And yet there will be happiness...

Chink of armour

Angrily, she slammed the book she'd been trying to read since morning. The lack of anything to do made her mad, and she couldn't even concentrate on reading. She began to think that everything in this room was against her, the cold tea, the pictures on the wall, even the damned clock that was striking every hour much slower than usual.
She went to the table, unfolded the letter on it, and read it again. This was the second letter from Mrs. Burke. The contents calmed her down a little, and the events had worked out in such a way as to buy her the time she needed now.
The first letter from Mrs. Burke, which arrived a couple of days ago, practically forced her to return to London immediately.  Mrs. Burke expressed great concern at the meeting between Mr. Parker and Miss Heywood at Lady Wooster's ball, and above all at Sidney's reaction to her appearance. She was discouraged and even a little scared, so she decided to immediately inform Mrs. Campion of what had happened. Sidney saw the girl again, danced with her, talked to her, all of which made Eliza extremely angry. She found herself practically hating Charlotte Heywood, genuinely not understanding what Sidney could find in her at all.
Mrs. Burke also reported on the Sanditon tournament. This news caused no less surprise. Her calculating mind immediately carefully weighed the pros and cons and came to the conclusion that the tournament might actually attract tenants. This will undoubtedly help her recover most of the money she invested after her engagement in this God-forsaken place. However, somewhere in the back of her mind, Eliza felt uneasy. The return of the money was extremely profitable for her for financial reasons, but it also weakened her power over the situation, depriving her of full control over Tom and Sidney.
Her mind went back to Sydney. His meeting with Charlotte did not give her any peace, and only the serious condition of her father forced her to remain at the estate. Eliza was angry with him, and her father was bothering her again, even when he was chained to the bed.
She didn't have any affection for him, and her father reciprocated, so his illness, which had come so inappropriately, made Eliza angry. The only reason she was still here was because of her mother, to whom Mrs. Campion was very attached and could not leave her now.
From an early age, her father neglected Eliza, giving all the care, love, and attention to her older brother, Charles. For her father, she was always not beautiful enough, not smart enough, and not eloquent enough in comparison with her brother. Her every word, action, or omission was questioned. Charles was five years older than Eliza, so little Eliza had little chance of competing with him. Charles skillfully used all his advantages to establish himself in the family and rise in the eyes of his father, caring little about the hardships and experiences of his sister. Her mother, who was madly in love with and worshipped all the household members, did not see anything of what was happening, naively believing that God had given her the happiness to have a friendly family.
Eliza was very painfully affected by her father's coldness and her own brother's callousness, their actions constantly bringing pain and disappointment, taught her not to trust people in General, and men in particular.
Gradually, over the years, the naive desire to win the love of his father came to naught for both, and was replaced by a fierce race between brother and sister for the right of primacy in the house. Almost all the tools they knew were used. Even Eliza's marriage to Mr. Campion had fitted easily into their game, providing her with advantages that her brother had never possessed-enormous power and wealth.
As time went on, her separation from her brother grew, fueling Elise's excitement. Her position and power grew, and he began to slip quietly into carousing, drunkenness, and God knows what else. It would seem that Eliza had won, that she had won, and that her father would be proud of her at last, but no, even now he found excuses for Charles, and attributed all her credit solely to Mr. Campion. Eliza was a failure again. She couldn't let that happen.
Mr. Campion's illness had untied Eliza's hands and given Her access to all the areas where her husband had made his fortune so ably. Being very smart and determined, she did not hesitate to take up the case, and as it turned out, not in vain. Through her efforts, the family's income increased significantly and they were talked about all over England. At the time of Mr. Campion's death, Eliza was handling her late husband's Affairs with ease and confidence. Charles, on the other hand, was inexorably going downhill, never accepting Eliza's victory, wasting his father's money in questionable businesses and companies. Eliza did not openly encourage her brother, but actively encouraged him to go crazy. She hid her family ties and played with him, enjoying the long-awaited revenge, blocking access to high society and making him an outcast. In the end, this led to Charles's complete collapse. One day, Eliza was told that her brother had died under very dubious circumstances that a decent family should hide. Knowing Charles's vices and the extent of his fall, she was not so surprised. Using all the connections, Eliza made sure that the story was forgotten and that Charles's name was never mentioned again.
So  ended their race with their brother, or rather Eliza thought so until she returned home to her sick father. Even when he was chained to the bed, her father constantly waved her away and spoke only of Charles, who seemed to him not to be dying. Even left alone, Eliza was still a loser. She couldn't forgive her father for that.
She sighed heavily and went to the window. The sun was still high and this long day did not want to end.
She picked up the second letter from Mrs. Burke again and reread it. She reported that The situation with Mr. Parker had been resolved as well as possible. Sidney went with his brother to Sanditon 3 days after that ill-fated ball, and Lady Wooster and her proteges remained in London, but do not go out in public, as Lady Wooster is not well. Eliza seemed to sense something amiss, but what was written further dispelled her doubts: "Also, dear Mrs. Campion, I hasten to inform you that there are persistent rumors that Lord Broome is extremely interested in the above-mentioned lady and shows a very unequivocal interest in her. And now, when lady Wooster is not well, he spends a lot of time with Her. Therefore, I ask you not to worry and apologize for the first letter, which I so alarmed you." Next came assurances of the writer's sincere feelings and impulses.
- It can't be that simple. I must return as soon as possible. But now they are not together, so I have a little more time  - thought Eliza.
The door opened softly and a sweet, fair-haired lady in a lace cap looked out.
- Honey, are you all right? - she asked - you're not going out at all today.
-  I am all right, Mother - replied Eliza with a smile - I was just reading and answering mails, things to do.
- Is there a letter from Sydney? - she asked.
- Yes, of course,  such a long, that I lost expense time - answered Eliza, trying to smile to her mothers - he is handing you with Pope its greeting. (The mother didn't need to know anything at all.)
-What a wonderful young man - a welcome she said - you are very lucky to have him.
- Oh Yes, of course - she replied.
- All right, answer him, dear, and go down to the  dinner - said Mrs. Colins, with a smile.
- By all means, mother!  -  Eliza said, kissing her on the cheek.
Mrs. Colins went out, and Eliza went to the table, and after a moment's thought made up her mind, took a blue stamp paper from a drawer, and began to write a letter to Sydney.
She had to know about the tournament by word of mouth. After demanding an explanation about the source of funding for this project and expressing her displeasure at the lack of any information, Eliza expressed her desire to get an early answer to all questions regarding the planned tournament.
She sealed the letter, after perfuming it according to her custom, and wrote in a neat handwriting:
"To Mr. Sidney Parker at Sanditon"