Sanditon

Once the Parkers and Charlotte gather for dinner, Mr. Parker announces that there is a letter from his sister Diana. Before reading the letter aloud, Parker tells Charlotte that his sisters have experienced many disorders and illnesses in their lives, though his brother, Sidney, believes that they exaggerate their poor health.

Diana writes that she is sad to hear about Mr. Parker’s injury from the carriage accident, saying that the news caused her to have an attack and sent her to bed for the rest of the day. Diana recommends that Mr. Parker should apply friction to the ankle and that it will heal instantly if he uses this remedy. Surgeons and physicians are unable to help Diana or her siblings with their illnesses, so Diana and her siblings are no longer going to consult them and will instead try their own remedies. Diana politely refuses the invitation to Sanditon, claiming that the sea air will kill her if she breathes it in. She writes that Susan’s nerves have not been well and that she has had leeches on her multiple times and three of her teeth pulled. Though she cannot come herself, Diana writes that she has had success in finding two families to visit Sanditon on their vacation.