Sanditon Season 2: The River and the Man

Chapter 143

Esther sat shaking in the drawing-room with her husband sitting next to her. Her hair was a mess and there was soot all over her face. "Calm yourself my dearest."

She just shook her head. "I can't. I will kill him," she said in low tones. "I will see him ruined."

Sidney who was bruised and battered and also covered in soot looked on to the man in question standing in the foyer equally disheveled.

"Apologies, I should have held my temper," Sidney said upon approach.

Esther shook her head. "You hurt him right? Please tell me you did?" she asked with tears of rage behind her eyes.

Sidney shrugged. "Lord Babington eventually caused the most damage I think. He did not expect it the attack from the back." Sidney said referencing the scuffle in the stables as it was burning down around them. That it took the reverend and others from the town to pry one off the other.

Lord Babington sighed and looked to his wife. "Come, let us get you upstairs before you do kill him," he said patting her hand. "Or I."

"The letters, the will..." she whispered. "There is another copy with the solicitor if the blasted man ever gets here! but the other letters cannot be replaced." she lamented. "What a fool I am."

Sidney frowned as he looked at the stricken woman before him. "Please excuse me. I must go," he said turning.

Lord Babington went to stop him. "Sidney, I understand the pull of the heart but now is a terrible time to leave," he said believing Sidney to be chasing after Charlotte. "The solicitor should be here any hour or day and there is much business with the pavilion, and I caution you not to shirk that." he stood. "It is a critical time. Willingden is a little town I hear and she will not get lost among the crowd there I dare say."

Sidney nodded and turned. "She can't think I have forgotten her."

Lady Worcester scoffed at that as she joined them. "I think there is little danger in that."

Lord Babington patted him on the shoulder with camaraderie "Come, will it not be better to face Mr. Heywood with a better notion of where you stand?" he asked.

Sidney nodded. "Yes, I suppose you are right." he sighed and sat down. "I need a drink." he poured himself and slammed it back wincing from the split in his lip and the bruising on his face.

"The stables a complete loss." Esther moaned.

Lord Babington smiled. "It is just a stable. It is easy enough to be rebuilt."

She shook her head. "It will be difficult. And her document box. It had letters, and probably other important things."

Lord Babington held her. "Shhh. It has been a hard enough day love."

"We also need to house a hundred ass's and twenty horses," Esther complained as she covered her face with a handkerchief.

Sidney smiled. "Mabbin seems quite capable with the stable master at wrangling up the animals and penning them in quickly.

"Oh yes, thank god for that," she whispered.

"Sidney." came a familiar voice and he turned to find his former ward standing before him.

"Georgiana?" he asked shocked. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Business. We went to Sanditon but found it utterly vacant and so we came here. It looks like a funeral, and the aftermath of a fire you all are covered?" she said confused. "The house is still standing, what happened? she asked her eyes wide in confusion.