And yet there will be happiness...

Rewrite the history

With trembling hands, he unfolded the letter that had arrived in the early morning mail. The blue stamped paper, so familiar to him, said more about the letter than the return address could have done. The writer's smooth, confident lines said the following.
"Dear Sidney, I received your letter and I don't understand what kind of information you are talking about. I am perfectly pure before you and society, and I have never done anything for which I was worthy of the least reproach. I believe that your friends deliberately misled you in order to achieve some unknown goal. I ask you to come to your senses and listen to my arguments. Sidney, dear, don't repeat the mistake I made more than ten years ago. Fate has brought us together again for a reason. I'm sure it was all a foregone conclusion and we were meant to be together for the rest of our lives. I think your request to break off your engagement is rash and premature. I'm sure common sense will prevail and you'll change your mind again. I had to leave immediately for London because of unfinished business, but I promise to be back in time for the tournament and meet this event with you. I miss you. Your Eliza."
Sidney shook his head, dismissing the dreadful vision that had come to him that night and sent him to Sanditon house at the crack of dawn. He had to see Charlotte immediately. There had been no word from Mrs. Campion, and Sidney was filled with dreadful forebodings. He barely waited for the morning post to make sure that the letter, written on expensive paper of a soft blue color, was only a dream, and lost no time in going to the stables.
As he neared Sanditon house, he noticed a carriage parked near the main entrance. Wondering who else was at lady Denham's at this hour, he rang the bell and waited obediently for The servant to open it.

It was not Charlotte who met him in the drawing-room, or even Lady Denham, as he had expected. Sitting comfortably in a chair, reading the newspaper with a smile, he saw none other than Lady Worcester.
- Lady Worcester - Sidney said, bowing.
- Mr. Parker - she said, raising her eyebrows a little - do you like early visits, too?"
- Sometimes you shouldn't put things off - he said evasively.
- You're right there, Mr. Parker - she said thoughtfully, - sometimes we think we have a lot of time ahead of us, looking for the best moment, waiting for something. And then, looking back, we realize that we missed our chance.
Sidney remembered the ball, Edward's sudden appearance, and that damned fire. How many times when he thought about it, he wished he had proposed to her that morning, up on the hill, where they were all alone. Even then, and even earlier, he knew that she was the only woman with whom he would like to connect his life. How it would change everything now.
Sidney took a deep breath and looked at Lady Worcester with understanding.
She met his gaze and turned to the window. It seemed to Sidney that there were tears in her eyes, and the always imperturbable Lady was momentarily lost in the bitter recollections of her own life. The silence lasted a few seconds, then she smiled and looked at Sidney as if nothing had happened.
- In that case - said Lady Worcester - our task is never to make such a mistake again.
- I suppose you are right - said Sidney.
The door opened into the living room and went to Lady Denham.
- Lady Denham - Sidney said, bowing.
Looking around the audience, the mistress of the house respectfully welcomed  Lady Wooster. Susan returned the compliment. Having observed all the necessary proprieties, she finally turned her gaze to Sidney.
- Mr. Parker - she said with a grin - To what do I owe this early visit? I hope this isn't a fire or flood, but maybe the heavens have opened up to prevent the start of the tournament at Sanditon?
Lady Worcester smiled and looked at Sidney, knowing the answer to that question.
- Lady Denham, I am. ..  - Sidney began.
- You didn't come to see me, did you? - she asked directly.
- Yes, you're right - he said without hesitation.
- Then why the hell are you being so dumb? Do you want to be like your brother? - frowning, asked the lady of the house, but she relents and added - you'll have to wait, because the lady you're looking for hasn't deigned to come down to Breakfast yet. The younger Miss Hеywood had already gone to fetch her sister.
- In that case, let me wait for Miss Hеywood somewhere else - said Sidney - I don't want to cause you any further inconvenience.
Lady Denham raised her eyebrows and looked at him.
- You can wait for her in the small dining room - she said  - I'll tell the servants to serve you tea. But keep in mind, you may have to wait quite a long time.
- Thank you, Lady Denham - Sidney said, and bowed to leave.
- Mr. Parker - said Lady Worcester, carefully folding the newspaper she had been reading and handing it to Sidney - perhaps this will lighten your wait.
- Thank you very much, but I have already read the financial news - he thanked, but still took the thing offered to Susan.
- Then I advise you to read the gossip columns - she said parting - sometimes it's quite interesting.
Sidney thanked the ladies again and left the room, glad to leave them alone.
Sidney didn't know how long he had been in the dining room, but the tea the servant had so carefully brought was already cold, and he was tired of looking at the fancy patterns on the floor.
He took a deep breath and looked toward the front door, where his Charlotte might appear at any moment. But the miracle didn't happen, the door didn't open and the most beautiful face he'd ever known didn't look out. He glanced at the table and saw the newspaper Lady Worcester had handed him. With a bored look, he opened it and ran his eyes over the text he had already read that morning.
" Gossip column" - he thought to himself " what can be interesting there at all?". But he turned the page over and began to read rather drearily. The newspaper reported planned receptions and balls, an exhibition of paintings, tours of the London Botanic gardens, and other such nonsense. He counted three messages about the wedding, four about the funeral, and almost in despair, he came across a call to come to Sanditon for the jousting tournament, which begins today and promises the audience incredible pleasure. Sidney smiled, finding something pleasant in the meaningless jumble of words. He was about to close the paper and put it aside when his eye fell on another ad, which made his heart stop for a moment, and then start pounding in a frenzied rhythm. The blood rushed to his face, and his hands trembled with excitement. He jumped to his feet and began pacing the dining room, gasping for air and trying to regain his composure. Unfortunately, he couldn't do it.
The door creaked and appeared on the threshold of a smiling Charlotte.
- Sidney! - she exclaimed joyfully, and ran to meet him.
He turned and walked over to her, taking her hands gently in his.
He was breathing heavily and seemed unable to find words.
- My dear Charlotte - he said, his voice trembling with emotion - I must tell you...
She looked at him carefully and saw the frozen tears in the eyes she loved so dearly. Her heart skipped a beat, and she froze, dreading what news Sidney had for her today. The nightmare that had echoed in her head had sown its fruit, filling her heart with anxiety and a premonition of impending disaster. She could see again that awful day when Sidney had come home from London with the message that he had found funds to save Tom and his family. Then he'd looked at her the same way and held her hands, clinging to the last chance to be so close to her. Now Charlotte felt that her life was beginning to crumble again, crumbling like a house of cards, and the whole fairy tale that Sidney had so expertly created around her had dissipated into a new nightmare. Charlotte swallowed hard and asked the question she had been dreading to hear the answer to.
- What is it? Is this about Mrs Campion? - she asked, trying to hold back the tears that had come to her eyes and preparing for the worst -  Is something wrong?
- Yes - Sidney said with difficulty.
It seemed to Charlotte that her heart had stopped, that bitterness and pain filled her whole being in an instant, and that tears, no longer restrained by anything, ran in thin, shining streams down her cheeks.
Only now, when he looked at her, did he finally understand what she was thinking. A wave of tenderness washed over him, drawing her to him, and he looked her straight in the eyes.
- No, you've got it all wrong, my little girl - he said quietly and smiled.
She stared at him wide-eyed, afraid to say a word.
- It's really about Mrs. Campion - he agree - but you don't have to worry about anything.
- I don't understand - Charlotte said softly, clinging to him even more tightly and not wanting to let go of him even for a second.
- I'm free, Charlotte - he finally exclaimed   - I am free-do you understand? This damned engagement is off.
He smiled broadly and grabbed her with both hands, lifting her up and holding her so that her feet didn't touch the floor. Charlotte gasped and threw her arms around his neck. When she looked into his happy eyes, she smiled too, not quite believing in the reality of what was happening. Sidney laughed in exuberance and whirled her around the room. Charlotte squeezed her eyes shut and hugged him even tighter. Anyone entering this room would have been rather surprised to see two grown-up and serious people circling the small dining room, laughing and enjoying themselves like little children.