The turmoil in Sanditon was about to increase as three travelling coaches from Willingden approached the seaside town. The time for the rest of the Heywood family to visit the seaside has finally arrived.
Mr Heywood did tell his wife that they were to arrive on Monday. That was his plan. However, the excitement of his children to visit their sisters and mother took over and he conceded to them leaving on Friday afternoon instead of Monday and spend the weekend at the beach as a family. It also helped that Frederick and his fiancée Anne Elliot were to come with them.
The Heywood children have always liked their cousin Frederick. The moment they met Anne Elliot, they also liked her instantly as well. She played with them, indulged their whims, but she was firm with them when they misbehaved.
He marvelled on how much has happened in such a short time. Charlotte's illness, the absence of his wife and Alison in Sanditon, David Wentworth's death at the West Indies, the will. It was such a whirl!
It was a godsend that Frederick brought Mr Thompson, who also happened to be the Parkers solicitor. This gentleman told him that David Wentworth, who was childless, left his fortune of £130,000 to the Heywood family. He died in an accident in West Indies a year ago, but the news only reached Frederick last month.
He left £10,000 to Mr Heywood with instructions to use the amount for repairs in both the Heywood home and the tenants' homes. David left a comment in his will for Mr Heywood 'James Heywood, use the money I am leaving you to fix that rickety and noisy house of yours. I could not hear myself think when I was last there!'. Despite the seriousness of the situation, the comment did make everyone giggle. It was true. The homestead needed repairs that were always postponed due to the lack of funds.
David also left £10,000 to Mrs Heywood to be used at her discretion. Mr Heywood arranged with Mr Thompson for the amount to be put in a savings account for her. He was relieved that she would have something to live upon if anything happened to him. The fact that he could not provide his wife with that security had worried him for a long time.
David also left £10,000 for each child. Mr Heywood got Mr Thompson to open a savings account for each child and put the amount on there. It was reassuring that his daughters and sons would have the chance of a bright future.
What really shocked Mr Heywood though, was how much David Wentworth valued Charlotte. He knew that he was always delighted to tell her his stories. She loved her uncle David and she also loved his stories. He knew that the death of her uncle would hit her hard.
He only hoped that her health would not be affected. He would need to speak to Mr Sidney Parker before telling her as he would need his help to keep her healthy. His wife said in her letters that him and Charlotte were in love and that he was very good for her. Mr Heywood fully expected to be asked a very particular question upon his arrival in Sanditon, a fact which made his heart very heavy indeed! He would miss his eldest child.
Her uncle left her an extra £10,000 to open a school and a library. A task that his daughter would be delighted to do as the lack of both has worried her for a while. Her family knew this and it seems that her uncle David did as well.
It was amazing how many things can be resolved with a bit of capital. It was a pleasure for him as a landowner to have the funds to hire a competent steward. He was the former steward of the Darcy family and he came highly recommended by Mr Darcy himself. Mr Heywood recognised that he was getting older. Having the help of the steward, who was younger and had more energy to burn, would help him run the estate, increase its profit and spend more time with his family. He breathed a sigh of relief for that alone.
He was also relieved that he could start the repairs to the house and the tenants' cottages. They would take a week or so to complete. It gave him pleasure that he could provide employment to the young lads in the village and get them to fix everything before he brought back his whole family to Willingden. He instructed the workers to repair and paint the house. His neighbour was also to help the maid replace the curtains and mend the furniture.
He also wrote his will who was drafted by Mr Thompson with Frederick Wentworth and Anne Elliot as witnesses. It made him feel better having that done.
Mr Heywood knew that he was not a rich man in financial terms despite this sudden inheritance. He was rich in the sense of having a wonderful family and a loving wife. That was what mattered to him. However, having the peace of mind that his estate was taken care of and that his wife and children would be provided for, was wonderful.
He hoped that he would improve the finances of the estate with the help of the steward and get it to earn more than the current £9,000 per year. It would not hurt and it would keep the villagers of Willingden at work for years to come. The Heywood family did after all have the obligation to help their community to the best of their ability.
It was also wonderful that he could now afford to take the whole family with him on holiday. This was how the idea to visit Sanditon came about. The workers confirmed that the repairs would be completed much sooner without having the family around. Thus, he took a leap of faith and asked Mr Thompson to book them three carriages, six hotel rooms at the town's hotel and order provisions for the journey.
He did think about writing to his wife about arriving today. However, he wanted to surprise her- she loved surprises! He has missed her and his daughters very much. He was looking forward to seeing them and meet this Mr Sidney Parker who was to prize his Charlotte away from him.
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard his children's loud exclamations that they could see the sea. They were approaching to their destination. He was excited as well. He did love the seaside, but he simply did not have the capital to indulge on a holiday there in past. He now did and he was proud to be able to provide this to his children.
His children were divided in two separate carriages. Emily and one of the nurses were in one them with Laura, Ben, Gina and Beth. Emily was very good with the youngest children and she would keep them entertained throughout the journey. However, Christian was better with Thomas, Mary and Michael. Mr Heywood hoped that his son would keep the boys and Mary occupied with the help of the other nurse. The third carriage carried Mr Thompson, Mr Heywood, Miss Anne Eliot, her maid and Mr Frederick Wentworth.
