I've never liked Mary but this makes me dislike her more. I'm fascinated by your portrayal because most ff authors tend to improve her or really have Edmund conform to her. Her openness towards Fanny about her hopes of Tom's demise are chilling and her expressions about how she and Henry and Edmund will work together to pressure her into marriage is kind of horrifying. Henry's wish that he could rescue Fanny is kind of cringey; he wants her to suffer some trauma just so he can be the hero. It reminds me of your story "A Clever Plan" which I read a while ago and it was indeed clever and hilarious. I love the way William handled everything. I'm looking forward to seeing where this is going. Looks like Edmund has gotten himself into a bit of a mess.