Chapter 1 Willingden
When Charlotte arrived home she was the emotionally exhausted shell of a once vibrant woman. Her eyes were red and swollen, her cheeks pale and her spirit so broken that her mother quite despaired. After her eleven siblings piled on their hugs and kisses, Mrs. Heywood took Charlotte's face in her hands looking deep into her eyes. She then placed a protective kiss on her forehead.
"Charlotte, my sweet child, you seem worse for wear. Alison, please take Charlotte upstairs to your room and ask Nellie to draw her a hot bath." Mr and Mrs Heywood looked at each other knowingly.
Alison gently brought her sad sister into the room they shared and sat on the bed watching Charlotte curled up on her side shaking with sobs.
The eldest boys brought the tub upstairs and a team of younger siblings began filling it with steaming hot water. Maggie and Toby, the youngest, made a fragrant bouquet garnie of lavender and mint. Well, Maggies was a bouquet baby Toby just threw a handful of mint leaves in with his chubby fist. The room filled with a familiar scent that calmed the senses.
After a while, Charlotte sat up and dried her eyes with a very matter of fact air. She was finished crying. After a long sigh, she smiled weakly at her worried siblings, gave them each another big hug, then shooed all but Alison out so she could undress.
"Something horrible must have happened at Sanditon. Do you want to tell me about it?" Alison was wise and extremely perceptive. The ladies in the village came to regard Alison as an old soul with a capacity for deep sympathy and compassion.
Charlotte sank into the water. Charlotte loved the feel of the water but it reminded her of sea bathing and she went completely under to shut out all sound of the world. Under the water she could relive the excitement of the waves. But the water at home smelled much nicer than the fishy scent of the sea and every ounce of salt water in her body had already poured out through her tears over the course of the carriage ride.
"Charlotte!" She felt Alison's arms around her pulling her back to life. "You scared me! You could have drowned! Mary Pittsford's son died in the bath. Do not frighten me like that!"
"I am sorry. I did not mean to...I was remembering sea bathing. It was wonderful." She relayed the story about how she and Miss Brerford changed into their scarlet bathing gowns in the red sea shack on wheels, llp How the water was freezing cold and exhilarating and of how floating in the sea felt like flying. Alison took the sponge and washed Charlottes back.
"What else do you remember?"
"I remember the sand and playing cricket and the regatta. I remember the model of future Sanditon in Mr. Parker's study and helping him with his papers. There was this pineapple..." Charlotte laughed, "That is a story unto itself. I remember the kindness of the family and especially Mary Parker and Mr. James Stringer, the foreman. And...and...I remember loathing and fighting with and making up with and dancing with..." her voice cracked, "Mr. Sidney Parker." She bit her lip and splashed her face with water.
"Was he handsome?"
"Incredibly handsome. And infuriating. And I do not want to talk about him."
"Was he the reason you came home?" Charlotte looked over her shoulder and tried to maintain her composure. She didn't want to snap.
"Do not tell mother and father." she whispered "but...yes. He and I...we or maybe just I...fell in love." The tears shook her body.
She continued through them anyway, "It was not a sensible match. I am not much of a catch, you see. So just before he was going to propose to me, he ended up chosing his former love who had recently become a widow. She is one of the wealthiest ladies in London and Sidney needed the money to save the Parker family from destitution. So...he went back to her...and left me." She sobbed into her wash cloth while Alison got the warm towel and helped her out of the water.
An expression of shock came over Alison's delicate face as she vigorously rubbed her sister dry. "That is mercenary! What kind of man was he? Obviously someone who did not deserve Charlotte Haywood!" The words had a familiar ring to Charlotte.
"A bit of a rogue, actually. But it is all over now. I am very glad I am home with you, Alison. I never want to set foot in Sanditon again." She hugged her little sister and felt ever so much better for unloading the story and getting an indignant reaction.