Return to Sanditon - A Novella

~ Ten ~

Beechwood Court, Surrey

On the afternoon of their second day at Beechwood, a commotion in the entrance hall alerted the men of the arrival of Lady Esther Babington from her brief visit to her aunt at Sanditon House.

Babington bounded from the Library with undignified haste, much to the disgust of Crowe.

"It's a sad day indeed when one is as keen to welcome one's wife as a faithful hound."

Sidney laughed at the observation but admitted to a small amount of jealously at the thought of being so welcomed by a loved one.

Lady Esther Babington swept into the room looking slightly flushed, Babington closely on her heels.

"Mr Parker, Mr Crowe, a pleasure to see you again."

After shared greetings and general niceties, Esther brought the conversation around to news of Sanditon. She spoke of her aunt and confirmed that indeed, Lady Denham, was as indomitable as ever.

She'd had the opportunity, only this morning to take tea with Mrs Mary Parker and could relay her intentions to remove to London for the next few weeks to assist in preparations for Sidney's nuptials. Sidney himself was surprised by this news and wondered at Mary's reasoning.

Esther went on to mention a letter Mrs Parker had recently received from Miss Heywood, who was also in London. It would seem that Lady Worcester had taken an interest in Charlotte and her sister and planned to sponsor them for the little season.

Sidney stilled at the news. Charlotte was in London? It seemed impossible. Lady Susan was of a higher social set than he, being in trade and devoid of title, but their paths would inevitably cross. Anticipation flooded him at the thought of seeing, and god permit, talking to her once more. However, his current situation was still hugely complicated, not to mention the fact that he was still engaged to Eliza, who was also in London. God, what a mess.

Esther regarded Sidney shrewdly and was not unaware of his reaction to the mere mention of Miss Heywood. It was as she suspected, Sidney was still in love with her. Esther was not ignorant of the rocky road a person must travel in their search for love; her own experiences had taught her that, but they too had taught her that, even in the most desperate of circumstances, there can still be hope.

Sidney was due to leave Beechwood the following morning, and for the first time in weeks, he was filled with anticipation at the prospect of returning to London. He still felt some degree of guilt for the way that he was planning to deceive Eliza. Despite her attempt to blackmail him into this marriage, she had so far held up her side of the bargain. She likely suspected his attachment to Charlotte, but did she realise he was head over heels in love with her? Would it make a difference? He suspected not. No, he must do all that he can to raise funds to repay Eliza and to secure the future of Sanditon, whilst somehow convincing her that they should not and could never marry.

"Babington?"

"Yes, my sweet?"

"What is going on with Sidney? He clearly has no wish to marry Mrs Campion, and one does not have to look far for the real recipient of his affection," Esther prodded her husband carefully. Theirs was a new kind of love and each day brought a new level of intimacy and openness.

"Well, you see m'dear, Mrs Campion and Sidney have some history. To be blunt, she threw him over for someone far richer. Sidney was devastated. When the Sanditon development burned to the ground, Sidney asked Eliza to invest. Eliza, knowing Sidney's affections had shifted to Miss Heywood, saw an opportunity to tie herself to Sidney in matrimony in an effort to rekindle their past, I suspect," Babington explained.

"However, what she has done is tantamount to blackmail. Sidney has now realised that he's made a deal with the devil, and has sought our help in finding a solution to his impossible situation. Sidney believes that should a better offer come along, perhaps a titled gentleman for whom she can control the purse strings, she may be persuaded to release him. We've put Crowe on the case of identifying a suitable Lord."

Esther studied her husband, thoughtfully, "I may know of someone."