By the time of the Babington's garden party the next week, Charlotte and Sidney had resumed a civil truce akin to the old days. A few afternoon teas at Trafalgar House, dinner parties at Sanditon House, and one extremely riotous performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream put on by all the children of the families, and the two felt like true friends for the first time. They'd been adversaries, and lovers, but very rarely had they simply been themselves. Charlotte watched with pleasure as Sidney and Anthony were warming up for an impromptu cricket match together, smiling when Sidney offered tips and praise on Anthony's skill. But she felt guilty, watching her son enjoy the mentorship of another man who was not his father.
"Charlotte, dear, our daughters are requesting our presence." Esther called, sitting at a set of table and chairs with Junia and Minnie.
"Forgive me, ladies. I was considering jumping in the cricket match." Charlotte said as she sat down next to her daughter.
"Oh! Oh! May I play too, Mama?" Junia shot up. She was never one to be excluded from games.
"After this game. Anthony and Lord B can organize a game for the children." Esther replied with a grin.
"Children's game? I'd rather not." Junia huffed.
"Children and mamas." Charlotte amended. She didn't like to leave the girls out of sport, but she knew that she didn't trust young men to play fair around little ones.
"Madam, some more guests have arrived." A maid appeared at the table and told Esther.
"Ah! Yes. Our surprise. Thank you Dolly." She stood and turned to watch a couple walk towards them. From this distance, Charlotte could not make out their faces.
"Lady Babington." The husband of the pair kissed Esther's hand, then the wife stepped forward and exchanged pecks upon the cheek. The accent of the man was familiar to Charlotte, not quite the gentry she was used to hearing.
"You remember our old friend, Lady Leyburn?" Esther gestured with her hand and Charlotte nearly fell out of her chair. It was James Stringer, and...Clara Brereton?
"I do believe we've given her a great shock!" Clara laughed and crossed the grass to extend a welcoming hand to Charlotte.
"Ahem. And I am Minerva Babington, and this is my dear friend Lady Junia Dryden." Piped the voice of Minnie, who dropped a dignified curtsey. The adults broke out in laughter.
"A pleasure, Miss Minerva." James bowed to the girl, who blushed the same color as her red hair.
"I'm quite shocked. Are you two married?" Charlotte asked, shaking hands with Mr. Stringer as well.
"For ten years now, my lady. We've only just returned to Sanditon this very week." Clara responded.
"We have that in common, I am back for the first time in fifteen years. What brings you?" Charlotte asked. Clara and James stole a sideways glance at one another, before looking to Esther for some sort of approval.
"A business venture ma'am, my wife and I have made our fortune in the building industry. But please excuse us, we must greet Lord B." Mr. and Mrs. Stringer took their leave.
"That was curious." Charlotte said, sitting back down.
"Mr. Stringer and Papa are going to help make one another very rich." Minnie declared, stuffing a small pastry into her mouth.
"Minerva Babington! Do not repeat that anywhere again." Esther exclaimed.
"Well, that is what I heard him say to you in the library yesterday during naptime."
"And what were you doing eavesdropping during your nap?" Esther asked.
"Playing hide and seek in the bookcases with Junia of course." Minnie replied.
Esther said nothing but put one hand to her head, and used the other to shoo the two girls away to play on the grassy lawn.
"What's all this Es?" Charlotte inquired.
"Mr. Stringer and Lord B are partnering to build a hotel and such in the next village, Denham. It's where the bulk of my aunt's estate lies, and many of our tenants live there. The Stringers have made a sizable fortune building modest hotels in Cornwall and Devonshire, more affordable places. We're hoping to build something like that in Denham." Esther explained, pouring a cup of tea.
"It sounds like quite a good venture. Why a secret?"
"We have not yet told Tom, and we fear he might not react well." Esther sipped her tea, and across the lawn they heard a noise that sounded like a dog after its paw had been trod upon. A shocked yelp, as it were.
"I imagine Lord B has just told Tom." Charlotte giggled.
The two ladies looked over to where the Stringers, Parkers, and Lord Babington stood, and indeed Tom's face was a strained smile that hardly masked his worry. Though he had been financially secure for years, and Sanditon was a favorite resort of the elites, it seemed that a touch of competition concerned Tom.
From there, the cricket match commenced and the older daughters and other wives joined Esther and Charlotte to gossip while watching the men play. Theresa often heckled her brother, which Ruth and Marianne copied for their respective male relatives. Eventually, nobody was cheering for anyone to win, but rather waiting for a mistake or stumble to tease. It was all in good fun, and eventually the match ended. Junia and Minnie both shooed all the men off the pitch and commanded they find a replacement. Babington swapped his bat for his wife's chair, and Sidney walked up to Charlotte.
"I do believe your young general has commanded you play." He panted, extending his hand to Charlotte to help her out of her seat.
"I always fancied J an admiral more than anything. She's rather amphibious." Charlotte took his hand, taking little notice of him as she stood and began untying her bonnet strings. Sidney, on the other hand, couldn't do anything else but notice.
He felt rather like a schoolboy when she had taken his hand, and again like a gawking fool as he watched her untie her bonnet. But perhaps most telling of all, when Lady Leyburn placed her gloves atop her bonnet, and joined the other players on the pitch, Sidney stole away one of those gloves into a pocket on his vest. He was certain nobody saw him.
Babington leaned over, passing Sidney something cool to drink, and remarked,
"It's a shame the Countess will only be with us a few weeks longer. The Dryden clan is such a precious addition to our social circle, don't you agree?"
Sidney braced himself, trying not to show his feelings in regards to the length of her stay.
"They will not stay for the season?" He tried to sound nonchalant.
"No, just a fortnight longer. Poor Helen, their youngest, has been ill almost since the moment they arrived and Charlotte is keen to have her see their family doctor back in Yorkshire. Esther wagers its homesickness, and we will likely visit them at their Scarborough house before the summer is out." Babington explained.
"A pity. I'm sure she will be sorry to miss the opening of your new enterprise with Stringer."
"Perhaps. Though I see no reason why she may not visit Sanditon again. Look, how attentive Marianne is to Helen. I'm sure the little ones will want to see their new friends as much as we long to see our old ones." Babington gestured to Sidney's younger daughter who was assisting Charlotte's youngest in cricket.
"Do not think too much of Tom's reaction, our success was so bumpy I believe he struggles to accept that of others at times." Sidney avoided the topic of children. Marianne really did seem to dote on Helen.
"Those days are far behind you, friend. I only wish to steal some of your wisdom."
"You are welcome to it. It was hard won." Sidney replied.
"I do hope Tom has forgiven himself for his part in your unhappiness."
"Only lately. Not until after Eliza left did he find out the truth of our union." Sidney shifted in his seat.
"Perhaps if Esther and I have a few public rows he will feel better." Babington attempted a joke, but it fell flat.
"Babbers, please, do not concern yourself. Tom will get over his jealousy, when he realizes that your ventures serve two different societies of people, and you have no interference in ours. And besides, when Eliza was expecting the girls, we were almost affectionate." Sidney gave a weak smile.
"I'm not sure "almost affectionate" is the same as happy and in love, Sidney. For I have seen both in my life, and one is infinitely preferable to the other."
He smiled and looked at his friend, but when he was about to open his mouth to agree, Babington made sure to have the final word.
"Fifteen years is a long time, old friend. Do not be discouraged." Babington stood up, cast his eyes upon the lone glove that laid on top of Charlotte's bonnet, and looked at Sidney with a knowing expression.
Men are seldom as straightforward as women, and between these two old friends, this conversation was as much encouragement as possible. Sidney had blessed Babington's hotel venture, and Babington had urged Sidney to not give up on Charlotte, though discreetly.
A boom of thunder was heard overhead and within an instant rain began to pour on the partygoers.
"Everyone inside!" Babington called to his guests, scooping up two of his youngest children and leading everyone indoors. Sidney brought up the rear of the party, watching Charlotte as she reclaimed her bonnet and lone glove. But when looking for his own daughters in the group, he did not spot them. He heard them.
"Oh I can do much better than that, Anthony Dryden!" Annabella yelled, and before Sidney could stop her, she took a running start and slid belly first into a patch of mud, coating her white muslin gown as she did so. It all seemed to happen in slow motion, as he watched Marianne, Theresa, Ruth, William and Anthony follow suit. One after another, they slid like penguins on ice in the mud. For all his girls' London upbringing, they had the most uncouth manners at times.
"Annabella Parker!" He shouted. But as soon as he did, a glob of mud was flung into his face.
"Marianne! Now you've done it!" William exclaimed.
"All of you, inside this instant!" Sidney struggled to control his laughter. Known as the stern parent, he had to keep his reputation for maintaining the rules at all times. Even when he was amused.
Wiping the mud from his eyes, Sidney followed the youths into Sanditon House, where Esther and Babington had fires lit to warm their guests, and card tables were being set up to occupy their time until the rain stopped.
"What was that about country girls and manners fit for court?" Charlotte said as he closed the door behind him into the hall where everyone was gathered. She was staring out the window into the rain with a smile upon her face, evidently amused from the shenanigans outside.
"I beg your pardon?" Sidney nervously laughed.
"Bumpkin." She said, eyeing him up and down, laughing at his mud-stained clothing.
In that moment, Sidney knew he still had a chance.
A change of clothes was provided to all the mudstained, and Sidney was quite grateful to only have mussed up his waistcoat and cravat. Babington had good taste in menswear, but his friend was a bit shorter than he was, and Sidney feared looking like a buffoon in front of Charlotte in an ill-fitting set of trousers.
The sky was beginning to darken not long after he rejoined the party in the hall, and Mr. and Mrs. Stringer took their leave almost immediately. Sidney bid his farewell to the couple and sat to join Charlotte and Mary at cards, but the Dryden family retired as soon as the carriages for the Parkers came around.
"We seem to have lost the Dryden's in a rush." He remarked to Esther.
"You need not pretend at being casual with me Sidney, really." Esther said.
"I'm sure I don't know what you mean." Sidney protested.
"I'm quite sure you do. They are going to our chapel, they light a candle and say prayers for the late Earl of Leyburn. They do so every day around this time."
"Everyday?" Questioned Sidney.
"Indeed. They are extremely devoted to his memory."
"That is commendable."
"I offer that as a bit of a warning, Sidney." Esther looked at him with worry.
"A warning? Why should I be warned against a dead man?" Esther winced and Sidney knew his words came out harshly.
"The wounds are still tender. James Dryden has only been gone for a year, and no amount of nostalgia for our youth will fill the void he left."
"I understand you now, E. I hope you know my intentions are nothing but the best."
"I do not doubt your intentions. But I know what it is for a child to see their parent find love with another, and it is no easy thing. Be gentle, and careful." Esther shuffled the deck of cards that sat on the table between them.
"Sir Parker, your carriage is ready." The butler said to Sidney.
Sidney gathered his daughters and took his leave of Sanditon House. He watched the roadside into the village with a focus, he hardly listened to his daughters giggles and teasings. He was torn, here the Babingtons gave him conflicted advice. Or rather, was he misreading them? Neither of them had admonished his long standing feelings for Charlotte, nor told him to leave her alone. They had both appealed to the time and circumstance, but something Esther said had stuck with him. Charlotte had been devoted to her husband. She prayed for him daily, and evidently Esther was privy to Charlotte's deep longing for the departed father of her children. She had not been in a loveless marriage as he had, and for some reason, that stung most of all. He had thought of her for all these years, and she had been happy without him. He never thought his pain would be as great as the day she left, or the day he married Eliza, but this pain was all the more acute. The knowledge that she had the happiness he had denied her was like a knife in his chest. Sidney Parker was envious of a dead man, because that dead man had reclaimed Charlotte's heart when he had cast it aside.
I hope someone has caught on to the reference I'm making with the title of this story...If you can figure it out, it will give a hint as to where this story is taking us :)
Right now there are a lot of little moments...And I know that little moments can be frustrating! But I want their children and families to be as much a part of their love story as they are.
I'm also taking some inspo from some of Jane Austen's other works, namely the marriage between Mr. and Mrs. Weston in Emma, and Anne Elliot's long lost love in Persuasion. What is your fav Austen book?