"What do you think, Mrs. Weston, of this new friendship between Emma and Miss Smith? I for one believe it to be a bad idea." Mr. Knightley had spent the last week watching the two young women whenever he saw them in each other's company and he could not but find it to be an unfavorable acquaintance for Emma. The young lady was considered pretty by society's standards but where Emma was sophisticated and graceful, Miss Smith could be immature. Where Emma was intelligent and witty, Miss Smith was slow in understanding.
He had spent the evening before thinking about who would be best to share his concerns with and had decided upon Mrs. Weston. After eating a quick breakfast, he saddled his horse and made the short trip to the newly married woman's home. Mr. Weston was away on business which made it easier for Mr. Knightley to speak with her alone. At his declaration, the woman turned surprised eyes on him.
"Indeed, do you really? I am afraid I must disagree with you, Mr. Knightley, for I think it to be a good connection."
"I fail to see how. Emma will in no way benefit from Miss Smith's company and I fear Miss Smith will only grow to think of her own position as equal to that of Emma's."
"You must have noticed that there are no other young women in Highbury in the same situation as Emma so if she were to follow your lead then she would have no friends at all. And though Miss Smith is not Emma's equal in that regard I have found her to be a most pleasant girl."
"Mark my words, nothing good can come of it. You must have seen the way Emma has been facilitating meetings between Miss Smith and Mr. Elton and if I know her as well as I think I do, Emma will be hoping for a marriage between the two. This is where Emma's vanity lies, not in how she thinks of herself but in the fact that she believes she knows best for others."
Mrs. Weston gave a small smile, "I agree that an understanding between Miss Smith and Mr. Elton is Emma's hope but there are two flaws in your concern."
"Yes?"
"The first is that it should be of no consequence to you or myself who Miss Smith marries. It will be her choice and no one else ought to have any say in the matter."
"And the second flaw?"
"An alliance can not happen between Miss Smith and Mr. Elton because Mr. Elton desires an attachment with Emma."
Mr. Knightley froze at Mrs. Weston's words, "What? How do you know this?" Emma married to that self-conceited, arrogant clergyman?
"It is difficult to miss the attention Mr. Elton pays Emma when they are in the same company. How he seeks her out for conversation and is ever present when she needs a hand up into a carriage or help putting on her shawl."
"No, no, I refuse to believe it," Mr. Knightley waved away her suspicion. "Emma would never have Mr. Elton."
"I did not say that she felt the same, only that it seems to be a particular wish of Mr. Elton's to form an attachment with her."
Mr. Knightly frowned and shrugged away the uneasiness that settled over him, "You will not sway me into thinking Emma and Miss Smith's friendship a good thing for either of them, though you have done a good job of changing the topic of conversation."
Mrs. Weston laughed, "I had no intention of any such thing and if you will recall, you are the one to bring Mr. Elton into the discussion.
Mr. Knightley gave a small bow, "I shall concede defeat but only on that matter. My thoughts on the other remain the same." Mr. Knightley soon took his leave, his thoughts whirling around Emma, Miss Smith, and now Mr. Elton.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Emma could not help but smile at the sight of her new friend, Miss Harriet Smith, coming up the lane to Hartfield. She had felt Mrs. Weston's absence keenly and though she knew that she would be welcome at Randalls anytime, she would not impose on the couple. Her chance meeting with Miss Smith had seemed an answer to prayer and it was with great relief that once she had made the young woman's acquaintance Emma had found the girl to be entirely agreeable.
Miss Smith was lovely with her large brown eyes and blonde curls. Emma acknowledged that Harriet did not possess the keenest of minds but her cheerful openness and ready smile easily made up for that.
Emma made her way to the large front door and opened it to allow the girl in, "Harriet, what brings you here so early in the day?" Breakfast had only just been finished an hour before but something must have happened to make the young woman pay a call before the time the two ladies had decided to meet for a walk in the village.
Harriet smiled widely at Emma as she removed her bonnet, "Oh, Miss Woodhouse, I have received the best letter anyone could ask for. Mr. Robert Martin has asked me to marry him!"
Emma plastered a smile on her face as she took the offered letter and scanned the writing. Her hopes of Harriet having misunderstood its contents were dashed and she quickly folded the letter up and returned it to its owner, "It does indeed seem he has proposed. Now, tell me, how are you going to word your rejection?"
Harriet's smile fell away and she scrunched her eyebrows together, "Oh, I...um...you think I should refuse him then?"
"Oh, I cannot make that decision for you, Harriet!" And Emma knew this to be true, she could not make Harriet choose one way or the other, but she hoped with everything she had that the girl would be swayed to her way of thinking.
"I do know him better than any other man of my acquaintance what with me staying the Summer with his mother and sisters. But, now that I think about it, I don't recall him ever paying me any special attention after that. What if he doesn't really love me and I end up trapped and bound in marriage to him forever?"
Emma seemed to hold her breath as Harriet gave a small nod to herself, "Miss Woodhouse, I have come to a decision. I will reject Mr. Martin's proposal."
Congratulating the girl on her choice, Emma went on to assist her in writing a letter to Mr. Martin. Once the letter was safely posted, Emma attempted to lift Harriet's mood by talking about Highbury's vicar, Mr. Elton, and his apparent interest in her. This seemed to work and Harriet soon left to return to Goddard's with renewed spirits.
Mr. Knightley had been unable to have dinner with Emma and her father that night which meant Emma had to contain her excitement until she saw him again. She supposed she could share the news of Harriet possibly soon becoming Mrs. Elton with her father, but she knew that he would not have the reaction she desired. Two days later, Mr. Knightley strolled through the gardens of Hartfield and Emma met him at the door with a pleased grin but he spoke before she could say anything.
"I have some news I think you will be interested in," He took off his hat and placed it on a side table. "Your Miss Smith is to receive a proposal from Mr. Robert Martin. What do you think of that?"
Emma's smile slipped a little, "I think you are rather late with your news as Harriet has already gotten the proposal and rejected it."
Mr. Knightley had berated Harriet's decision only to turn a severe look on Emma when he surmised that she had had a hand in influencing her friend. Emma had never been on the receiving end of Mr. Knightley's disapproval and she had felt the tears starting to build behind her eyes at the look of total disappointment on his face. Unwilling to let him know how he affected her, Emma had squared her shoulders and defended herself until Mr. Knightley grabbed his hat and left. She had felt a brief spark of hope when he came to a sudden stop and turned to face her once more but that spark was extinguished when he told her that if Mr. Elton was the man she hoped Miss Smith would marry then she had done her friend a great disservice by choosing someone who only cared for wealth and connections, neither of which Miss Smith possessed. Only after he was out of sight did Emma let the tears slide down her cheeks.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Mr. Knightley hadn't been himself since the day he had ridden home from Hartfield over a week ago. He had been sarcastic with Emma before, critical even, but he had never said such mean-spirited things to her as he had the day he found out about Harriet Smith's rejection of Mr. Martin. He couldn't get the look of hurt in Emma's eyes out of his head. So when his brother, John, wrote to him about his family's plans for a Christmas visit to Highbury, Mr. Knightley knew that this was his opportunity to make amends with Emma.
John arrived at Donwell a week after his letter was delivered with his wife, Isabella, and five children in tow. Mr. Knightley received all of them with enthusiasm and admitted to himself that he much preferred it when his home was exploding with the noise that came with a large family. While Isabella got the children settled in their rooms, Mr. Knightley offered John some brandy.
"I thought you might like this after such a long trip," Mr. Knightley pushed the small glass of amber liquid at his brother.
"You thought right. You can have no idea how small a carriage can seem when seven people are jammed inside. We almost brought two carriages but the price I was quoted for the second was outlandish. I still shudder to think of it."
Mr. Knightley smirked at his brother who had a habit of finding at least one thing to complain about in even the best of circumstances. "Well, you are here now and that is all that matters. I think it is safe to assume you will be going to Hartfield during your visit?"
Mr. Knightley spoke as casually as he could but he wanted to know how soon he would be able to speak with Emma. He realized he had not sounded as detached as he wished when John raised an eyebrow at him and studied him in silence for a moment.
"I believe that would be a safe assumption considering Hartfield is just down the road and that Isabella is Emma's sister. Would it be safe to assume that you are on the outs with our dear old friend, Miss Woodhouse?"
Mr. Knightley scowled at John, "We are not 'on the outs' as you say. We simply had a disagreement and I have not yet had the chance to speak with Emma about it since it happened."
John gave him a look that told him he only believed half of what he was being told, "And what did you disagree about?"
"Emma has a new friend, Miss Smith, and the young lady recently received a proposal from a young man who I believe to be a good match for her given her situation. Emma did not think the same way and said so to Miss Smith."
"And?"
"And what?"
"Is that all? That hardly seems a good enough reason to be cross with Emma," John shrugged and sipped his brandy.
"Come now, John. She discouraged her friend from accepting a man who would make her life comfortable in every way."
"That is your opinion, George, and you seem to be upset because Emma does not share it. Emma has a sound mind and is honest enough to give voice to what she thinks."
"So you think she was right?"
"She could be right or she could be wrong but so could you, for that matter."
"It is one of your worst traits that you are so frustratingly objective about things," Mr. Knightley scowled at his brother who simply laughed and gave his brother a shove.
Once John and Isabella's children had gone to sleep, the three adults gathered around the fireplace where Isabella quickly jotted down a short letter to Emma to let her know of the family's arrival to Donwell. She handed the missive off to one of the servants the next morning and asked that it be delivered to Hartfield. The footman who brought the letter soon returned with a written reply from Miss Woodhouse that expressed her joy at everyone arriving sooner than she expected and requesting that everyone come to Hartfield that evening for supper.
Mr. Knightley gave a sigh of relief at the invitation for he half expected for there to be instructions for him not to come. He chose to ride his horse rather than get a second carriage readied which would have caused additional work for the servants. The ride had the added benefit of giving him something with which to occupy his mind so that he did not obsess over how he would be received by Emma.
Soon enough he was dismounting from his horse and handing the reigns to a stableboy. He almost waited to go inside until his brother arrived with his family so that he did not have to enter alone but he chided himself for his cowardice and knocked on the front door. To his surprise, it was not the butler who opened the door but Emma herself. The smile on her face faded away and she bit her lip in nervousness before looking over his shoulder. The sight saddened Mr. Knightley enough to compel him to speak.
"If I were to apologize for my behavior and you were to accept it, we could be friends again."
Emma's gaze flew back to his face and after a moment her smile returned with even more brilliance than before. She nodded her head happily and took hold of his hand to pull him inside. Mr. Knightley ignored the jolt that went up his arm at her touch and followed her to the sitting room.
"Father is trying to locate every blanket we own so that no one will become too cold tonight," Emma smiled wryly but the fond look on her face betrayed her affection for her father.
"That is very thoughtful, though the children move around so much I doubt they will need them to stay warm."
Emma's tinkling laugh floated around them and Mr. Knightley released a breath he didn't know he had been holding. This was what he had been missing in his life for the past two weeks and he sent up a small prayer that nothing would happen to separate him from his dear friend again.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
"Father! John and Isabella are ready to go and we mustn't be late!" Emma called out to her Father who was going from room to room making sure he had everything he would need with him. The Woodhouses and the Knightleys had been invited to a Christmas Eve dinner by Mr. and Mrs. Weston, an invitation that Emma had been astonished to hear her Father accept. Mr. Woodhouse did not like leaving the comfort and security of his home but Emma suspected his desire to see their old governess again overrode his discomfort.
Once her father and Isabella were comfortably settled in the first carriage, Emma and her brother-in-law waited for the second to pull around. It had been a very peculiar turn of events that had resulted in Mr. Elton being offered a ride to the Weston's home with Emma and John. Unfortunately, Harriet had taken to bed with a cold and though her absence from the party meant she would not be able to further her association with Mr. Elton, Emma had decided she would turn the man's attention to her friend as often as she could.
John assisted Emma into the carriage and he spoke briefly with the driver before climbing in and giving a knock on the roof. The carriage lurched into motion and John released a loud sigh, "I have always detested parties.
"Well, we would have been there and back much sooner had you not offered Mr. Elton a ride with us."
"If I hadn't then the poor man would have lost an opportunity to gain your affections," John look at her with humor.
"Whatever gave you that idea? I'm expecting Mr. Elton to make an offer for my friend Miss Smith's hand any day now."
John shook his head, "I do not think so, Emma. Do not take offense but I don't think Mr. Elton cares for your friend at all."
Emma frowned and pulled her shawl more tightly over her shoulders, "You are wrong and I will take great delight in proving it."
John said no more on the subject as they had pulled up in front of the vicarage. Mr. Elton quickly joined them in the carriage and while the two men made polite conversation Emma continued to silently scold John for his thoughts about Mr. Elton. However, she did note that the man in question seemed to be sitting closer to her than necessary.
Her observations of Mr. Elton's behavior did not end there, however, and she remained acutely aware of him for the rest of the night much to her chagrin. When she should have been having pleasant conversations with Mr. and Mrs. Weston, she was having to respond to Mr. Elton's overly concerned comments on her health on such a cold night. Where she should have been enjoying her dinner, she was forced to listen to Mr. Elton expound on her 'many attributes' as he called them whenever the opportunity arose. Emma endured these things with great dignity even as she saw the smirk on John's face, the humor-filled smiles passed between Mrs. Weston and her sister, and the unreadable expression on Mr. Knightley's face.
It was with great relief that Emma found herself walking to their carriage at the end of the night after her father saw it beginning to snow and became convinced they would all be trapped at Randalls if they did not leave that instant. She watched as John walked past her and began following her father and sister into their carriage.
"John, have you forgotten? This is our carriage, here," Emma gestured in front of her.
"I think I will be of more service to your father. Mr. Elton can see you home," John turned away but not before Emma saw the smile on his face. Though she longed to throttle her brother-in-law she managed to keep her emotions under control and was soon on her way home in the company of Mr. Elton.
"It was a lovely dinner, was it not?" Mr. Elton looked at her.
"Yes, it was."
"And it was a perfect night to have such a dinner."
Emma smiled briefly but gave no response. Before she could so much as turn her head to look out the window, Mr. Elton was on his knees in front of her and grabbing hold of her hands. She felt her eyes widen as her mouth fell open slightly.
"Oh, Miss Woodhouse! It will surely come as no surprise that I am most in love with you. Please do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
Emma quickly pulled her hands from his grasp, absently noting how clammy his skin was, "What can you mean by this? How can you propose to me when you have been giving so much attention to Miss Smith?"
"I have no idea what you are talking about," Mr. Elton frowned.
"You have been coming to Hartfield for weeks and making it a point to speak with Miss Smith. If an engagement with her was not your aim then what was?"
"My visits to Hartfield were with the purpose of securing someone's affections, but it was not hers that I wanted. It was yours. I could not care less about Miss Smith and I'm sure there is someone who will be able to accept her circumstances but I daresay I need not do so."
Emma's mind raced as she tried to remember every detail of Mr. Elton's interactions with herself and Harriet. The more she distanced herself from the situation the more she realized how dreadfully wrong she had been. When she finally raised her eyes back to Mr. Elton, he gave her a condescending smile.
"Of course, I understand that young ladies must reject a proposal at first in order to maintain a sense of humbleness but–"
"I am sorry, sir, but you are mistaken. I am not refusing you in order to be seen as humble but because I have no wish to marry you. I have no plans for marriage at the moment and even if I did I would not accept you when you have spoken so cruelly about my friend. We have arrived at the vicarage and I think you should go now." Emma turned away from the man and listened as the carriage door opened and then slammed shut.
Not bothering to find everyone in order to say goodnight, Emma slipped quietly into her room and began dressing for bed. As she did she could think of nothing else except her own stupidity. She, who prided herself on understanding the hearts of others, had been so blind that she did not see the true direction of Mr. Elton's actions. Not only had she been so abhorrently wrong about his feelings for Harriet but she had completely misjudged him. She had thought him to be kind and sensitive and noble. Instead, she found that he was arrogant, conceited, and vain. A sick feeling began to unfurl in Emma's stomach as she realized she would have to speak with Harriet and tell her what had happened. There was no avoiding it. The next morning Emma would have to see her friend and break her heart.