Hello! I've realized I've made a mistake in the aging of Charlotte, she is meant to be 22 in the series, but I mistakenly thought she was 20. For the purpose of my timeline, I'm going to stick with that mistake :) Please review if you can, much love
Though it was a wedding ball, all guests were being announced as they entered. It was Tom's style, as he was born outside the reaches of nobility, he always tried his hardest to emulate it.
"Lord and Lady Babington, The Honorable Master William and The Honorable Miss Ruth Babington." Called out the butler.
Sidney turned and saw his friends and their two oldest children descend the stairs. He waved to Babington who led his family across the ballroom to join the Parkers.
"The Earl of Leyburn, The Dowager Countess of Leyburn, and Lady Theresa Dryden." Came the next announcement. Sidney's curiosity got the better of him and he turned to see the earl and countess. In the middle, was that same tall young man from the church, on his left arm was one of the dark haired girls he had seen sitting next to Ruth Babington. But on his right, his assumption of the morning proved true, when he saw the matron on the young Earl's right arm. It was none other than Charlotte Heywood. His eyes hadn't lied to him in the churchyard that morning.
"You might want to close your mouth, Sidney." Babingdon said in his ear.
"You! You! You did not mention this!" He stammered, turning around to look at Esther and George, who were smiling gleefully.
He looked back at Charlotte, who caught his eye and looked down with a blush. It was a mannerism he had not seen in fifteen years, but he could remember it so vividly. She looked like a girl of 20 again, in that moment of casting her eyes downward. She and her children were only halfway down the grand stairs into the ballroom, and he allowed himself to gawk at her, and take the full measure of the scene.
Charlotte Heywood. Here. In Sanditon again. A Countess- a widowed Countess, with children. The boy was her spitting image, that was why he looked so familiar when he saw him at church. The girl turned to her brother to make some remark, and in that moment alone Sidney knew that she might not have inherited Charlotte's features, but she had inherited her lively personality.
The last time he'd seen her at a ball like this, she'd been wearing a soft blue gown, with short sleeves and long white gloves. Fashions had been different then, skirts and sleeves weren't as full, hair wasn't as elaborate. Now she wore a darker blue, with soft lace gloves that came to her wrists, and her brown hair was amassed in ringlets about her face, and a chignon on the crown of her head. She hadn't been one for extensive jewelry in the old days, and now she still seemed prone to simple adornments, though he could see the delicate sapphire necklace and earrings she wore were priceless. When Babington elbowed him in the ribs, he knew he'd been staring too long again.
Babington stepped forward and took Charlotte on his arm, leading her over to the party of the Parkers.
"Parker family, may I introduce the Dowager Countess of Leyburn?"
"Oh Charlotte, I'm glad to see you made it. I don't know how I missed you after the ceremony." Mary rushed forward and embraced her old friend.
"Mary, oh goodness." Charlotte whispered.
"I declare, little Charlotte Heywood all grown up?" Tom came bustling forward, Arthur and Diana in his wake. They all greeted Charlotte enthusiastically.
"And who have we here?" Mary gestured to the children.
"Oh, Tere, Anty, come here," Charlotte beckoned, "these are my eldest pair, Anthony, and Theresa. My younger two, Junia and Helen are back at Sanditon House."
Sidney felt like he'd passed into another world. Here was Charlotte. With her children.
"Poor Sidney has forgotten his manners, I shall make introductions for the rest of our clan. My children you know, of course. My sons-in-law, David; our happy bridegroom, and Timothy. And my daughter in law Jane," Tom gestured, "And Sidney's girls, Annabella and Marianne."
Sidney watched his girls curtsey politely to Charlotte, but both shot him a look of concern. He knew they'd never seen him so flabbergasted before, least of all because of a woman. A woman they'd never met, at that.
"Such lovely names. If I had another girl I wanted Marianne for her." Charlotte said in her kind way, and Sidney saw his daughters relax some.
"I do believe our dancing shall commence. Jenny and David, lead us onto the floor would you?" Tom said to the group, not so subtly winking at Sidney.
Sidney watched their group pair up and dissipate for the first waltz, leaving just he and Charlotte on the outskirts, like the old chaperons they were.
"Sidney-"
"Charlotte-"
They both tried to speak at the same time and laughed nervously.
"It's been a long time." Charlotte said softly.
"Indeed. Indeed it has." Sidney replied, at a loss for words.
Charlotte too seemed overcome, snapped open her fan, and began to fan herself. Sidney's eyes lingered for a moment too long on her bodice, and a memory of an embrace with her flashed in his mind.
"Sidney," She whispered, "I hardly know where to begin."
"As do I. May I take you for a walk in the garden?"
"No, no, I must keep an eye on Tere." Charlotte replied.
"Then may I lead you in a waltz?"
"I'm afraid not, Sidney. A widow's dancing days are far behind her." She smiled in a small way.
"Will you not take a glass of something and sit with me then?" Sidney pressed. It was most unlike him to be so persistent.
"Very well." Charlotte acquiesced.
Sidney led her to a chair and went to fetch them a few glasses of champagne. He tried to use this brief moment alone to still his breathing and think of something he could possibly say to her. But what? Their last words had been a torment to him these fifteen years, and so much had changed. By the time he returned to the chair in which she sat, he had resolved to ask a few questions about her children, and leave the rest of the conversation up to her. Yes, that was a good plan.
"Here you are." He said, offering her one glass, and then taking the seat opposite her. She was watching Theresa and Anthony dance together, whose movements flowed so effortlessly. Clearly they had inherited their mother's love for dancing.
"Thank you Sidney. Its been so long since I enjoyed champagne, especially at a wedding." Charlotte smiled and took a sip.
"Your eldest are wonderful dancers." Sidney replied, but the comment sounded forced to his ears.
"Indeed, but you should never tell them, because they are exceedingly cocky about it. James taught them at quite a young age. I shall despair when they are old enough to go courting and they find that nobody is as skilled a partner as their siblings."
"James?" Sidney repeated. Was that not the Christian name of Young Stringer who had battled for Charlotte's affections? It was surely impossible that such a common man would inherit an earldom.
"My late husband, and from that look upon your face I know you assume him to be another James of our acquaintance."
"Oh, no, I would never presume, I-." Sidney stumbled over his words, she had read his mind too accurately.
"Oh Mr. Parker, do not trouble yourself with embarrassment. I kept in correspondence with Mr. Stringer for a few months, but the architect remained but a friend. My husband, the late Earl, was James Dryden when we wed, and he inherited the earldom a few years after our marriage. Our marriage was in the papers of course but we were of no import in those days, and we seldom went to town to make ourselves truly a part of society."
"And your children? What of them?" Sidney asked, feeling a bit more relaxed after her teasing.
"Anthony is at Ampleforth most of the year, Theresa and Junia receive schooling from the clergy at St. Wilfrid's in York, and Helen is still taught by me for the most part. They've never been this far south before."
"Ampleforth? Is that the Catholic school?" Sidney choked out.
"Indeed. I converted to marry James, their family have long been Catholics."
"Ah." Sidney shifted in his seat, uncomfortable. Though he'd voted in favor of Catholic emancipation a few years before, he still held his prejudices. He didn't know what to make of Charlotte's conversion.
"And your girls? Tell me of them." Charlotte said, not allowing the religious topic to make their conversation uneasy.
"Annabella and Marianne. Annabella is the elder, trying to grow up too fast I'm afraid. They've spent most of their lives in London while Parliament is in session, but we come down to Sanditon often as this is my constituency. I'm afraid they are city girls through and through, like their mother."
An awkward silence followed. Charlotte had only spoken of Eliza twice since that day, outside the coach. Once, to Allison through tears when she arrived home at Willingden. And once to James, during their honeymoon when they told one another all of their secrets and hurts from the past.
"Does Annabella hope to make her debut soon?"
"Yes, but we've bargained to wait until she is 18. I suppose your girls won't."
"Why wouldn't they?" Charlotte asked, and Sidney detected a bit of strain in her voice.
"I just assumed, with your country life and all, and that you are…" He could not finish his sentence. He knew he was on the verge of offending her.
Charlotte stood, and he abruptly followed her lead.
"I can assure you, though I try to avoid pretension, my girls are not bumpkins. They'll make a debut, as is expected of the daughters of an earl. And yes, even Papists like us must pay homage to King and country. I daresay I hope my girls will find matches more like their father and less prejudiced against their faith than those who stand before me now." Charlotte said kindly, though the ice in her words was plain. He had offended her family sensibilities, as she had offended him at the first ball they went to together.
She dropped a short curtsey, turned on her heel and collected her two young charges. It was all Sidney saw of her that night. And he'd completely ruined the reunion he'd dreamed of for fifteen years.
A/N: I rewrote this chapter at least three times! I'm sorry I didn't give a cute, romantic reunion but no matter how I tried, it just didn't feel right...And would it be Sidlotte without some tension? I think not. Thank you for all the love and kind reviews, I'm hoping to post more these next few weeks, I had a huge surge of inspo last night and can't wait to get it all written.
The religious component might feel odd to this story, but if you're a student of English history you'll know that Prot v. Catholic relations were extremely tense! Catholics only regained the right to sit in Parliament in 1829 and Charlotte marrying into an RC family would have been a BIG deal. Money & spouses are no longer a barrier between these two, so we needed something else...