Part 2 Lyme Regis
Charlotte
“Goodness me! I did not expect this!” Charlotte’s mouth was a perfect O of astonishment.
“You mean you have never seen the sea ere today?” Edward was sitting between his parents in the family carriage, with Charlotte and the children opposite; the servants were following behind in a separate coach.
“No, never! This is all new to me.” Charlotte gazed out of the window at the sparkling turquoise expanse.
Edward pulled open a window. “What do you think of this splendidly fresh fragrance?”
Charlotte inhaled the tangy, salty air and a bubble of pure delight rose in her throat.
She suppressed it quickly, sensing Mrs. Knightley was not too pleased she was conversing on familiar terms with Edward and made sure she spent the rest of the journey talking quietly to the children and pointing out features of interest to them.
Soon they arrived at a charming pink villa with Coade stone moldings on the facade and decorative urns on the rooftop.
“Here we are,” Mr. Knightley announced. “Was it not kind of my cousin to let us have the use of Hawthorn Villa again while he journeys abroad? I am sure we will all be very comfortable here.”
Once inside the vast entrance hall, Charlotte looked around in wonder.
The villa was much wider than the Knightleys’ house in the Circus, and magnificent rooms led off in all directions.
The family started to walk up the elegant staircase, and the servants began to file through a small door that presumably led to the back staircase and thence to the attic rooms.
But what should Charlotte do? Should she take a step towards the main staircase to offer her help with the children, or should she follow the servants as her room would doubtless be in the attic?
Mrs. Knightley came to her rescue. “Miss Fairfax, pray accompany the servants to the top floor and settle yourself in your chamber while I will deal with the children. I believe there is a delightful sea view to be had from a few of the rooms. After that you may proceed to the nursery where you will dine with George and Lydia this evening.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Knightley.”
Was it Charlotte’s imagination or did Edward look disappointed to hear that she was not to dine with him and Mr. and Mrs. Knightley this evening?
There was a glimpse of the sea to be seen from Charlotte’s attic window and much later, when the children were fast asleep and Charlotte was ready for bed, she flung open the tiny sash, leant out as far as was safe, and breathed in the soft evening air.
A full moon lit the gravel driveway, the shrubbery, and the distant cliffs and water, and a pang of homesickness for her beloved parents and her former home in the Lake District washed over her.
I feel such a fierce longing to be outside connecting with nature.
If only Charlotte could take a moonlit stroll and walk along the nearby beach.
But why should I not go outside on this beautiful spring evening? Few people give much thought to what I do, and besides, if I am discreet, no one will ever know.
Ere she had a chance to change her mind, and banishing all thoughts of Mrs. Knightley’s express command for her governess not to leave the villa alone, Charlotte flung on her day garments and slipped down to the basement and out through a side door.
She kept to the shadows as she left the property and was soon hurrying through the streets, desperate to get full sight of the glorious ocean.
Ere long she stood on the sandy beach looking out at the endless sea, the light of the moon filtering through wispy gray clouds as if in a painting completed by the finest artist in England.
But wait! What was that she could she see in the waves?
Charlotte raced along the edge of the damp sand, not heeding what damage might befall her footwear.
On and on she went until the sand turned to pebbles and she was in a sheltered spot with high cliffs behind her—no doubt the rock faces were full of the famous fossils that she had planned to talk to the children about on the morrow.
Disappointingly, she could not see whatever ’twas in the water that she had spotted earlier.
Could it have been a dolphin? I have read that these strange creatures are seen around the coast in spring and summer.
Charlotte closed her eyes, sat down and sent a silent prayer of gratitude to her creator for the beauty of the earth.
When she looked at the water again, she could see a man swimming, his head and shoulders bobbing between the waves.
Ah! And she could just make out a pile of clothing on the beach not far from where she was sitting.
Suddenly, a breeze lifted the veil of clouds from the moon, and silvery beams shone down onto the hitherto unknown swimmer.
Edward! ’Tis my Edward!
Charlotte covered her face with her hands as the naked duke strode out from the waves to reach the shore again, but not before she had noted his fine broad shoulders, muscular calves, endless legs—and everything she had ever dreamt of.
She got to her feet, intending to scurry away to hide her embarrassment, but ’twas to no avail as Edward already stood in front of her, mercifully now clutching his clothes over his manhood.
“Miss Fairfax! We meet again under most unusual circumstances. My word, you have an adventurous spirit to venture abroad alone at this time of night.”
Charlotte’s entire body trembled as she sought to slow her breathing and regain her composure. Eventually she quipped,
“My spirit is no more adventurous than yours, Your Grace, for have you not ventured abroad alone at night as well? Why should it be different for a woman?”
Edward grinned, his merry eyes dancing as they caught hers. “In that case, should you not join me in the water? I invite you to swim with me.”
“Maybe I will another time when I am better prepared.”
“Surely you do not need a bathing machine to convey you into the waves, as my dear mama insists upon?”
“Of course not—I merely meant that I cannot swim in this gown.”
And I am certainly not going to remove my garments to swim naked! However much I wish to.
Edward gazed at Charlotte with such intensity she thought she might faint. Was he a mind reader?
Eventually, he said, “Well, one day I hope to have the pleasure of your company in the water. In the meantime, I must apologize for my appearance.”
Charlotte’s mouth curved in a smile. “I care little for the rules of society—as far as I am concerned you may dress—or undress—as you please. But I am concerned that Your Grace might catch a chill.”
Edward threw his head back and roared with laughter. “Well, turn your back to spare your blushes, and I will throw these garments on again at once.”
Charlotte dutifully turned away though how she longed to continue to drink in the sight of the most handsome man she had ever seen.
“And while we’re about it, I thought I said no more of Your Grace. Call me Edward, please.”
“I fear your mama would not think that seemly.”
“Well perchance call me Edward in private.”
Charlotte blushed. In private! Were there to be more secluded moments like this? She dug her nails into the palm of one hand. “And you may call me Charlotte. In private.”
“Charlotte!” Edward spoke her name softly, his voice rippling over the syllables like honey-strewn gravel.
She turned round to see that Edward had donned his shirt and pantaloons but was still barefoot and had made no attempt to tie his cravat nor put on his jacket.
Hesitantly, she took a step towards him, keeping her eyes locked with his, while he moved towards her, his arms stretched wide as if to invite an embrace.
Edward
What in God’s name am I doing? This woman has bewitched me, and I fear I am falling in love with her. How is this possible on so short an acquaintance?
“Charlotte.” Edward’s voice was hoarse now. “Charlotte!”
A sudden vision of his father on his deathbed flooded Edward’s mind and his arms went back to his sides as his conscience tormented him. He had made his papa a solemn promise to wed Arabella, had he not?
Edward tore his eyes from his beloved and bowed deeply. “Miss Fairfax, pray allow me to escort you back to Hawthorn Villa ere either of us are missed.”
Charlotte looked down at the ground. “Very well, Your Grace.”
Oh no! I have distressed her! I must attempt some sort of explanation.
“Charlotte—Miss Fairfax—I fear I have overstepped the bounds of propriety at a time when I should not have—because of my, er, my particular circumstances. I hope you will forgive me.”
Charlotte nodded, her face impassive, and the pair walked back to the villa in silence. They parted once inside, Edward to go to the main part of the house and Charlotte to run up the back staircase. When Edward reached his chamber, he flung himself on his bed and raged against his fate.
I am not free to love as I wish—this is my tragedy. And I have behaved in an ungentlemanly-like way and upset my Charlotte.
Sleep eluded him until the early hours; after that Edward’s dreams were all of his wedding day. He was waiting at the top of the aisle for his bride to make her entrance, but she was so heavily veiled that he could not see his intended’s face when suddenly…