Sanditon Season 2: The River and the Man

Chapter 129

Charlotte and Bell lugged the clanking burden to the stables to find Mabbin working alone it seemed.

"Miss Heywood!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing down here?" he asked and frowned at their burdens.

Charlotte dropped her baggage and tried to catch her breath. "Hello, Mr. Gimlic. I see you have found your way around," she said looking at the place.

He smiled. "Mabbin to you Miss." he blushed. "And who might you be?" he asked directly to her maid.

"Oh, me," she smiled. "I am Bell, Miss Heywood's ladies maid."

Mabbin nodded. "What you carrying there?"

Looking around Charlotte. "Mabbin, are you the only one here?" she asked.

Mabbin nodded. "The stable master wanted to go talk in the kitchens with the other servants. Seems there is a great to do over the mistress here and no one knows what to make of it."

Charlotte looked to Bell who raised her brows in silent communication.

Sighing Charlotte nodded. "Mabbin, can you help me get all this back into the house so that the servants don't see?"

He frowned. "Why?"

Charlotte winced and sighed as she blinked. "You see, things are very strange here at Sanditon House as you have so cleverly seen. Many are very worried about Lady Denham, and what will become of her estate."

Mabbin nodded. "Heard as much in Mr. Tom Parker's house." he shook his head. "She must be a real grand a good lady to have so many worried about her."

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "She is very grand and good, but it seems some servants have been stealing in the event of her possible demise. We found these in the parkland woods."

He frowned. "And you need to get it into the house in secret. Why?" he asked scratching his head confused.

Bell said swiftly seeing that Charlotte was not sure how to answer. "We want the servants to think it is still there so that perhaps they can be caught in the act." she looked to her mistress and shrugged. "Right miss?"

Charlotte frowned and nodded. "Indeed, right you are. I think that is a very good idea."

Mabbin smiled. "I can't help you sneak all that back into that house without anyone seeing. When you want to pinch somethin' it better be small and quiet. That would wake a whole parish if you walked down the road. People be thinkin' ye are a pedalin' your wares."

Charlotte sighed and nodded. "Fine, then can we hide it here?"

He looked around. "Maybe in the hayloft? Down here a horse be liable to step on something and ruin it." He suggested. "But the stable master says the ladder is missing."

Charlotte looked to Bell. "I think we found it." she laughed.

Bell and Charlotte went with Mabbin to collect the tall ladder and shuffled it back in before the rains started heavily again.

Bracing the ladder in place Charlotte was the first to climb up to the tall loft. "You are right, this is a good place," she said looking around. "We can hide it under the hay."

Bell handed a bundle to Mabbin who shuffled it up to charlotte as she helped it on to the ledge. She felt fearful for it was a long way down.

"Careful Miss. I don't know what Mr. Sidney Parker would do if you were to be hurt." the boy said seriously.

Charlotte blushed. "Really, has Mr. Parker talked about me to you?"

Mabbin smiled. "Don't need to."

Charlotte frowned as he moved down the ladder. "Why is that?"

Mabbin reached the bottom and took another bundle from Bell. "Well, that is because it's in his eyes, and I met him as he was racing after the woman he loved."

Charlotte stopped a moment as she took the new satchel from him. "Love?" she used the word and remembered Sidney when he had come to stop her carriage on the cliffs. He had been about to tell her he loved her but she had stopped him.

"I knew it," Bell said teasingly from the ground.

"Hush Bell," Charlotte warned and smiled as she waited for another. "He is barely free and there is much to worry on," she said silencing them both for a moment.

Once they were all up there charlotte found a nice fluffy spot and moved the straw. Her fingers brushed up against something but she imagined it was just a box of tools for she could only see the corner. Lugging the bags over to huddle them together she moved the straw over them.

"There," she said satisfactorily.

Bell looked at the ladder as Charlotte descended.

"I think we should hide the ladder," Bell said seriously.

Charlotte nodded and frowned. "Yes..."

"What is it miss?" Mabbin asked suddenly.

Charlotte turned and looked to Bell. "The ladder was not lost before. It was hidden." she went to climb the ladder in a rush.

"What is it?" Bell asked.
Charlotte made it to the top and went to the place she had just been and dug down to the box she thought held tools.

There she found something very familiar as she ran her hand over the smooth top and she gasped.

"What is it?" Bell asked from below.

Charlotte took a deep breath. "I found Lady Denham's document box," she said found it locked. She was not sure where the key was because any time she had been near the box the key had been in it. "Mabbin, come help me," she said and went to start pulling it out. "Wait." she stopped herself. "I need to talk to Esther first." she would know what to do.

Charlotte lugged it to a different corner to hide it just in case it was another situation of a servant stealing. Though somehow she doubted the servants would find value in documents over the fine things in Sanditon house.

The trio went and hid the ladder again in the woods under brambles and leaves. Mabbin had to rush back to the stables lest he was missed while Charlotte was damp and chilled after the activity of the afternoon. She and Bell ran to the house as the rain misted and blew around them while they clutched at their bonnets.