A/n: Sorry if I didn't make it clear after last chapter there would be more.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Sanditon.

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A Bit More Sanditon: Chapter 2

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Elated and exasperated, Charlotte and Xander could barely figure out what to do next while standing on the cliffs with a beloved horse, carriage and footmen, and her packed belongings. They just knew they needed to get back indoors. They settled on Charlotte returning to town in the carriage with Xander following behind her on Hannibal. Until Georgiana returned, she would try to stay longer with the Parkers.

Xander tied Hannibal's halter to a post in front of Trafalgar House and grabbed Charlotte's belongings from the back of the carriage, placing them at the top of the steps. When Charlotte was ready to step out of the carriage, Mr. Colbourne's hand was there and ready to assist her. She beamed even under the day's sunlight, and he returned a knowing smile because he felt the same way. Stepping out of the carriage this time felt like no other time before in Sanditon to Charlotte.

He knocked on the door but his arm made a sweeping motion to allow her to enter before him. It was Tom who opened the door.

"Charlotte my dear, what happened? Did the carriage break down?" he worried after experiencing the same fate once.

"Oh no Tom, it's nothing like that. May we come in?"

"Yes, of course, my dear. I see you are attended by Mr. Colbourne." He bowed slightly as the new couple entered. "One moment and I will find Mary. Mary!" he called up the stairs as Xander got the suitcases inside and securely shut the door.

Xander followed Charlotte's gaze as she came to rest her eyes on the portrait of Sidney. She gave it a peculiar look. Charlotte remembered the night of the ball, after returning from Mr. Colbourne's that evening, glaring up at Sidney's picture and telling him that no longer would allow his choices to hinder her chances at love again. Sentiments she shared with Mr. Colbourne the next morning at Heyrick Park.

"Charlotte, you're back! And you're here with Mr. Colbourne," Mary smiled coyly at first but then with a simple understanding. Mr. Colbourne bowed his head slightly in greeting.

Xander began to speak, but Tom spoke over him. "Ah yes, we can go over the plans for the school again while you're here. Or, Mr. Colbourne, I can update you on how the cottage renovations are going if you prefer to first."

Mary had met Charlotte in the parlor, taking her hands. A reassuring knowing smile and a calmness of heart passed through them.

"Oh hush now, Tom! I suspect Charlotte is here because she has decided to stay longer in Sanditon?" Mary glanced between Charlotte and Mr. Colbourne.

"If it's not too much trouble," Charlotte said meekly. "Once Georgiana returns, I'm sure I could stay with her."

"Oh no, no trouble at all, my dear," Tom affirmed. "You're welcome here any time. It's a standing offer."

"Thank you, Tom." Charlotte looked past Mary to Tom. "As it is, I've decided I would like to spend a bit more time in Sanditon. I'll have to send word to my sister tomorrow."

"Right, with everything here that you could be tending to as we move forward, it would be advantageous for you to stay. I told Mary that just this morning. Didn't I, dear?"

Mary rolled her eyes and asked if they would like to have tea.

Picking up Charlotte's bags, Mr. Colbourne asked if he could take them to the proper room, silently hoping it would not involve walking through the room to the right.

Still cold from the chilly weather and seeing Xander's reddened cheeks, Charlotte said that they would like to join them for hot tea and that she would lead Mr. Colbourne up to her room.

Once out of earshot, Mary chided Tom.

"Don't you see what is going on here?" Mary asked him. After he shook his head, Mary sought to enlighten him. "Despite how you saw him previously when you started your grand plans for Sanditon, Mr. Colbourne is a good, honest man who cares about our town. Charlotte has fallen deeply in love with him. I'm positive far more deeply than she ever loved Sidney. If he has convinced her to stay in Sanditon, then this is a wonder for her. Please don't purposely give him a hard time."

Tom nodded an understanding and reassured Mary that he was a changed man and only wished to listen to and abide by her council.

Xander had followed Charlotte upstairs to a bedroom.

"So this is it?" he asked, placing her bags on a chair. He stood with his hands on his hips, looking around the room.

"It is," she stated. "The bed I slept in the first time I dreamt of you." Oh, how she had lied to Allison that morning, she thought-when answering if she had dreamt of her strange new employer. Why would I dream of him? she remembered answering. Charlotte grinned knowing Colbourne couldn't see her face before turning back to him.

He reached to her neck, untying the ribbon that secured her bonnet, gently pulling it off of her head and freeing her lovely brown hair. Charlotte swallowed softly. He stepped closer and pulled her into him, allowing his cheek to rest against the side of her head, breathing in the scent of her hair.

"Come to Heyrick Park tomorrow morning, by nine o'clock, just as if you were coming to teach the girls. I want to spend the day with you there," he pleaded in her ear in a hushed tone. "I want to hear more about those dreams."

He gently helped her out of her coat and placed both the bonnet and coat on a dark wooden coat rack just inside the room. He took her hand, caressing her fingers, coaxing the answer out of her he wished to hear.

"There's nowhere else I would rather be tomorrow," she told him quietly with a squeeze of his hand before allowing him to lead her back down the staircase. Xander was relieved by the room they were set up in to have tea. It was not that room where he had made the biggest mistake of his life in walking away from her.

"Your home is magnificent, and I must apologize if prior times I had been here I was too distracted to say so," Xander offered to the Parkers as tea was being served. "I can't imagine what had me so distracted." Charlotte blushed when she realized he was speaking of her.

The conversation easily flowed with the four of them jumping from topic to topic. It was no surprise to Mary, but Xander seemed to surprise Tom quite often with his knowledge on various topics while Charlotte matched him by always adding in extra details from her own knowledge. Poetry, architecture, hunting, sports, and even wildlife were all topics covered during their afternoon tea. Charlotte only fell short when it came to the history of Sanditon the town itself. Tom and Xander both provided interesting facts about the town's establishment, with Tom being keen to the innermost area and beach while Colbourne seemed to know the history of the rural areas better on the outskirts of town.

As their conversation wound down, Xander took Charlotte's hand in his, holding up their intertwined hands in front of them. He respectfully sought to address Tom and Mary.

"As I understand it, Charlotte is in your care while here in Sanditon, and as such I wish to inform you both that she and I plan to spend as much time as possible with each other. I will see to it that she gets home each night safely if you will allow us to spend our days together unchaperoned until she returns to Willingden."

It was his request but he didn't wish to speak for Charlotte so he glanced over, nodding for her own approval and confirmation. Charlotte was a little taken aback by how boldly he appealed to them but also beamed that he would be so brazen and forthcoming about wanting to spend time with her.

"These are my wishes, too," Charlotte added with a reassuring smile.

"Yes, of course, Mr. Colbourne," Mary granted her permission with enthusiasm right away. Knowing how worried he was about saving Augusta's reputation, Mary hardly doubted that Mr. Colbourne could not be trusted. Besides, Charlotte really was the most capable young woman she knew.

Unable to find any other reason against it, Tom echoed his wife's permission, requesting they would need to make time for the work they are doing together in the old town.

"I think Tom and I will take a stroll along the street and take in the cool air. Will you both join us?" Mary asked. "Or you may stay here as long as you like."

"I should be getting home soon, so if I'm not here upon your return, I bid you both a good evening," Xander said courteously as goodbyes were exchanged.

Left alone in the dining room, Charlotte and Xander looked at each other intently. Finally he put his hand up to his chin, seeking to cover his mouth as he laughed. Charlotte responded by laughing too as she slouched down onto the table and covered her mouth. It was a release after everything they had gone through these last couple of weeks.

He stood up and held his hand out to her. She took it, standing up expecting him to embrace her.

"I hope you don't mind what I asked of the Parkers just now," Colbourne said to Charlotte.

"Is that how you truly feel, Mr. Colbourne? That you wish to be with me unchaperoned?"

"Only if you don't find the idea too reprehensible. I assure you that I shall endeavor to only treat you with respect and kindness during those hours. It's not as if we haven't been alone before…" he trailed off.

"Will there be dancing?" she asked firmly but with a sweet smile.

Colbourne felt caught off guard and with a side-dipping nod of his head and a squinting of his eyes he thought of the idea then compromised. He fumbled through his answer. "Only…Well…If it is in the form of lessons…then possibly."

"Lessons? I believe you did just fine on your own at the ball." Charlotte raised their hands and allowed herself to spin around, laughing in amusement.

"Can I persuade you to accompany me to the front room, where we spoke with Georgiana and my brother?" He tugged on her hand, trying to maintain a certain amount of stature.

"Yes," Charlotte said, realizing she was now the one leading him with her hand down toward the front hall.

They entered the room slowly, with Charlotte taking Mr. Colbourne's other hand and holding their arms out between them. He looked around before announcing to her, "I despise this room."

Charlotte had not expected his declaration. She thought he had wished to sit in the room with her. She pulled him down to sit beside her on the wood-trimmed settee.

"Why do you say that?" she asked him.

"Because here is where I made the greatest error of my life. I stood right over there and accepted what you said to me that night. I should have stayed and fought to keep you from leaving." Colbourne was passionate about his statement.

"It was my fault, too," Charlotte answered with a cry. "I should not have run back to Willingden but I was so…I just felt so…" Charlotte found it difficult to finish her sentence to him now. She never thought she would have to answer to him about her actions that day.

"I believe the word you're looking for is hurt." Alexander finished her sentence for her. "Hurt by me. Charlotte I cannot even find the words to express how deeply sorry I am for the things I said to you to make you leave. I won't ask you to be my wife until I can fully explain my actions that day."

"And what of I, Mr. Colbourne? Haven't I hurt you as well when I was parading a fiance around you, clinging to Ralph?"

"I admit, it wasn't easy to be around the two of you, but in truth, seeing you with him here in Sanditon was somehow better than not seeing you at all."

Clasping his hands with her own, she brought their hands up between them, leaning her head down to place a kiss to his knuckles. Her eyelashes fluttered. His heart stumbled.

"Let us learn to forgive one another," she proposed kindly. Their faces drew closer until their foreheads lightly touched. Colbourne wanted to say so much of what he felt, how full his heart was and how much he loved her. Her own heart was overwhelmed by how much of a struggle it had been to come to terms with everything that had happened over the past couple of weeks.

"Forgive me," he whispered.

"Forgive me," she whispered in return. With their lips in such close proximity, it wasn't long before they were kissing again. Xander broke the kiss. He pulled her close to him, embracing her. She clung to him.

"Thank God I have you in my arms again," he declared, "Uhhh–," he groaned while looking up to the ceiling then swallowing hard. He ran his hands through her hair before peppering her face with kisses.

It wasn't enough for him, but Xander proclaimed he needed to get home to talk to the girls and make preparations for their day together tomorrow.

He seemed unable to tear himself away from her presence, imagining he'd wake up tomorrow to find this was all a dream. Charlotte walked him to the front door.

"Promise me you won't sneak away again. Promise me I shall see you tomorrow morning at Heyrick Park, that this isn't me imagining anything. I need to be with you."

"I admit what I'm about to say is far too forward of me, but I'm far too in love with you sir to leave you again." Charlotte delivered the words with such a genuineness that made Colbourne's heart squeeze.

At hearing her words, Colbourne immediately leaned down to kiss her, claiming her lips, his body shaking in reaction to believing her in the fullest depths of his soul. Her tiny frame could have easily been knocked over by his force if he hadn't gripped her from behind, securing her to him.

"Until tomorrow then," he smiled after letting her go. They broke apart, and he took two steps away.

"Wait!" she begged. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a glove, the same one she had worn to his home the day she went with Georgiana. "Hold this for me tonight. You seemed very fond of it the day I visited Heyrick Park. You may return it to me tomorrow."

Opening the door and taking one step outside, he held her glove up to his nose and remembered he had something special to show her at the house tomorrow.

"Oh, Miss Heywood, I'm reminded to ask you something. Are cornflowers still your favorite?"

"Yes, I daresay even more so ever since my last trip to Sanditon." Charlotte thought of their picnic.

"Good," he smiled coyly, bidding her farewell but not before Hannibal neighed. "I believe Hannibal has missed you, Miss Heywood."

Charlotte waved goodbye to both from the small stoop and watched as Xander prepared his horse for the trip home. She looked out into the street and sobbed happy tears.

"Xander," she called, her voice breaking-shattering-unexpectedly.

He hadn't un-tied Hannibal yet, so he rushed back over to her thinking her tone indicated there was something wrong.

"What is it?" he asked, looking into her teary eyes, reaching up to smear away her tears with his thumbs. What had happened? he thought. What had he done?

"That day…I just…I couldn't yet…but…I desperately wanted to…" she tried to explain, unable to speak all of the words to form a coherent sentence.

He took her face in his hands to reassure her. "I know, my darling," he whispered. "We'll sort it out tomorrow. I promise." He held her gaze for a moment, continuing to caress her cheeks until she seemed calmer and willing to accept the promise of tomorrow with a gentle nodding of her head.

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A/n: thank you for reading :-) See you next chapter.