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It just hit me, a ding dong and an airhead, that Miss Taylor is the second Mrs Weston, so what happened to Mrs Weston née Churchill??

Oh she died.

Okay wait. So Miss Churchill marries Captain Weston over the loud and very rich objections of her parents. Three years later, Mrs Weston née Churchill dies, leaving Mr Weston a son named Frank.

Frank becomes a reason for Mr and Mrs Churchill to reconcile with Mr Weston, and since all their kids are grown and married (or dead, as it happens), they decide to raise Frank, so Frank Weston apparently becomes Frank Churchill when he comes of age.

Meanwhile, Mr Weston quits the militia, goes into business with his brothers, earns a respectable living, and is able to marry Miss Taylor comfortably enough even if she has no money.

Cheerful, affable Mr Weston has, in his lifetime, unintentionally distressed two wealthy households just by getting married. I’m extremely impressed.

Reading between the lines, Mr Weston is canonically very hot, and all these rich families better fervently pray for Miss Taylor’s robust and lasting health.

I love the detail that Mr Weston and Miss Taylor took their time because they’re both grown and practical—Mr Weston didn’t want to settle down until he could purchase Randalls, an estate somewhere near to the Woodhouses.

Okay the book did not love Mr Weston’s first marriage either, apparently. To be honest, though, with the way the book is written, I’m having trouble distinguishing between character voices and the author voice. This wasn’t quite as pronounced in Pride and Prejudice.

Boy, the relationship between Frank Churchill and his father Mr Weston bums me out. His dad is very proud of him and visits him in London every year, but he’s never been to visit his dad in Highbury, even though it feels like he belongs there because they fuss about him so much.

Frank writes Miss Taylor and Mr Weston a letter of congratulations on their marriage, and they talk about it for weeks 😭😭😭

They’re hoping, based on the letter, that he might even come visit them!!! 😭😭😭

“Emma, well as she knew her father, was sometimes taken by surprize at his being still able to pity "poor Miss Taylor," when they left her at Randalls in the centre of every domestic comfort” — I snorted out loud 😆

Mr Woodhouse is afraid of wedding cake 😐

OH Mr Perry, his health and humours guy, once told him that cake is not necessarily good for you and should be indulged in moderation, so Mr Woodhouse took it upon himself to guard everyone at the wedding from the grave and dire threat of cake-borne ill health.

Mr Woodhouse is doing everything short of slapping wedding cake out of people’s hands at this wedding 😭😭😭

Mr Woodhouse please sit down

LMAO the chapter concludes with Mr Woodhouse devoutly refusing to acknowledge that all of Mr Perry’s children definitely had some wedding cake

Chapter 3 — Mr Woodhouse likes the company of a small circle of friends, and he makes them all come to him. Mr Woodhouse is me.

I bought WiFi on this plane ride to do this.

Ooh never mind, the WiFi is real brittle

Mr Eston lives alone? My first impulse is to think of that as a little odd. I’m also of the impression that he’s kinda young.

Fancy-person alone. With servants (who don't count) in a house that's provided by his job. Mr Knightley also lives "alone" but in a family house.

OH I see. We’re doing a Mean Girls-style tour of the cafeteria, and we’re finding out who Mr Woodhouse sits with at lunch. So first we’re introduced to young Mr Eston, who lives alone, for some reason, apparently reluctantly. Then it’s a trio of ladies.