Charlotte House Affair 01 - My Particular Friend

earlier illumined Charlotte’s face was now gone and the room was sunk in darkness. In all my time with my friend, I had always thought her motivation for what she did was the joining of like minds and like hearts, but now I realised that her equations of love still worked even when used with lesser values.
    ‘It is all so calculating,’ I said.
    She did not dispute this and merely nodded and for a space we sat quietly. Then Charlotte said, ‘Are you not late for Mrs La Fontaine?’
    ‘Oh my, yes I am. She will be horribly displeased,’ I said.
    ‘I should hate to face her ire,’ Charlotte said, ‘and therefore I shall go with you to blunt her anger and we shall take Mrs Fitzhugh. I am very eager to see her efforts, as I do wish you to look presentable in London. I still can’t believe that you have never been.’
    You can imagine my feelings as I heard this first confirmation of my accompanying Charlotte. ‘I am to go to London?’
    ‘Of course, Jane. And as your plans to have your sister visit us here have never been realised, I have taken the liberty of asking your sister to join us in London. Now let me inform Margaret of our visit to Mrs La Fontaine.’
    Charlotte sprang up and left the room and I could hear her bellowing our friend’s name up the stairs while I remained alone in the drawing-room. The sudden release of my worries left me quite exhausted and the news that I was to go to London and see my darling sister had me overjoyed. The crash of these two emotions could only lead to one outcome and so for the next few minutes, I happily wept in the silence of the now dark room.

The End of the Affair
    A se’ennight later saw us ready to leave for London. The preparations for our leave taking had left me eager for our remove, but now that the day was approaching I realized with what sadness I would be leaving No. 1 Royal Crescent. I had come to Bath under a heavy cloud, feeling friendless and unworthy of friendship. Now I was leaving here for my first ever visit to London with two fast friends. Even all the servants save for Alice would eventually join us, for Charlotte would not lightly give up servants she could trust. #
    Our leave taking also included visits to Miss Bassett and Miss Chivington after word of their engagements became public, although neither woman received us warmly. Perhaps they resented Charlotte for placing on them the burden of their knowledge of the duel. But for me, this last business helped me to break my last ties to Bath until our return next season.
    And how I warmed to the reassurance of predicting my return. My only sadness was my taking leave of Mr Wallace, but even that was alleviated by his reassurance that he would visit me in London shortly.
    The day before we were to leave I was finishing my journals before placing them in the strongbox, where they would remain until our arrival in London. I had just concluded the details of our visits to the two ladies and my last meeting with Mr Wallace. I was about to put my journal away when I returned to those notes I’d written describing the sadness I observed in Charlotte. I also thought of Mrs Fitzhugh’s advice to apply Charlotte’s methods.
    I recalled the number of times when Charlotte had seemed struck by sadness. It was difficult to recall precisely, especially from the time before I had begun my journal, because Charlotte’s manner often could turn grave and then happy in the wink of an eye. But without a doubt there were several occasions when she would allow sadness to overtake her and then almost forcibly throw it off. And I reflected of her disinterest in any man.
    I was also taken by her look of horror when she thought the duel not a sham and unconsciously I said to myself, ‘She has lost someone she loved to a duel.’
    But my words were overheard.
    ‘You are correct, Jane. I lost my heart to the man I loved and then I lost him in a duel.’
    I turned to see Charlotte standing in the doorway of the drawing-room, having not noticed her arrival while perusing my journal.
    ‘I did not hear you,’ I said.
    ‘I knew the servants would be engaged in packing and I let myself in,’ she said, removing the gloves from her hand. ‘A shocking lapse on Robert’s part to leave the door unattended.’
    She dropped her gloves on a table, shed her Spencer on the back of a chair and then took a seat opposite me.
    ‘When did this happen?’ I asked.
    ‘Oh, many years ago now.’
    ‘You are older than you