Bath Society — Persuasion

Mr. Elliot calls late on Anne's first evening, his first meeting with her since Lyme, and he's delighted to discover that the beautiful woman who caught his eye is actually his cousin. His eyes brighten with pleasure. He's polished, sensible, perfectly agreeable, and Anne finds herself comparing his manners to only one other person's: Wentworth. "They were not the same, but they were, perhaps, equally good." He stays an hour, genuinely interested in what happened at Lyme, showing real concern for Anne's experience. She's surprised: her first evening in Bath passes well after all. But darker currents run beneath the pleasant surface. Anne discovers her father may be developing feelings for Mrs. Clay, the scheming widow who's embedded herself in the household. Sir Walter praises Mrs. Clay's "fine mind" with alarming sincerity, insists she must stay in Bath, compliments how his recommended beauty treatment has improved her freckles (though Anne sees no improvement). If Sir Walter marries Mrs. Clay and has a son, Mr. Elliot loses Kellynch. Anne suspects this is why Mr. Elliot has suddenly returned to court the family, not for Elizabeth's sake, but to prevent Mrs. Clay from becoming Lady Elliot. Meanwhile, Sir Walter and Elizabeth throw themselves into pursuing connection with distant aristocratic cousins: the Dalrymples. Much agitation, many letters, elaborate social maneuvering, all to secure recognition from relatives who care nothing about them. When the connection is finally renewed, Anne is ashamed. Lady Dalrymple and Miss Carteret turn out to be boring, vapid nobodies. "There was no superiority of manner, accomplishment, or understanding." But her father and Elizabeth parade them everywhere: "Our cousins in Laura Place" becomes the constant refrain. Anne tells Mr. Elliot her definition of good company: "clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation." He gently corrects her: "that is not good company; that is the best." Good company, he explains, requires only birth and manners. Anne realizes that despite his polish and intelligence, Mr. Elliot values rank more than substance, he's more like her father than she'd hoped. Still, she's pleased when he reveals his real motive for promoting the Dalrymple connection: diverting Sir Walter's attention from Mrs. Clay, "those who are beneath him." At least they share one goal.