Sense & Sensibility, chapter 24: Stand-Off At Barton Park

Fitting that the second chapter in the second volume centers around a conversation between two characters that almost evolves into a debate. I say fitting because the subject of the engagement is treated more like a currency than anything else: Edward’s love for Lucy, as described by Lucy herself, is strong and steadfast—and her best chance for a good life. And much like Fanny Dashwood taking over Norland and Dead Henry’s inheritance, it almost feels like Lucy is siphoning away something (someone) that ought to have had a chance to belong to Elinor.

Lucy’s goals are made, I think, pretty clear in the narrative: she watches Elinor like a hawk as she pronounces her love for Edward and at one point it looks like she’s trying to bait Elinor into suggesting that she break off the engagement.* She admits that her “jealous temper” and knowledge that “[Edward’s] being so much more in the world than [she]” make her “inclined for suspicion, to have found out the truth in an instant” … not that she’s worried about Elinor, of course, who she views as “an indifferent person” in the matter. I think she wants to know how much Elinor’s willing to fight for Edward—to launch a counterattack in the hopes of seducing Edward away from Lucy. And I think she’s petty enough to enjoy goading Elinor in general.

Then she brings up the Norland living. And I can’t decide how serious she is when she asks Elinor to persuade brother John to give the Norland living to Edward. When Elinor points out that her influence wouldn’t do much good (Fanny’s dead-set against Ed becoming a clergyman), Lucy drops the subject and never brings it up again. So … either Lucy genuinely thought she could use Elinor to secure a living (enabling she and Edward to marry sooner than later), or she came up this request at the last minute as a pretext for her confession. At this point, given what we know about Lucy, either option seems legit. You’d think she’d try this angle again with Elinor at a later date, but nothing doing.

Of course, this could have something to do with how efficiently Elinor shuts Lucy down. Using formal language and withholding the reactions that Lucy appears to hope to see from her, Elinor gains the upper hand a couple times during this showdown. “If the strength of your reciprocal attachment had failed, as […] it naturally would during a four years’ engagement, your situation would have been pitiable indeed,” she notes at one point. Gettin’ a little spicy here. Elinor also learns that Lucy has not met anyone from Edward’s family, which you’d think a man in love would at least try to bring about even if the engagement is a secret.

Meanwhile, Lucy learns from Elinor that … the Dashwoods aren’t planning to visit London when Edward arrives. She clearly counts this as a point in her favor. After this episode, Lucy “seldom misse[s] an opportunity” to talk about the engagement, sharing with Elinor “her happiness whenever she receive[s] a letter from Edward.” Seems … excessive, no? Like, the woman already told you that she’s not planning to be in the same zip code with your fiancé. What more do want from her, Lucy? There’s staking your claim and then there’s just being mean.

Elinor has indeed gleaned that Edward is “weary” of this engagement (Shapard points out that Lucy fails “to mention anything indicating Edward’s continued regard”). She mourns the likelihood that Edward won’t even have “the chance of being tolerably happy in marriage, which sincere affection on [Lucy’s] side would have given, for self-interest alone could induce a woman to keep a man” who no longer loved her.

Damn, that’s cold. But like I said, there’s a bit of a trend of selfish women who stand in the way of what the Dashwood girls deserve.

Next chapter will be our last chapter at Barton Cottage for a long time.

Credit to Liz Monahan for that amazing illustration of the cast.

*Important to note: It was formally up to an engaged woman whether or not to break the engagement, although the man could break it off as well—it just didn’t make him look good. One male character in particular will face this issue under slightly different circumstances.