The Future of Sanditon

The Future is as Murky as the British Sea

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     Lady Denham had always believed that it was a far greater thing to be loved rather than be in love; carrying the affliction oneself had the potential to be the single most painful experience in life and she knew all too well the consequences of losing that person forever. Lady Denham was now old and unloved. Being in this position at seventy years of age was partly due to her own sagacity, however she still found herself constantly amused by the vices and follies of others including (and especially) her own family and adored making her opinions on them known to anyone who would listen.

    Her recent bout of influenza, (along with the conspiratorial help of Dr. Fuchs to make her illness seem more severe to her family than it was,) had allowed her a rare opportunity to see exactly how they truly feel, and inadvertently glimpse for the first time the true heart of her niece Esther, though only the latter had surprised her whatsoever.

    Her late husband Sir Harry Denham, second of her two marriages, was the love of her life and when he died and left her alone with his fortune, she saw no reason to relinquish the power, freedom, and position his money gave her by marrying again. She had always been unpretentious and forthright; qualities which recommended her directly to her beloved Harry when they met. He was enervated by tittering society ladies whereas the outspoken future Lady Denham brought him endless joy, companionship, humor, and eventually love and affection. The lack of issue from their marriage however left the inheritance open to more distant relations hence the presence of Clara Brereton at Sanditon House as her companion, and Esther and Edward Denham her niece and nephew by marriage residing at Denham House.

    Her nearest relations through marriage would inevitably inherit the title and fortune if she did not step in and make decisions regarding its application; therefore, she had decided to disinherit them all and leave her fortune to the development of Sanditon town and the opening of a donkey stud in her name. She still chuckled at her fine joke and imagining the looks on their faces when The Will would be read  however this was not to be, for while she was in her sick bed and the pernicious vultures were hovering in Sanditon House, Esther had confessed much to her aunt (whom she must have believed to be unconscious,) among the revelations it would seem that Edward and Clara had discovered her will, burned it, then lay together on her drawing room floor. Thus, Edward had broken Esther's heart and her honest confession of his and Clara's inherently feeble nature to her aunt truly touched Lady Denham as it reminded her of her own first love which cut her to the quick.

    All these revelations also made her determined to live and be well to spite them all, particularly the parson (who kept insisting she wouldn't make it to dawn and begged her to allow the last rites to be read) and her insipid relations (who thought they had it all sorted behind her back). She was determined then to rethink her opinions of Esther and how to proceed when she was no longer obliged to keep to her room. Esther had always seemed to have the same quick wit and sharp tongue as her late husband, but was held back by the need of approval from her brother who took her innocent adoration of him and used it as a weapon against her without her knowledge. Lady Denham knew all too well the prison that was the misguided notion of requiring the approval and love of someone undeserving of any affection.

    Prior to her first marriage which had been arranged by her parents when she was but eighteen years old, she fell madly in love with a man named Mr. Rowleigh. The similarities between Rowleigh and her misguided nephew Edward were immediately apparent to Lady Denham though it took her longer than she cared to admit to see how he was manipulating Esther, just as had been once done to her. Once the truth was revealed, she felt an immediate kinship with the girl, a desire to advise and support her as no one had done in her own past, and promote Esther's happiness her while her heart healed from what had obviously been years of misuse.