Beginnings Beyond Endings (A Sanditon Fanfiction)

Microcosms and Speculation

The Christmas period was rapidly approaching in the Heywood household and every member of the family had presents to purchase, decorations to display and season's greetings to share with all their neighbours. It was Christmas eve and Charlotte, who had purchased many of her gifts during her time in Town, found herself stringing mistletoe around a scarlet ribbon in the kitchen to construct the kissing bough which would be hung within the entrance to their home. Her brother's wife, Kate, sat beside her crafting stars from sugar pastillage for the younger children. The men had gone to find the perfect yule log for the fire while Anne and another of her sisters were preparing eggnog and mulled wine for the next day's celebrations.

Bringing her hand up to stifle a yawn as she strung the last twig, Charlotte's heart was warmed by the happiness and festivity around her. Setting the bough to the side she silently gave thanks for her family and present contentment following the last tumultuous year or two. The moment of contemplation was abruptly interrupted as a crowd of her brothers followed her father into the kitchen, bearing an impressively sized yule log. Charlotte and her sisters rose from their seats to allow them pass through and place the log before the hearth in readiness to set it aflame in the morning.

Once the yule log had been set down, the family made their way into the drawing room for the lighting of the candle that would burn through the night and welcome Christmas into their home. Their cook, maids, butler and housekeeper shortly brought the evening meal into the dining room while the youngest of Charlotte's siblings carried the candle to be placed upon the table. The servants joined the family on this night every year to celebrate the end of a successful year and give greetings to the next.

As the evening came to a close, and the members of her family drifted to bed, Charlotte returned the candle to the drawing room and set it carefully on a side table at a distance from anything that might catch in the open flame. Charlotte smiled as she closed the door behind her and made her way up to her own bedchamber. She was glad to be home indeed.

That winter proved a more eventful one that the last and was punctuated by a surprising development that sprung from the death of her aunt, a woman Charlotte had met only once as a young child and whom she could little remember. But her aunt must have remembered her for it was Charlotte she had chosen to inherit the home she and her husband had lived in with a fortune large enough to provide her with the means to achieve a comfortable independence should she choose never to marry.

Walcot Hall was an estate in Cambridgeshire covering an area in excess of 100 acres of land housing several tenant farmers. The greater part of her aunt fortune that she had retained after the death of her husband had been split among other family members and charitable causes but a sum of £80,000 remained and would be invested in the four per cents; the income it generated would be managed by her father and brother, Justin, until she came of age.

Her father and brother, though, knew their sister to be a sensible sort and were quite content to allow her to manage her own affairs; they would only involve themselves with the signing of documents and offering guidance on the management of and estate or any investments she chose to make.

Spring was well underway and, as per the instructions in her aunts will, Charlotte had spent but three months in full mourning, and as March rolled into April, shed the black, for the lavenders, greys and browns of half-mourning.

She was pleased to find letters from both Lady Susan and Esther among the morning post as she ventured down to break her fast. Opening the letter from Lady Susan first, Charlotte was delighted to hear of her Little Henry's early adventures into the world and determined to send a letter of her own that very day. From Esther, she received an invitation to join her friend on a trip to Edinburgh where Lord Babington had business matters to handle and would not be able to keep his wife in constant company.