Charlotte paced back and forth across Tom's office. When had the office become so small and constricting? Her emotions ran high, all the thrills from the cricket game having rapidly pooled in a pit of worry in her stomach. And hence, she paced, certain she was wearing a path in Mr. Tom Parker's carpet but too anxious to look down or tear her thoughts from Georgiana.

She had known Georgiana was going to meet Mr Molyneux again. In a sense, it was inevitable. Georgiana was swept up in her love and it was fair impossible to come between such a force of nature. But an icy sense of regret tugged on her heart. She had known Georgiana was going to meet Mr. Molyneux again. And she had done nothing to chaperone or protect her. She should have gone with Georgiana as before. She should have persuaded her to write him instead of meet him. She should have told Sidney. Sidney …

The regret clenched harder around her heart. But it was the cold sense of guilt and concern that stopped her in her tracks. She had to be the one to fix this. Georgiana wasn't going to be saved by her standing here drowning in "Should haves". With that she raced for the front door, snagging her bonnet on the way down the corridor. She slammed through the door in a most unladylike fashion and then came to a standstill in the windy street outside. Where to start? Oh Georgiana, come back. Perhaps the most logical thing to do would be to start at the Crown Hotel. She could ask the regulars if they had seen Georgiana and where she had gone. This decided she set off on a determined trot to the Crown. She would find Georgiana and then Mr. Sidney Parker would have no need to give her another tongue lashing. Her temper flared at the thought of another heated conversation with him, but a small part of her knew that she would deserve such a lashing.

She was so set on her destination that she hardly acknowledged the many townsfolk that she usually greeted with wide smiles and all the time in the world for. But just as she was about to cross the street to enter the Crown Hotel, she spotted Mr. Sidney Parker's top hat striding into the hotel and she froze. Oh, that would not do. She couldn't come face-to-face with him and have no excuse, no news. She crossed her arms impatiently as she thought. Maybe Georgiana had left some clue in her room. It was worth a try. She whirled on her heels, eager to escape the presence of a certain top-hat-wearing gentleman and set off for Georgiana's room. Thankfully, Mrs. Griffiths was in too much of a flutter to really question Charlotte and she was able to quickly make her way up to Georgiana's room.

There were no immediate clues or indications of Georgiana's direction or intent. The room was neat, nothing out of place. Charlotte looked through the dresses but was unable to gauge whether some had been taken or not. There were so many of them, it would be difficult to tell. With a sigh, she plonked herself on the bed. Would Georgiana have gone to London? Were the two lovebirds off to Gretna Green? How was she to know?

She stared glumly around the room, her eyes slowly coming to rest upon a Bible on the bedside table. A shred of paper peeked out between the pages. Curiosity got the better of Charlotte and she made a grab for the Bible. She opened it to the page which the shred of paper had bookmarked. Song of Solomon. Ah, well that was fitting. She smoothed out the note and there scrawled in Georgiana's hand she read,

Charlotte,

You are a true friend. Please forgive my leaving.

"The hidden harmony is better than the obvious."

Georgiana.

Charlotte folded the note and placed it in the front of her dress. She puzzled its meaning as she replaced the Bible. Heraclitus she understood. But what did Georgiana mean by it?