she had nerves of steel for the sickroom and all the other ladies would value her contribution tremendously.
Georgiana also helped with Charlotte's care by reading to her- she had a strong and vibrant reading voice which he knew Charlotte appreciated very much. She was worried about her friend. She was the only friend that she had made since leaving Antigua- she was dreading losing her. Though meeting Alison did present the chance of another friendship. Alison was very much like Charlotte and Georgiana was looking forward to getting to know her better. They would help Charlotte together!
Chapter 20- Dr Levinson decides
Thus, Charlotte's recovery became the priority of both the Parker household and the whole of the town of Sanditon.
Dr Fuchs and Dr Levinson were awed by this response. Never had they seen a town pull together for one person's recovery. Dr Fuchs certainly knew how well-loved Charlotte was, but Dr Levinson had never experienced such a form of solidarity throughout his whole career. He did have his main practice in London- a profitable practice it was as well. However, there were times when he found his patients to be utterly cold and insensitive towards other human beings. This frustrated him no end and made his critical of people's motives. Sanditon's townsfolk warmed his heart with their kindness and rekindled his hope in humanity.
He would see to Miss Charlotte Heywood's recovery and then consider co-practising medicine with Dr Fuchs in Sanditon. Why ever not?
He got on really well with him and they had a lot of common medical interests. He found their discussions to be very enlightening. It was good to have another colleague around for a second opinion.
He also loved the seaside and it would do his patients no harm either seeing that most of them only needed fresh air and exercise to recover from their pretended ailments. Eating too much and being inactive did not do them any favours. The Regent's investment in Sanditon would bring them here like flocks of seasonal birds. Of that he had no doubt!
Another strong incentive for him was also Miss Diana Parker. He made her acquaintance when he visited the Parkers as she happened to be in the room when he was attending to his patient- Dr Fuchs happened to be at another patient visit at the time.
She was a fussy lady fancying herself ill all the time or at least that is what she seemed to be. There was more to her, though. She was a determined young lady who did not cower when difficulties arose despite her innate shyness.
A good doctor's wife needed to be strong and this was Miss Parker's strength. He would have plenty of time to get to know her when he visited his patient. They may just be compatible. One never knows. He would enjoy having a wife to love and spoil rotten after a hard day's work.
Chapter 21- Winning Lady Denham's approval
The townsfolk's solicitude over Charlotte did not only affect Dr Levinson. It seemed that Lady Denham was also both very interested and truly intrigued by what was happening at Trafalgar House. She prided herself that she knew of all the happenings in Sanditon at all times, but this development was a revelation even for her. The people of Sanditon have never responded to her like that!
She demanded people's respect due to her wealth and elevated place in society. However, she was no fool. She knew that very few people actually loved or cared for her as a person. Esther, her only remaining relative and newly-married niece to Lord Babington, did care for her aunt in her own disinterested way, especially after Edward and Clara's come down in the world. Her niece even made the effort to visit her more often, which was a most gratifying feeling. It always pleased Lady Denham to have her around as she was often lonely, and Esther reminded her of herself when she was younger.
It puzzled this grand lady how a girl such as Charlotte Heywood without fortune and without bringing conscious attention to herself- didn't she always insist that she was not here to get a husband? - captured the heart of the people in this town. In fact, if anyone were to ask Lady Denham's thoughts right this moment, she would tell them frankly that she envied the girl. She was loved very much indeed without demanding it or asking for it. She gave her real attention to other people, and they loved her for it. Lady Denham wanted that type of love. In fact, she craved for it. Yet, people were afraid to love her as she never showed her real feelings to them. It made her sad deep inside.
Lady Denham put those feelings aside and returned her thoughts to Charlotte. Miss Heywood challenged her from the first day she had met her at Trafalgar House. The girl stayed true to her views and opinions from the beginning of their acquaintance. She was neither afraid of her nor did she tell her what she thought she might want to hear. She told her the truth without any false flattery and Lady Denham really respected that trait in a person. Honesty was definitely a dying bread and Charlotte Heywood had it in spades! Despite all that, Charlotte had cared enough for her feelings after the disastrous pineapple lunch to come and apologise for something that was not her fault. The girl instinctively felt that the old lady was upset and disappointed, which caused her ill humour during that lunch.
Just to know that this caring young lady was in such dire straits tugged at Lady Denham's very little-used heartstrings- she kept her heart hidden these days just in case it got hurt like all those years ago by two loveless marriages and the world's cruelty. Lady Denham thought to herself that she was as proficient as Sidney Parker in hiding her real feelings. They were both pros at it. Therefore, seeing how well the people of Sanditon treated someone who did not even live in Sanditon permanently with such care and affection was something new, fresh and it gave her hope for the future.
Thus, she weighed the pros and cons and she came to the decision to help Miss Heywood. If the people of Sanditon could turn a new leaf, so could she follow their example and help another human being.
She wrote to Lord and Lady Babington of the news and asked them to see what they could do to help the young lady further. She also arranged for fresh donkey's milk to be delivered to the Parker residence daily. She reasoned that if it had already helped her cheat death, then it would certainly be beneficial to Miss Heywood. She made sure that the footman, who would deliver the milk, gave a note to Mrs Mary Parker- a sensible lady if there was ever one- to request for frequent updates of the patient's condition to be sent up to Sanditon House. Lady Denham was sure that Mary would not deny her request.
Chapter 22- Sidney's adventures in London- Part 1
What of Sidney- last time we heard from him, he was on his way to London. The moment he reached the capital, he took a cab to Bedford Place. He needed to recharge his batteries with a bath, a meal and a nap before sitting down to make his plans like a general in time of battle. He needed to have a clear head before making any decisions especially ones that would affect other people in the long run.
There were always servants at the house, and they kept running like clockwork due to Mary's incomparable organisation skills as a mistress. She was amazing running two households- one in London and one in Sanditon at the same time. He took her hat off to her for that achievement.
The servants at Bedford Place knew that Sidney Parker, out of all the Parker brothers and sister, could arrive unexpectedly at any point. Therefore, it would certainly would not give him the best impression if they seemed to be inattentive to their duties.
Thus, they were not surprised when they saw him arrive asking for refreshments and a bath to be drawn. In fact, one of them had already spotted him when he was out in an errand. He returned to the house post-haste to inform the housekeeper, Mrs Cooper, who started the necessary preparations. Sidney was one of the housekeeper's favourites, so she informed the cook and asked the maid to get his bath ready. She was sure that he would need it.
Sidney was pleasantly surprised to have his bath all ready for him as soon as he entered the house and asked for it. He was told that the food would be ready in an hour's time. The hot water was infused with bath salts and a lavender which soothed his travel-worn sore muscles to no end. He always found travelling difficult due to his height. No carriage was large enough for him to stretch his legs, so had to hunch most of the time, which in return did not make for a comfortable trip.
He never asked for any special treatment after a trip as he did not wish to give more work than required to the servants. Yet, Mrs Cooper spoilt him rotten every time he visited. His bath always had bath salts and lavender, the cook made sure to cook his favourite foods- beef stew with dumplings and chocolate biscuits for dessert- yes, he had a terrible sweet tooth! - even his brothers did not know that. He thought of Charlotte, that would be something he could share with her. Did she have a sweet tooth? He did not know- one more thing to find out about his love. He smiled at that.
He remained in the hot bath and it definitely felt good being pampered for a bit! He closed his eyes and enjoyed his bath until the water started going cold and his skin got all wrinkly. He felt like a new man afterwards. Once he was dressed, he went downstairs for his meal. Beef stew and dumplings with chocolate biscuits, of course! Mrs Cooper was a saint, that was all he had to say in the matter, grinning to himself!
He really enjoyed his food and said so to the lady, who smiled at him indulgently. She could always depend upon Sidney to thank them for anything that they did for him. She worried that everybody saw the moody side of him and not that caring, gentle part of his character. He only revealed it to a selected few. Oh, she so hoped that he could meet a young lady and share his life with! Of course, she would never dare share her thoughts with him, but she kept wishing that on his behalf anyway.
Then, Sidney retired for a very much needed nap asking to be woken up in an hour's time. He slept with a gentle smile on his face dreaming of Charlotte and their first kiss at the top of hill in Sanditon.
The housekeeper woke him up as per his request. He was never an easy person to wake up- she knew that all too well- he could have slept for much longer really, but he did have some work to do today. He groaned and made himself get out of his comfortable bed and his even more pleasant dreams.
Half an hour later, one could find him at the study enjoying a small glass of brandy and a blank piece of paper in front of him. The battle was about to begin! At least in his head as he had some decisions to make. He asked not to be disturbed for the next two hours as he feared that the slightest disruption would derail his thoughts from his planning.
The first matter to consider was the insurance and finding means further disasters from occurring. He had to protect the family's assets from any of Tom's future mismanagement. Therefore, he prepared missives to be sent to both his accountant, Mr Stone, and his solicitor, Mr Thompson to meet him on the morrow.
He asked his accountant to visit him at Bedford Place at nine in the morning with the following documents:
His own and Sanditon's financial information from the bank
A recommendation for a reputable and trustworthy insurance company
Research into ways of preventing the family's property from being used as collateral for loans
A power of attorney document for Tom to sign his rights of the Sanditon project and all its financials to Arthur, Diana and himself.
Taking Tom's name off the family's bank account
A document to be drafted that Tom would sign agreeing that he would need permission from his siblings to draw any amount no matter how small from the family's accounts. It would also need to be added on there that one of the siblings would actually need to accompany him and witness the amount being drawn from the bank.
His solicitor was to visit him at two in afternoon with the following documents:
two copies of his marriage settlement to Charlotte
a copy of his parents' and his own will
A draft copy for a new will
the draft copy a document creating the Sanditon committee in general legal terms. He said in his note to Mr Thompson that he would discuss the names with him at their meeting.
Both missives were prepared and sent via express at Sidney's behest. Now the wheels were in motion. He really needed those documents. He needed to tame Tom's insatiable appetite for new plans and the thinking that money grew on trees. He would take the control off him, ask him to devote time to his family and help build the buildings he so loved.
This made Sidney smile in such a wicked but rather unpleasant way. He loved his eldest brother- he really and truly did. However, his dearest brother had near destroyed the family with his whims. He did not realise that those whims had both grave financial and emotional consequences. He did not realise that his family, his friends, his workers at the building site depended on him. Well, he would now. He would help his workers clear every burnt stone, he would learn to rebuild it stone by stone until he realised the damage that he had caused.
No, Sidney may no longer be angry at Tom, but he had not forgiven him despite his love for him. It has gone beyond that. He had gone too far- he nearly cost him Charlotte- he could forgive Tom a lot of things, but not losing Charlotte.
He may forgive him eventually after his marriage to his Charlotte, he might even accept an apology from him for Mary and the children's sake. However, he would never fully trust him no matter how sorry he claimed to be. Tom Parker's heyday for ruling the roost would be truly over very soon if Sidney had anything to do with it.
Their very livelihood depended on it. It would be for Arthur to play a more active role in the project. Arthur had a good head on him- people passed him by though- ignored him and he took all in with no complaints. This disturbed Sidney. He would change that.
The hardest part done, the other decisions were certainly more pleasant, yet he still had to be discreet. His broken engagement with Eliza was still the talk of London despite Lady Susan's timely intervention. He had to be careful of his Charlotte's reputation. He thought for a moment- yes, he needed a special license from the archdeacon, Mr Jeffery Pie, who happened to be an old school chum and he needed an engagement ring and a present for her from his friend Lovejoy, who was another school friend. He studied with both of them in Oxford and trusted them implicitly for their discretion.
Well, he thought to himself, he had a full morning and afternoon tomorrow. He would be exhausted by the time he finished his discussions with Mr Thompson. He would certainly be in no mood for pleasantries. All he would need is a meal and an early night.
He would invite Jeffery for lunch for the day after. They would then have a good catch-up and he would tell him of his request. This way the whole of London would not be a witness to any new developments and no further gossip would be fuelled by it. Yes, that is a good decision.
Now, Lovejoy. Lovejoy Green was a character and he attracted attention whenever he went. Yes, he was discreet but also very loud when he spoke, so a meeting out of the house is out of the question. He would ask him for dinner the day after as well. He would ask him to discreetly bring some simple and elegant engagement rings and an aquamarine pearl necklace set for Charlotte. He would write that he would explain on the day and that discretion was paramount. That would do it nicely, indeed.
He was satisfied with those two decisions- yet another day filled. The insurance visit would need to wait until all the other documents were in place. He sent the missives via express to his friends and asked them to confirm their attendance. He also informed Mrs Cooper of the planned lunch and dinner in order for the necessary arrangements to be made. He informed her that they would serve themselves and that the staff could take the afternoon and the evening off once the meals have been served. They deserved a day off anyway and this would ensure that no information left the house.
He kept thinking and ticking each item on his list. Ok, accountant ticked, solicitor ticked, marriage license ticked, engagement ring and present ticked. What else? Of course, Charlotte's silks for her trousseau and wedding dress. Not that he knew much about that- in fact he really needed Mary to help him, but her hands were full of tending to his Charlotte. It would not be fair to ask her for more- not that she would mind, but he felt bad doing so. He so wished his mother were alive- she would really have enjoyed all this planning, sighed he wistfully.
Maudlin thoughts aside, he could at least find her some beautiful silk and lace for her wedding dress. He wrote to the captain of his ship from the West Indies asking him for an update on the shipment. He knew that a shipment was to be delivered this week and that silk and lace were part of it. He asked for two bundles of each to be sent to Bedford Place before Friday. At least this was something that he could delegate- thank goodness for that.
That missive being ready, it was sent via express. He had another important missive to send out. To Mary. He needed an update on Charlotte. He penned one and asked her to send him news when she could. That was sent via express as well.
Wow, this whole decision making was exhausting! He felt really tired. He was off to bed to dream of Charlotte again and awake refreshed for the start of a new day.
Chapter 23- Sidney's adventures in London- Part 2- The accountant's visit
Sidney woke up at eight on Monday morning full of energy. It was unlike him to be so energetic, which made Mrs Cooper suspicious of an upcoming change. She so hoped that a young lady was responsible for it! Just seeing master Sidney smiling in full again would be reward enough for her!
His breakfast was all laid out for him at the dining room. He enjoyed it and looked forward to starting his day. He did not have to wait long- before he knew it, it was five minutes before nine when the maid announced his accountant's arrival. He thanked her, asked her to order some refreshments and take his guest to his study. He also asked that once the refreshments were delivered, nobody was to disturb them under any circumstances. Sidney felt it in his bones that this meeting alone would determine a lot of things. He could only ultimately hope for the best.
He found Mr Stone in his study as promised. Sidney took a moment to observe the man before speaking up to greet him.
Mr Stone was a middle-aged, dark-haired man, who has been in the service of the Parker family for years. He had started working for the Parker patriarch, so the brothers kept him on out of loyalty to their father. Sidney knew that he could somehow trust him- the question was how much. Mr Stone would need to prove his mettle. Tom may have been lax in financial matters, but Sidney could not afford to be. He would listen to what the man had to say first become jumping to any conclusions.
Sidney waited until the maid delivered the tea and left the room. He asked his guest 'How do you take your tea, Mr Stone?'
Mr Stone replied, 'Black, one sugar, please, Mr Parker.' Sidney prepared the cup to his guest's satisfaction and passed it on to him. The two men spent some moments performing the customary social niceties to satisfy society's conventions when Sidney suggested they proceed with the business in hand. Mr Stone could not but agree as he was well aware there was a long list of things to discuss.
'Mr Stone, first of all, I would like to thank you for responding to my urgent summons and for putting together the requested information.'
'That was no problem at all, Mr Parker. Your request to meet you actually pre-empted one of my own. I was going to contact you myself if I did not hear from you this week.', Mr Stone responded knowing full well that Mr Sidney Parker would be surprised at this statement.
Sidney was indeed surprised. His response showed exactly how much. 'How so, Mr Stone. Do explain.'
Mr Stone explained, 'Well, Mr Parker, I was reviewing the Parker family's finances after a request from the bank. They contacted me to ask whether any funds could be released to cover the loans that Mr Tom Parker had given in order to cover the building work at Sanditon.
They were going to foreclose on those loans by the end of this month- in other words in 20 days' time, which meant that all the Parker-owned properties would have had to be sold to cover some of the debts. You see, Mr Tom Parker, has mortgaged each of the family's homes twice over to raise those loans- the homes involved were Bedford Place, your parents' home, Michaelmas House, that is currently being rented out, the house where your sister Diana and Arthur reside and Trafalgar House.
Thus, I took the liberty to review the remaining bank balances for the whole family and check whether any remaining revenue was left to cover the bank debts. Unfortunately, I found that even by selling all the properties and putting together Mr Arthur Parker, Miss Diana Parker and your funds, the amount would not have been enough. Your whole family, Mr Parker, was on their way to debtor's prison by the beginning of August.'
Sidney sat on his chair staring at Mr Stone uncomprehendingly. He was feeling a mixture of raw rage, disbelief and sadness towards his eldest brother's stupidity. His instinct had told him that things were bad, but these revelations were unexpected to some degree. He was horrified. Oh, poor Mary and the children! Tom, how could you?
Mr Stone understood his client's surprise. He let him take a moment to comprehend what he had been told- it gave him a chance to collect his own thoughts and take a sip from his now lukewarm cup of tea. Hence, he was used to lukewarm tea, he did not mind.
Sidney, somehow, recovered from his surprise and asked further, 'Did you not advise my brother against all this, Mr Stone? Is this not your responsibility?'
Mr Stone sighed resignedly, 'I did write to your brother, Mr Sidney- if I may call you that. Repeatedly. He ignored my correspondence and I had no way of stopping him. I honestly did try.'
Sidney understood exactly what this man meant. Tom was like a hurricane- seemingly unstoppable. He did not blame this good, honest man for having tried to avert the disaster from happening. He could trust him after all- this was proof enough.
Well, here goes! Let us find out the damage that my incorrigible brother has caused! thought he to himself. He took a deep breath and asked slowly, 'How much is the actual debt, Mr Stone?'
'It is £90,000, Mr Sidney. The bank needs to receive that amount by the end of this week. Once they do, this frees up all the properties and they are all loan free.'
Sidney was fuming inside. He thought of his Charlotte and her good sense in a moment of crisis. This is when he needed her at most. He had to pretend that she was here with him- he had to think calmly and with a cool, clear head. He nodded at Mr Stone and asked the gentleman to give him a few moments to think. Mr Stone assented to his client's request.
Sidney took his time. He made the decision to send an urgent missive to Lady Susan at Sanditon, explain the situation and ask for the funds to be sent over. Once this has been done, he would pay for the insurance from his own funds.
'Thank you for giving me time to reflect, Mr Stone. Let me appraise you of some new developments that will ease this financial burden. The Regent has decided to give us funds for the development of Sanditon and has offered to cover the debts.'
Mr Stone replied with a smile, 'I am right glad to hear that, Mr Sidney. I was truly concerned for the future of your family. I admired your father very much. He would have been most disappointed at this turn of events.'
'He would have certainly been, Mr Stone. I could not agree with you more. Now, let us fix this mess.' Sidney asked Mr Stone for the exact financial figures for the whole family, which he studied most carefully and assiduously.
Mr Tom Parker
Debts: £90,000- No remaining funds
Loan to Mr Sidney Parker before Antigua- £15,000
Loan from Mr Arthur Parker- £5,000
Loan from Miss Diana Parker- £2,000
Loan from Mr Sidney Parker- £10,000
Mr Arthur Parker
Remaining funds: £10,000- No debts
Loan to Mr Tom Parker- £5,000
Miss Diana Parker
Remaining funds: £5,000- No debts
Loan to Mr Tom Parker- £2,000
Mr Sidney Parker
Remaining funds: £25,000- No debts
Loan to Mr Tom Parker- £10,000
He understood that Tom owed amounts both to Arthur (£5,000) and Diana (£2,000), which he would have to pay back to them a little bit every month. The payment of those amounts would certainly aid his siblings in a significant way.
Arthur was a thrifty fellow, but those extra payments would allow him to save for his future. Diana also deserved to have a half-decent dowry. He hoped that she would marry one day. The more he thought about it, the more the plan appealed to him.
Sidney also knew that Tom was instrumental in helping him before he left for Antigua. He owed Tom a great debt for that. Putting the emotional debt aside, which he felt that he had already repaid his eldest brother in full after what he had already tolerated from him, he realised to his dismay that he had not yet paid the financial one to him. Oh, Eliza, you have a lot to be blamed for! I would never have accumulated that debt if not for you! To his horror, he actually still owed him £5,000.
Charlotte's chastisement for not doing enough for his family came briefly to his mind. He briefly wondered how his love was doing. Was she thinking of him? He certainly was thinking of her. He switched his thoughts from Charlotte to the matter in hand.
He would purchase Sanditon's building insurance and this would cover the financial debt as well. Let Tom dare tell him that he owed him anything after all that! He wouldn't dare!
Mr Stone could see his client working things out in his head. He was so very pleased to be speaking to the most sensible member of the Parker family. Mr Tom Parker exasperated him as he never listened to a word of caution. Now Mr Sidney Parker was different. He was a moody albeit sensible gentleman- this sensibility may just save this family from further harm.
Sidney wrote his urgent missive to Lady Susan asking him to release the funds to him in Mr Stone's presence. He explained the circumstances around the request. He also informed her that he would be buying the insurance once the bank has freed the Parker homes from the loans. He asked one of the servants to send the missive via express. This being done, he next turned his attention to Mr Stone.
'Mr Stone, I have just sent a missive to the Regent's financial representative in Sanditon. I am in hopes that the amount of £90,000 would be available to us before the end of this week. As you can see from the list that I have passed on to you, I still owe my brother £5,000 and he owes £7,000 in total to both my brother Arthur and my sister Diana. I will not bail my brother out of this owed amount as I will purchase the insurance for the building work in Sanditon instead. This way my debt to him is going to be discharged. Please take some notes for me.'
Mr Stone prepared himself to do so. Sidney continued, 'Mr Stone, please put together an official notice from myself to Mr Tom Parker informing him of the debt of £7,000 to his siblings and charging him to pay the amount of £117 every month to Arthur and Diana. He has three years to pay the whole owed amount to them. If that amount has not been repaid to his siblings within those three years, please stress the point that I will myself take him to debtor's prison and leave him there. Please present me with two copies of that document. I will sign both of them and give the other one to my brother when I next have a discussion with him. He is a terrible correspondent as you well know, so sending it via post to him will not be an effective method to attract his attention.'
Mr Stone nodded and took the necessary notes. 'Of course, Mr Sidney, I will put both documents together and bring them with me next time we meet. What next?'
Sidney asked, 'How did you get on with the insurance research that I had asked you to undertake?'
Mr Stone was prepared for this question. 'There are two reputable companies for buildings' insurance that are operating in London at present. The premiums they charge are sensible for the 7 homes on the burnt terrace. The first one, Homesafe, would charge you £3,000 for a three-year policy and the second one, Priceright, would charge you £5,000 for a 7-year cover. Once you choose the company, I can then contact them asking them to set the contract up on your behalf and transfer the funds to them upon your approval. Providing we contact them by tomorrow, the insurance would be set up by Friday this week.'
Sidney took in this information and responded, 'Let us choose the one called 'Priceright', please. Please make note of that. That is excellent work, Mr Stone. Let us move on to the next point. How can we stop Tom from interfering in the family's finances in future? Do you have any suggestions?'
Mr Stone had already given some thought to this question and responded, 'Mr Sidney, your father had given your brother, Mr Tom Parker, the lion's share of the family's wealth with full access to the family's bank account. As sensible as your father was, he did not predict the extent of the financial problems that your brother would get your family into. There is something we can do, but you may not like the suggestion.'
'What would that be, Mr Stone?', Sidney asked.
Mr Stone sighed and proceeded with his suggestion, 'To declare your brother as mentally unstable and for him to willingly and out of his own accord sign a power-of-attorney document giving access to you and your siblings to all of the family's assigned properties and finances. This means that he would lose all his income and that he would no longer have access to any of the family's bank account indefinitely. This is a non-reversible action. Once we start it, it cannot be undone.'
Sidney did not know what to say. He knew Tom was not mad! He was enthusiastic but careless. If Sidney let this go on, it would cost the family dearly. So be it. It was for the greater good. He responded to Mr Stone, 'Put the document together, Mr Stone. Two copies for me to sign if you please. We cannot allow my brother to continue with his impulsive actions otherwise our family will be destroyed in the process. I know he does not mean to be destructive in his behaviour, but what choice do we have?'
Mr Stone responded, 'Of course, Mr Sidney. It will be ready for you. Anything else?'
Sidney continued, 'I hope to marry soon, Mr Stone. What is the standard amount that is assigned to a wife on the marriage settlement?'
Mr Stone smiled, 'Congratulations, sir! That is great news. Well, Mr Sidney, that would be £5,000.'
Sidney smiled back, 'Thank you for your good wishes, Mr Stone. Please keep this news under wraps for now though. It is still not public knowledge. Yes, £5,000 is a sensible amount. I will keep it in mind.'
It was twelve in the afternoon- Mr Stone and Sidney have been cooped up in the study for three hours.
In the meantime, Sidney's urgent message had reached Lady Susan in Sanditon. She considered the matter and sent an urgent missive to her bank to release £90,000 onto Mr Sidney Parker's bank account. She waited to get that confirmed. Once her bank confirmed that this has been done, she then responded to Sidney's missive asking him to proceed. She also included Mary's missive to him about Charlotte at the same time- she knew he would be worried. The messenger was dispatched to Bedford Place in London with the fastest available horse.
The messenger reached the house just when both gentlemen, parched by now as they had already drank all the tea, asked for further refreshments. The maid brought both the new refreshments and Lady Susan's urgent message to Sidney.
Sidney brightened up with the news. 'Mr Stone, I have excellent news. Our contact in Sanditon has confirmed that the funds of £90,000 have been transferred to my account. Please pay the banks and clear the loans. Once you have done that, please contact the insurance company and make the necessary arrangements.
Let us summarise the documents that you need prepare for me:
Debts' payment request to Arthur and Diana Parker- £7000- Notice to Tom Parker to pay £117 each month to each sibling. Debt to be paid within three years otherwise Tom to be taken to debtor's prison by Mr Sidney Parker.
Priceright insurance- £5,000 for 7-year cover- To be set up by tomorrow- Get contract by Friday this week.
Power of attorney for Tom's finances to be transferred to Parker siblings – Mr Arthur Parker, Mr Diana Parker, Mr Sidney Parker
Please check your notes and confirm.'
Mr Stone reviewed his notes and repeated all that Sidney had asked him to do. Sidney nodded to that. 'Excellent, Mr Stone. Yes, that is all correct. Please send your messages to the bank and the insurance asking them to implement the transfer of the funds. Ask them to send the confirmation to Bedford Place.'
Mr Stone did as he was told. The messenger was sent out again with all the missives. Sidney started relaxing a bit. Things were going to plan. God bless, Lady Susan! To Mr Stone he said, 'Now, we will enjoy a hot cup of tea and some of my cook's biscuits whilst we wait. It is time we get to know each other better seeing that we will be working closely together in future. Tell me more about yourself.'
Mr Stone smiled at his client. He knew he would enjoy doing business with Mr Sidney Parker. He was very much like his father- a sensible and clever man. 'I was born in London. I have been working as an accountant for the past ten years- five of those years I worked with your father. If you would allow me to say so, Mr Sidney, you are very much like him. He had a good head on his shoulders.'
Sidney blushed at the older man's praise. 'That is very kind of you to say that, Mr Stone. My father was an excellent man, but, unfortunately, I do not remember much on what he was like. I was only twelve years old when he died. What was he like as a person?'
Mr Stone thought for a moment, 'He had a wicked sense of humour and he could spot a lie instantly. No business associate could get away with a fib.' Both men chuckled. Yes, Sidney remembered when he stole that cookie from the cookie jar at Christmas time. He certainly did not get away with that. He smiled at the memory.
They continued their discussion on Mr Stone's business partners and family. Sidney found out what kind of business Mr Stone normally handled. It was useful information for the future. He also found out that Mr Stone had been married for 10 years and that he had two daughters and a son. It was a very pleasant conversation. Sidney enjoyed sensible adult conversation. That was one of the reasons that he fell in love with his Charlotte. He could have a conversation to her about anything. Oh, how he missed her!
The tea had been drank and the biscuits had all been eaten up by the time the messages from the bank and the insurance company arrived. It was most satisfying to know that all the loans have been paid off and that the insurance has been set up. What a relief! Both Sidney and Mr Stone were satisfied with the results. Mr Stone confirmed that he would work on the three documents and bring them to Sidney.
'Mr Stone, yes, that would be fine. The next topic I would like to discuss with you is some provisional measures for my sister-in-law and her three children. Please set up four savings accounts paying £50 every month to each of them from my account. Those accounts are to be kept a secret from all of them to avoid Tom having access to the funds. Please get the message ready and send the instruction to the bank.'
Mr Stone obliged and the message was sent accordingly. Sidney was satisfied. 'Mr Stone, it has been a real pleasure doing business with you. Please send me your bill and I will get that paid to you. Can you meet me tomorrow morning and provide me with the documents? Is nine in the morning a convenient time for you?'
Mr Stone agreed to the time. 'Certainly, Mr Sidney. I will have everything ready for you. I look forward to our meeting tomorrow morning. By the way, please pass my complements to your cook. The biscuits were delicious.'
Sidney laughed aloud at that. 'I certainly will, Mr Stone. She will appreciate your praise. Thank you for all your help. We will speak tomorrow morning.'
Mr Stone bowed respectfully and left the room. Sidney sat down with a goofy smile on his face. What a productive morning! Sanditon was safe. No more debts or loans, no threat of the debtor's house and the insurance has been bought. It was as if a huge weight has been lifted from his shoulders. Once Mr Stone brought the documents to him, Tom would never again impose his wishes to anybody. The future certainly looked bright from where he was standing.
He looked at the time. Ah, it was one in the afternoon. His other meeting was at two o' clock. He wrote a missive to Lady Susan thanking her profusely for her help and confirming that the debts of £90,000 have been cleared and that the insurance has been purchased. He also mentioned the other steps he was taking against Tom jeopardising Sanditon's future again. He sent it via special messenger along with a message to Mary to thank her about her news of Charlotte.
He now realised that a quick lunch was in order. He was starving! He called for Mrs Cooper, told her to pass on Mr Cooper's message about the biscuits to the cook and asked for lunch to be sent to him. The good lady had already predicted his appetite- not that he was surprised. That woman was worth her weight in gold! His lunch was waiting for him at the dining room. He was a lucky man, indeed!
Chapter 24- Sidney's adventures in London- Part 3- The solicitor's visit
Sidney felt refreshed after his lunch. He had just entered his study and sat down on his chair when the maid announced Mr Thompson's arrival. Sidney greeted him and asked him whether he would join him for a glass of brandy. Mr Thomson was weary after a long morning visit, so he was glad to accept his client's offer.
'Thank you for accommodating my request so promptly, Mr Thompson. That was very kind of you.' Sidney graciously thanked his solicitor.
Mr Thomson responded politely, 'No problem at all, Mr Parker. What would you like us to discuss first?'
Sidney opted for his parents' will. 'Let us start with my parents' will, if you please. I have long wondered what it included as I was very young when they both died. Would you enlighten me?'
Mr Thompson obliged and described the terms of both his father's and mother's will. He explained that his mother had left Arthur an income of £15,000 and Diana with an income of £7,000. The solicitor commented that Sidney's inheritance came from a distant uncle and the original amount was £10,000. Their father had left the bulk of the Parker family's portfolio - £30,000 at the point of his death- to Mr Tom Parker, the eldest son as per the custom.
The contents of the wills did not surprise Sidney as it was much as he remembered. There were no surprises there. Then he asked his solicitor a key question, well at least for him. 'Mr Thompson, were there any directions in my father's will should there be a case of mismanagement in the inherited monies?'
Mr Thompson looked at his client with interest but knowing full well what Mr Tom Parker had been up to, he could not say that he was surprised at the request. He brought out the copy of the said will, read it to himself for a moment and responded, 'Mr Parker, your father did not stipulate any terms as such. The fortune was left to your brother, Mr Tom Parker, outright to manage as he wished.'
Sidney sighed at that response- he took another sip from his brandy glass before asking again, 'Can the will be contested should the person who inherited is deemed to be mentally unstable?'
Mr Thompson looked up at his client with a very curious look. He could not quite comprehend the question. 'Mentally unstable, you say sir? Could you mean your brother, Mr Tom Parker?'
Sidney nodded and gave the solicitor a brief albeit accurate summary on what he had already discussed with his accountant and what had been happening in Sanditon. Mr Thompson looked aggrieved after hearing this narrative.
'I am very sorry to hear all that, sir. I can see the relevance of your question now. No, there are no limitations on your father's will. Unfortunately, the will cannot be contested as your father was corpus mentis when he had it written up. Therefore, your accountant's, Mr Stone's suggestion, is indeed the only way around your problem in reducing Mr Tom Parker's access to the funds and his inheritance. How about Mrs Parker and the children, though? What are they going to live upon?'
Sidney responded, 'I have considered the issue and came to the conclusion that I will set up a household account of £1000 per year for my sister-in-law where she would have access to all the necessary funds to run the household without my brother's influence. Do you think that would work, Mr Thompson?'
Mr Thompson was impressed with that suggestion, 'It certainly would, Mr Parker. Mrs Mary Parker is a very thrifty lady, so she should have no problem managing with that budget in a year. If I may be so bold, that income would also support both your brother Arthur and your sister Diana. This way, they would both save themselves from running a separate household.'
Sidney smiled at the man, 'That is a good suggestion, Mr Thompson. Consolidating both households will certainly save some money. Would the parental home at Michaelmas House accommodate the family, do you think? Or would it rather be better to keep renting it, stay in Trafalgar House and rent Arthur and Diana's home?'
Mr Thompson took a look at his paperwork, pondered and responded, 'Mr Parker, your tenants at Michaelmas House bring you an income of £25 per year. It certainly is not to be sniffled at. Renting Trafalgar House or even your brother and sister's home could bring you between £20 and £30 per year as both properties are in the town centre. Even if you rented each house for £25 per year each, this would give a healthy income of £50 per year.
That amount of £50 could be divided between the three of your brother's children and added in their saving accounts that you have had set up on their behalf. Each child would have a healthy dowry when it is time for them to marry. Therefore, it would make sense to move the family to the parental home and rent the other two properties.
Considering what you told me about the new developments in Sanditon, it would also make sense to keep running your London home and not rent it as it will save you running further accommodation costs when visiting the capital.'
Sidney pondered at those options. Yes, those options made sense. Both the Sanditon project and the Parker family where debt free- well with the exclusion of Tom. The remaining funding from the Regent was £30,000, which despite it being a large amount, it would need to last for a while. They would need further funding to fully proceed with the rebuilding. He put that thought in the back burner for the time being.
The whole family needed to save as much of their income as possible. In fact, the more that he thought about this, the more appealing Mr Thompson's suggestions seemed. If or when Charlotte accepted his suit- he would never take her agreement for granted knowing full well how much he wronged her, they would need to live somewhere, as well. He would need to consult his love when the time came. That decision could wait until she had accepted him.
Sidney asked his solicitor, 'When does the tenancy expire at Michaelmas House?'
Mr Thompson responded, 'In three months' time, Mr Parker. They are due to renew it or leave then.'
Sidney was satisfied with this response. They had three months until a potential move. Lots of things could happen in those three months. However, the family's spending still needed to be curtailed. Mary's household account needed to be set up as soon as possible. Unfortunately, Trafalgar House was not big enough to have Arthur and Diana move in, so that would have to wait for now. The suggestion of not renting Bedford Place was also good.
Sidney was satisfied with the decision. He said to his solicitor, 'Mr Thompson, we will wait until the current tenant lease expires at Michaelmas House. In the meantime, it is important that the household account is set up under Mary Parker's name. Please draft the legal document for my sister-in-law and myself to sign. Two copies, please.
We will wait until after the lease in the parental house expires and consider renting Trafalgar House as well as Arthur and Diana's house once the family has moved back to the parental house. We will play it by ear until then as a lot of things can change in three months.
What is most important at present is that Mary is given free reign of her immediate family's finances. Tom cannot be trusted under any circumstances. Please put two copies of the document together for her to sign and with me as the other assignee.'
Mr Thompson nodded agreeably, 'Of course, Mr Parker. I will put that together for you. What next?'
Sidney responded, 'I hope to marry soon, Mr Thompson. The young lady whom I hope to marry is currently unwell, so matters have not been settled between us just yet. She is yet to accept me, but I have high hopes that she might. I wanted you to put together a draft document for a marriage settlement leaving provision of £5,000 for my future bride.'
Mr Thompson smiled pleasantly at his client. 'Congratulations, Mr Parker. I am sorry to hear about the young lady's illness, though. I can certainly put the marriage settlement together for you. I gather some discretion is in order as this is not common knowledge just yet, is that correct?'
Sidney nodded, 'That is entirely correct, Mr Thompson. Discretion is paramount. Please prepare two copies of it. Keep the first one and then give me one for my perusal. Once the marriage settlement is sorted, I will then also change my will accordingly.' The solicitor confirmed that he would do so.
Sidney continued, 'The next business matter that we have to deal with is the creation of the Sanditon committee. We hope to create a management committee for the project. My plan is for the committee members to be the following:
A representative of the current investors on the project
The Parker family (Arthur Parker, Diana Parker, Sidney Parker and Mary Parker) excluding Tom Parker.
Mr James Stringer, the overseer of the project
There is scope of adding new members in future, but it may be good to start with a small list of people for the time being.'
Mr Thompson was agreeable to this plan. 'That is an excellent plan, Mr Parker. In fact, it is the perfect safety valve for such a project. I would be more than happy to draft the document.'
Sidney thanked him. 'Let us summarise then, I would need two copies of following documents from you. Please confirm that you have noted down all three requests and bring the documents to me at 11.00 tomorrow morning:
Document giving Mrs Mary Parker access to the household accounts
The marriage settlement
The Sanditon committee draft
Mr Thompson was certainly impressed with his client. He certainly gave clear instructions and he demanded promptness. He really liked that- if only all clients were so thorough in their business dealings, then his job would be that much easier. He repeated back to his client the list of documents that were needed.
Sidney smiled at the solicitor. 'Excellent, Mr Thompson. Thank you again for your help. We will speak tomorrow morning at eleven. Please also let me know tomorrow of your fees for me to issue the payment for your services.'
Mr Thompson bid his client a good day and was shown out by the maid leaving Sidney in the study. Sidney was thinking how fast time flew this afternoon. The solicitor arrived at two and it was now five. He deserved a reward after all this concentration. He would take a nap before dinner. He suddenly thought to himself that he did not know when dinner was to be.
He called for the ever-reliable Mrs Cooper and asked her when dinner would be ready. She said it would be ready by seven- in two hours' time. He then told her then that he would take a small nap and for her to wake him up when it was all ready. Off he went them to dreamland to join Charlotte in her own dreams.
Chapter 25- Sidney plans ahead
The delicious smell of chicken soup woke Sidney up even before Mrs Cooper knocked on his door. He was so very hungry! It seems that all this productivity has perked up his appetite to its normal levels. Charlotte would have been pleased to know that and the thought brought a smile on his face. He got ready to enjoy his dinner. The soup was as delicious as he thought it would have been and he was most complementary to his cook via his housekeeper.
He was back in his study enjoying a bit of peace and quiet. It was unbelievable that he had an evening to himself with no visits of either business or pleasure. He needed to plan ahead and think what else he needed to achieve whilst he was in London. He really had to use his time here wisely as he wanted to spend as much of his time as possible in Sanditon with Charlotte.
He found that the best way to plan ahead was to write down what he had already done. He started writing each item down- insurance ticked, first appointment with accountant ticked and first appointment with solicitor ticked. 'Excellent progress, Sidney!' He did feel silly congratulating himself as he went along, but there it was.
He then thought of his day tomorrow. It would be a very busy Tuesday indeed. His accountant was due at nine in the morning, his solicitor at eleven in the morning, the archdeacon at one in the afternoon and the jeweller at seven in the evening. Depending on how long Jeffery stayed for lunch, which knowing his friend's dedication to the church, it would not be more than two hours. He was as punctual to his duties as a Swiss clock. It was an endearing quality!
That left him some free time between three and five in the afternoon tomorrow. He could have a nap like today at five before his dinner with Lovejoy- he really does need to make napping a habit- this rest was benefitting him no end. He did secretly think, though, that napping with Charlotte would be even more beneficial for him in the future. Is she a napper, he wondered to himself? Oh, how many secrets about her he had to uncover!
Two whole hours in the afternoon. What to do? Think Sidney, think! What else are you hoping to achieve this week? Don't you want to go back to your Charlotte? Then, think! He decided that a walk to the window and another glass of brandy would assist his thinking process. So that is what he did.
The trick worked like a charm. He would have most of the documents he needed in the morning. The results of both his lunch and dinner arrangements would only bear fruit latest by Thursday- so the special wedding license, the engagement ring and Charlotte's present could only be obtained then. The insurance document was to available that day as well- he really needed to check with Mr Stone about that tomorrow morning. Last but not least, the fabrics for Charlotte's wedding dress would be here by Thursday this week as well. Therefore, unless extenuating circumstances came about there was nothing further that he could do speed those errands up.
He could put what he could not control out of his mind. Isn't that better, Sidney? Now, concentrate. What else do you need? Ah, the funding from other investors and the materials for the rebuilding.
Mr Stone will prove helpful in tracing the best suppliers for the materials- there was a slight problem on that, though. He needed Mr Stringer to give him a review of what was needed as well as the architectural plans. He did not have them, and he needed that information tomorrow morning. Could Mr Stringer speed that up and send him all the details in London via messenger? Mary would be happy to arrange it- Sidney had no doubt of that. Good plan that, well done Sidney!
He sat down, wrote the missive to Mr Stringer asking him to provide him with the costs of the rebuilding work, the manpower and the materials that were needed. He then asked him in the message to go to Trafalgar House this evening, ask for Mary and ask her to send the information to him via messenger to Bedford Place. He also stressed the point that Tom was not to be informed of this and the information needed to have reached him before nine in the morning tomorrow.
He also asked Mr Stringer to start working on the architectural designs for the repairs on the terrace. Sidney thought to him that this would give Mr Stringer three days in the week and the whole of the weekend to work on them. He told him in the missive that he would set up a meeting with him upon his return to Sanditon to discuss them further. Who knows- Lady Susan or the Regent might like to have a peak at them?
Sidney was satisfied with himself. He put the message aside to send. Now, new investors. Let us see. They needed more money for the rebuild. They could not ask of more money from either the Regent or Lady Susan. Talking about Lady Susan- he needed to send her an update. He could send her the update with the meeting with his solicitor and ask her in his missive whether there were any contacts he could get in touch with before returning to Sanditon on Saturday.
Excellent plan, Sidney! He sat down to write his message to Lady Susan. He put it aside for now. There was something else that he needed to add to that message. What was it Sidney? You are slacking, which means only one thing- you are getting tired! One last effort come on!
He looked blankly at the wall and there it was. As if a lightbulb had lit up in his brain! The Regent's ball! Of course! Now Sidney did not have a clue about organising balls, but Mary did. He asked Lady Susan when the Regent's ball was to be. It would give him more of a timeframe.
He finished both messages and asked Mrs Cooper to send them off via messenger immediately. Sanditon is only one hour away so with any luck he would get both James Stringer's and Lady Susan's message tomorrow at some point. He did explain to the good housekeeper that he expected both responses tomorrow.
He concluded that he would need a bit downtime to organise his thoughts tomorrow- those two spare hours would be extra time to deal with any emergencies. Flexibility being the key component there!
Enough with business for one evening! Time to think about Charlotte! He so wished that he could see her. He was frustrated that he was here in London and he could not even talk to her! What could he do to show her that he was thinking of her? It was a tricky thing. A good night sleep would give him inspiration. He was done for the day. Off to bed and dreamland with his Charlotte!
Chapter 26- Mr Stringer reflects
Sidney Parker slept peacefully in London after a productive Monday. However, Mr James Stringer in Sanditon has been going through a constant upheaval in his life ever since his father's sudden demise.
He felt all sorts of feelings- guilt, anger, confusion, grief- all mixed together in an unexplained way that was new to him. He felt guilty because of the heated words that they exchanged together without knowing that they would be the last they would speak to each other. He was angry at himself for letting his vanity get the better of him and for letting his father down. He grieved his father's steadying presence and the empty house where he currently lived- it was a very lonely existence. Those three feelings were with him at all times- they were well hidden at the peats of his heart.
However, the predominant feelings that he has been feeling this past week, was confusion in addition to worry. He knew that love was a confusing feeling. He thought that he had been in love with Charlotte Heywood. He was charmed by her ways and felt his heart beat faster when she was near. He also felt shy and awkward around her. She had also been friendly and open when she spoke with him. He listened to all her concerns- yet he had this niggly feeling that she never gave him her full attention. Her mind was almost always elsewhere engaged.
She smiled at him, but he also saw that she got on with everybody apart from her quarrelling matches with Mr Sidney Parker. They, then, returned from London along with Miss Lambe and things changed even more. She was still friendly with him, but even more absentminded than usual especially when Mr Sidney Parker was near. The Midsummer's Ball confirmed his suspicions as he could literally feel Mr Parker follow her with his eyes around the room when she was dancing with him. It was a certain fact that Mr Sidney Park was definitely heads over heels in love with Miss Charlotte Heywood. The whole of Sanditon could see it!
Then, the fire came, he lost his father and Mr Sidney Parker returned from London announcing his engagement with Mrs Eliza Campion quite possibly crashing Miss Charlotte's heart in pieces. The gentleman's return and Mis Charlotte's collapse were so closely linked with each other that he had no doubt that both events were connected.
He knew that Miss Charlotte cared for Mr Parker instead of himself. She just viewed him as her friend, so he would settle for that- she was too important for him not to. This is why he was now worried about his friend.
She was healthy and strong- this collapse of hers really disturbed his piece of mind. The diligence and care of the people in Sanditon on her behalf humbled him. He was proud to be her friend and he vowed to help her get better if he could. Therefore, him being assigned the people's representative to fetch their offerings to Trafalgar House, was an opportunity he relished.
This was until his confusion increased and he became even more confused than he already was. He saw Charlotte's sister and his world turned upside down in a moment. His belly was full of butterflies and he felt nervous and shy the few times that he even spoke to her. Both Miss Charlotte's mother and sister were lovely ladies. He understood how their mother's charm was passed on to both daughters.
Miss Alison Heywood's charms were very much in his mind after having just left Trafalgar House this Monday evening. Did she like him at all? What did she really think of him? How can he find out? It seems that confusion was his permanent friend these days! He sighed aloud at that thought.
He had just said goodbye to her after asking her about her sister. Miss Alison said that her sister was not awake but that she was not any worse. He had sighed inwardly when he heard that. Poor Miss Charlotte! - how at fault Mr Sidney Parker was for her condition! He was fuming over that particular gentleman's conduct walking towards his house.
Just before he entered a messenger asked him whether he was Mr James Stringer. He was surprised at the question but replied that he was. The messenger, then, gave him a missive that had been sent to him. The messenger disappeared before he could even thank him for delivering it to him.
He went in the small sitting room and opened it being admittedly curious about its contents. He had never been sent one in the past- he could hardly think who would think to send him one and for what reason. He certainly spent some moments reading its contents and digesting the meaning of the words.
The message was from Mr Sidney Parker himself asking him to send him the costs of the rebuilding work, the manpower and the materials that were needed by tomorrow morning. He also wanted him to start working on the architectural plans to be reviewed upon Mr Parker's return to Sanditon.
He was furious with this Mr Sidney- how dare he treat his friend like that and put Miss Alison and their lovely mother throughout all this worry. Yet, he knew two things for certain. The first thing was the gentleman in question broke the engagement with Mrs Campion proving that he actually cared for Miss Charlotte and the second was that despite everything he trusted the gentleman in matters of business.
Mr Sidney was the most sensible from all the three Parker brothers. He had lost count how many times Mr Tom Parker frustrated him. At least dealing with the sensible brother of the family would mean both that some progress might just be made on the building work and that the labourers would get paid for their work. He was also excited at being given the chance to prove himself with a new set of plans. He was still hoping that his daydream of becoming an architect might just become true in the future.
Therefore, he sat himself down to work on this errand. He had to get the information to Trafalgar House soon. He had already checked the burnt apartments. The main damage was mainly cosmetic, but some walls would need to be replaced. Some of the stone carvings would need to be redone as well. He supposed that the repair work would need to be completed sooner than later- perhaps with a workforce of 40 tradesmen the work should finish with three weeks.
He paused his calculations for a moment- the next challenge was the cost. He supposed that £400 would cover the building materials such as stone, straw, nails and lumber, £20 per each of the 40 labourers and £25 per week for his own salary. She wrote down all the costs just to be clear:
Building materials- £400
Stone- 5 cartloads
Straw- 2 cartloads
Nails- 100 boxes
Lumber- 6 cartloads
Number of labourers- 40
Salary per labourer per week- £20 (£800 for all three weeks)
Duration of building work- 3 weeks
Salary of overseer- £25
Total amount: £1,225
He looked at the calculations with satisfaction. Yes, that would do nicely. He would start working on the architectural designs from tomorrow onwards. He wrote down his response to Mr Parker outlining all the requested information confirming that the architectural plans for the terrace would be ready for Mr Parker's perusal by the time he returned to Sanditon.
He looked at the time. Goodness, it was already eight in the evening! He hated disturbing the Parker family and Miss Charlotte this late, but there it was. He has been told to do so. He wore his hat and run to Trafalgar House.
The door was opened by one of the maids, who was admittedly surprised to see him. He explained his errand to her and asked to speak to Mrs Mary Parker. Mary received Mr Stringer at the sitting room mildly wandering what possessed him to call upon them this late. She was too well-bred a lady to say any such thing though, so she told him instead, 'Mr Stringer, that is a surprise. How can I help you?'
'Mrs Parker, I am truly sorry to disturb you this late, but your brother-in-law, Mr Sidney Parker, asked me to put together some information on the terrace apartments and the rebuilding work, which he needed to receive at Bedford Place by tomorrow morning. Therefore, he asked me to speak to you about arranging for a messenger to dispatch the information tonight.'
Mary nodded and smiled at him. 'That is no trouble, Mr Stringer. Please give me the message and I will get that dispatched on your behalf. It was very good of you to bring it over'.
He was relieved at this reception. He smiled back at the kind lady and wished her good night. As soon as he left, Mary summoned one of the footmen on duty and asked to call for a messenger. It only took 10 minutes or so to find one.
Mr Stringer's missive reached Bedford Place at ten in evening by a sleepy footman with a crooked white wig. The footman, sleepy or not, did not want Mr Sidney's wrath- he liked him better when he was in a good mood- so the missive was placed on his desk to greet him in the morning.
Chapter 27- Messengers aplenty
The messenger service both in London and Sanditon were beginning to rely on the Parker family's business. They were about to get busier when at ten in the morning on Tuesday Lady Susan entered Trafalgar House and she was given Sidney's message by the lady of the house.
She was extremely impressed with the gentleman's organisational skills and business acumen. He had just been in London for a couple of days and he had done wonders. The debts have been covered, the insurance has been bought and more progress has already been made towards restricting Mr Tom Parker's influence on the Sanditon project. Yes, indeed! She would make absolutely sure that the Regent was aware of Sidney's efforts and that he received some sort of reward.
Lady Susan was currently in the sitting room. She was putting together her plan of action concerning Sanditon. Mr Parker had asked her for potential contacts for investors. She was raking her brain and noting down names whilst enjoying a hot cup of tea with some delectable pastries. The people whom she was thinking of as potential investors had more money that they knew what to do with. Those excess funds were normally spent either on women or gambling. She was of the firm opinion that moving all those funds to Sanditon would benefit not only the health of the investors themselves but this town as well.
The best way to approach them was via the Regent. She would send him an update via messenger outlining that the debts have been covered, the insurance has been bought and how Mr Sidney Parker's efforts benefited the project. This left only the repairs to be done and further investors to consider. It could be indirectly suggested to his highness to throw a party to announce this new project to his friends. This approach would ensure the long-term success of the venture.
She was fully aware that the remaining £30,000 of the Regent's funding may or may not cover the project. They needed more investors and it seemed that Mr Sidney Parker was of the same opinion, which showed his broadness of mind. They needed at least a couple more to tidy them over for now. She put her thinking cap on again. Lord Forster and Lord Cunningham kept writing to her asking for information concerning Sanditon ever since the Regent gave her access to the funding. Yes, she thought to herself, they would do very nicely.
She sat down near the nearest table. She drafted her messages to both Lords giving them further information on the project and telling them to confirm with her at Trafalgar House when they would meet Mr Sidney Parker at Bedford Place. She, then, put the two messages aside. She also started drafting her response to Mr Parker's message telling him of the two new investors and that she would let him know when they would meet him in London. She also told him that the Regent's ball would need to be held at the end of August.
She breathed in and decided that this was enough business for now- she would send the messages via messenger shortly. She would finish her tea and that delicious strawberry pastry. She made a mental note to ask Mrs Parker for the recipe. It was delicious! She enjoyed the flaky pastry and sweet filling very much. Strawberries were her favourite fruit.
We left Lady Susan enjoying her pastry. Sidney had already been up at eight in the morning at eight on Tuesday morning. He had already finished his breakfast by eight thirty, so he decided to make his way down to his study. He was very pleased to find Mr Stringer's message. He already had a couple of messages to send out before his meeting at nine with Mr Stone.
He sat down to write to Lady Susan giving her Mr Stringer's calculations and asking her to release the funds to him. He also wrote to Georgiana to ask her for a favour- he had an epiphany when he woke up- he would gift Charlotte a locket with both their likenesses. He would also get one for himself as well with just her likeness on there. He needed Georgiana's help in order to get this present done. His ward was gifted in sketching and painting. He asked her to send him both his and Charlotte's likeness in a sketch via messenger before lunchtime today. He had the messages dispatched just before Mr Stone's arrival.
The messenger delivered Sidney's new message to Lady Susan when she had finished eating the last piece of her pastry. She smiled widely at the news that she had received. She was glad that she had waited before sending the other messages.
She asked for a messenger to deliver the messages to the two new investors, the Regent and her bank. She decided that it would be best to receive their responses. Once she did, then she would respond to Mr Parker with all the info. She put the message that was to be sent later in her reticule.
The messenger then went to Mrs Griffiths's house to deliver the message to Georgiana. It was good pure luck that Georgiana was to spend some time with Charlotte this morning, so Sidney's message to his ward was delivered to her just before she was about to leave the house. It gave her time to collect her sketching tools and notepad. Georgiana loved drawing and she was glad to be able to do something for both her friend and Sidney. Her guardian was growing on her, thought she begrudgingly. The things she did for Charlotte! Her friend certainly deserved all the presents in the world.
She hurried out of the house and reached Trafalgar House just as the messenger was heading out. The maid took Georgiana's outerwear. She saw Lady Susan at the sitting room and went to greet her. 'Good morning Lady Susan, how are you this morning?'
Lady Susan smiled at Mr Parker's ward. He got to know her a bit more and she really liked the young lady. 'Good morning to you Georgiana too, remember it is Susan. I am well. How about you?'
Georgiana responded, 'Very well, Susan. I am to visit with Charlotte for a bit and I am also on an errand. Sidney wants to present Charlotte with a present, so he asked me to sketch both her and him and send the sketches to him today. Are you to send him any more messages today? Could I give you the sketches to send at the same time?'
Lady Susan exclaimed, 'A sketch is a great idea. I gather he is missing her a lot, then. I would be happy to send your sketches alongside my messages. Would you allow me to have a look at them before they are sent off?'
Georgiana blushed at that request, 'You certainly can Susan. I will go to Charlotte now. I will come and find you once I am done.' Thus, she made her way to Charlotte's room.
Charlotte has already had a day full of visits. Her mother normally spent some quiet time feeding her breakfast first thing in the morning, reading to her and helping her with her physiotherapy. Her sister, Alison, and Diana came to read to her one of her favourite scenes from 'Midsummer Night's Dream', which always used to make her laugh. She, then, heard Dr Levinson come in the room with Mary for her daily check-up. She liked that doctor. He was a kind man.
She was not awake yet- she did not react to her surroundings or what people were telling her when they visited. Yet, she relished all this attention. She was pleased to hear Georgiana wishing her good morning happily and talking to her about Sidney. Her friend told her that Sidney was getting her a present. He wanted Georgiana to sketch her as well as him and send him the sketches. This made Charlotte pause her floating around a bit.
Sidney, she thought. She truly wanted to ask Georgiana for more information. What present? When? Where was he? Whom was he with? Her friend was so excited about the prospect of drawing both of them and of Charlotte's present that may have she missed a tear escaping Charlotte's right eye if it was not for the need to focus on Charlotte's face for her text.
Georgiana was just setting herself up to start sketching when she focussed on Charlotte's face. She gasped at seeing the tear on her friend's face. That was a reaction, was it not? She started telling Charlotte about the Beaufort sisters doings whilst she was sketching her. She always found those two girls' amusing anyway. She would mention the tear later on to her mother.
Sketching Charlotte did not take long at all. Sidney's took a bit longer as she was doing it from memory. Hence, she was done with both sketches by eleven. She told Charlotte that and that again prompted another tear to slip out of Charlotte's left eye. No, Georgiana, you did not dream it. Every time Sidney was mentioned Charlotte reacted in some way or another.
Georgiana said nothing to Charlotte about the tears- she did not want to upset her- it was against the doctor's orders. She continued speaking to her about Mrs Griffiths and the vicar. She told her of her pet theory that the vicar was sweet on Mrs Griffiths. If only Charlotte could respond back! Soon, thought Georgiana to herself, soon!
It was about twelve in the afternoon when Georgiana's visit finished, and Mrs Heywood came to the room. 'Well, Georgiana, how did your visit go? Oh, those sketches are lovely!'
Georgiana moved her head slightly to the door and silently asked Mrs Heywood to follow her out of the room. Mrs Heywood was puzzled but went out of the room with the young lady. Once they were out of the room, Georgiana told her in a quiet voice of Sidney's request, the sketches and Charlotte's reaction to Sidney's name.
Mrs Heywood could not quite believe that the solution to her daughter's recovery was down to just one person, Mr Sidney Parker. She would talk to him and get him to visit her daughter upon his return to Sanditon. She was starting to realise that this may well be her daughter's only hope of recovery despite the fact that he was responsible for her current state. She would give him a bit of a grilling first, though. He did deserve that much, and she did so need to vent her frustration.
Mrs Heywood thanked Georgiana and went back to her daughter's room. It was time for her lunch. Broth again- boring yet nutritious! Mrs Heywood was sure that after this experience Charlotte would not want to taste another bowl of broth in her life.
Georgiana went to the sitting room to find Lady Susan. The past two hours were busy for our lady. She received the enthusiastic responses from the two investors who confirmed that they would both meet him at nine in the morning on Friday this week as they were keen to suggest a joint investment. That was great news, indeed. Her bank, then, confirmed that the funds for the building work have been transferred. More good news.
Georgiana walked into the sitting room and found Lady Susan grinning from ear to ear. She could not help teasing, 'Good news, Susan?'
Lady Susan grinned back, 'Most definitely, Georgiana. Things are going to plan. Are those your sketches? Let me see.'
Georgiana handed them on to her shyly and sat down on the settee near her. Lady Susan took her time perusing them and commented, 'You are very talented, Georgiana. Have you taken lessons with a master?'
She responded,' No, Susan. I am self-taught. I enjoy it.'
Lady Susan looked up surprised, 'You really should have lessons. We should nurture your talent. Shall I mention it to your guardian?'
She looked up and said, 'That would be great, Susan. Of course, I can tell Sidney myself- I doubt that he would deny me the chance to improve myself further, but it would be great coming from you as well.'
She hesitated before saying, 'Something happened during my visit with Charlotte. I was talking to her about Sidney and the sketches and she wept. She did not move- there was always a reaction from her though when he was spoken of. Do you think Charlotte is very hurt, Susan?'
Lady Susan studied the young lady in front of her before responding as diplomatically as she could, 'Yes, I am afraid to say that she is. He has lots of fences to mend before making things up to her. He showed her that he was inconsistent in his affections to her by engaging himself to another woman- that would have hurt any woman. He does love her very much. All he does in London is for her. Yet, unless she forgives him, it will not be enough. You said that she reacted to hearing his name- that is good news. He may just have a slim chance. We shall see. Let us send those messages, shall we? You will finish off your sketches and I will finish my messages.'
Georgiana went to work more on her sketches and Lady Susan on her update on Sidney's response about the investors, the bank transfer, the Regent's party, Charlotte weeping when hearing his name, the Regent's ball in August and Georgiana's sketches'.
Both ladies were done with their tasks and the messenger was on his way to London by 13.00 in the afternoon. He would find Sidney at lunch with Jeffery.
Chapter 28- The accountant's second visit
That was a busy morning in Sanditon. It does not mean that Sidney was being idle in London. We left him sending off the messenger to deliver his messages to both Lady Susan and Georgiana. That was just before Mr Stone, his accountant, arrived for his nine o' clock appointment. Both men exchanged the common pleasantries and settled down to a cup of tea.
Sidney was keen to find out how Mr Stone had got on with the documents that he was assigned to complete. He asked him for an update.
'Mr Sidney, the documents are ready for your perusal. You will also find here the insurance certificate for the building work. It arrived at my office just before I was to leave to meet you. Mrs Parker's and her children's saving accounts have already been set up. £50 will leave your account every month and it will be transferred to each of three accounts.'
Sidney took the documents and read through them carefully. He read the terms of the Priceright insurance- a most welcome document to behold-, the power of attorney document that Tom needed to sign and Tom's debt payment agreement to Arthur and Diana.
He was not sure about the debt agreement though. Knowing Tom's character three years was too short- the amount was also too large. Tom was not used to manual work and would earn £60 for three weeks' work during the rebuilding of the terrace. He would then need to work in other places to put the rest of the amount together. Therefore, £280 in a month was far too large an amount. It would be better to reduce it to £98 per month and the time frame to six years instead of three. He nodded to himself and responded to his accountant.
'The documents are in order, Mr Stone. Thank you very much for putting them together. However, would you amend the amount on debt agreement to £98 and change the duration to six instead of three? Is it possible to amend those details manually during our meeting today?'
Mr Stone took the said document from his client and read it through. He responded, 'I do not see why not, Mr Sidney. I can make the changes right in front of you.'
So he did and he passed on the completed document to Sidney. Sidney nodded at him pleased with the result. He then decided to address the business about the building materials.
'Mr Stone, you have done excellent work. Well done. There is another matter that I would really appreciate your assistance with. Our overseer has sent me the list of materials that they would need for the repairs. He calculated the costs up to £400. Which supplier could we use and how long would it take for the materials to reach Sanditon? Where can we find materials up to the price of £400 that are not too expensive and of good quality?'
Sidney passed on the list below to Mr Stone, who took it from him. He took a moment to read it.
Building materials- £400
- Stone- 5 cartloads
- Straw- 2 cartloads
- Nails- 100 boxes
- Lumber- 6 cartloads
Mr Stone responded, 'Mr Sidney, you are very lucky in your choice of overseer. He knows how to do his job very well. There a couple of options available, but it would depend on how long the building work was to take to complete.'
Sidney took up Mr Stringer's message to remind himself of the timeframe. 'According to our overseer's message the timeframe is three weeks. I gather the sooner that we get the materials, the sooner the rebuilding can start. How soon could your supplier send them to us?'
Mr Stone took a moment to think before saying 'You can have them by Monday morning next week if we order them today.'
Sidney was more than satisfied with that response. 'Please order them, Mr Stone and send them to Sanditon. Would you write the message to the supplier in the next couple of minutes and also to the bank to release the funds to your chosen supplier?
I can then get both messages sent off to both addresses straight away. Please ask the supplier to confirm the order and also the bank to confirm that the release of the funds from my account had taken place. Both should send the confirmation here at Bedford Place within the next hour that this has been taken care of.'
Mr Stone agreed to that and started working on the messages. They were ready in no time. Sidney gave them to Mrs Cooper to send out via messenger. They were duly sent.
Sidney worked on a draft message to Mr Stringer whilst Mr Stone was working on his messages.
His message to Mr Stringer was advising him that the materials should reach him at Sanditon by Monday next week and that he should start contacting the labourers. He also told his overseer that the funds for the labourers' salaries would be with Sidney when he returned on Saturday this week in order for them to get paid. He also confirmed that their payment would be weekly.
This brought to Sidney's mind that Tom needed to be put to work from Monday onwards as well. He needed to call for an impromptu Parker family meeting on Saturday afternoon. He drafted another message to Mary asking her to make sure that Tom, herself, Arthur and Diana were available at one in the afternoon and that there was option to opt out of it.
He put both messages aside for now- he would send them later on today. He was about to address his accountant again when he heard the main door closing. He knew Mrs Cooper's knock and guessed that the responses from the previously sent messages have arrived.
He was indeed correct. He read both replies and then passed them on to his accountant. Mr Stone nodded approvingly. Sidney took up both of his other two messages – the one to Mr Stringer and the one to Mary- and asked her to send them out on with another messenger. He was hoping that the messages would reach both of them within the next couple of hours.
Mr Stone waited patiently until Sidney finished his arrangements with his housekeeper. Sidney turned towards the accountant and asked him about his bill. Mr Stone gave him the document and Sidney confirmed that the amount should be paid to him later by tomorrow.
Mr Stone said, 'Mr Sidney, it has been a pleasure helping you with all of these documents. Do let me know if you need any further assistance. Would you mind terribly if I left, sir, if that is all? I am due for another appointment in half an hour's time.'
Sidney said that there was nothing further, thanked his accountant again and bid him goodbye. Once Mr Stone left the room, he sent another message to his bank to pay Mr Stone for his services. He would indeed be using him again as he was most impressed with his work. A most competent and efficient accountant.
He was surprised that it was only ten thirty in the morning. He had a half an hour to spare before Mr Thompson's visit at 11.00.
He was hungry again. He felt rather a naughty school boy when he went to the cookie jar in the kitchen and stole two chocolate cookies out of it. The cook and Mrs Cooper just grinned at him and let him get away with it. He grinned up at them both and asked them to send up fresh tea and cakes at his study on time for his eleven o' clock meeting. Both ladies nodded and he was off to enjoy his chocolate treat at his study.
Chapter 29- The solicitor's second visit
Sidney enjoyed his treat. He was just finishing the last bite from his chocolate cookie when the maid came in with the refreshments and Mr Thompson following behind her.
Sidney got up to greet his guest and bid to sit down. He served both some tea. Sidney noticed that his guest looked harassed. 'You are looking thoroughly frustrated with yourself, Mr Thompson. Is there anything amiss?'
Mr Thompson smiled weakly at his client. 'Clients are not always as pleasant and cooperative as yourself, Mr Parker. Some of them turn out to be more difficult than others. The best one can do in such cases is go through the experience and hope that he comes out in one piece. It worked in my case and I am sure that your offer of hospitality and your cook's cake will complete the cure.'
Sidney sympathised with him, 'I know exactly what you mean, Mr Thompson. Take a moment to catch your breath and enjoy your tea. We can talk about our business when you are more to yourself.'
Both men took their time as they discussed the latest carriage accident on Regent Street due the manhandling of a good horse. They both wondered how can one mistreat animals so and how uncomfortable those horses must be with those blinkers. It was an apt topic for discussion, thought Sidney to himself, Tom was very much like a horse with blinkers. He could only stray his eyes on one direction and he would listen to no advice from others.
Sidney snapped out of his thoughts and suggested they start. 'How did you get on with the documents, Mr Thompson?'
Mr Thompson was feeling more himself after the refreshments. He looked through his documents and passed them on to his client:
Document giving Mrs Mary Parker access to the household accounts
The marriage settlement
The Sanditon committee draft
Sidney took all the documents from his solicitor and checked their content carefully. They all looked as they should.
'Mr Thompson, they are as they should be. Thank you for bringing them to me. I have an albeit sensitive question for you. I will be holding a family meeting on Saturday afternoon, so I was wondering whether it would be wise for you to be present. Would that be appropriate in your opinion?'
Mr Thompson observed his client for a few moments. He then responded, 'Mr Parker, you are trying to reign your brother in in a way that he will not expect. No matter what his bad points are, he is human enough not to want to be humiliated in front of strangers. It will be enough that he is to be shamed in front of his siblings and wife. I believe that my presence would be unnecessary, but you are welcome to mention to your family that I do support you on your decision.'
Sidney said, 'That is wise advice, sir. I will take it. Have you had a chance to prepare your bill?'
Mr Thompson presented the document to his client who took his time to peruse it. Sidney was satisfied with it and confirmed that he would send a message to his bank later on today for the payment to be sent to him.
The solicitor thanked him and took his leave. Sidney wrote his missive to the bank and asked for a messenger for it to be sent off. When this was done, he discovered that he had one whole hour to himself which pleased him immensely.
He thought of his next meeting. Lunch with Jeffery. His friend was a pedantic one when it came to appearance. He needed him to agree to his request for a marriage license. What harm would it do to refresh himself? None at all. Therefore, off he went to find his valet for a change of clothes suitable for when an archdeacon was to come for lunch.
Chapter 30- Rising like the phoenix
Whilst our Sidney was primping himself before his lunch, Mr Stringer was just about to finish his when somebody knocked on his door. He was certainly a very popular man these days, thought he internally.
He went to open the door to find another messenger handing him another message. This time he made sure that he thanked the weary man for his delivery. Manners are important- he felt for the poor man! He looked exhausted! If only he had something to offer him, but sadly there was nothing.
Off the messenger went and James Stringer finally satisfied his curiosity enough to read the contents of the message. It was from Mr Sidney Parker telling him to find the labourers and that the building materials were to be delivered on Monday next week. The fact that the men were to be paid on Saturday for a whole week's work would also be welcome.
The lack of work in Sanditon plagued many families at present. The news that the building work was going to resume would be very welcome news to both their families and the labourers themselves. Most of their children needed new clothes as well. It would be as if Christmas had arrived early!
He was full of energy all of a sudden. He intended to continue working on the architectural plans as he was doing in the morning, but this message changed his priorities. The plans could wait until tomorrow morning.
He thought to himself that rounding up his friends and telling them some good news was an excellent use of his afternoon. Therefore, suiting the thought to the action, he put his hat on and headed towards the tavern where he knew that they were having their lunch. It took him an hour or so to convince them, but the effort was not wasted. All forty of them agreed to start work on Monday. Mr Stringer was on top of the world. Things were going right for once!
Chapter 31- Lunch with the archdeacon
Sidney was about to receive a very welcome surprise with the next messenger who was to appear at Bedford place this afternoon. He was coming down the stairs when that said messenger was let in and gave his delivery to the maid. The maid was just passing it on to Sidney when the bell rang showing Jeffery at the front door.
Sidney was right about his friend's punctuality. Both men were pleased to see each other. Lunch was already ready, so he lost no time showing his guest to the dining room. He took the opportunity to leave the messages and the two rolls of paper on his desk in his study on his way to the dining room. He would satisfy his burning curiosity to read them after lunch.
He took a moment to observe his friend's appearance. He looked happy in himself albeit a bit older than when they were in Oxford. He wore the standard attire of an archdeacon- a black long costume with white in its collar. Jeffery unbeknown to Sidney was noticing the differences in Sidney as well. There was a glow around his friend- a glow that is only there when one is deeply in love.
The maid served their lunch, as per Sidney's instructions, and then left them alone in the dining room. The two friends caught up with their news- there was a lot to catch up with as they had not seen each other for ten years. It was fun rehatching old and fond memories from their university years and enjoying the well-cooked food.
Both men kept their discussion to casual matters throughout the meal. It was just nice to find out about each other's life again without focussing on anything serious or unpleasant. They did so for an hour when Sidney suggested they take their coffee at the study. Jeffery could only agree to the suggestion.
Sidney asked the maid to bring their coffee to the study. It was there, after both men entered, that Sidney asked his friend to sit down and help himself to a cup of coffee whilst he took a moment to look at the delivered messages.
It was a good thing that Sidney was near the chair when he opened them as Jeffery could see that his friend's facial expression had changed from joy to sadness in a second. Jeffery noticed that Sidney's face that was at first full of colour, then momentarily left him looking pale and haggard. Sidney had to sit down to collect himself before speaking up again.
Jeffery was concerned about this change of demeanour and asked anxiously, 'Sidney, what is the matter? Bad news? What is it?'
Sidney was grateful for Jeffery's calm nature. He could do with it right now. He spoke with difficulty. 'I… am well. Don't worry. I have just had a bit of a shock, though. I need something stronger than coffee. Do you fancy a brandy?'
Jeffery did not partake a lot- his parishioners would not appreciate that on an archdeacon, but he saw no harm to a small glass after lunch purely for medicinal purposes. He agreed to the suggestion. Sidney passed him the glass and sat down on the chair opposite him. He took some steadying breaths and a sip from the brandy glass before looking up at his friend and replying, 'I have a lot to tell you before I ask you something very particular. It is a long story, so brace yourself.'
Sidney went through his whole story with Charlotte from the beginning until the point of her collapse. He also told Jeffery about Tom's financial troubles which were the cause of Sidney's presence in London. Jeffery could only stare up to Sidney in wonderment. 'Wow, Sidney! That is quite a story. However, this story does not explain your reaction earlier. What was in these messages?'
Sidney responded, 'The messages were responses from our main investor concerning some of my questions. She very kindly sent me an update on some new investors who are to meet me here on Friday morning. That is all good news. Nothing bad I assure you. The business side of things has been progressing very nicely.
However, she also mentioned Charlotte. I told you that she was still in her coma and that she was showing no reaction at all. Yet, Lady Susan mentioned that Charlotte shed some tears when Georgiana mentioned my name to her. That is what shocked me. Before I tell you the rest, allow me to introduce you to my future wife- that is if she accepts me after all I have put her through.'
Sidney got up and picked up Georgiana's sketch of Charlotte and gave it to Jeffery. Jeffery looked at it earnestly and smiled at his friend, 'She is beautiful, Sidney. No wonder you love her so. Knowing you though, I gather it is not just her looks that attracted her to you. Am I right?'
He took the drawing from Jeffery, smiled at his Charlotte with a goofy smile and said, 'She is, isn't she? I adore her- having her likeness here whilst she is away from me softens the blow a bit. I miss her dreadfully. Her wit and cleverness are not a match to any other woman in my acquaintance. You would really like her- she loves discussing philosophy especially Heraclitus. She also has the gift of challenging me at every step. I shall never be bored having her in my life. '
'She likes philosophy and challenges you at the same time, hey? Only Sidney Parker would find a woman who would discuss philosophy with him and is a spitfire. Good choice, my friend! Yes, I love discussing Heraclitus myself as you well know. I look forward to discussing my views with your future bride.'
Sidney laughed aloud at that comment, but then suddenly went all sombre and serious. 'Exactly! Now let me explain why I went white earlier today. I was pale because I cannot stand making Charlotte sad. Her smile delights my soul, her tears kill it. What kills my soul even more is that those tears were there in the first place because of me. I put her in her current condition. I toyed with her affections making her believe that I would offer for her and then, like the fool that I was, I went to break her heart by announcing my engagement to another woman.'
Jeffery looked at his friend sadly, 'You are not wrong there. You have not been the best of gentlemen, I must admit. You know that I have always called a spade a spade. I wonder whether you have ever thought about asking her what her opinion was on Tom's problem and also for her help?'
Sidney blushed profusely. 'No, Jeffery, I did not. It has been such a long time that I have had anyone there for me that I forgot that it was even possible. I forgot what it was like. I did not mean not to ask her- I guess my male pride, which Lady Susan very rightly chastised me for, got in the way. You see, Charlotte, has an excellent head in a crisis. Unfortunately, I do not. Therefore, I panic, and I react inappropriately at times choosing the incorrect solution to the problem. She would have found another solution without me having to be chained to Eliza Campion for life as her slave.'
Jeffery nodded knowingly, 'Not considering your future partner's opinions and advice is not a good sign for your relationship. I have seen many a marriage break down because of it. If you really want to have a happy life with your Charlotte, you cannot do this in future. You have a lot to make up to this lady and I suggest you start sooner than later.'
Sidney responded, 'I realise that now and I do not intend to repeat the same mistakes again. I asked Georgiana, my ward, to send me both our sketches in order to ask our friend Lovejoy to put the drawings in a locket for her. There is a lot more grovelling I need to do in person, but I thought this would be a start.'
Jeffery agreed, 'It is not a bad start. I do hope that you mean to continue so, though. When are you hoping to return to Sanditon?'
Sidney said, 'I hope either on Friday afternoon or on Saturday morning. It depends on how the rest of the meetings go on Friday morning. This brings me to my request. I know that she has not accepted me yet. However, I want to spend as much time as possible with her once I am back there. I was hoping whether you could grant me a common license for us to marry when she is ready. Would you help me, Jeffery?'
Jeffery grinned at him, 'I could torment you and say no, but I believe that you have already had enough grief to last you a lifetime. Yes, of course. I will be delighted to help you with the license. Shall I send it to you by messenger tomorrow morning?'
Sidney cried in excitement, 'Thank you Jeffery! That is extraordinarily kind of you. I cannot wait for you to meet her.'
Jeffery laughed aloud, 'That is the Sidney I know! Welcome back! Make sure I get an invitation to the wedding, will you?'
Sidney exclaimed, 'You will be one of the first guests to receive it, I promise!'
'Sidney, old friend. It was wonderful catching up you with you. As lovely as this lunch has been though, I do have to leave you as I need to prepare my sermon for tomorrow. Would you give my greetings to our friend Lovejoy? And keep in touch!'
Sidney said he would, he shook his friend's hand heartily thanking him again and wished him a good day. He was grinning like a fool- he kept grinning just looking at Charlotte's sketch. As he had predicted, Jeffery stayed for two hours exactly. This left him with the two hours that he had hoped to have free.
He thought that this has been a great day so far. He needed to relax a bit before dinner. A good nap was in order- it would give him enough strength to endure Lovejoy's exuberance in the evening. He took Charlotte's sketch with him and asked to be woken up in two hours' time.
Chapter 32- Lovejoy Green's visit and letter writing- Part 1
Sidney woke up from his nap with a clear head expecting to spend an enjoyable evening with his friend. He decided not to get up straight away- he wanted to spend some time thinking of different ways of how he could show Charlotte how sorry he was that he had hurt her and how dedicated he was to their joint future.
He started enumerating the different options in his head. He would first ask Lovejoy to get both their sketches copied. The next step would be to put both Charlotte's and his portrait in a golden locket for her to keep. That locket would also have extra spaces added to it for the pictures of their future children.
He allowed himself a moment of daydreaming. He could imagine them having a small girl with dark wild curls and clever bright eyes who had her mother's bright smile that would light a room up. She would get away with most things just being cheeky. He could also imagine a small curly-haired boy who was the perfect blend of both Charlotte and himself. He had no doubt in his mind that any children of theirs would be beautiful and that they would break a lot of hearts. Absolutely no doubt at all!
He sighed happily at those thoughts. Yet as pleasant as they were, he had to force his thoughts back to his current situation. Where was he? Ah, Charlotte's golden locket! Yes, he would ask Lovejoy to do that for him. He would also ask him to find a golden watch for him with Charlotte's sketch in one of its flaps. This way he would have her with him at all times even when he was away from her. It would not be the same thing. Yet it was better than having nothing at all.
He hoped that Charlotte would agree for both sketches to be framed at a later stage and put them in their home. He would ask Georgiana to finish them off with watercolours when he was back in Sanditon.
What else could he do? She liked reading. He could find a book of love poems. It would be something they could do together once she was up and about. It would also help having the book around as he could read to her whilst she was recovering. He liked that idea very much indeed! Well done, Sidney!
However, that was not enough. Presents and poetry are good for courting which he had every intention of doing. Nevertheless, courting her would not show her how sorry he was that he had hurt her without meaning to do so and it would certainly not prove his dependability and devotion to her.
What would help would be proper communication between them. Charlotte has not woken up yet, so they could certainly not discuss what had already happened and how they could move forward from it. This would also not work because they were both in two different places at present- he in London and she is in Sanditon. Therefore, this option was really not an option for him right now. He put it aside for the future.
He carried a small beacon of hope in his heart by what Lady Susan wrote in her message about Charlotte's reaction to the mention of his name. If she reacted like that just from hearing his name being spoken of, then how would she react if someone read one of his letters to her? It needn't be a long letter. Just something short and meaningful to both of them. He wondered whether her mother would allow that liberty seeing that they were neither courting nor were they engaged.
The more he thought of the idea of writing to Charlotte, the more he liked it. He could write his letter and address another letter to Charlotte's mother asking her to read it to her daughter. He had nothing to lose, but everything to gain. The worst that could happen was that she would ignore his request. He would then make it in person and ask to visit Charlotte himself. He was excited! This would be his first letter to her!
Speaking of letters, he needed to check his own business transactions. His ships were due to arrive from the West Indies soon- it would do him no good missing any deadlines or having to travel to London again. He had to do that today. He also had to take some precautions before the Parker family meeting on Saturday afternoon. Tom needed to be taken by surprise. He thought of Mary and his siblings for a moment. They needed to be prewarned and the Sanditon committee signatures needed to have been obtained well before Saturday.
Sidney was then resigned to some letter writing before Lovejoy's visit, after his departure and tomorrow. He did not like writing them. Doing so at this stage, though, would save him further trips to London. That was precious time that he could spend with Charlotte. Writing a few letters was a small price to pay if he thought of it like that.
He was in the process of getting dressed when Mrs Cooper knocked on his door. It was exactly five in the afternoon, which left him two hours to sort out as much of his business as possible before Lovejoy's arrival.
The first port of call for him was his own business affairs. He checked the paperwork for the freights on his ships and their dates of arrival. It all seemed to be in order. He did not actually need to be present when the ships arrived as his assistant did a sterling job checking the wares. However, he did check that the paperwork was in order just in case anything did not seem to be right for any reason. His assistant, as capable as he may be, was human like the rest of us.
Talking about wares, Charlotte's silk and lace have not been delivered yet. He would give it until tomorrow afternoon and then send a message to captain to follow up. He wrote a reminder to himself to act upon this.
His own business affairs were in order to his relief. Therefore, unless something went very wrong, he would have no need to travel to London on that account. He checked the time. It was five thirty. He had one hour and a half to spare.
He decided to proceed with his letter to Charlotte- a very pleasant task for him. He had to think what he could say. He ended up writing the following:
My dearest Charlotte,
I have not heard your beautiful voice since you collapsed in front of me. I miss our talks and your happy laughter which brightens my life.
I was completely out of my mind when I saw you fall in front of me. Ask Mary if you dare not take my word for it. I realised then that I had shattered a heart so precious- your heart my darling for I still love you devotedly. I could not proceed with the engagement with the lady no matter how much her money might have benefitted Tom.
Therefore, I wrote to Mrs Campion to call it off right after your collapse knowing full well that I might never see or speak to you again. I always hoped, of course, but at the point of your collapse we did not know what caused it.
The engagement has been officially called off. Your friend, Lady Susan, also helped us by making Mrs Campion leave the country and travel to the continent. Eliza Campion will not darken our doorstep any time soon.
I have been inconstant and unfair to you- it seems that I keep underestimating your good sense and clear head in a crisis. I should have taken you with me to London and we could have found a solution to Tom's problem together. I can just imagine how hurt you must have been. In truth, it looked to you that I gave up on us too easily.
Believe me, my sweet Charlotte, it was not because I did not love you. Far from it. I have never stopped- I love you more every passing day. It was just that I have depended upon my own counsel expecting no help from anyone and being offered none in return. That is a difficult habit to break- I hope you will teach me otherwise.
I vouch to you that should you forgive this fool who loves you, I will seek your wise council in all things. All I require is the chance to prove myself to you. I do not expect it, but I fervently hope that you will give me a second chance.
I know your kind heart too well not to predict your next question. Yes, Sanditon is safe. The Regent gave us his financial support via Lady Susan. All the debts have been paid and the insurance has been bought. There will be no more fires around to endanger anybody's happiness.
The building work is going to start again on Monday next week. The materials are already under way there and Mr Springer is currently putting together the workforce. All those unemployed labourers and their families will have an income again for the next three weeks.
I have spent my time in London finetuning the details of the whole Sanditon business, my own business arrangements and putting preventative measures to avoid future mishaps. I have spoken to lots of interesting people whose discussions I know you would love to know the content of. I have lots of news to share with you. I hope to return to Sanditon on Saturday this week. Please let me tell you in detail all that I have done here in London. Please let me tell you in detail on all that I have done here in London.
I am making sure that I conclude all my business here in London so that once I am back with you in Sanditon, that I do not leave your side. Would you grant me my dearest wish to see you awake and hear your voice again? I miss you more than ever. I would like to court you and win your trust back. Please wake up for me sweetheart!
Yours forever,
Sidney
Sidney always thought that writing ones feelings down had a sort of a cathartic effect. He felt cleansed after putting all his jumbled thoughts in his letter to Charlotte. Almost serene inside. It was a good feeling. He checked the time again- it was six thirty. Ah, he only had half an hour to go.
The next letter to write was to Charlotte's mother. He had not met the lady yet, so that made writing to her all the more difficult. He ended up writing:
Mrs Heywood,
my name is Sidney Parker, Mr Tom Parker's brother. I am aware that you know nothing about me. In fact you have never met me before- you have no idea whether I am a good man or not.
All I can tell you is that I love your daughter Charlotte with all my heart and soul, Mrs Heywood. I would like to court her, should she let me, and then marry her, should she accept such a fool such as myself. I am happy to submit to any questions that you may have for me when I am back to Sanditon this weekend. Submit to any terms that you place upon me without protest.
Lady Susan sent me a message here in London mentioning Charlotte's reaction to the mention of my name. I dare not hope she will still have me. Even if she doesn't, you still need to have your daughter back and Miss Alison her sister. She needs to wake up from her coma.
Please allow me to help her. I have written her a letter explaining everything. Would you read it to her? It may help her get better or it may not. Should we not try? I will leave to your discretion whether you accede to my request. I most sincerely hope you do for we all miss her and want her back with us.
I look forward to making both yours and Miss Alison's acquaintance this weekend.
Yours sincerely,
Sidney Parker
Sidney had beads of sweat dripping from his forehead by the time he finished writing that letter. That was exhausting.! He should check the time. Not bad. It was ten to seven. Lovejoy had the tendency to be five minutes late in every appointment- quite the opposite of Jeffery. That gave Sidney fifteen minutes to compose himself with the reward of a small glass of brandy.
Chapter 33- Lovejoy Green's visit
It was a good idea for Sidney to have enjoyed his fifteen minutes' of peace and quiet. The moment five past seven in the evening ticked on the grandfather clock at the corridor, the whole room shook from the explosive enthusiasm of Lovejoy Green. So much so in fact that it made the maid who opened the door wince from the shock and Mrs Cooper to smile widely.
Mrs Cooper knew Mr Green from when he went to university with Master Sidney in Oxford. She really liked him for his jolly character, so she made a special effort to greet him along with Sidney at the door. Sidney grinned at her knowingly as if he had certainly expected her to be standing next to him. She in return expected Master Sidney to react like that to her presence and pretended to ignore that look- Cheeky boy, indeed! He knew Lovejoy was one of her favourites and he fully expected a delicious meal had been prepared with all of his guest's favourite foods.
Lovejoy entered the room with gusto and stopped on his tracks when he spotted his friend and the housekeeper. He shook Sidney's hand energetically and twirled Mrs Cooper around in a hug as if she was his long-lost sweetheart. Sidney barely kept himself from laughing aloud at his housekeeper's bright red cheeks.
Lovejoy grinned at both of them happily and winked at the housekeeper, 'Sidney, old chap, it is so good to see you again. It has been far too long since we have met. Have we not met since our graduation in Oxford? Time has certainly flown by, has it not? And, Mrs Cooper, you are still as beautiful as ever. You are ageless. Pray what is your secret, care to share?'
Sidney welcomed his friend and Mrs Cooper gave their guest a cheeky smile with a slight bow. She also welcomed him warmly and announced that dinner had already been served in the dining room for them to enjoy. Mrs Cooper was aware that neither the other servants nor herself were to bother either gentleman until they had finished their meal.
Sidney showed Lovejoy to the dining room where they enjoyed a sumptuous dinner with red wine and double chocolate cookies for dessert. Lovejoy loved chocolate even more than Sidney, so he practically inhaled each cookie instead of chewing them properly. Both friends were laughing aloud from glee and mischief by the end of their dinner.
It was a merry meal. Sidney loved Jeffery's calm nature but enjoyed even more Lovejoy's thrill for life. You would never have guessed what a hard life Lovejoy has already had. He was orphaned at the age of fifteen, he worked hard, and he was chosen for a scholarship in Oxford.
His parents' choice of name for him was also particularly unfortunate- they named him after one of the characters of their favourite book. The amount of stick this man has received due to his first name throughout both his early schooling and throughout university has truly been something else. Yet, he prospered, and the beau monde could not do without him! The man was a marvel to behold. Therefore, Sidney enjoyed his company tremendously. Now that they have reconnected, he would make sure to keep in touch with him and introduce him to Charlotte when the right time came.
Sidney invited his guest to his study for a coffee. Mrs Cooper had predicted their wish, so their coffee was waiting for them in there.
Lovejoy spent some minutes studying his friend's face- Sidney was a fool in love. He himself was a man with a happy disposition- yet he knew when he needed to be serious. He knew that this was a serious moment and that Sidney needed to confide in him. He smiled widely and asked, 'So, my friend, what is up? Do spill the beans!'.
Sidney smiled at his friend's approach. 'Well, Lovejoy. I will respond. However, you have to promise me that what I tell you will stay in this room and that the news will not be spread in the salons of London. A lady's reputation is at stake.'
Lovejoy pretended to sulk, 'Oh, how you wound me, Sidney! Of course, it will stay between us. Go on, tell me!' Thus, Sidney told him about Sanditon and Charlotte and what he required of him. He showed him the sketches of both Charlotte and himself and waited.
Lovejoy took his time to look at them carefully, 'Those are beautiful sketches, indeed. Your ward is certainly a gifted artist- not to mention the loveliness of your bride-to-be. It should not be difficult to put them in a locket for your girl and her sketch in the flap of a golden watch for you. I predicted your request- yes, Sidney, I can read minds- why do you think the beau monde loves me so? - so I brought some samples to show you.'
He took the locket and the golden watch from his jacket pocket and passed them over to Sidney. Sidney looked at them carefully and exclaimed, 'They are both perfect, Lovejoy! Can this be done before Friday this week?'
Lovejoy nodded and said, 'Shall I get my assistant to drop them off to you here on Thursday morning?'
Sidney agreed to that suggestion enthusiastically, 'Have you by any chance brought me some engagement rings and some wedding bands with you? Oh, and also the aquamarine gift set I asked you for?' Lovejoy wordlessly passed on to him both the rings and the aquamarine set. Sidney took the items from his friend's hands eagerly.
He focussed on the collection of engagement rings. Most of them were rather intricate, which meant that they were not appropriate as they would be too fancy for his Charlotte. She had a simple and honest soul, and this was better reflected by one made of white gold with the Irish knot on it. That was the one, thought he to himself. Sidney also had a look at the golden wedding bands and chose two of them. The aquamarine set comprised of a delicate golden chain peppered with aquamarine stones and a matching bracelet. The colour of the stone reminded him the colour of the sky when Charlotte and himself shared their first kiss at the cliffs. It was perfect!
Lovejoy was observing Sidney's reactions to the pieces and marvelled how love makes a fool of us all. The man was glowing with happiness! Good for him! He deserves a bit of good luck.
Sidney showed his friend the rings that he has chosen. He also asked about engraving Charlotte's rings and locket with the message 'You are my sunshine! Yours always, Sidney'. Lovejoy said that he could get them done by Thursday as well and get them to him then. His assistant would also bring his bill over.
Sidney agreed to all of this and confirmed that the payment will be sent to Lovejoy as soon as the items had reached him on Thursday. It was nine in the evening when both friends parted with the promise to keep in touch.
Chapter 34- Charlotte S.O.S
Where are those happy days, they seem so hard to find
I try to reach for you but you have closed your mind
Whatever happened to our love
I wish I understood
It used to be so nice, it used to be so good
So when you're near me, darling can't you hear me, SOS
The love you gave me, nothing else can save me, SOS
ABBA S.O.S
Sidney was sitting on his chair admiring the aquamarine set. He was entranced by it. He so wished that he could give it to her immediately. Alas, he could not. He sighed loudly to the quiet room. Oh, well! He could focus on things that he could achieve instead. He picked up both Charlotte's and her mother's letter and prepared them to be sent out by messenger. Mrs Cooper answered his summons and got them dispatched.
If anyone asked Sidney what he currently felt, he would answer that he was feeling a mixture of happiness and extreme terror at the same time. He has just sent out the two most important letters for his future. Yes, he was terrified what would come out of it! His thoughts went to Charlotte. What she thinking and feeling? He allowed himself to daydream until he felt too tired to think and went off to bed.
Charlotte was last roaming above a field of daisies being read the bible by Betsy. She heard her mother, sister and Lady Susan speaking to her. She also heard Dr Fuchs and another man who accompanied him- she did not catch the second man's name, though.
She wanted to greet her family- she was so happy that they were with her. She somehow found this proved rather difficult- she could not understand what kind of power would pull her away from them. She seemed incapable of saying a word to anybody.
She could only listen to her mother's descriptions of her siblings' adventures, her sister's impression of Sanditon and Susan's news. She so wanted to ask Allie whether she managed to go to the beach. Has she bathed yet? Susan told her that Mrs Campion was no longer engaged to Sidney and that Sanditon was safe. How? Why? When? Oh, so many questions! Georgiana also read to her and told her that Sidney went to London at Susan's request. When would he be back? What was keeping him?
Charlotte's frustration was rising by the minute. The rise of her frustration was only larger than the rise of her curiosity. Apparently, there was a routine. Someone moved her limbs morning and evening- it was mostly her mother and sister- she was grateful for that. She could hardly imagine Susan helping her with something like that. It would certainly not be proper.
Someone was always with her. It was either her two family members or Georgiana, Susan, Mary, Betsy and last but not least that sweet Mrs Smith, the cook. Oh, those leek pies she baked! Delicious! She should tell her mother about that recipe next time she spoke to her. She also believed that she heard Diana as well. How kind that lady was to visit her!
There were new smells and new food. She could smell the seaside in her room whose sharp saltiness invigorated her whenever she went for a walk. She could hear jingling sea shells when the wind blew through her open windows in the morning. How pleasant all that was! She loved collecting seashells.
The broths were heavenly as well! She was given a new flavour every day. She kept trying to decide which one was her favourite. She could not decide just yet, so she would keep pondering further.
She could also taste milk. Milk! Lady Denham's donkey milk? Surely not! She did not remember hearing her. She was sure to remember if she had. Did she share her preferred choice of health remedy with her, Charlotte Heywood? How very odd!
Her literary views were also expanding rapidly on top of everything else. Alison, Diana and Georgiana read to her 'Much Ado about Nothing' with Arthur reading out the male roles. It was masterfully done. She wished she could speak to congratulate them- they were truly magnificent!
Charlotte felt that she was a spectator at the theatre. She was a passive participant with no input. She was an active lady whom being passive did not suit her temperament in the least. Yet, she was comfortable just to watch for now. It was soothing her soul. She felt loved, spoilt and cared for. Why did she not want to take part in her life, then? What was stopping her?
The more attention she received, the more she craved it from someone who was absent. Every time she heard his name being mentioned, her heart lurched. Where was Sidney? How could she tell someone that she wanted to see them? Oh, how very frustrating all this was! She had to find a way forward!
Chapter 35- Mrs Heywood investigates
Wednesday morning dawned both in London and in Sanditon. The day in London was bright and sunny whilst a storm with high winds was brewing in the seaside town. This was unusual as it was a place that was blessed with good weather most of the time. This Wednesday was very different and both the Sanditon residents and its visitors felt it keenly.
It was a good thing at least that the messenger that Sidney sent the previous night had already arrived. The poor man would have been drenched! The Heywood ladies would normally walk to Trafalgar House, but Lady Susan suggested that they join her in the carriage instead of getting soaked to the bone. Both Mrs Heywood and Alison were more than happy to accept the lady's offer.
Lady Susan and the Heywoods made the short trip on the carriage without a drop of rain falling on them. Yet, they were chilled to the bone by the cold wind, so Mary had all three of them bundled up in the sitting room with a hot cup of tea in no time. It was at that time that Mary gave Mrs Heywood Sidney's letter not knowing its sensitive nature.
Mrs Heywood read the letter that was addressed to her whilst she was about to take a sip from her teacup. She paused, her movements stilled, and she went all stiff. All the other three ladies, Mary, Lady Susan and Alison looked at her in surprise. Alison was especially alert on her mother's mannerisms as her mother was literally never surprised. She never showed her shock even when she felt it. She asked in a worried tone, 'Mama? What is the matter?'
Mrs Heywood chastised herself for her reaction. She made a conscious effort to snap out of it and responded, 'I am well, don't worry, Allie. It is just a received quite a daring letter from Mr Sidney Parker. It goes against propriety. I have never met the gentleman, so I guess I was trying to figure him out. Is he even a gentleman?'
All three people in the room were surprised at that comment. Lady Susan asked gently whether she might be permitted to read the letter in question. Mrs Heywood trusted the lady's judgement, so she passed on the letter to her willingly. A second pair of eyes was always a good idea.
Lady Susan took her time reading it. She then smiled good naturedly at Mrs Heywood, 'Oh, you have nothing to fear, Mrs Heywood. Mr Parker is more of a gentleman than anyone I have ever met. You will see when you meet him on Saturday. It is just that he is besotted with Charlotte and she is with him, so much so that he would swap places with her if he could. You need not fear in reading the letter to her. I think it might even help.'
Mrs Heywood breathed out in relief. 'If that is the case, then I shall consider it. What has actually happened between him and Charlotte? It would be nice to fill in my gaps of knowledge. Would you not tell me?'
Both Lady Susan and Mary took it in turns telling the events to both Heywood ladies. Mrs Heywood was pleased to have her suspicions confirmed. She was right to think the other day that this Mr Parker could help her daughter. His thoughtfulness and offer to help touched her heart as she felt it in her bones that this would help. She made her decision and announced smilingly, 'This all sounds above board. In that case I am going to read his letter to Charlotte when I go up and see her. Thank you for this catch up, ladies.'
Chapter 36- Sidney's letter
It was indeed time for Charlotte's breakfast and her physiotherapy. She went up to Charlotte's room where Betsy was sitting down blue with cold. The window was open as per the doctor's suggestion. Mrs Heywood thought that the poor girl definitely followed instructions to the letter. Yet, she had hoped that she would have had the common sense to close the window by now due to the extreme cold. She greeted the maid politely and closed the window without admonishing her. It would have made no sense at this stage. The deed was done.
She then sat down on the chair that the maid had vacated. She started with Charlotte's physiotherapy exercises whilst she was waiting for Betsy to bring her daughter's breakfast broth. Charlotte skin was very cold, but it warmed up a bit as she went through with each exercise. Charlotte's body temperature was still not as warm as per normal, which concerned her a bit. She put the thought aside for now as the broth had just been delivered. She hoped that the warm broth would finish the job of warming her daughter up.
Charlotte herself was very cold. She could sense Betsy sitting in the room. She was wondering why she did not close the window. The next thing was that she heard her mother and she was very grateful for that. Her mother was a sensible lady- the window was closed. Thank goodness! Thank you mama!
Her mama followed their normal routine with her exercises. No, she was still not warm enough. Brr! Ah, she was hungry. She could smell her broth. She could taste it on her tongue. Oh, how lovely it tasted! Yummy! Then, no more broth! Where is the broth? I am still cold.
Charlotte was getting very frustrated. She could not even tell her mother that she needed a blanket to get warm again. Something made her pause her thoughts momentarily, though. Her mama was nervous. She could always tell. She could hear her reading her a letter. A letter from Sidney!
The coldness turned into a cosy warmth that spread throughout her body. Yet, as she heard each separate word that Sidney had written to her, she felt another sensation. A sudden lack of oxygen and made her lungs constrict painfully, her throat going dry and beads of sweat gracing her forehead. She also felt her body temperature rising to an unbearable point.
Mrs Heywood has just finished reading Sidney's letter to Charlotte. It was a beautiful one and it brought tears to her eyes as he was reading it. He really did love her daughter very much indeed. Her Charlotte was a lucky girl to have found such love. If only she would wake up! She was looking forward to meeting the gentleman.
Yet, her motherly instincts were telling her that there was something terribly wrong. She touched her daughter's forehead- she was burning up with fever and her face was all flushed. She could also see that she had trouble breathing. Whereas before she had been very still, she was now moving and thrushing around as if she was having a fit.
Mrs Heywood was terrified. Her Charlotte never got this ill! They had to get the fever down otherwise… Well, there was no otherwise. They simply had to. She ran out of Charlotte's room in desperate search of Mary. She found her hostess in the nursery with her children.
'Mary! Charlotte is running a high temperature and she is having a fit. We need Dr Levinson and Dr Fuchs immediately. We need to get her temperature down. Do also send a message to your brother-in-law and tell him to hasten his return to Sanditon or else he might be too late to see Charlotte. His presence might even help her get better sooner.'
Mary followed her guest out of the nursery. Mrs Heywood went to the kitchen to get a bowl of cold water and some cloths to dampen the fever down whilst Mary asked a footman to fetch both doctors to the house and wrote an urgent message to Sidney to be sent out via messenger. The messenger was summoned and the message that was to shake his world to its core was on its way to him.
Mrs Heywood returned to her daughter's bedroom. She has just been away for a couple of minutes. Yet, Charlotte was thrushing around the bed so much that she was all uncovered. She had now started mumbling Sidney's name. Mrs Heywood tried soothing her as she used to do when she was a little girl. It used to calm her right down when someone sang to her. It did not work this time. The thrushing became worse and her temperature rose.
Dr Fuchs and Dr Levinson were reviewing another patient's case together when the dishevelled and soaked to the skin footman entered the surgery urging them to follow him to Trafalgar House. They looked at each other worryingly, gathered all their instruments and hurried along with the lad to the Parker residence.
They were there in a matter of minutes. They entered the room to find a tearful and panicked Mrs Heywood trying to sooth her daughter and get her more comfortable with a cold cloth. Both doctors sprang into action and assessed Charlotte's situation.
Their patient was awake but even more gravely ill than before. The temperature and the patient's shallow breathing was what worried them most. They would need to have a cold bath prepared for her for the fever and a eucalyptus compress on the chest as soon as possible. They needed to prevent the cold settling in her lungs. They suggested those treatments to their Mrs Heywood who literally ran out of the room to make the necessary arrangements.
Charlotte's temperature was a bit lower after her cold bath- not gone mind you, which is what worried both doctors. The patient seemed to be a bit calmer- still thrushing around but less so- and the eucalyptus compress eased her breathing. Yet, she would not settle. She kept whispering Sidney's name non-stop. All that could be done for her now was to keep her as cool as possible and hope that their patient's immune system would kill the fever off.
Chapter 37- The arrow found its target
In the meantime, Sidney was having a productive and calm morning at Bedford Place. He got up earlier than normal to ensure that he had all the necessary documents in place and ready to be signed. Even the marriage license has been delivered nice and early!
He received both Charlotte's fabrics for her dress and jewellery items that he had commissioned from Lovejoy. He also received a message from Lady Susan's new investors advising him that they had another engagement on Friday morning, so they rearranged to meet up with him in Sanditon on Tuesday morning next week instead.
He was feeling content that everything that he had achieved in London. He even managed to finish hi errands three days earlier than planned. He was in two minds at this stage. Should he write the letters to his siblings and Mary prewarning them of the changes or not?
He was pondering on this conundrum when the bell suddenly rang. He furrowed his eyebrows at that. Who could that be? He was certainly not expecting any visitors. His curiosity got the better of him, so he left his study to find out.
He discovered Lord and Lady Babington at the lobby. He was delighted with the surprise. 'James and Lady Babington! What a surprise! How did you know that I was even in London?'
Lord Babbington grinned cheekily at his friend. 'Well, Parker, you could not have hidden from us for long after Lady Denham informed us of Miss Heywood's illness. She mentioned, the astute lady that she was, that you might just be lying low in London trying to get things sorted out. And here you are indeed!'. Pearls of laughter escaped from Lady Babington at that statement.
All three were in high spirits. Sidney was secretly pleased that he did not have to write any letters. Having guests was the perfect excuse not to do so. He asked Mrs Cooper to bring them refreshments at the sitting room where all three of them spent a delightful morning catching up. Sidney was about to invite to stay for lunch when the bell went off again. Well, it was a day of wonders! More visitors?
He excused himself from his guests briefly to find out what the fuss was about. The maid curtseyed and gave him another message. He took it to the sitting room to read whilst he was finishing his piece of cake. It might be the investors, who knows?
He opened the note and his body stiffened with terror. The longer that he read each line that Mary had written to him, the paler he got. He looked positively white and his hands trembled so much that the cup fell on the floor with a crash. He sat there with a blank look on his face in stunned silence. He felt as if someone had just ripped out his heart, cut it up into pieces and put it together again the wrong way around. He knew that he loved Charlotte, but until this moment, he did not realise that he could not literally live without her being in the world healthy and most important his. Just the thought of losing her was enough to make him lose the will to live himself.
Both Lord and Lady Babington were alarmed at this change of demeanour. The last time that Lord Babington saw his friend react so badly was when his parents had died. He fervently wished this had not happened to Miss Heywood as this would be something that Sidney would not survive no matter how much he tried.
He also knew that his friend would not say a word until he composed himself enough to do so. Therefore, he took the message from his hands, which made Sidney look up into his friend's eyes in a mute request for help. James Babington knew that look. He knew what Sidney wanted him to do. Sidney wanted him to bring Mrs Cooper, who consoled him when his parents had died.
He took Esther's hand and led her to the other side of the room. He showed her Mary's message- Esther smothered a small sob at the news. He asked her to prepare Sidney another cup of tea, add three lumps of sugar and some brandy in it and make him drink it even if he refused. He told her to keep any emotions at bay until he had returned with the housekeeper. He clarified that any sign of emotion at this stage would plunge Sidney in deeper despair. He also explained that Mrs Green knew how to get him out of his shock and once Sidney was again himself, they would take him to Sanditon. Esther nodded and got on with her husband's instructions without any objections.
In the meantime, Lord Babington headed toward Mrs Cooper's sitting room. If he knew anything about this lady, it was that she had set habits. She was currently enjoying her afternoon tea reading her favourite book. He knocked on her door and waited to be admitted.
Mrs Cooper was pleased to see another of Master Sidney's friends. Yet, she felt anxious over this particular visit. She knew that something has happened. Lord Babington lost no time in telling her of Sidney's story with Charlotte and the happenings in Sanditon. He also recounted to her the arrival of the message and Sidney's reaction to it. She nodded in comprehension and followed him to the sitting room.
They found Esther trying to convince Sidney to have his hot beverage. Esther looked at her husband and indicated that she had had no success in convincing him to do so. They could all see that Sidney was in deep shock. Mrs Cooper asked the young couple to prepare for the trip to Sanditon. They left the room hoping that Sidney would recover by the time they had to leave. The sooner they got him to Charlotte, the better he would be.
Mrs Cooper sat down next to him and started stroking his hair as she did when he was a little boy. At first, there was no response from him. He simply stared at his hands. Then, his shoulders started shaking from grief and he was engulfed in the housekeeper's embrace. She held him as he cried without speaking for a good half an hour before the sobs subsided.
Sidney seemed to be more himself after a good cry. He looked up at his housekeeper, who was observing him with kind motherly eyes. He said in a voice clogged with tears, 'I am sorry, Mrs Cooper, I did not mean to break down on you like that. Has Babbers told you about Charlotte?'
Mrs Cooper replied kindly, 'Yes, he did. I am sorry, Master Sydney. I guessed that your current good mood had to do with a lady, but I refrained from saying anything to you lest I was wrong. She will be well- you need to go to her. You cannot despair. This will not help your lady. I sent your friends to prepare the carriage. What do you need to take with you? How can I help you?'
Sidney smiled at her sadly, 'Yes, of course you are right, Mrs Cooper. Would you help me put my trunk together? Come, I have a picture of Charlotte to show you.' They went to his bedroom leaving the door open for propriety's sake. Sidney brought Charlotte's sketch and showed it to her.
Mrs Cooper smiled at him proudly, 'She is a beautiful lady, Master Sidney.'
Sidney managed to give her a real smile this time, 'Yes, she is, Mrs Cooper. She is very kind and clever, too. Do you know that she has another 10 siblings and that she has knack with children? Mary's children are patty in her hands. I only hope to reach Sanditon on time to make a difference in her recovery. I can also hope that she will forgive me enough to accept me and be my bride.'
Both of them worked diligently together to prepare his trunk. Sidney put his personal items in it and all the documentation that he had acquired during his stay in London. Mrs Cooper passed him all of Charlotte's gifts and the sketches. In only one hour he was ready with both his trunk and Charlotte's gifts all wrapped up inside it. The trunks were moved to the lobby waiting for the Babbington carriage.
In the meantime, the kind housekeeper prepared a picnic for the three travellers making sure to add some sweetmeats for the Parker children. She also made Sidney drink that sweet cup of tea with brandy- this time he drank it and was very grateful to do so. He was also given the largest chocolate cookie that he had ever seen. He was emotionally exhausted, so this sweet beverage and his favourite dessert restored him to his normal equanimity. Thus, the Babbingtons found a more collected albeit sad Sidney waiting for them.
Chapter 38- On to Sanditon
The three travellers were on their way to Sanditon at last. There were not very talkative at first as Sidney spent the first half hour of the journey taking a nap. When he woke up, he attempted to apologise for his reaction in the sitting room.
Esther was the one who spoke up instead of his friend, 'Sidney, you had every right to be upset. There is no need to apologise.' Lord Babington added to that, 'I agree with Esther, old friend. There is no need.' Sidney smiled at them both and spent the rest of the trip lost in his thoughts. Neither Esther nor James interrupted him respecting his privacy. They spent some of their time in the carriage relishing on the goodies that Mrs Cooper packed for them.
Sidney was nervous and scared. He was thinking of Mrs Cooper's advice. She was right- if he broke down, then this would not help his Charlotte. He did not know what he would find once they reached Trafalgar House. However, he was sure of one thing- he would move heaven and earth to save his love. Of that he had no doubt.
The carriage stopped in front of the Parker family house at four in the afternoon. The Babingtons exited their carriage and waited for Sidney to follow. Lord Babington could see that he was terrified. He shook his friend's shoulder slightly and whispered to him, 'Courage, Sidney. You only have to take some steps to get to her. She is only through this door. Come on, she is waiting for you.' Sidney took a deep breath, nodded and exited the carriage.
A maid opened the door to them, and they entered. The footman made sure that the trunks were unloaded and brought into the lobby. The picnic basket was taken to the kitchen so that the treats can be given to the children.
The house was quiet, eerily so, until Dr Levinson stepped into the room. The good doctor looked very worried. Hence, his look of relief when he saw Sidney was definitely telling, 'Mr Parker, you are the man of the hour. Miss Heywood is critically ill with high temperature that has not gone down no matter what we have tried. She cannot settle and keeps asking for you. Please come help us settle her before she harms herself. She is not letting us treat her or get her temperature down. Her mother is currently with her.'
Sidney emitted a tiny sob and looked at Lord Babington, 'Courage, come on. Go to her.' He followed Dr Levinson obediently without uttering a word. When they entered, Mrs Heywood looked up- she instinctively knew this was Mary's brother-in-law just from his air of grief and the way she was looking at her daughter.
Dr Levinson made the introductions between them. Sidney bowed politely and smiled sadly at the lady, 'It is pleasure to meet you, Mrs Heywood.' Just this simple greeting made Charlotte pause her movements for a moment and all the people in the room did notice that fact. Dr Levinson suddenly became more hopeful about his patient's recovery. She then resumed her movements and it broke Sidney's heart in two. What had happened to her?
Mrs Heywood replied, 'And I you, Mr Parker. Sit by Charlotte, she needs you. We will give you some privacy.'
Sidney sat on the chair and he took Charlotte's hand. He stroked it lightly and pressed butterfly kisses on it, 'Hello, my love. I am here.' Charlotte's mutterings stopped for a moment. Her senses were on overload and she feared that they were deceiving her. She feared that she would wake up and that he would be gone again.
'I promise you, it is me, your Sidney- I have only ever been yours. I am back in Sanditon. I will not leave you again. Please let the doctor help you, my darling. Get better soon. I want to tell you my news from London as I promised you in my letter. I also brought you some presents. I want to look in your beautiful eyes and tell you that I love you and that I want to court you, if you would have me. I cannot live without you- it would kill me not being with you.'
He delivered this speech with a voice clogged with tears. At this speech, Charlotte stilled her movements and her breathing normalised. Her lungs cleared and she could finally breathe freely. She was so happy that it hurt! She had a reason to come back. He was back. Her Sidney was back! She opened her eyes, smiled widely at him- that smile that made him weak in the knees- and whispered to him, 'Hello, trouble'.
Sidney's smile was brighter than the sun's on a hot sunny day. He was so deliriously happy to speak to her again that he did not care that he was crying like a baby. All he could utter was, 'Oh, my love, you are back! Never leave me again, I beg of you!' and kissed her gently on the lips.
Chapter 39- Sweet nothings
Both Sidney and Charlotte were grinning like fools. They were unconsciously doing the same thing- memorising each other's faces lest one of them disappeared from the presence of the other one.
Charlotte lifted her hand and wiped the tears off his cheeks. 'You are crying. Don't cry. I don't want you to be sad.'
Sidney took her right hand, kissed each finger tenderly and reassured her, 'They are happy tears. I have missed you so very much.'
Charlotte sighed at his words and smiled cheekily, 'How much?'
He knew she was teasing him, yet there was another underlying current on this question. It was sadness that she dared not express. 'As much as the moon misses the stars at night. I thought of you every single moment when I was in London. I have such exciting things to tell you. First things first though, I brought you a present.'
The enthusiasm on Charlotte's face was unmistakable. He would do whatever it took to keep her feeling like that. He pulled out the locket from his jacket pocket and showed it to her.
'Let me see!', claimed she enthusiastically stretching her arms to him. It was the expression of an excited child who is eager to open his presents on Christmas day. He smiled back but kept the locket back for a moment. He simply said,' You will have it once I get paid for my troubles. You were one who called me trouble after all. I have to prove my mettle, haven't I?'
She laughed heartily at that comment. Her sweet laughter filled the room- oh, how he had missed that melodic sound! 'What is the price for your present, kind sir?' said she, knowing full well what that was. She was tingling all over with anticipation.
'I would like a kiss, my love. Will you let me kiss you?' She blushed prettily and nodded at him.
Sidney had dreamt of this moment every night and daydreaming about it during the day. Yet, the reality of it was even better than his dreams. Her face was flushed from the fever but glowing from a glow that came from within her. Her eyes were soft and bright with large dilated pupils focusing on his face. Her lips were as red as ripe cherries and he could not wait to taste them. She had no idea what it did to him when she bit her bottom lip slightly. He knew she did that when she was slightly nervous about something. Yet, he found it so adorable as she accompanied the gesture with a slight frown on her forehead.
He had to control himself, though. He did not want to frighten her. He caressed her cheek and her face with his finger. He bent to kiss her top lip first and then caressed her bottom lip with a soft kiss. Their breathing increased along with the beating of their hearts. He waited until he could feel her moving her lips the same way over his. That was it! He was aware only of her, her kiss and oblivious where they were. Her lips were sweet and they tasted of honey. He was already addicted to her kisses!
The heat between them increased. He parted her lips gently with his tongue to deepen the kiss gently. He could not help himself. It was not proper, perhaps, but the moment their tongues touched, he felt a thousand fireworks explode in his head blinding him and the electricity that was created because of their contact going down his spine with an intensity that he had never known before.
He gathered that Charlotte felt the same as her breathing became even more laboured and the speed of her kiss increased. She was literally devouring his mouth. It was such an intoxicating feeling that he did not want it to end. Their tongues chased each other relentlessly. He could not help releasing a groan that escaped from the back of his throat when Charlotte brought him closer to deepen the kiss further and started playing with the loose curls at the back of his neck. He delved even deeper trying to taste every inch of her delicious mouth until she herself moaned slightly. He lifted her from the bed slightly, brought her closer to him to feel her warmth. She was driving him to destruction!
Charlotte was not any different either. The kiss made her flush as a bolt of electricity travelled throughout her body. She could not have him close enough. She somehow found the strength to bring him closer to her by moving both her arms around him. Oh, those curls at the back of his neck were simply irresistible!
They continued kissing for what it seemed like hours whilst in truth it was only ten minutes. It was as if both of them have been thirsty and they could only quench their thirst with each other. No one and nothing else would do.
Sidney was starting to feel the effects of her kiss, so he decided albeit unwillingly to slow their kiss to a natural stop. He did not want her reputation to suffer nor did he want to trespass on her mother's goodwill.
He kissed her cute freckled nose that had exactly ten freckles on it and whispered to her, 'I wish I could show you how much I adore you, my love. You are my life and soul and I cannot do without you.' Charlotte sighed happily and whispered back at him, 'I cannot do without you either. I love you so much, my darling Sidney!'
It was the first time that she had told him that she loved him. It was as if the missing part of his soul fell into place in line with hers. It has been a long time since he had felt this happy and this loved. 'Just knowing that you love me, my darling, makes me the richest and happiest man in the world.' said he, giving her another deep kiss just to prove his statement. They stopped for air and hugged for a moment until their breathing came back to normal.
Once they were both recovered, Charlotte teased him and demanded her present. 'I believe, kind sir, that you have been amply paid for the present you were to give me. Now can I have it, please?'
Sidney could not help continuing the tease further, 'That was just the deposit. It will take a lot more kisses, my sweet love, to cover the full value. Yet, it will do for the present. Here you are. Open it.'
Charlotte took it from him, she gave him a cheeky grin that made her face glow even further and she opened the locket. She was not sure what she expected to find in it. What she did find though made her incredibly happy. She saw that the locket had lots of different compartments in it. Only two of them were filled. The first one was his portrait and the second one was hers. The rest of the compartments were empty.
'Oh Sidney, it is so beautiful! This way I can always have you with me. I love it, thank you. Yet, I wonder why are the other compartments empty.'
Sidney looked at her adoringly, 'They are for the pictures of our children, my darling. Yes, I would like to earn back your trust, court you and if you'll have this fool as your husband, well, marry you. How does it sound to you? Is it a good plan?'
She planted a soft kiss on his nose and his lips and agreed, 'I like that plan very much, indeed. I would like a proper proposal when the time is right, though.' She gave him a tight hug which allowed him access to her neck. Sidney was not one to miss a chance like that, so he peppered her neck with butterfly kisses, which made her giggle from happiness in return.
Sidney released her from the embrace and took a moment to look at her properly. She was still flushed, which concerned him slightly. He touched her forehead gently. 'You are still quite warm, sweetheart and your breathing is still very shallow. Now will you be a good patient and let the good doctor treat you? Your mother has been crazy with worry and I have so many things to share with you, but I can only do so until you are in full health.
I thought I had died inside when I received Mary's message summoning me to Sanditon post-haste. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I was in full shock for ten minutes. Ask Babbington and Esther if you do not believe me. They were with me in the same room at the time. Poor Esther did not know how to handle it.
It was a good thing that our housekeeper in London has known me ever since I was a child and knew what to do to snap me out of it. Otherwise, I would have still been sitting in the sitting room at Bedford Place looking at the blank wall.'
A lone tear slipped down Charlotte's cheeks at his words and asked sadly, 'I am sorry, Sidney. I did not mean to worry anybody. Especially not you and my mama. It is just that I was trapped inside my head with no motivation to come out in the real world until you came back to me. I missed you, my soulmate, and life did not seem worth living without you in it. I promise to be good for the doctor- I do not like staying in bed for too long as I get very bored. How did … your housekeeper help you get over your shock?'
Sidney blushed for a moment before saying, 'She let me cry it out and then made me drink sweet tea with brandy. She completed the cure by giving me the largest double chocolate cookie that you have ever seen. She knows that I love them, and she always keeps them around when I am in London.'
She laughed gleefully, 'Chocolate cookies, hey? Well, aren't you lucky, that I have the perfect recipe for them, and I love eating them as well? We shall make quite the team. Be aware sir that you will be my primary source of entertainment whilst I am recovering. You have been prewarned- I am a terrible patient when I get bored!' He laughed at that comment.
'I look forward to tasting them, darling and entertaining you to your heart's content. Now let me help you wear your locket and call your mother. It will make her feel better knowing that you are with us again. Shall I ask her to bring you something to eat?'
She thought for a moment, 'I am hungry for something other than broth. Promise me that you will not feed me broth in the near future. I have eaten so much of it that I do not wish to taste it for a good while. The cook makes this delicious leek pie. Would you ask mama to bring me one of those? I have been craving for one, but I could not ask for one such dish when I could not wake up. It was most frustrating until you came to release me, my handsome prince charming.'
Sidney thought to himself, 'Only Charlotte would be capable of making me blush twice in a day in her presence.' Aloud he said instead, 'Yes, darling. I will tell her. Lie down for a moment and rest for a bit- I will get her for you.'
He kissed her lips and forehead, smiled at her and left the room in search of Mrs Heywood.
Chapter 40- Discussions
Sidney left Charlotte's room with a feeling of elation. He made his way to the sitting room where he found the Babbingtons, Mrs Heywood, Mary, Dr Levinson and, he gathered, Miss Alison, Charlotte's sister. He could feel that all the people in the room were uneasy and tense. Yet, the moment they saw his smiling face, the smiles returned to their faces.
He smiled warmly at all of them and exclaimed triumphantly, 'She is awake and well.' At those words the room literally exploded with joy. Mary ran to embrace him, Mrs Heywood and her daughter were hugging each other with faces full of happy tears, Esther's eyes were teary with relief and joy, Babbers congratulated Sidney loudly and Dr Levinson looked utterly relieved at the news.
Once the celebrations died down a bit, Sidney addressed Mrs Heywood with a devilish smile, 'Mrs Heywood, your daughter is famished or as I call it as hungry as a lion.' The whole room erupted in gay laughter at that statement.
Mrs Heywood teased him back saying, 'Is she, Mr Parker? What did she want to eat? Allow me a guess- did she perhaps want the cook's leek pie? Did she also mention that she was totally fed up with any type of broth for the forthcoming future?'
Sidney chuckled at her, 'Why, of course, she did. I dare say the cook spilled her secret, didn't she?'
Mrs Heywood responded with a smile, 'She certainly did. The cook told me the whole tale about my daughter wanting to eat that pie in numerous occasions. She even gave me the recipe. There has been a pie in the kitchen with Charlotte's name written all over it lest she woke up ever since she became unwell. The cook would break no opposition and insisted in spoiling her rotten. I will get Betsy to fetch it for her.'
Charlotte's mother then got up and walked towards the direction of the kitchen to fulfil this errand. This gave the rest of them the opportunity to talk whilst enjoying the refreshments that Mary had asked to be delivered earlier.
Esther was very interested in getting to know Miss Alison. She wondered whether she would be as agreeable company as her sister Charlotte had been- her hoped were not dashed. Both ladies chatted amiably and got on like a house on fire.
This made Esther feel a bit better as she had not shown Charlotte the same courtesy when she first arrived in Sanditon. She could not undo the past. Yet, it made her feel less guilty treating Charlotte's sister better and showing her best self. She had been so focussed on her own problems at the time and what Edward was doing to her, that she failed to make her feel welcome.
She could feel her husband's eyes on her, and she knew that he understood exactly what she was doing. She gave him an affectionate smile and continued her discussion with Alison about the differences between Willingden and Sanditon.
In the meantime, Mary was talking to her brother-in-law. She asked him hesitantly, 'How are you, Sidney?' She knew that this question would also engage his friend's attention who was currently having a conversation with Dr Levinson.
Sidney looked at Mary, gave her one his real smiles and responded, 'I have had a day full of ups and downs, but now I am on the top of the world. It is a wonderful feeling to know that Charlotte is awake and that I am in the same town, nay, the same house with her, instead of miles away missing her like mad.'
Mary squeezed his hand affectionately at that response. 'You deserve this happiness, Sidney. It was long overdue.'
Lord Babbington entered into the conversation, 'I could not agree more, Mrs Parker. How was our patient once she woke up, Parker?'
Sidney explained, but he looked a little worried, 'She was alert albeit a bit disoriented. There was not as much confusion there as I feared there would be. I made her promise to behave and let you treat her, Dr Levinson. When I left her, her fever had broken, but her temperature still seemed higher than normal and she was still wheezing a bit. I am no doctor, of course. Yet, it did not seem right.'
Dr Levinson hastened to reassure him, 'Have no fear, Mr Parker. Now that you have woken our sleeping beauty up, half the battle with the fever and her breathing has already been won. I will examine her and check her breathing after she eats her meal. We still need to be careful and she still needs to rest. Yet, there should be no issue for her to enjoy short walks at the seaside after a day's rest. In fact, the fresh air will help her recover faster.'
Sidney smiled and thanked the doctor. 'Thank you for taking care of her, Dr Levinson. She is very precious to us, so we are eternally grateful to you.'
Dr Levinson brushed off the comment with a wave of his hand, 'Nonsense. It was my pleasure entirely. I cannot even take all the credit. Dr Fuchs did a sterling job and it was very much a joint effort. You are lucky to have him here in Sanditon as he is a very good doctor.
Yet, never have I seen a young lady being so much loved. You know, it is always a pleasure to see such community spirit in one place showing such selfless love for another human being without having an ulterior motive. The people care for Miss Charlotte without expecting anything back. Their reward is restoring her to her former health.
You see, Mr Parker, my patients in London sadly lack this spirit, which makes my profession a rather shallow and sad experience at times. It makes you lose faith in humanity. London can be a heartless place that drains your soul.'
The whole room was following the conversation between the doctor and Sidney. Sidney responded, 'Yes, Dr Levinson, I feel the same whenever I am there as well. I only remained in London for business reasons these past days, which took up most of my time. Luckily, I did not associate myself with any of the beau monde during my visit, for which I was most grateful. I certainly have no patience for that sort of thing. I hate being paraded like a parasol under the sun at the salons there.
The townspeople here in Sanditon may not be rich. Yet, they are very kind hearted when one treats them well. Charlotte…- his slip of the tongue made the rest smile slightly- I mean Miss Heywood has always been kind and considerate towards all of them. It is a one of her gifts. Do you agree, Miss Alison? You know your sister best.'
Alison blushed at being addressed directly by her sister's beau. She understood what Charlotte saw in him and she was convinced that her sister fell in love with those dimples of his. Especially, when the smile reached his eyes, just like now. She put her thoughts aside and responded, 'Yes, Mr Parker, she does have a heart of gold. All our siblings turn to her for comfort when they are upset.'
They had been enjoying their conversation when Mrs Heywood walked in. She addressed Dr Levinson. 'Dr Levinson, Charlotte has finished her meal. Would you like to examine her? Mary and Alison, would you go with him, please? I should like to speak to Mr Parker.'
They expected that this would happen. Lord and Lady Babington excused themselves explaining that they were to stay with Lady Denham and that they would take her the news of Charlotte's recovery. This left Mrs Heywood and Sidney alone in the sitting room. This also made Sidney feel very nervous.
Mrs Heywood poured him another cup of tea and asked him to sit down. 'Mr Parker, I believe we should talk, don't you?'
Sidney nodded in the affirmative still feeling too nervous to speak. Mrs Heywood continued, 'I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for bringing Charlotte back to us. I have just spoken to her. She is a changed creature from the fidgety girl from earlier today.'
Sidney was embarrassed, 'Mrs Heywood, you should not thank me. I could not but bring her back. She is very precious to a lot of people, not excluding myself from that list. I do not think I could be without her even if I tried.' He paused for a moment and asked the dreaded question, 'Have you read my letter to her?'
Mrs Heywood looked at the nervous young man in front of her and smiled at him affectionately, 'Yes, Mr Parker, I did. In truth, I did not know what to make of it when it reached me. You owe your sister-in-law and Lady Susan a debt of gratitude as they enlightened me on your real character. If not for them, I would have ignored it. I am glad that I did not ignore it. The moment I read it to her, she started being more responsive than she had been the past week and a half.'
Sidney bowed his head dejectedly at the lady's first comment, 'I cannot say that I blame you. The letter was really a desperate act of trying to fix what I have caused because of my utter foolishness. I have hurt your daughter really badly. Therefore, I am certainly not surprised that you thought me a rogue. I was of the same opinion myself. However, I have promised Charlotte that I would earn her trust and court her. She deserves no less. I am also delighted to hear that my letter has helped her.'
He asked nervously, 'Have Mary and Lady Susan told you what has happened between your daughter and myself?'
'Yes, they did, Mr Parker. Both Alison and myself have been told the whole story. I was initially furious with you for breaking Charlotte's heart and reducing her to her comatose condition. Yet, I could forgive anyone who loved my daughter so much and who worked a miracle in bringing her back to us in one piece.
Take heed though, sir, no further slips are allowed. Should there be even one, the whole Heywood clan will follow you like famished locusts until you have no place to hide. You need to prove your devotion to Charlotte as neither her father nor myself would allow further harm to come to her. She is our eldest child and we are not prepared to lose her again. Is that understood?'
Sidney nodded vigorously, 'It certainly is, Mrs Heywood. I would cut my own arm off before I dared hurt your daughter again. I don't think I could survive it, either, you know. Just the temporary thought that I might lose her, tore my heart in pieces.'
Mrs Heywood decided to lighten the mood of the conversation, 'Lady Susan was right about you. She did say that you loved Charlotte and that you were a one of the kind gentleman. She is a very perceptive lady. Now, tell me, what have you been up to whilst you were in London.'
He recounted to her how he had spent his days there and what he had achieved. He also brought out Charlotte's presents and fabric from his trunk, that was still in the lobby, to show her.
She was very impressed with him. What a proactive and thoughtful young man her Charlotte has fallen in love with! Her instinct told her that her daughter would be very happy with him. She smiled at him, 'You are certainly prepared for every eventuality, Mr Parker. That is very impressive. Your proactiveness will certainly save us precious time when you two are ready to wed.'
'Mrs Heywood, I trade with fabrics and wares from the West Indies all the time, so should you need anything specific or rare, I can certainly get it for you. All you need to do is say what it is. I can get my captains to send anything you need either here in Sanditon or in Willingden within a couple of days of my request.'
Both Sidney and Mrs Heywood spent another hour or so discussing all sorts of matters about his work. This impressed her even more and reassured her that her daughter would lack nothing. Her mind was made up. She would write to her husband and tell him of all this. This would make him even more open to having this kind man as a son-in-law when Mr Parker was ready to ask Charlotte either for a courtship or even better ask for her hand. Knowing how besotted both of them were with each together, she knew from experience that she would not have to wait for long.
Their discussion took them until dinner time when the whole Parker family and the Heywoods sat down to dinner. Charlotte was tired, so she dined in her room and slept peacefully.
Chapter 41- The Parker brothers
Mrs Heywood and Sidney were coming out of the sitting room, when the front door opened. Three rambunctious children, Henry, Alicia and Jenny burst through with a fed-up looking Tom and a red-cheeked Arthur following behind them.
Henry was the first to see his uncle and ran straight to him literally shouting, 'Uncle Siddy!' Sidney stepped forward to pick Henry up in a hug. Alicia and Jenny were equally excited to see their uncle and got hold each one of his legs not willing to let go. He disengaged his nieces, took a seat on the nearby settee in order for all of them to be more comfortable.
Sidney was truly delighted to see the children. He loved spending time with them whenever he was in Sanditon and he hoped to make up for the lost time with them now that he was back. Each child was telling him what they have been doing since he left in highly-pitched animated voices that would not be suppressed. He did try to moderate their voices a little for Charlotte's sake, but it was only half-heartedly done. He secretly delighted in their pure joy, innocence and enthusiasm.
They told him that they had gone to picnics, swimming, to their friends' birthday parties and how they baked a chocolate cake with the cook. They also spoke a lot of Tom and Arthur, how papa and their uncle were spending more time with them and how they missed Charlotte. They also told him how papa did not spend so much time working anymore and that they were happy that he played with them more. The children had inexhaustible tales of imaginary races and Napoleonic battles with rabbits and giraffes- in fact they sounded so funny that Sidney was in stitches. Oh, Charlotte would revel in this conversation!
This animated conversation between Sidney and his nieces and nephew attracted the attention of the other people in the room for different reasons.
On the one hand, Mrs Heywood was thinking how happy and content he looked. His natural boyish charm emerged in full strength and a really enchanting smile graced his face when he was interacting with the children. She was really happy to see what a natural rapport he had with them and how good a father he would be in the future.
She noticed that he took the time to really listen to them, he gave them his full attention for which the children rewarded him with their pure adoration of his person. She could clearly see that if the Parker children were to state their preference on whom they wanted to spend time with more amongst the male members of their family, then this person would be Mr Sidney Parker without a doubt. She also noticed that their father was envious of the welcome they gave their uncle.
Ultimately, this beautiful domestic scene really made her smile. Yes, thought she, my darling daughter, you are a very lucky girl indeed!
On the other hand, this interaction made Tom Parker realise that he was jealous of his brother, Sidney. Tom loved his children very much and he relished all the fun that they have had together this past week and a half. He was trying very hard to make up for any lost time with them. This quality time with them nourished his soul.
Yet, he did not feel complete as something was missing. After having decided to abandon his misguided dream of Sanditon, he felt as if he was drifting with no aim and no anchor in the open ocean. He had no real occupation to inspire his inner dreams. In fact, he felt as if had no dreams left to fight for and boredom was setting in fast.
He made himself bring his thoughts back to his children. They were really happy to have their papa's full attention- they seemed to want to flourish under it. However, he always had the feeling that they did not trust him enough yet to express themselves in the way they interacted with Sidney.
He had no doubt that his children loved him. He did feel though that they did so more because they should as he was their papa and not because they had a natural affinity with him as they seemed to have with his brother.
Tom did not have the imagination to join their imaginary battles, so when he tried to do so, the children could really sense that he was only doing that in a half-hearted way. He did not know how they would know. Yet, there it was.
His darling children had no such problems with Sidney. Here they were talking to him as if he was their long-lost friend and telling all manners of adventures that he, their own father, had had no idea of. Yes, thought he again, he was bone tired of all the extra effort he had to make and envious of his brother's seemingly easy way of engaging with the children.
In the meantime, Arthur was observing both Tom's reaction and the charming scene that Sidney and the children made. He could see Sidney's delight in seeing his nephew and nieces. He could also see the naked envy on Tom's face.
Arthur was always considered to be the baby brother of the Parker family. Sidney treated him as the man he was and respected him. However, Tom had the tendency to underestimate him. Tom underestimated how observant Arthur was of other people's reactions and his surroundings. Should Tom have asked him, then he could have told his eldest brother some very bitter truths. He did not though and this made Arthur feel very sad and underappreciated.
Chapter 42- An eventful dinner
This cosy scene was also observed by Mary and Diana who were returning from the kitchen. Both of them were in the kitchen checking on the dinner menu when Mrs Heywood came in the room gushing with the good news that Charlotte was awake and that she was hungry for the cook's pie.
Everyone in the room was thrilled with the news. In fact, the cook was so happy that she was already planning special treats for Charlotte with the perfectly acceptable excuse that the girl needed to recover her strength. Betsy, who was also ever so fond of her young mistress and she was overjoyed at hearing that she was awake, was immediately sent to Charlotte's room with the repast. Mary just smiled at her cook indulgently knowing full well that if she could cook as well as she did, she would have done nothing different for their dear Charlotte.
Both Mary and Diana smiled to themselves when observing the interaction between Sidney and the children. Diana, who was not fully aware of Sidney's attachment to Charlotte yet, attributed his good humour to his pleasure of seeing his nephew and nieces again. She knew that he had a special place in his heart for them. She did not pay any special attention to either Tom or Arthur- she just focussed her attention on Sidney.
Mary, though, who knew that her brother-in-law's good mood was partly due to Charlotte's awakening and partly due to his pleasure in seeing her children again, was overjoyed at the sight. She also breathed a sigh of relief for his happiness. The poor man has already endured too much- he needed some happiness in his life. Her happy thoughts on Sidney's happiness were unpleasantly interrupted when she happened to observe her husband's visage. She could see the raw envy there- she could sense its strength and that gave her goose bumps.
Tom's sudden change of habits had given her hope. Sadly she could now see all of her secret hopes of securing her family's future get dashed in the cruellest way! Mary was very proud of her husband throughout this past one and a half week. He paid more attention to both the children and herself. He seemed to be more considerate of other people's feelings and how his actions affected them. It felt that he had finally turned a new leaf and changed his priorities in life. He spent more time playing with the children instead of working and he also made sure that he spent time with her as well. She had been so very happy about it all!
Yet, seeing this look of envy towards Sidney on his face made her doubt his intentions. She thought it was because he had changed. He should not be jealous of Sidney. Their children loved their papa- he knew that as they were showing it to him every day. He was all they talked about. Sidney did not replace their papa in their eyes. Then why the jealousy? It really puzzled her.
Mary was a devoted wife and she loved her husband, but she worried about the children's and her future, should something happen to Tom. She knew that her dowry of £3000 would not be enough when divided between their three children. She was fully aware that her husband had invested every penny he had had on Sanditon without giving a spare thought to his family's future. There were no savings- no back up. It made her very sad- sadness that she could neither show to anyone not let anyone see it. She had learnt to become even more skilled than Sidney in hiding her real emotions.
In the meantime, Sidney was still engrossed in his conversation with the children without being aware of their audience until dinner was announced. The whole of the Parker clan and the Heywoods went in the dining room to partake at the meal. Dinner proved indeed to be both an unexpectedly awkward and interesting affair for its participants.
Sidney took his time to observe the group dynamics in the room. Mary looked upset – one could even say nervous, Tom was giving Sidney angry looks when the children addressed him instead of their father, Diana was her usual solicitous self to everyone and Arthur was very much the same and genial to all and sundry. The children thankfully remained unaffected and even very happy especially when they were told of Charlotte's recovery- in fact if it were not for their presence, the tension would have been even more pulpable. Sidney was very glad for their presence. It was the first time that he spent time in the same room as his eldest brother, so the children acted as the perfect buffer to Tom's passively aggressive behaviour towards him.
Mrs Heywood and Alison also felt the slight tension and silently communicated to each other to retire right after dinner. They would check on Charlotte and return to the hotel to rest. This would allow the Parker family to talk to each other and resolve whatever issue has come up.
Thus, at the end of the meal, the Heywood ladies announced their plan to the family and left to say goodnight to Charlotte. Sidney glanced at Mrs Heywood who nodded at his silent request to pass on his goodnights as well. He gave her a genuine smile and bowed his head slightly at her. He really was very lucky to have such a kind and considerate future mother-in-law.
The rest of the Parker clan went to the sitting room where there was no separation of the sexes. Sidney was in no mood being in the same room as Tom with no one else in there. The children wished the adults good night and the nurse took them to the nursery to prepare them for bed. Mary told them that she would come up to tuck them in and read them a story after their bath.
The adults remained in the sitting room feeling rather awkward with each other. The silence was broken by Tom, who had been overindulging in wine throughout dinner, who exclaimed in his most sarcastic tone, 'So, Sidney, what have you been doing in London? Enjoying yourself, were you when poor Charlotte was fighting for her life? What have you done for her? At least I went to get her mother and sister here in Sanditon. What have you done?'
Arthur, Diana and Mary looked up at that comment to see Sidney's face darken with barely constrained anger and Tom's face hosting an insolent expression on it taunting his brother further. Mary was disappointed and angry at her husband. How dare he say that? She knew that Tom was playing with fire. Tom saw Sidney in that catatonic state after Charlotte's collapse- did he really not understand how much Sidney loved her? She was well aware of how well Sidney could contain his anger, but involving Charlotte in this discussion was most likely to push Sidney to his extreme limit. Her husband has crossed the invisible line- Sidney would make sure that he would regret doing so.
Arthur and Diana understood something very important during this evening's dinner. Sidney was head over heels in love with Charlotte. They also realised that Tom's question has just put him in the doghouse with their brother. Tom has just made the biggest mistake of his life taunting Sidney with Charlotte's condition.
Sidney suddenly felt all the resentment, anger and frustration against Tom, that he managed to keep at bay in London, rise up again with a vengeance. He could tolerate any comment, but the insinuation that he was enjoying himself whilst his Charlotte was suffering.
His anger flared, 'Tom, I am warning you. You have no idea what has gone on in London and no idea what I have gone through. Hold your tongue or else!'
Tom snapped back at him, 'Or what Sidney? What are you going to do? You have not been in touch with me for a week and a half! I have had no news about anything despite seeing messengers coming back and forth giving messages to everyone else but me. Do you even care for this family at all? Do you care what is going to become of us?'
Sidney's temper rose even more and this certainly showed on the tone of his voice. It was as cold as ice. 'Tom! That is enough! I will not speak to you when you are inebriated. Sober up and we can talk. Not like this!'
Tom would not let this go. He was like a dog with a bone, 'No, I will not let this go! I need answers! You come back and the whole world revolves around you. You are the centre of everyone's world! I need some answers and I need them NOW!'
Mary tried to intervene, 'Tom, this is not the time to do this. You are not in the right frame of mind- you may say things that you may regret later on. Speaking in anger has not served anyone well. It is better to continue this discussion another time when you are sober.'
Tom glared at her, 'Et tu Brutus? First, my children worship the ground he walks on and now you, my wife, are on his side as well! How could you, Mary?'
Mary winced at that comment and tears pooled around her eyes. Diana went to her immediately and hugged her. She chastised her eldest brother, 'Tom, that is beneath you!'
Arthur joined Diana in his defence of Mary and went to his sister-in-law putting a protective arm around her shoulder, 'Tom, how dare you! Leave Mary alone. You have no idea what you are talking about!'
Sidney could no longer contain himself. He got up, grabbed Tom by the lapels of his coat, lifted him up the wall and roared at him in a low, threatening voice, 'You are my eldest brother. You have helped me in the past and I have never forgotten it.
You, though, Tom Parker, are a coward and a disgrace to the Parker family name! You undermine and chastise your wife and your family without knowing all the facts! You bring Miss Heywood into this when again you do not have all the facts!
You, are just a bully! I have never tolerated bullies outside this family, so, by god, I am not going to start letting someone like you behaving like one! Do you want a fight? Then, pick on me instead- someone your own size- most certainly not two women who have always tried to help you.
Your choices are those- you spineless worm! You either calm down and we talk this through when you have come to your senses or I will punch the lights out of you right now forgetting that you are my brother! Believe, brother, if I do, you will not be able to get out of this house for months to come! What will it be, hey Tom? I am waiting!'
Mary, Diana and Arthur had never seen Sidney lose his temper like this. They knew he was capable of this, but actually seeing this was frightening. Mary, for once, was too upset with what Tom said to her earlier today to intervene on her husband's behalf. She was honestly surprised with herself when she realised that she did not even want to do that. Tom deserved everything he got! Arthur and Diana actually secretly enjoyed the sight as well. They have both felt that Sidney's reaction to Tom's taunts was long overdue.
Tom gulped at Sidney's reaction and went as pale as a sheet. Sidney had always contained his anger despite his demands in the past. He had never once reacted, but now he knew that he had pushed Sidney too far. He was scared, so very scared that he knew that he wet himself in public! His breeches were all wet!
Tom looked both mortified and terrified at the same time. He could only stammer, 'I … will... behave.' Sidney put him down at that wiping his hands on his jacket as if he had touched something dirty and went to comfort Mary. Tom could only run out of the room to his rooms to change his breeches knowing full well that he would be the laughing stock of his household staff and the whole town of Sanditon the day after. He also knew that he had dug such a deep hole for himself that it would be difficult to get out of it.
No-one else in the room saw Tom leave apart from a footman who found his master's state so funny that he could barely hold his laughter. Oh, everybody would be in stitches once he told them.
Sidney, Diana and Arthur were fussing over Mary. Diana made her a cup of very sweet tea, Arthur got her to sit comfortably on the sofa covering her with a warm blanket and Sidney was holding her hand trying to get her to calm down. Mary herself felt so cherished that she did not know how she got so lucky to deserve such lovely in-laws. Despite it all, it took a good half an hour until she had recovered her wits and even then she could only say, 'Thank you for caring for me so.'
Sidney responded on behalf of the three of them, 'How could we not, Mary? You are very important to this family. In fact, it is a good thing that all three of us are in the room. There is something that I do need to talk to you all about without Tom being present.
You all know that Charlotte is awake and that I am in love with her. She loves me, too. Mrs Heywood knows that I aim to court her daughter and when she is ready to accept me, eventually marry her. I spent my time in London both preparing for my future with Charlotte and for the future of the Parker family in general. This involves you all three directly.
Our accountants and solicitors in London have put together some documents that you need to sign before the family meeting on Saturday. Do you all have time to meet me at my hotel room tomorrow morning at eleven? I know this all seems very much cloak and dagger, but I promise that it will make sense once I explain everything to you. Tom will have to sign his own set of papers on Saturday.'
Mary, Arthur and Diana agreed to that request. Arthur and Diana went to their house to retire and Mary to the nursery to tuck the children in. Sidney was then left by himself in the sitting room feeling all perturbed and wishing he could see his Charlotte after all this drama. Damn Tom! You know how to push my buttons!
In the meantime, Charlotte was being read to by Alison. She was just at the point of falling asleep when she was suddenly wide awake. Alison looked up at her sister's anxious-looking eyes, 'Lottie, what is the matter? What is worrying you?'
'Allie, Sidney is upset, is he still in the house? Can you get him for me? I know it is late, but I need to see him. Please, Allie!'
Alison was so overjoyed at having her sister back that she would fetch her the moon if she had asked. She could only agree, 'Yes, Lottie. I will check if he is still here. I will call Betsy to stay with you so that you are not alone in my absence.'
Betsy was called and stayed with Charlotte. Alison, then, went downstairs not expecting to find anyone. Imagine her surprise, when she saw Mr Sidney Parker in a state of perturbation in the sitting room. Lottie's instincts were indeed correct.
Sidney did not hear her come in, so he was surprised to hear his name being called, 'Mr Parker, my sister wants to see you.'
He turned at those words and looked at his Charlotte's sister with panicked eyes. 'Is she all right?'
Alison smiled and said, 'Yes, she is. She just wants to see you. Go to her. I will wait here.' He did not have to be told twice. He took two stairs at a time and he was in Charlotte's bedroom in two seconds. Alison thought to herself amusingly that he looked like those hares that Lottie used to hunt. They ran as fast as well.
Betsy excused herself when she saw him and left the room. The tension in his body disappeared the moment he saw Charlotte's worried eyes at him. No sooner had she sat down on the chair next to her bed, when she grabbed his hands tightly and said, 'What is wrong, Sidney?'
'I am well, my love, don't fret. Let us just say that Tom was in fine form at dinner tonight after drinking several glasses of wine. Such a fine form in fact that he made Mary cry and kept taunting me as is his norm. I ignored him at first, but when he started blaming his wife and brought your name into the occasion, my hackles went up. I called him a coward and a bully and gave him the choice of calming down or me punching the daylights out of him. Luckily, he chose the first option. Arthur, Diana and myself spent most of the time downstairs trying to calm Mary down.'
Charlotte cried, 'Oh, poor Mary! And poor you, my Sidney! I knew you were upset- I did not what about but I asked Allie to get you. I am glad I did.'
Sidney kissed Charlotte's hand tenderly and said, 'I am also glad you did, my darling. I was wishing to be with you as well. You know how to soothe me.'
She looked at him adoringly and asked, 'What are your plans for Tom?'
He smiled at how perceptive she was, 'You do know me well, don't you? Yes, I have plenty of plans for him- he will like none of them - I do assure you of that. I am taking all the control away from him. I will also discuss some plans with Arthur, Diana and Mary to help them become more independent. I am to meet with them tomorrow morning and hopefully break the news to Tom at a family meeting on Saturday morning.'
Charlotte nodded at that and started yawning. 'I know there are more details that I would like to know. Would you come and tell me tomorrow? Maybe even go with me for a short walk? I was awake earlier, but I am tired now. You need to sleep as well.'
He agreed to that, 'I will go and rest. I promise. Can I kiss you goodnight before I go, though?'
She blushed and nodded. Sidney sat on the bed, took her in his arms and gave her a mind-clearing kiss during which neither of them could think of nothing and nobody else but each other. It was as if that kiss dissolved all the previous upset of the evening as if it never existed giving him a clean slate to start the following day.
He hugged her for a couple of minutes after the kiss ended and then said, 'Sleep well, my darling. I love you.' Charlotte in return said, 'I love you too, my prince charming.' She then closed her eyes and promptly fell asleep. He stayed for some moments looking at her sleeping- she was so very beautiful when she slept! His own personal goddess! He kissed her forehead, which made her smile in her sleep and left the room.
He found Alison waiting for him in the sitting room. He told her, 'Your sister is asleep, Miss Alison.' Alison looked at him questioningly, 'Are you feeling better now, Mr Parker?' He smiled and responded, 'Yes, Miss Alison. Your sister is one of the few people who knows how to soothe me. I am more than ok now. Are your mother and yourself staying at the hotel? Would you like me to escort you both? I am heading towards there myself.'
Alison responded, 'That would be very kind of you sir. I will get mama.' In only 10 minutes, Sidney and the Heywoods- mother and daughter- were walking towards the hotel. Both ladies intended to breakfast at eight in the morning and invited him to join them. What better way was there to get to know his future family better! There was none. All three of them were tired and they ended up sleeping very well indeed.
However, there was one couple that would not sleep well- Tom and Mary Parker. Mary was still very upset with her husband so for the first time in their married life, Mary spent the night in the nursery whilst Tom was in their bedroom by himself. He tried to reason with her, but to no avail. He really did not understand how all this went so wrong!
Chapter 43- Getting acquainted
Thursday morning dawned. It would be a day that many a person would remember for different reasons.
It is best to start with some of the guests at the hotel. Sidney woke up after a refreshing sleep looking forward to starting his day. He took his time finishing his morning absolutions whistling a popular tune under his breath. He felt alive, awake and filled with nervous excess energy to burn- he was a bit like a hyperactive boy who had just had an extra piece of cake. In this happy and content state, he eventually made his way downstairs to the hotel's breakfast room where Mrs Heywood and Alison were waiting for him to break their fast. All three of them enjoyed their meal whilst discussing pleasant trivialities and Willingden. Both ladies were keen to describe their home to him, get to know him better and Sidney in return wanted to know every tiny tinsey detail about the Heywood. Thus, they spent a pleasant hour together enjoying each other's company.
They, then, went on their separate ways until they were to meet again at Trafalgar House later on today. Sidney expressly asked Mrs Heywood to tell Charlotte that he would visit her before one in the afternoon and that they would go out for a short walk. In the meantime, he opted to return to his room in order to sort the documents out for his meeting with Mary, Arthur and Diana. The more in order his thoughts were, the more productive the meeting would be. He was not at all sure how his relatives would react to the new arrangements. They may or they may not be surprised, but their future would at least be secure against most calamities.
Mrs Heywood also returned to her room to draft a letter to her husband telling him about Charlotte's recovery and Sidney. She also told him how impressed she was with Sidney's way with the Parker children. She tried to give her husband as many details as she could about their daughter's beau. This would make him more amenable to accept him as his son-in-law when Sidney finally asked Charlotte for either a courtship or her hand in marriage. Either option did seem that it would come to fruition soon in her eyes as both Sidney and her daughter were hopelessly besotted with each other. One only had to look at their happy faces to see that. She certainly made sure to mention that in her letter as well.
She was also toying with the idea about getting her husband and the rest of her children to Sanditon for a day out at the seaside. She missed both her husband and her other children- she ached to hug them and spend some time with them again. Neither of them had been to the seaside before. She knew that her husband would grumble at the idea of travelling, but she also knew that Charlotte was one of his favourite children and that he would not deny her anything.
However, this visit would depend on three things: Charlotte's recovery time, Mr Sidney Parker's eagerness to formalise his relationship with her daughter and the travel arrangements. She was forming a plan of action in her mind. Once all the conditions were right and the cost modest, then the whole of Heywood family could spend a carefree day at the beach in Sanditon enjoying each other's company. A day full of fun, sandcastles and no chores, which would delight her youngest children as they constantly complained about doing extra work at home. They preferred running around and playing above all as young children should.
Part of the day could also be a picnic for all the Sanditon residents- she would speak to both Mary Parker and Lady Susan about this idea. It would be an excellent way for the Heywood family to show their gratitude to the people of Sanditon for their care for Charlotte.
This gathering would also provide her husband the opportunity to get to know both Mr Sidney Parker and Mr Stringer better. Mrs Heywood would happily place a bet that Mr Stringer was enamoured with Alison and she with him. Her husband would get to know both beaus at the same time- oh, her husband would be more than amused with quizzing them about their potential compatibility for his daughters!
She was confident that her neighbours would help with the Willingden tenants for a couple of days should a problem come up in the family's absence. She was also fairly confident that Lady Susan may actually help her make any travel arrangements or at least make some suggestions on how they could be managed in the best possible and economical way. She made a mental note to discuss this with Charlotte's friend soon.
The long-term plan was, of course, for the Heywood family to return to Willingden at some point. Staying at a hotel was fine for a short time under exceptional circumstances, but being in one's own home was something different. She would see how things developed before making this decision. She put this departure plan in the recesses of her mind for the time being until she needed to pick it up again another more appropriate time.
All thoughts being as they should be, she called for a maid and asked her to send the letter off in the next post. Thus, satisfied with her arrangements, she made her way to Lady Susan's room, who was just finishing her morning routine after having breakfast in bed, in order for them to walk together to Trafalgar House as was their daily custom. Mrs Heywood really liked Susan and she was sure that she would miss having adult intelligent conversation upon their return to Willingden- written correspondence would replace their face-to-face daily discussions then. In no time at all, both ladies were walking towards their destination.
Lady Susan and Mrs Heywood found themselves in an earnest discussion about the new developments. Lady Susan was overjoyed that Charlotte was awake and listened with interest to Charlotte's mother's plans especially about the ones concerning the picnic and bringing the Heywood family to Sanditon. Lady Susan readily approved of the plan and promised Mrs Heywood all possible assistance when it was needed.
In truth, the past week and a half was at the same time both the most relaxing and stressful that Lady Susan had spent in a long while. It was a contradictory statement even by her own standards, but there it was. It was stressful because of Charlotte's illness and relaxing because Lady Susan could be herself again.
She thrived in the social circles in London- she was in her element there due to persona, that she put on in order to fit in the Ton and keep her influence on it intact. Yet, she was never herself- never Susan. People only spoke to her to get close to the Regent and she was secretly fed up with all this insincere attention. People did not care to know her, the person, and it frustrated her no end.
Meeting Charlotte at that London ball was the turning point. Lady Susan knew that she was a special person just from speaking to her for a few minutes which actually was the first honest and real conversation that she had held with anyone in months. She delighted in Charlotte's innocence who reminded her of herself when she was younger.
Lady Susan wanted to recapture her own self who had to compromise to survive. She used to be a carefree young girl just like Charlotte. However, she learnt the harsh reality of compromise when she married Lord Worcester. She had had a good marriage and she had loved her husband very much, but he neither prepared her for the viciousness and cruelty of the aristocracy nor even protected her from it. All her love for him could not make her forgive him that fault. In fact, she never did so.
She found out how to cope by herself through trial and error. She won out in the end fully aware that she had become a stronger person who could champion under any circumstances. This skill served her very well after her husband's untimely carriage accident and it resulted to her being the wealthiest widow in London, who ultimately became close friends with the Regent.
Yet, this experience made her weary and suspicious of people's motives. This is why she championed Charlotte and nearly destroyed Mrs Campion. Charlotte represented all that was good in the world whilst Mrs Campion all that was evil. That is why being in Sanditon did her weary soul a world of good. She could go for walks to the beach, she even bathed and actually enjoyed it very much. She mentally made a note to tell Charlotte about the bathing bit. She felt alive, refreshed and enjoyed a new zest for life. The Sanditon residents were kind and polite and never bothered her unless they wanted an update on Charlotte. The people here had no airs, no pretence and no ulterior motives. It was truly a wonder!
Knowing that Charlotte was on the mend was really just the cherry on the top. Lady Susan was a very content lady indeed. Now she would be even more content seeing her friend wed to her true love, Mr Sidney Parker- the grand lady had no doubt same as Charlotte's mother that they would not have to wait too long at all! She could not wait as she really loved weddings! Oh, the parties they would throw and the dancing that would take place!
Chapter 44- Alison and Mr Stringer discourse
Alison was on her way to Mrs Griffiths's house whilst her mother and Lady Susan were weaving their friendly nets around their loved ones. Georgiana has not been made aware that Charlotte was awake yet. Alison knew that she would be so excited at the news. Those pleasant thoughts distracted her to that extent so that she did not realise that she bumped into somebody. She looked up and she was pleasantly surprised to see that it was Mr Stringer, who seemed to be equally distracted.
They both blushed furiously when they realised whom they have bumped into. Mr Stringer thought to himself how beautiful Miss Alison looked with red cheeks and Alison how well his waistcoat fitted him. She remembered her manners and curtseyed politely.
Mr Stringer also gave her a slight bow and took the opportunity to greet her properly, 'Miss Alison, how are you this morning?' It sounded daft as she looked good enough to eat- alas he did not know what else to say.
Alison gave him one of her smiles- which by the way made him weak at the knees- and exclaimed, 'Incredibly well, Mr Stringer. I thank you for asking. I have news to tell you. My sister is awake and well. She woke up yesterday. Isn't this wonderful news? We are all very relieved. She is a bit tired and she does need to build up her strength- we do know, though, that she will recover in no time. '
Mr Stringer smiled widely in evident delight, 'That is indeed wonderful, Miss Alison. The whole town of Sanditon was worried on her behalf and this news will please them all immensely. Would you allow me to pass the news on?'
She responded, 'Of course, Mr Stringer. Charlotte would like them to know. They have really been there for her when she was unwell. She would not want them to worry unnecessarily. You know what a kind-hearted creature she is.'
He responded, 'She certainly is that. She really helped my father when he hurt his leg and she was ever so kind to visit him during his convalescence.'
The conversation, then, came at a standstill as both young people were too nervous to speak- this was felt acutely by them both. He could not leave this like that though. This was his chance and he would be daft to waste it. 'Miss Alison, may I escort you where you were going?
She relished the thought of conversing with him for longer, 'Certainly, Mr Stringer. I was on my way to Mrs Griffiths to visit Miss Lambe. She has not been told about Charlotte yet.'
He thanked his lucky stars internally as that was his exact direction, 'I would be happy to accompany you as it is on my way. I see that you are holding a book. What are you reading at present?'
Alison gave him one of her bright, happy smiles and said proudly, 'I am reading about the most famous buildings in London. I wanted to find out who designed them and when they were built.' She had to show him her interest in himself and his interests- talking about architecture was a sure way of engaging his full attention and getting him to relax around her.
The change in the gentleman's behaviour was remarkable. She relaxed straightaway and both of them engaged in an enthusiastic and in-depth discussion of their favourite architectural styles. They were so engrossed in this discussion that they reached Georgiana's residence sooner than they both wanted.
They stopped in front of the main door unwilling to part from each other. Both of them understood this. Yet, neither of them had fallen in love before, so they did not fully comprehend the mixed feelings of sadness and joy as well as the fluttering of butterflies in their stomachs when they were in each other's vicinity. It was both exciting and confusing at the same time.
Thus, they were too nervous to continue their conversation. They bid each other goodbye with the promise that Mr Stringer would visit Trafalgar House later on in the day to say hello to Charlotte. He walked away from Alison, but he could not help turning back to look at her again. She was still waiting outside the door looking at him go. She was smiling and waving at him with her hand. He was so happy at the sight that he could dance a jig. He had the faint hope that she may just like him back- a thought which made him deliriously happy!
Alison stayed outside the entrance of the house until he was out of her sight. She thought to herself and sighed aloud, 'Oh Alison, you are as lovesick as a mooncalf. There is no hope for you! You could not even say all you wanted to say to him. Oh, this is useless!'
Chapter 45- Georgiana and Alison
She put those thoughts aside, knocked on the door and waited to be admitted in the house where she found Georgiana sitting in the sitting room in the company of the Beaufort sisters. The sisters were playing a noisy game of cards. Alison could just see Georgiana rolling her eyes in exasperation when one of them or the other screeched from joy when they scored a point.
Georgiana's face instantly lit up when she saw Alison- she could finally escape all this noise! They performed all the necessary societal niceties until Georgiana could wait no longer and literally dragged Alison back to her room. When they got there, both girls started laughing uncontrollably for a good five minutes just thinking about the ridiculousness of the scene of the Beaufort sisters and their card game. It was not a nice thing to do as both sisters were good-natured girls enough, but it was impossible not to laugh. They could not help themselves even if they tried!
Once all their laughter had subsided, Alison shared her news with Georgiana who was crying from joy. She expressed her immense happiness on Charlotte's recovery and could not wait to see her. Thus, Georgiana briefly left the room to convey the news to Mrs Griffiths and ask her for her permission to visit Charlotte at Trafalgar House. Mrs Griffiths happily granted her this request and she saw both girls, Georgiana and Alison, practically running to that destination with an affectionate smile on her face.
Chapter 46- Sidney's meeting with Mary, Arthur and Diana
Some people were making their way to Trafalgar House and some other ones were exiting it. Mary left the children to spend the day with their nanny at the nursery without telling her husband where she was going- another first for their marriage. Tom was still in his room- he even breakfasted in there. She had no idea what his plans were for the day and she did not even care to know.
She still felt out of sorts from yesterday's upsetting scene in the sitting room. She was wondering where the man that she originally fell in love with went. Where did he disappear to? She sighed. She needed moral support, so she decided on a whim that it would be far better to go with Arthur and Diana to the hotel lest her depression from yesterday returned unexpectedly. She managed to reach their house just before quarter to eleven. Both Arthur and Diana were ready at her arrival and all three of them were in Sidney's room by eleven in the morning.
Sidney had already ordered some refreshments before his guests arrived. He greeted them and asked them to make themselves comfortable. They could see that he was nervous. Yet, they waited patiently as he outlined what he had done in London and how it affected them. He explained to Mary about his plan to give her the reigns of the household as well as his arrangements for the savings accounts for both the children and herself. He explained to Diana and Arthur about Tom's debt repayments to them. He also elaborated on the Sanditon committee and how much of a role they would play. He went further to explain what plans he had for Tom and how he was hoping they would turn out.
Sidney kept them entranced with all those glorious plans for a good half an hour. All three of them listened in wonder of him and his efficiency. Unbeknown to him, he had literally taken all of the secret and dearest concerns, dealt with the potential problems and presented the solutions to each of them tied with a neat and tidy bow.
There was an awkward silence after the explanations were given, which made Sidney feel rather nervous thinking that he had overstepped the mark. He felt, though, that it was wise not to say anything until one of them either spoke up or reacted one way or another. He went to pour himself some tea whilst they deliberated their response to those changes.
Their reactions surprised him greatly. Arthur was speechless- a very unnatural state for him, Diana was walking up and down the room in nervous agitation and Mary simply ran into Sidney's arms and promptly starting sobbing aloud. The sound of her sobs, on the one hand, stopped Diana in her tracks and on the other hand brought Arthur back to the present. Sidney felt it was best to let his sister- in- law cry it out and asked Diana to call for fresh refreshments. It was another half an hour after a lot of crying from Mary's side and a lot of tea drinking for the rest of them that they could discuss this change of circumstances.
Mary was the first one to speak her thoughts, 'Oh Sidney, you have just delivered the moon and the stars to us. Do you realise this? We are the luckiest family in the world to have you amongst us and Charlotte is going to be the luckiest woman in the world to have you as her husband. She will lack for nothing!'
Sidney blushed at this praise, 'Thank you Mary, but I have done nothing extraordinary. I was just making sure that the Parker family will live another day. It was mostly motivated partly by my selfish desire to make amends to Charlotte and come back to her as soon as possible.'
Arthur stepped in, 'Sidney, that is not true and you know it- you underestimate yourself. If that had been so, the plans that you put in place, should have been done by Tom. Yet, he did not have the presence of mind to act as you did. He only thought of his own ambitions and he did not care one fig about the prosperity of this family. I am sorry to say so Mary as he is your husband and my eldest brother, but it is the sad truth.'
Diana also offered her opinion, 'I agree with Arthur. Sidney has been more proactive for this family than Tom ever has.'
Mary had recovered enough by that point to comment, 'As much as it pains me to agree with you, I actually do. I do love my husband, but I have been dreading what would have happened upon his demise. There were no savings, no hope. I kept worrying with no-one to share my concerns. He had spent all the extra funds that were put aside for the children without even flinching.'
She looked affectionately at her brother-in-law and continued, 'Thanks to you Sidney I can now breathe easily and stop burying my despair of a bad situation deep in my soul. Hope is a powerful thing! I would be happy to sign any documents you give me now that I know that my children will have a secure future and that everything will be well. I am also happy to contribute in the Sanditon committee- it is my children's future after all.'
Diana added to Mary's comment, 'Yes, brother. I will help as well. The fact that the amount that I lent Tom is to be returned to me is also a huge relief. I am not in need, but it would be good to have that amount back.'
Arthur spoke up, 'Same for me Sidney. I will be more than happy to help. I have had my share of ideas on how to promote Sanditon and how to make it a success, but Tom never gave me the chance to prove myself to him. That amount, that he owed me, worried me as well as he never said anything about paying me back.'
Sidney smiled at them and exclaimed, 'I am so relieved at your reaction. Our future is indeed bright with no immediate debts providing we economize. There are more battles to come. We would need more funding and the family expenditure would need to be drastically curbed. The family solicitor recommended that the whole family move to our parental home in three years' time, which is when the current lease expires. It was also suggested that we rent both Trafalgar House and your home, Arthur and Diana. He felt that we could then put those savings towards the children's dowries. How do you feel about this plan?'
Mary gave Sidney a real smile for the first time since she woke up this morning, 'Oh, what a wonderful plan! I adore that house. I miss the garden and its large rooms. That is where my children were born. It also means that more money can be then put aside towards their dowries giving then the opportunity for a good match! What do you think, Arthur, Diana?'
Both Arthur and Diana nodded their approval enthusiastically, but it was Diana who responded on both of their behalf,' We agree with Mary. It is the most wonderful plan! That can only happen in three years' time though, Sidney. What else can we do to economize now?'
Sidney was extremely grateful for his sister's practical nature, 'That is an excellent question, Diana. Mary and yourself could consolidate the household expenses for both houses and perhaps the whole family could eat together at Trafalgar House. There is not enough room for both you and Arthur to move to the house, so you could still keep to your current abode with a basic number of servants. It does not mean though that you could not reduce any excessive expenses. The more we save, the better future the children will have.'
All three of his relatives nodded approvingly at that solution. Mary responded, 'We can most certainly do that, Sidney. Diana, would you be up for it? We could share the household management of all three houses- Trafalgar House, your house and Bedford Place in London. We could buy what we need to run all three households in bulk, which would save us a lot in the long run. I am confident there are areas we can economize without reducing our quality of life.'
Diana agreed, 'Absolutely Mary. I wholeheartedly agree.'
Chapter 47- The Parker Family becomes one
Arthur felt energized, 'Where are the papers, Sidney? May we have a look at them?' Sidney passed on the paperwork to them and he allowed them some time to read through them at their leisure.
Mary signed the agreement for the household accounts with immense satisfaction. It gave her an incredible feeling of power and control over a bright future that sorely evaded other ladies of her station. They would forever be dependent upon their husband whilst she would not be- she would be able to make her own decisions. All her innate insecurity vanished and her whole being was filled with confidence in her abilities and wonderful sense of purpose. She relished the thought that she would not have worry about any financial issues in future. What a blessed relief!
Diana and Arthur read the information on the debt repayments to them with immense satisfaction. The fact that the amount of £117 would be given to each them by Mary every month was even more reassuring. Once they signed each document, they brought the forms to Mary to sign as well as she would be the banker of the situation.
Sidney understood that they have signed the main documents and asked them if they had any questions so far. Mary was the first one to ask for clarification. 'Sidney, if I understand this correctly, you wish me to take £234 (£117 per person) from the household accounts every month and give them to Arthur and Diana, is that right?'
Sidney nodded, 'Yes, Mary. I do not trust Tom with any handling of funds. If the money come out of the household accounts every month, then both Arthur and Mary will get their money back. Once the amount of £7,000 has been paid off, then those £234 will be added to the savings accounts for both yourself and the children. That is why I emphasized the point of consolidating the expenses of both households. Even with the strictest economy it should take two and a half years for the full amount to be paid off.'
Mary gasped at that statement and looked at her brother and sister-in-law in surprise, 'Tom borrowed £7,000 from you and he never paid you back? Oh, dear me! Diana grab some paper and some writing supplies- we have some planning to do! Arthur, I know you love your food but would you let me handle that expense on your behalf in future?'
Diana asked Sidney for the supplies whilst Arthur responded, 'Of course, Mary. I only eat extra either when I am stressed or upset anyway. Eating a bit less would only benefit me and even reduce any visits to the doctor. I love your cook's cooking anyway, so you will hear no complaints from me.'
Mary moved the tea service aside and no time at all there was enough space for both Diana and herself to sit next to each other in front of the table. Mary addressed Sidney before they started their planning.
'Sidney, we would need our housekeeper's, Mrs Cooper's, help from Bedford House. We need to send out any supplies to her for safekeeping and only have the ones that we need shipped out to us here in Sanditon. Would you have a messenger on the ready for messages to be sent to her as well as our family accountant, Mr Stone? Mr Stone is a most efficient man, as you have no doubt discovered yourself. He could source the cheapest suppliers and buy the supplies in bulk on our behalf.'
'That sounds like an excellent plan, Mary. Yes, I can get that set up for you. Arthur, do you want to discuss any ideas you may have on Sanditon's development whilst Mary and Diana are doing their planning? We could write them down and prepare for the two new investors' meeting next week. Tom is not to be part of this anymore, so your contribution would be most appreciated. Once the ladies finish their planning, then we could add their ideas to our own. Sanditon is now a family affair and we are to work together to secure its future for the next generation. '
All four of them worked on their lists diligently. Once Mary and Diana had finished their planning, they joined Sidney and Arthur and added their ideas on Sanditon's development list. It felt so good to work on a project as a family. A feeling of togetherness and peace enveloped all four Parker family members and it cocooned them under a warm blanket on a frosty winter's day.
Arthur was especially touched after their family planning session was finished. He hesitated for a moment before voicing his thoughts to his brother, 'Thank you for the gift of being heard and being noticed, Sidney. You have no idea what this means to me. It has been so very frustrating not being able to express myself as I have always wanted.'
Sidney smiled at his younger brother, 'Arthur, you are an intelligent young man. The ideas, that you have already contributed today, show this in abundance. You should never be afraid to voice your opinion. It will always be welcome. I believe the time has come for us to sign the Sanditon committee paperwork. Ready?'
All four of them signed both copies of the document and passed them on Sidney. 'Thank you all for signing them. The next step is for Lady Susan and Lady Denham to do so. I can ask Lady Susan to do so later on today. However, we need to tread carefully with Lady Denham. Mary have Lady Denham and Lady Susan met yet?'
Mary thought carefully for a moment before responding, 'Actually, now that I think about it, Sidney. No, they haven't. We were so focussed on Charlotte's recovery that the visit to Lady Denham never took place. You have an idea, don't you?'
Sidney grinned mischievously, 'I do, indeed. That is where I need your feminine charms to be used at their maximum, ladies. I would like you to arrange an afternoon visit to Lady Denham with the excuse that you would like to give her an update on Charlotte's recovery and to be given the opportunity to introduce her to Mrs Heywood and Lady Susan. I will make sure that Lady Babington is also present on that visit.
I have no doubt that Lady Denham would agree to receive you- she took an interest in Charlotte whilst she was unwell and was worried about her. We need to charm the lady and get her to sign the Sanditon committee paperwork before the investors join us here next week. It is vital that we show a united front.
Diana laughed aloud at that plan, 'You know, brother, I believe all those games with your toy soldiers when you were younger came in handy, did they not? I still remember when you planned each stage of the battle with such detail that you rarely lost to Tom's army. I do agree with your idea. It is a very clever one. Lady Denham is quite vocal in her opinions and we need her to be on our side and certainly not against us.'
'That is all settled then. How about we write some messages for the messengers, family? Mary, you write the one to Mrs Cooper. Diana, please write the one to Lady Denham to set up the tea for tomorrow afternoon. I will write the one to Babington and get him and his wife on board this venture. Arthur, would you go and get the hotel messenger for us?'
Each focused on their own task until Arthur arrived with the messenger. The messages were dispatched accordingly and a visible sigh of relief overtook all of them. Sidney introduced the next dreaded topic of discussion- Tom Parker!
'This next discussion will not be pleasant. In fact, I am not looking forward to it at all. Alas, we have no choice but to discuss it. All four of us work well together, so I have no doubt that we will succeed in all that we do. However, we need to remove Tom from the picture before our plans come to fruition.
The clearing of the burnt houses and the building work is to start next week. Mr Stringer will be told that Tom will be working with the labourers to rebuild what has been destroyed. Our brother and your husband, Mary, will be paid the same salary as a labourer and that will be his only income. That is the reason that you are in charge of the household instead of him. He will work all day with his hands and he will learn a craft. He will be ridiculed by the people of Sanditon for his lowered status and he will be humiliated.
This means that he will lose both his status as a gentleman and his normal income from his inheritance. He would have no real expenses, but he will not like this change. He will be forced to sign a power of attorney giving up all rights from his inheritance to me. He will see an amended document of the same documents that you signed about his debt to you both, Arthur and Diana. He will know that Mary will be in charge of everything.
This will happen on Saturday. It will not be a pretty sight. Therefore, I would strongly recommend getting Charlotte, the children, her mother and Alison to visit Georgiana that morning and give all the servants the day off.
In my opinion, putting those measures in place is important. His frustration and irrational jealousy of me- yes, I did notice it Mary- is growing by the minute. Therefore, any innocent parties or possible gossip mongers should be removed from the house. Do you all agree with all of this? Do you have any other suggestions that you feel may help?'
Diana sighed aloud at hearing Sidney's plans, 'I personally agree with your plans. Judging from his reaction yesterday, he is capable of unleashing all his frustrations and complaints without caring who is present in the room. It is better if his reaction is contained to just the four of us.
It is such a pity that we have to even take such measures. Tom has a kind heart deep inside- unfortunately he has inherited his selfish trait from our mother- god rest her soul. I loved her dearly. Yet, it was such a struggle to deal with her moods. Tom is the same. Arthur, Mary, how do you feel about this?'
Arthur responded, 'It is the only action we can take if we don't want the whole Parker family to end up in debtor's prison. God knows we came close enough! I for one say go ahead with the plan.'
Mary listened to all of their opinions before stating her own, 'It is more difficult for me as under no circumstances can I give in to his demands. The filial feelings that you have for Tom as his brothers and sister, put you in a different position. I have promised to love him and honour him as my spouse. I have born his children. I love him very much.
However, yesterday he proved to me that he was not worthy of that love. He needs to make the effort to change even if it means him working to rebuild the houses with his own hands. His change of status is seemingly cruel, but neither the children nor myself will be affected by it. Yes, I agree with you all. Let us go ahead with our plans.'
Sidney released the breath that he was holding. He was immeasurably relieved. 'Phew! Thank you all for agreeing. Mary, what time is it?'
Mary looked at her watch and responded, 'Just after one thirty in the afternoon, Sidney. Why?'
Sidney grinned widely at his sister-in-law, 'Because, my dearest Mary, we have concluded with all possible business for the day. And it is also because I am to spend the afternoon with my Charlotte- a pack of wild horses would not keep me away from her today. Will you all join me back to Trafalgar House?'
Arthur laughed aloud at that statement, 'No wonder you are grinning like a Cheshire cat, brother! Let us go then! I am in the mood of going to the beach with my nephew and nieces. Diana and Mary, what do you think? Shall we take our favourite rugrats for a healthy and energetic stroll?'
Both Diana and Mary nodded their head emphatically. Mary responded, 'That is a splendid idea, Arthur! Tom might even join us, who knows!' With that comment they made their way to the house with a light heart.
Chapter 48- Tom Parker and his demons
Whilst the bulk of the Parker family were working on their plans for the future in Sidney's hotel room, the remaining members of that family were still at Trafalgar House. The children were being happily entertained by their nanny and their father was sulking in his room still in his nightdress.
Tom woke up on Thursday morning feeling extremely tired and in irritable mood as he had still not recovered from yesterday's horrendous evening and night. He had the foreboding feeling that he would have a horrible time just after he wet himself from fear and ran to his room. He had not been wrong.
The servants have indeed been told of his humiliation- his valet who helped him ready for bed with the most indecent smirk on his face. The same thing happened with the maid who brought his breakfast this morning. She was brash and nearly laughed at him. Tom knew without a shadow of a doubt that he had permanently lost the respect of his staff. Dare he go out and find out how much of the respect of the residents of Sanditon he had lost? He was not brave enough for that yet. Perhaps another day! He had some thinking to do!
His rotten mood was not only due to yesterday evening's argument with Sidney, but also due to his lack of quality sleep due to some nightmares. He dreamt that he was falling from the Sanditon cliffs straight into the black endless abyss of hell with the devil greeting him at the gates. There was no-one around to stall his fall- no-one to save him. The abyss went on and on. He saw glimpses of his life from when he was little until today- things that have already happened, things that could not be changed.
Tom remembered dreaming of his parents. The Parker matriarch and patriarch were both good people.
On the one hand, his father was a wise man who cared about his family in a rather superficial way providing they all acted as he wished them to do so. He was a successful and shrewd business man and worked really hard in ensuring the prosperity of the family estate.
On the other hand, the Parker matriarch was a carefree lady who passionately loved her family despite all their faults. She encouraged people to develop their interests and thrive. Yet, despite this encouragement, she had no real care of how her actions affected the people around her. She was impulsive and she had fads that did not last long.
Tom's first unpleasant memory of his father was when he stopped him from playing with the village children giving him the reason that he was above them in rank. Mr Parker Senior valued his social position and he wanted to instil that principle onto his eldest son, his heir. He did not care a fig about Tom's sensitive and gregarious nature, his wish to always make his father proud. He wanted his son to be strong and a credit to him.
Tom was a child who loved making new friends and being the centre of attention. In fact, he constantly craved it as his own father was constantly working and not paying enough attention to him. His charming mother indulged her first born shamelessly and with no restraint- she let him express himself as he wished until his father stopped his overtures of impulsiveness. When his father insisted that he stop playing with the village children, Tom felt very lonely indeed until Sidney was born.
Even when he did have a brother to play with, he was forever jealous of him. Sidney stole their parents' already scant attention from Tom. He remembered getting his new brother in all sorts of trouble just to see him punished. Yet, he never was. He was their youngest child, the apple of their eye and both parents were besotted with him.
Young smiling Sidney with those charming dimples could have gotten away with murder if he chose- not that he ever did of course. This made Tom resent his brother even more. A resentment that was still dormant even today and amply demonstrated to all when Sidney was playing with the children. Young Sidney could play, but Tom had to study and be a young gentleman instead. Older Sidney could play, but Tom did not know how which made him feel inadequate and weak.
He also saw his father telling him how it was his duty as the eldest child to both cater and protect the family, how he could not be frivolous and live an easy-going life. He had to succeed no matter what. He would be under the shackles of duty throughout his life. Then the blow fell when his parents died and it really dawned to Tom that he would never be free again. Tom had to take care of the Parker family completely unprepared for that large fortune not ever being comfortable with financial matters himself. He had had no training and no help until he met his Mary.
Then a vision of young Tom came to his dreaming mind. Young Tom loved being creative- one of the village children taught him to carve figurines in wood and he got really good at it. He made two figurines for his parents- A general for his father and a princess for his mother. His mother praised him to the heavens and encouraged him to continue his hobby, but his father discouraged him loudly and demonstrated his strong disapproval of the said hobby by burning both figurines in the fire. His father told him in no uncertain terms to stop this carving nonsense at once. That was the very last time that Tom gave any presents to their parents.
Tom reckoned that was why he had been so taken with Sanditon- it was a creative challenge and a project. Something he could create! He felt truly alive when a new idea, no matter how unrealistic, came to his mind!
Tom could see himself pestering Sidney to get more investors and more money for the Sanditon project. He could still feel the gratification of his resentment and frustration seeing Sidney struggle and nearly lose his temper. He felt victorious. He still did every time he got his brother to lose control of his emotions. It was cruel, yet he could not help himself.
Tom could still feel the satisfaction of being his brother's saviour before Antigua. He was intoxicated by the feeling that his no-can-do-wrong brother as per their father fell off the wagon after Eliza's refusal to marry him. He did not even truly feel sorry for him when Sidney sacrificed himself for the family and Charlotte collapsed. What had caused Tom's shock was Charlotte being unwell as he truly cared for the young lady. He was surprised that Sidney had confronted him, but in the long run the effect of his brother's distress was not enduring enough.
Then his dream turned to his sister. She was a fastidious busybody in his eyes and Tom never paid much attention to her. The same went for Arthur- good humoured Arthur! Tom never listened to his youngest brother! Arthur talked nonsense half the time anyway!
He saw Mary in his dream. He loved his Mary! She was his, yet she was leaving him in his dream. She was walking out with the children and never coming back! His dream concluded with the devil throwing open the gates of hell where it was hot and uncomfortable. Where there was no Mary or his children and no comfort!
That uncomfortable feeling made Tom nearly scream out in terror and wake up from a truly restless sleep with beads of sweat beading his forehead and completely damp sleeping shirt. He was awake at five in the morning instead of his normal seven wake-up time. He could not settle no matter what he did- he tossed and turned continuously. He eventually gave up the fight of trying to fall asleep and stared at the ceiling until sunrise awaiting for the arrival of his breakfast and trying to soothe his troubled mind.
Tom could hear the inhabitants of the house waking up for the day. The house seemed to be uncommonly busy today. In fact, it felt as busy as Picadilly Square in London. He had no desire to join his guests, so he just listened to the hub of activity. It distracted him from his unpleasant thoughts just like the soothing sounds of the waves breaking on the beach.
He put his thinking cap on. He had to make amends to his wife- he promised himself to find her later on today and perhaps spend some time with her and the children. He had hurt her badly yesterday. He was an insensitive so-and-so when he chose to be. Yet, it was not because he did not love his wife.
He begrudgingly thought as well that the same applied for his brothers and sister. He could be jealous and resentful all he liked, but ultimately the sense of love and familial bond between the siblings had always been strong. They had always been a tightly-knit family unit- a principle that was encouraged by their parents.
It was just that he, Tom Parker, had inherited their father's deficiency of not being able to express his love and care for others as he wished. In that respect he was envious of Charlotte and her open, affectionate heart. She had that gift in abundance- dear Charlotte. She was a godsend! He would be forever sorry for causing her any type of pain. Tom was very content that she was awake and that she was recovering nicely. She deserved no less. Her mother and sister were delightful guests as well!
He could actually hear the excited chatter of Lady Susan, Mrs Heywood, Alison, Georgiana and the children, who were sitting in the sitting room with Charlotte. The happy talks reverberated the walls of the house putting him in a better mood.
He started making his plans for his day. He was a flawed man. He may not be able to change many things about his truly faulty character. He would do one thing for himself today though. He would reconcile with his wife if that was the last thing he did. He would beg her forgiveness on his knees!
Tom felt better after that decision and finally managed to have a restorative two-hour nap which took him up until lunch. He vowed to look for Mary and his children then.
Chapter 49- Queen of Sheba
In the meantime, Charlotte was still weak and she knew that she needed to build her strength up slowly. Yet, she refused to stay in bed for the whole day- she told her doctor so without delay. Mr Levinson had paid her a brief visit first thing in the morning and declared fit to get out of bed and to take small walks every day. The good doctor found his patient to be a charming but an extremely stubborn young lady. He chuckled to himself when he remembered her indignant facial expression when she expressed the opinion that she had already slept enough!
Thus, Mrs Heywood helped her daughter dress and walk the few steps from her bedroom to the sitting room where Charlotte found Lady Susan, Allie, Georgiana and three exuberant children waiting for her. The excitement was such that it radiated from the room's walls. She received a warm and enthusiastic hug from everyone. She was given the most comfortable chair in the room with cushions for her back, a warm blanket to cover her legs and a warm cup of team to warm her up further. She felt like the Queen of Sheba receiving her guests in her throne room!
On the one hand, the children were sitting around her telling her of all their adventures and how they have missed her. Alicia and Jenny tugged at each of her arms – one child on each side- and Henry on her lap. The children would not let her go fearing that she may disappear and leave them again. It took some time to convince the three angels that she was not going anywhere and to get them to bring their favourite games from the nursery in the sitting room in order for them to play with her.
On the other hand, the adults sat around her teary eyed with happiness seeing her out of the bedroom and well again. They could not believe their eyes! It felt as if the world's natural balance has been restored! Once the children settled and started playing in one corner of the room near the adults, Charlotte was given the low-down on what has been happening in the world of Sanditon.
They had hardly finished telling her all the news, when the bell rang and Mr Stringer was ushered in the room carrying a huge bouquet of wild flowers and a necklace of seashells. Charlotte was delighted to see him- she had missed her friend! He explained that he was here on behalf of the people of Sanditon, who have just been told this morning of Charlotte's recovery. He also presented the flowers to a wide-eyed Charlotte who could not for the life of her understand how she could be so lucky to be amongst such wonderful people. Betsy took the bouquet and the shell necklace from her young mistress to take it to her bedroom.
Charlotte thanked him in her most graceful manner for this gesture and asked him whether he would join them. Mr Springer was more than happy to accept as he was to have the pleasure of both Alison and Charlotte's company. That was a pleasure indeed! He started telling Charlotte his news whilst sending discreet glances at Alison. He really did think that he was being discreet, but everyone in the room could clearly see where his heart lay. Alison was no better. She kept looking at his way as well- a sign that did not escape her older sister who smiled at the thought of Alison and Mr Stringer ending up together.
Chapter 50- A walk to the beach
This merry company was interrupted with the arrival of Mary, Sidney, Arthur and Diana. You would think that the room was already full of tension from the secret flirtation between Alison and Mr Stringer. The moment Sidney walked in the room, the tension in the room increased tenfold. Charlotte, who was currently helping Jenny with her doll's dress, looked up at him, went bright red and gave him the most beautiful smile. Sidney's smile was as wide just by looking at his love. The moment only lasted a moment, but it was enough for the two sweethearts to silently greet each other and still stay within the social conventions.
It was also at that moment that Tom decided to join the group having just woken up from his nap. The warm and cosy atmosphere immediately changed and the people in the room felt it instinctively. Charlotte did wonder why all the tension and made a mental note to speak to Sidney about it.
Arthur, ever the peacemaker, suggested a walk to the beach to break the tension. The children jumped from their excitement and immediately went to their parents demanding their attention. It was an invitation that neither Tom or Mary could decline despite their current awkward relationship. Tom thanked his children silently from the bottom of his heart for giving him the chance to patch things up with his wife.
Thus, the ladies donned their outerwear, bonnets, parasols and the gentlemen their hats. The whole group consisted of the Heywoods- the mother and the two daughters, Lady Susan, Georgiana, Mr Stringer, Sidney, Mary, Tom, Arthur and Diana. Sidney, however, was aware that it was Charlotte's first outing after a long time and asked the driver to meet them at the main cove in an hour's time to take them back to Trafalgar House.
The groups fell in naturally together. Georgiana, Alison and Mr Stringer walked ahead, then came Lady Susan with Mrs Heywood who were acting as chaperons to Georgiana and Alison. The three young people were continuing their previous discussion on the architecture and they were totally absorbed in it. The two ladies were only discussing commonplace topics, but their eyes communicated to each other that another couple, Alison and Mr Stringer, were not far from getting together. Perhaps with the right nudge, who knows what might happen!
Right behind the two ladies, Sidney was walking with Charlotte making sure that the pace was not too fast for her. Both of them relished each other's company. Charlotte was taking her first steps after being in bed for so long and she felt very happy indeed. She had missed her walks. It was an extra treat to have Sidney next to her- the thought made her smile even more than normal and she could not resist by smiling lovingly at him. Sidney was in heaven. He relished having Charlotte's arm resting lightly and trustingly on his. He enjoyed having her next to him well and happy!
Arthur and Diana entertained their nephew and nieces being fully aware that Tom and Mary had to talk to each other. They were playing some sort of hide and seek game that the children found hilarious and Arthur loved playing with them. It was a special game they played with their aunt and uncle when they were out and about.
The happy voices of the Parker children made everyone in their walking group smile apart from their parents. They walked next to each other. Mary did not lean on Tom and she did not offer him her arm. Tom did not dare ask it of her. He was not worthy of his wife at this present moment in time. He would have to work extra hard to get back into her good graces.
An uncomfortable silence engulfed them both- Tom steeled himself to break it. 'Mary, I am sure that I am the last person that you wish to speak to at present. Could we talk? Would you let me explain?'
Mary looked at his face, that was full of anguish- she could not tell whether it was real or false though. She was still angry with him- very angry indeed. She was not in a very forgiving mood at present and she also needed to wait until after Saturday's family meeting before discussing anything with him. Now that freedom was so close, she would be a fool to put it a risk by revealing too much too early.
'Tom, you have hurt me deeply. I do not feel ready to discuss our relationship with you until I know how I feel about both yourself and our marriage. Things need to change. You need to change if you wish for our marriage to survive. You need to decide where you heart lies as well as your priorities in life. I refuse to come second anymore.
Anyway, having this discussion in public will not help either of us and causing a scandal would not be beneficial for our family. There has already been enough scandal to last us for a while. As the bible says there is a time to be silent and a time to speak. Now it is definitely not the time to speak. Soon but not now. Now is the time to reflect on our choices and what we want to do with our life. Do you understand what I am trying to tell you?'
Tom nodded sadly and exclaimed, 'Yes, Mary, I do. I will wait until you are ready to speak to me. I do want to say, though, that I love both you and our children dearly. Please consider that whilst you are making your decision.'
Mary responded in a flat voice struggling to keep any emotion from showing, 'Yes, Tom, I will keep that in mind whilst I am making my decision.'
Most of the people in the group enjoyed their conversations and they were not interrupted often. However, there was an exception. The street was a busy one, but not excessively so. Yet, the moment the people of Sanditon saw Charlotte, nearly every person came to greet her and wish her well.
Charlotte felt like the belle of the ball being the centre of attention of a whole town. She thanked them all heartily for their presents and their care. Sidney was so proud of her. He was thinking to himself that her inner modesty would never make her realise just how much of a special person she was. The people around her saw this. He was a very lucky man to have won her heart and he vowed to keep it safe from hurt. He was not out of the woods yet. They still had to talk properly. There would be time enough for that!
Sidney was not the only one who was fiercely proud of Charlotte. The rest of their group, yes even despondent Tom, considered themselves very lucky to be in her company and that she cared for all of them so much. It felt like a very precious gift that one did not want to give away!
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