Sanditon

Morning.

Fine, bracing day.

I think Sanditon has the healthiest breezes

of any seaside town in England. What do you think, Charlotte?

I think if we were anywhere else we could call it a gale, sir.

Exactly, exactly. But we have no gales here.

Gales are not permitted to blow in Sanditon, are they? Well said.

You see, my dear, I have made a convert.

Ah, Mrs Griffiths and her charges.

They made a charming debut at the ball last night.

And there's Lady Denham. She certainly enjoyed it, too.

Morning.

Morning. Miss Heywood. Looking very well, if I may say so.

Good morning.

It seems you have gone backwards in Miss Heywood's estimation, Edward.

Clara has been spreading false rumours about me, I fear.

"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.

As it were, lilies of the fields of Sanditon.

There are some lovely English roses.

Pink and white.

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

And, yes, friends, there is room for them, too,

in the garden of the Lord.

And I say unto all you young ladies,

you fulfil Jesus's will by simply blossoming...

..and readying yourselves for the day when you shall be plucked.

You shall...

Yes.

And now to God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost.

Amen.

Thank you, Mr Hankins. What a charming sermon.

Thank you, Mrs Griffiths.

And should your young charges need any spiritual guidance,

please do not hesitate. How very kind of you, Vicar.

Good day. Good day.

What did you think of Mr Hankins' address, Charlotte?

I didn't care for it.

I would rather be a toiler and a spinner

than a lily of the field.

Why should not young gentlemen be lilies of the field? Hm?

That would suit me very well.

I think I could blossom and be admired with the best of them.

Very well.

I will toil and you can blossom. Each to his own.

As long as there's plenty of buttered toast

and port wine, though.

More damn bills.

Miss Heywood's behaviour was very strange this morning.

What did happen with Clara Brereton, Edward?

Clearly something's gone wrong there.

I can hardly bring myself to speak of it.

But you will, Edward.

Come, it was your job to seduce her and disgrace her.

She proved too much for me, Esther. She resisted you?

That's only to be expected.

You should have pressed your point to her. She pre-empted me.

How?

She took me in hand. And quite undid me. Edward...

I was as shocked as you.

She is no novice, I can assure you of that.

And when I looked over her shoulder...

What? Miss Heywood was observing us.

I don't believe she understood what she had seen.

But she was clearly distressed.

Edward, what have you done?

Do you realise you could have ruined our prospects?

I would like to know what you would have done, under the circumstances.

You were thoroughly outplayed.

She can hardly blacken your character to Lady Denham

without blackening her own.

I will deal with her.

Have you a box for Lady Denham? Aye, this one here.

Ooh! Have a care there. Why, what's in it?

I don't know.

But whatever it is, Lady Denham sets great store by it.

What is it, a bomb?

My poor child. Such ignorance.

Born of poverty and deprivation. Why, it brings a tear to my eye.

No, my dear. This is a pineapple.

A rare and exotic fruit cultivated expressly for me

by an old friend at the Chelsea Physic Garden.

It will form the centrepiece at my luncheon party.

Luncheon party?

What a delightful idea!

But then you are always thinking of bringing pleasure to others.

Yes, I know. And though it is rather an extravagance,

I thought we might make an exception

to welcome Miss Lambe to our little community.

A luncheon party for Miss Lambe? Mm.

Miss Lambe will be the guest of honour wherever she goes.

No matter where she's from.

"Lady Denham requests your attendance at a luncheon party

"and pineapple tasting in honour of Miss Lambe."

That sounds very grand indeed.

And quite uncharacteristic of Lady Denham.

I wonder what she's up to.

Miss Lambe is a prize well worth the winning.

You will be seated next to her.

And you will present yourself as a serious and eligible suitor.

You are an English baronet of impeccable family.

I am well aware that you have so far frittered away these advantages

and used them in pursuit of petty conquests

and the sowing of wild oats.

No, no. Really, you misjudge me. I do not.

I trust you do understand the difference

between the arts of courtship and seduction?

I hope I do.

You'd better.

If you don't win her hand, I will be very disappointed in you.

And you don't want to fall out of favour with me, do you?

No, Aunt.

You have your work cut out for you.

Once you've secured her hand in marriage,

you can tomcat around to your heart's content.

Perhaps our aunt has a point. Miss Lambe is very rich.

Where is this confounded thing?

Ah, Charlotte, there you are.

I came to see if I could be of any assistance.

Bills, invoices, plans, memoranda.

Let me sort them for you.

Would you? I'd be eternally grateful.

I keep meaning to engage an assistant.

Perhaps I could be that assistant.

You see, if we could separate these papers into piles.

Income, expenses, rental payments, bills and so on.

You have an eye for this sort of work, I can see.

Oh, that's beautiful.

Yes.

The future of Sanditon when it's complete.

This will be the square, the promenade along the beachfront.

New shops.

That will be the new terrace.

You approve? Most heartily.

Who's the architect?

Myself.

That is to say, er, I use Hargreaves' Catalogue Of Plans.

Look, here.

At first, I'd take the design straight out of the book.

And now I've grown in confidence, I adapt them to suit my taste.

Choose a little of this, a little of that.

Talk it through with my foreman and off we go.

Would you like to see it taking shape?

Very much.

Excellent. Good.

Yes, very good. And what of the facade?

We're making progress, sir.

And the interiors? The structure should be more than sound by now.

Have you made sense of the latest designs? They are most ambitious.

Yes, yes, excellent. What do you think, Miss Heywood?

I think it's a splendid enterprise, sir.

And only the best materials, of course.

No timber here, except red pine and oak.

With Welsh slate and Cornish stone for the roofs and frontages?

Did you hear that, young Stringer?

We have a lady architect amongst us.

I've been trying to persuade my father

to refurbish his tenants' cottages along modern lines.

Am I right in thinking there'll have to be different roof levels?

Aye, miss. Different roof levels.

And these all...?

Draw the eye down the hill towards the vista of the sea.

Exactly, miss.

Yes. Yes, that was my idea, you know.

Was it not?

Indeed it was, sir.

Ah, here's my brother and his friends.

Sidney! Gentlemen.

We just came to have a last look before we head to London, Tom.

But we counted on your staying until at least the end of the week.

Lady Denham's luncheon.

Has no need for my presence.

Sidney, I need you here.

And your friends have not yet seen enough

to appreciate the town's delights.

You were to persuade your friends to take houses for the season.

You know I'm relying on your associations

with fashionable society.

And what of your young ward? My young ward? She will soon settle.

I have a life, Tom, many obligations you know nothing of.

A couple of days, man.

Very well.

A couple of days. I'll talk them round.

Mr Parker, may I have a word?

Our conversation at the party.

I expressed myself badly and I fear you misunderstood me.

I didn't mean to disparage your brother or to offend you.

Indeed, I have the greatest admiration

for what you and he are doing here in Sanditon.

You were right to rebuke me and, indeed, I am sorry.

I hope you won't think too badly of me.

Think too badly of you?

I don't think of you at all, Miss Heywood.

I have no interest in your approval or disapproval.

Quite simply, I don't care what you think or how you feel.

I'm sorry if that disappoints you, but there it is.

Have I made myself clear?