Sanditon revisited

3: She does not care to be plucked

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In which Sidney Parker dismisses an aplogy and feels bad about it, then is surprised over what a certain young lady has to say during a pineapple luncheon

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Sidney was feeling tired and grumpy this morning. It had taken him ages to fall asleep and when he finally did, vivid dreams had disturbed his rest. He could not remember for sure what those dreams were about, but he had a disturbing notion they were somehow connected to his conversation with Miss Heywood. Despite his resolve to ban her from his thoughts, she had been the last thing on his mind before he fell asleep and her devastated little face when she apologised to him was the first thing that had appeared before his eyes when he woke up. He pushed away the nagging feeling that he had been harsher to her that she deserved.

Unfortunately he would not be able escape her altogether today, because it was Sunday and he was expected to show up in church just like everyone else in town. Despite that Sidney Parker was a man who had more faith in himself than in God, he knew it would be frowned upon if he did not go. Tom depended on him to be on his best behaviour during his stay, which included keeping Tom's largest investor Lady Denham satisfied. Sidney knew for a fact that she would be appalled if anyone did not attend church on a Sunday. He knew because he had tried it once before when he was badly hungover, and he did not want to cause the same upset ranting he had provoked that time now when he knew how critical Lady Denham's goodwill and money were to Tom.

He sighed heavily as he swung his long legs over the edge of the bed and went on to pull a white shirt over his head.

The things one had to put up with for family.

Not only going to church this morning but being in Sanditon at all when he had both business and pleasure awaiting him in London. He had to pretend like he enjoyed it though, to inspire Babington and Crowe to stay a while longer, but he knew it would be difficult as there was not much to entertain the boys here.

He arrived in church just in time for the sermon and slumped down on one of the pews in the back. The vicar, Mr. Hankins, was not the sharpest tool in the shed and usually incredibly tedious. Sidney listened first only with half an ear but as the vicar rambled on he grew increasingly amused and listen carefully. Today, the man had really lost the plot.

"Consider the lilies of the field. They toil not, neither do they spin. A young lady, I often think, is like a flower.  And looking around me this morning, I see many lovely young ladies..."

Sidney held back a snort. He had always suspected that Hankins was lecherous under his polished vicar surface, secretly drooling over every young lady he came across.

"As it were, lilies of the fields of Sanditon. There are some lovely English roses.  Pink and white."

Sidney followed the direction of the vicar's travelling gaze and saw it pass over the bleak Clara Brereton, then pause on none other than Miss Heywood. It disturbed him somehow that Hankins ogled her. From where he sat he could only see her profile from half behind, but perhaps to break eye contact with the creepy vicar or maybe because she sensed that Sidney too was watching her, she suddenly turned and their eyes met. He dropped his gaze almost immediately and to his vexation felt his pulse spiking. Before he looked away, he had the time to register that she indeed did look like a rose this morning; fresh with rosy cheeks and petal like lips, though her skin was slightly golden rather than white in a quite unfashionable but not unflattering manner. In place of the neat hairdo at the ball, her curly brown hair was returned to hanging lose around her shoulders.

"And I see among us today one or two more exotic blooms..."

Now he did not need to look to know that Mr. Hankins referred to his ward, Miss Lambe. After his years in the West Indies, Sidney did not find her dark beauty that remarkable, but to most inhabitants in Sanditon the coloured young woman was truly exotic. He wished that the vicar had not singled her out like that, because he knew she was not comfortable about it. She had already complained to him how she often felt like a caged animal on display when people stared at her and it was another reason in addition to the climate to hate England. Sidney did not particularly like Miss Lambe, and he wished her father had not asked him to be her guardian when he sent her off to England to be taught to behave like the lady and heiress she was, but he still wished people would have the decency to treat her with respect. It seemed like a dark skin tone made many people forget their manners even towards someone as wealthy as Miss Lambe and he truly despised that kind of behaviour. He returned his attention to the ranting Mr. Hankins.