Persuasion by Jane Austen

Welcome to Kellynch Hall, the ancestral manor of Sir Walter Elliot and the home of our forgotten and ignored heroine, Anne. Sir Walter, a vain and extravagant man, has found his spending has put them in a challenging financial position and our story begins with the Elliot's being forced to leave their home and rent it out to recoup costs. But it is not any ordinary tenant; it is someone connected to a name never forgotten by A...

Inspired by recent events, Anne looks back over the last few years, recalling how she once wished to marry the dashing Captain Wentworth yet was persuaded to give him up, resulting in his self-imposed exile. Time has provided Anne with wisdom over the event, particularly as she is still unattached. Anne’s youngest sister Mary reports feeling poorly and requests Anne’s company prior to journeying on to Bath. Whilst visiting her sist...

Anne enjoys the refreshing company of her new friends, whilst observing her sister and her husband, Charles’ somewhat disorderly domesticity and, as usual, being overlooked other than to assist in resolving disputes. The dashing Captain Wentworth arrives to visit his sister, the new tenant of Kellynch Hall, resulting in he and Anne meeting for the first time since the dissolution of their engagement. How does his renewed presence i...

The tension in the air whenever Anne and Captain Wentworth are in each other’s presence could be cut with a knife, not that anyone else is paying attention to Anne. All the ladies are enamoured by him and hope that he will pursue a suit for one of them. Alas other men currently pursuing the Musgrove girls are put out at this supposed new competition. Wentworth finally notices Anne, coming to her rescue from the rambunctious actions...

Mary’s inability to read the room continues as she invites herself on a walk with the Musgrove girls, Anne and Captain Wentworth. Louisa is a terrible flirt and her impropriety leads to idle and potentially damaging gossip being revealed to Captain Wentworth about Anne. An opportunity to visit the stunning seaside town of Lyme provides a much needed intermission to the somewhat claustrophobic environment of Mary and Charles’ home a...

Competition does wonders for reflecting on what might have been as Wentworth observes another man noticing Anne. The Elliot’s cousin, and heir to Kellynch Hall, has coincidentally arrived in Lyme and is staying at the same hotel as the Uppercross party. Having previously rejected the Baronetage, and a family plan to engage him to Anne’s sister Elizabeth, his estrangement from the Elliot’s is still raw for Anne. However, opportuniti...

Whilst her sister and brother-in-law remain in Lyme, Anne visits her friend and mentor, Lady Russell. Despite a strained start, the women are able to converse more freely, with Anne revealing her suspicious that Captain Wentworth is attached to Louisa Musgrove. A visit by the duo to the tenants of Kellynch Hall reminds Anne of what her father’s hubris has lost them, and she is also informed that Captain Wentworth has been speaking ...

Anne’s presence in Bath has little impact on her father, Sir Walter, and eldest sister Elizabeth, who have been enjoying  the faster pace of the city. Anne finds a reinvigorated Mr Elliot who has renewed his intentions to respect and fulfill his aristocratic duties, much to Sir Walter’s pleasure and he appears exceedingly attentive to Anne. Sir Walter’s companion, Mrs Clay, is invited to stay longer despite Anne’s arrival, sparking...

Anne’s time in Bath is improved by the discovery that an old school friend, Mrs Smith (nee Hamilton), lives in town, however, she is shocked at her old friend’s living situation, a consequence of extravagance and the early death of her husband. Despite her lower station in life, Anne chooses to regularly visit her friend, eschewing more socially acceptable invitations, much to the chagrin of her social climbing family. Lady Russell...

Bath is a buzz with the gossip of an impending proposal, but the future bride appears unaware, instead being focused on the arrival of her past paramour. Anne’s family continues to make social faux pas by ignoring the newly arrived Captain Wentworth, in a reigniting of conditions that caused Anne to break their engagement eight years prior. Mrs Smith has heard the gossip around town and cryptically comments to Anne on her perceptio...

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Following the opera, Anne visits her childhood friend, Mrs Smith, who has already heard reports of the evening and is eager to hear Anne’s version of events. Mrs Smith believes Anne to be in love and seeks assurance that despite her soon to be raising in rank that Anne will not forget her. Anne’s conf...