So much to think about in this chapter!
I was just rereading part of MP and was struck by Fanny's impression of Henry when he first proposed. He "was everything to everybody, and seemed to find no one essential to him." What a change his feelings for Fanny, and late knowledge of his own weakness, have wrought! I obviously don't wish him to succeed with her, but his hopelessness and desperation are painful to see. I am very curious how he will respond when he learns the jig is up.
I really enjoyed the sweet moments between Edmund and Fanny in this chapter. It's been a while since I fully reread MP, but I remember missing that during much of the book. Edmund's early kindness to her, when she was so terribly alone and distressed, won me over in a way that all his later blindness couldn't erase. I (and Fanny!) really missed that closeness later in the story, when seemingly every conversation between them was dominated by Crawfords. She is more practiced now at hiding her pain from him, but when she does let it slip, he immediately responds, setting aside his own anxieties and focusing on hers. Here you have emphasized their unselfish care for each other and efforts each to carry the other's burdens--what an indication of love!
I am especially glad for this renewed closeness between them in light of the end of the chapter. Poor Edmund will need all the loving support he can get under this blow. I can't regret that his eyes are starting to be opened (even if not yet to Mary), and it would certainly be worse for him if his engagement was longer-standing and publicly known when this happened...but still, the poor man had only an hour of happiness. I am very curious if he will choose to stand by Mary, if she will reveal her true self in her response to the scandal as she did in canon, etc.
That will be a dilly of a confrontation between Sir Thomas and Maria...
