"Persuasion" - The awakening of Frederick Wentworth

 

'Persuasion' - Jane Austen's tale about the stiflingly dull life of Anne Elliot, who at nineteen gave up her engagement to satisfy the strict and snobbish ideas of her class-obsessed father.

Eight years later, faded and quiet, what future does she have?

The pain of what might have been is made worse when Captain Wentworth returns and she has to see him apparently falling in love with a much younger girl.

But events make Frederick Wentworth realise how much he still values and admires Anne, and suddenly, he realises he still loves her. Only - is it now too late for him?

He pours out his feelings in a hastily scribbled letter, often considered the most romantic letter in all English literature.

“I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it, eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant. You alone have brought me to Bath. For you alone, I think and plan. Have you not seen this? Can you fail to have understood my wishes? I had not waited even these ten days, could I have read your feelings, as I think you must have penetrated mine. I can hardly write. I am every instant hearing something which overpowers me. You sink your voice, but I can distinguish the tones of that voice when they would be lost on others. Too good, too excellent creature! You do us justice, indeed. You do believe that there is true attachment and constancy among men. Believe it to be most fervent, most undeviating, in F. W.

I must go, uncertain of my fate; but I shall return hither, or follow your party, as soon as possible. A word, a look, will be enough to decide whether I enter your father's house this evening or never.”

― Jane Austen,   Persuasion  

The Gravel Walk, Bath

When Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth at last reach that happy moment when they understand each other and agree to marry, they need somewhere private to walk and talk and pour out their feelings. They set off through the streets of Bath to the Gravel Walk and take their time to go along this quiet way.

Each time I read 'Persuasion' I always imagine their blissful state, strolling slowly arm in arm as they go over the events that have brought them together and then savour the happiness of a shared future. The physical contact is also a thrill, after eight years apart. How I wish I could see them as they walk and stop, chat, move on a little, he catching her arm and pulling her close. Surely, however well bred she is, she is more than ready to snuggle up to him and maybe even exchange a few kisses.

This scene has fascinated me so much that in In All Honour I send my hero and heroine to walk along the same path. Of course, during that walk Greg is overcome by his feelings and by Sarah's beauty, so he cannot help kissing her. At this point Sarah thinks Greg has an understanding with her best friend, Lizzie, so she is upset by the kiss, even though she enjoys it. What a tangle life is!

She leaned closer, closer… Suddenly, both of them recollected where they were and jerked back at the same instant.
Sarah’s cheeks became very red but she kept her eyes on him steadily. She raised a trembling hand to touch her lips. Her breath was coming in little gasps. Greg’s eyes glowed as he watched her and his mouth curved into a breath-taking smile. They stood there, staring at each other, unaware of the wind, the cold and of various nursemaids and servants passing them in both directions.
It seemed a very long time before Sarah said: ‘We should not have done that. It was very wrong of us.’
‘I cannot believe that something so pleasant can be entirely wrong,’ protested Greg. He raised an eyebrow and grinned at her. After a moment in which she continued to stare at him, he added: ‘but if I have distressed you, I apologise.’
She looked down, veiling her eyes with long dark lashes. Her head was whirling. Why had he done it, when he was as good as engaged to her best friend? Why had she responded? And yet, somewhere in her mind, she rejoiced at that sweet contact, oh yes, and she wanted more of it. Which meant she must put herself out of danger, not just from the man she loathed but from the man she loved.

In All Honour,  pub: Robert Hale, March 2009

Kindle edition:   Sept 2011