After the Letter - A Persuasion Variation

Part 7

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Anne rose early the next morning. She had turned the events of the evening over in her mind until far later than she would have liked, and sleep was not forthcoming. Still, the day dawned brightly and that alone was enough to cheer her, and chase away any lingering low spirits. The evening could hardly have been termed a runaway success, yet it had not quite been a disaster, and nobody had spoken too widely out of turn. Lady Russell was provoking, but to what end, Anne did not know.

Perhaps it wasn't even intentional, she thought, as she dressed. She dearly longed to be charitable towards her friend and not immediately think the worst, though Frederick seemed firmly convinced that Lady Russell existed only to torment him.

Their journey home in the Crofts' carriage had been quiet, with much of the conversation carried by the Admiral and his wife, and all commentary restricted to safe topics such as Louisa Musgrove's upcoming nuptials. Indeed, Anne was surprised at how quickly the Musgroves had acquiesced to the marriage between their daughter and Captain Benwick. But even their discourse on that topic had been circumspect. Anne's memory darted back to the conversation she had overheard between Mrs. Croft and Mrs. Musgrove just a few short days ago - was it really so recently? - when the former had shared her assertion that young couples ought not to wait on fortune or success before they marry. Mrs. Musgrove had been vehement. There is nothing I so abominate for young people as a long engagement... Anne had felt its application to her at the time, and yet it had been that conversation in part which had spurred Frederick to write the letter she still cherished above all others. She reached for the Bible that resided by her bedside and carefully lifted the folded sheet from beneath its cover, smoothing it out gently and allowing her eyes to trace the words she had already committed to memory.

I can listen no longer in silence...I offer myself again to you with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it eight years and a half ago...I have loved none but you... She ran a fingertip over these words as if by doing so she would somehow touch their author. I have loved none but you. "No more have I!" she whispered. Let Lady Russell conspire - if indeed she was. Let her family disapprove, or fail to understand the love she and Frederick shared. It no longer mattered to her, would not keep her from pledging to spend the rest of her life by his side.

Folding the letter back up, she slipped it inside her reticule, feeling she would need its support today, a constant reminder about her person of Frederick's love and fidelity.

She finished dressing, and hurried into the dining room, which was deserted. A glance at the clock confirmed that it would be some time yet before her father or Elizabeth surfaced, as neither of them kept early hours in Bath, particularly not after an evening of entertainments. Mrs. Clay, too, was nowhere to be seen, a fact for which Anne was grateful. Elizabeth's companion was surely unhappy at being excluded from Lady Russell's gathering the previous evening, yet Anne knew her friend cared even less for Mrs. Clay than she did for Captain Wentworth, and in the case of the former it cost her little to indulge in her feelings. For Anne, Lady Russell had pledged to get to know Frederick better, assuring Anne that she would likely come to care for him as her friend did. If last night's behaviour was indicative of Lady Russell's getting to know him better, Anne almost wondered if ignorance would have been preferable for him too.

A breakfast eaten alone is hardly an enjoyable occasion, so Anne ate quickly, a cold meal of bread and milk. She was soon replete, and decided to go out on her walk early, as she did not wish to be discouraged from calling on her friends.

Despite the hour, Bath was already bustling, and Anne enjoyed watching the variety of people she passed from all walks of life, and heading in every conceivable direction. She wandered slowly towards the Musgroves' rooms, knowing that they were likely already up and open to the receiving of guests, particular one as close as Anne. Still, she hesitated on the doorstep a moment before knocking. Louisa would wish to know all the details of what had passed between she and Frederick, details nobody else had even thought to ask. She swallowed her disappointment. People had congratulated them, of course, but her family had expressed mostly shock, which had settled into a reluctant acceptance of the situation. Only Admiral and Mrs. Croft had seemed heartily pleased by the development. Pleased, and not altogether surprised. Anne wondered if Frederick had confided in his sister and friend the state of his true feelings. To be welcomed as a dear friend - and sister! - by those she valued so highly was a blessing. And with this recollection, her spirits lifted. Here, among the Musgroves, was to be among Frederick's friends, his chief supporters and those who valued him in Bath. They would react with happiness, she did not doubt, rather than the reticence of her own family. She knocked.