Mansfield Park "The Crawfords' redemption"

Chapter 9

And what did the rest of the family think of their returned niece? Aunt Norris was disgusted of course, she almost hated Fanny now, engaged to the man who should have been Julia's, and no longer invisible nor suitably humble.

But her lively and sarcastic intended was always near her, and very protective of the pale, sickly creature, so she didn't dare treat her as meanly as she used to, afraid of his quick mind and his lack of respect for her person.

Lady Bertram felt the loss of her companion, who was now mostly out riding with Mr Crawford, or sitting in the garden with him, being attended to with great care by that admiring gentleman. But as she had done without her for a whole month, her habits had adapted to the new situation before it had occurred, and she did enjoy the evenings, when Mr Crawford brought a little liveliness to their group, with his engaging manners and his superb reading.

Of course the satisfaction of her niece capturing the heart of such a well-bred man with a nice fortune was still very much felt.

And Sir Thomas had no reason to regret the freedom and trust he had bestowed upon his niece and her admirer. He could see her influence over him, he seemed to enjoy the quiet evenings spent reading and conversing about serious subjects. And he could see his influence over her, she was much less timid and dared things that would have frightened her out of her wits before she got to know him, like racing a horse over the hills, and talking back to her aunt Norris.

There was something fishy about their engagement, they seemed perfectly happy just to be in eachother's company without ever touching more than eachother's hand. The gentleman seemed to have no more trouble controlling his urges than his niece, though of course if he still needed to win her love, touching her would spoil his chances. But it certainly made giving his permission to travel together much easier, for they both behaved flawlessly, and no scandal could arise from their companionship.

The next morning they rose early, and they were off by half past eight. It was to be a much shorter trip than from Portsmouth, for Everingham was less than a day's journey removed from Northhamptonshire, and they were to arrive in the late afternoon, with some time left to explore the park before dinner.

Strangely enough it felt good to Fanny to be on the road again. Though her feelings had been greatly disturbed last time she was in this carriage, the last few weeks had stimulated her appetite for new experiences, she really wanted to see the world, and maybe she didn't mind being away from memory-infused Mansfield Park either.

Henry could see clearly that her spirits improved once she was on the road, and he had a surprise for her at Everingham that, though valuable, he thought would be nonetheless very acceptable to his modest companion. He was not sorry to have business to attend to, he had enjoyed his stay at Mansfield Park remarkably well, but a change of scene was very welcome to him.

It was especially thrilling to be travelling with Fanny alone, she was very observant, and looked about her with the keen enthousiasm of someone who hadn't much experience on the road. Though he himself had been out and about very regularly from the time of his coming of age, he still enjoyed exploring the country, and he never got bored even on very long trips. Having a companion who was so sensitive to beauty, either in nature or in man-made objects, was an especial privilege, for though he really enjoyed Mary's company, she was not in the least bit interested in a fair grove or a beautiful outlook over a village, and finally being able to talk to someone about what he saw was a keen pleasure he had rarely had before.

Fanny always had a quote at hand to describe the scene or to transmit the feeling it gave her. Her delight in his similarity of interests was also clear, and she seemed to have forgotten her grief for some time whilst enjoying their trip to the fullest.