Sanditon: A Sisterhood Forms

34

The carriages carrying the party arrived at Covent Garden Theatre the following evening, halting before the grand Doric portico as crowds of theatre-goers approached the entrance. The door of the Babingtons' carriage opened the very moment the wheels stopped turning, and within seconds, Sidney Parker hopped down to the street, clad all in black, moving swiftly to the next carriage ahead.

As he extended a hand to Lady Worcester, his eyes looked beyond her into the far end of the carriage - not wanting to miss the moment the light caught her at last as she emerged. She wore her hair back in the new style, curls framing her face, an emerald green gown pooling at her feet and velvet-lined cape upon her shoulders. He only just remembered to extend his hand to her in time, feeling the warm fabric of her glove beneath his fingers as she stepped down to him.

"Shall we?" Susan interrupted, and they turned in tandem to see her motioning toward the large crowd that was ascending the shallow steps leading to the main entrance.

The group entered at Hart Street and proceeded up the grand staircase lined with Ionic columns. Grecian lamps were suspended from the ornate plaster ceiling above emitting a soft evening glow, and all the while, Charlotte looked upwards, taking it in, having never experienced a place quite like it.

They arrived in the large spacious saloon and made their way across to check their coats and hats, awaiting Susan's direction. She held a coveted private box at Covent Garden, located in a separate wing from the others - the very same as the King's box, where the Prince Regent would be seated for the evening's performance.

"Busy evening, is it not," Babington had stepped alongside Sidney as they waited for the ladies.

"Yes, it seems so," said Sidney, glancing around the room. "Might it have anything to do with the special guest this evening? Are they hoping for a sighting?"

"Of the Prince Regent? No, I doubt it. Although, perhaps there may be more appearances near the King's box at intermission by those wishing to catch a glimpse of him, poor bloke. It's no wonder that he insisted upon his own entrance when they designed this place."

"What?" asked Sidney.

"He doesn't use the main entrance, comes in a secret way instead - or so I've been told."

"Ah, gentlemen, are we ready then?" Susan asked.

They climbed one last flight of shallow stairs to reach Susan's box, emerging in a grand corridor lined with statues and elegant furniture with tapestries and paintings upon the walls. The large windows made it feel more like a spacious gallery, elaborate and richly decorated.

"Beautiful, is it not?" Susan asked. "Anything he has a hand in creating is designed with a keen eye, I will give him that," she said, standing next to Charlotte.

"Susan, do you mean...your friend...had a hand in creating Covent Garden?"

"Oh, yes, I suppose in a way," she said. "He is rather proud of this place, though he takes more credit for its design than he deserves. Allow the man to lay a foundation stone and he assumes he has built the theatre itself."

They walked through the entrance to a box that could only be described as lavish. Wainscoting lined the walls, velvet hangings were draped on either side for seclusion, and two rows of large brocade chairs overlooked the grand theatre before them.

Susan motioned for Charlotte to lead the group as they sat in the front row, Sidney offering his arm to assist her. As they took their seats, she leaned forward to place a hand on the balustrade as she looked out upon the orchestra section below, drinking in their opulent surroundings, committing them to memory - and as she did so, Sidney watched from her left, a slight smile playing upon his lips as he registered how new this experience was for her.