Persuasion 200: Is Mr. Elliot As Charming As He Thinks?

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The handsome and charming Mr. Elliot is very pleased with his progress and considers that he has Anne exactly where he wants her – eating out of his hand. But then, just when he’s about to close the deal, something goes awry. Unbeknownst to him, Anne has now learnt his true character by her visit to Mrs. Smith, and Mr. Elliot’s charm with her is forever broken. (reference chapters 20 – 22) 



Mr. ElliotHis first niggling doubt crept in.

Until that moment, Mr. Elliot’s confidence over soon securing his cousin to himself had been absolute. He had been dealt an excellent hand, after all – good looks, position within the family, smoothness of address – and he had played it flawlessly, if he did say so himself.

Looking back, he laughed when he thought of how effortless it had been for him to win over the father and the sister, although he doubted the sister would not have been quite so eager if he had not led her to believe that she was his object. And so it might have been. But then Anne Elliot arrived on the scene and everything had changed. It was immediately clear that he must direct his charm and considerable talents of persuasion at her.

He wished to win her over not only because he found her the more attractive prospect to be his second wife, but also because he recognized at once that she presented the most serious challenge to his plans of insinuating himself into the family. Whereas the others, even Lady Russell, had been easy to mollify, Anne was more wary by nature. He foresaw that her intelligence would not allow her to dismiss his past behavior as quickly as the others had. Yet even she had proved susceptible to his charms in the end. Little wonder, really, for the poor thing was so obviously starved for decent companionship, considering the meager fare she normally found at home. He had happily stepped in to fill that void.

“My idea of good company, Mr. Elliot, is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company.”

That was what Anne wanted, and that was what he provided her… along with a generous measure of flattery, which no woman he had yet encountered seemed able to resist. Ultimately, then, he’d had Anne eating out of his hand just like all the rest, the crowning touch coming at the concert where he had dropped that hint about being Mr Elliot, Anne, and Cpt. W.enamored with her by reputation from a time long before they met. He had not liked to see her talking to that other man earlier, that navy captain, but this inspired devise had brought her full attention back to himself, where it belonged, elevating her interest almost to a fever pitch. It was a stroke of pure genius.

Now something had gone decidedly off, however, and just when he had been on the verge of closing the deal too. Extremely vexing!

But what – or who – could be responsible for this turn? It could not be that uncouth sailor, could it? The only advantage that man held was his height, and surely something so superficial could carry no weight with woman as discerning as Anne Elliot. Besides, she had looked vexed with his behavior only the night before.

No, it must to be something else. Had he himself made a strategic error – said a word amiss or moved too quickly? Mr. Elliot searched his memory for some clue. Nothing, and yet her affection had apparently cooled overnight. Indeed, as Anne sat across from him now, she seemed hardly able to bear his presence, and he would have sworn she almost winced when he first approached and spoke to her.

The situation could not be irretrievable, however. He had enough faith in his own abilities to depend on that. A little more time would simply be required, and it was something he could spare without any serious inconvenience. After all, this campaign he waged was for the long haul, not for quick reward. Patience and persistence would eventually win the day. He had no doubt of it. But as for tonight, perhaps he could help his cause along a little by reanimating Anne’s curiosity over the matter which had so intrigued her before – the question of where and by whom he had formerly heard her praised.

“Have you solved my mystery yet, Miss Anne?” he asked.

“What mystery is that?” she replied without any particular interest.

“Why, the puzzle of under what circumstances I originally heard you spoken of with such admiration, of course. Have you guessed who my valuable informant was? I could perhaps be persuaded to give you some little hint, if you require one.”

Unfortunately for him, Mr. Elliot’s suggestion failed to produce the anticipated effect. He was quite distressed to see that, far from rekindling the lady’s curiosity, his reference to this unnamed person of their mutual acquaintance seemed inexplicably to have further annoyed her.

Mrs. Smith“Mr. Elliot,” she said curtly, “I do assure you that I neither desire nor require any hints of the kind. It might interest you to know that I have recently spoken with the lady to whom you refer with such fond remembrance. Strangely enough, she does not speak so well of you, sir.”

Anne rose and walked away without a backward glance, leaving Mr. Elliot for once speechless.

 


 

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19 comments

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    • Deborah on February 22, 2015 at 12:19 am
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    Thank you for such a wonderful missing scene to read before retiring, Shannon. What a snake! Do calculating to attempt to attach himself to Anne. He thinks himself so smart. Well, she proves herself the more intelligent and leaves him standing there, gaping like a fudh. Good for Anne!

    1. They always show their true colors in the end. Glad you enjoyed it, Deborah!

        • Deborah on February 22, 2015 at 10:40 am
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        Sorry….supposed to say….gaping like a fish.

    • Mari on February 22, 2015 at 7:21 am
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    Oh I liked this one a lot! Mr. Elliot is a snake of the first order, and it was interesting to see how much he has mistaken Anne’s character. She was protected from him by her love for Captain Wentworth and her inate common sense. He is so superficial and calculating that he fails to see that the veneer of civility he shows to the world is exactly what Anne can see through. Her heart was never engaged by him and she would never have trusted him even if her friend hadn’t told her everything she knew. He was not honorable enough for her, and he fails to see that her good manners are just that, and not indicative of anything else. In this case, the con artist conned himself, and not his intended victim. Mrs. Clay is clearly much better than he is at dissembling for fun and profit. This was a lot of fun to read, and a very chilling look into what is behind the facade of Mister Elliot. He fails to understand that Anne grew up with people who are fakes, and she knew him for what he was early on. Even had she not fallen for the captain eight years before, she would have had more sense than to fall for Mister Elliot.

    1. You’re right, Mari, that her good sense (to which Mr. Elliot alludes) and being in love with Cpt. W. already would have protected her from ever falling for him. She never trusted him, but I think she did find him entertaining. And, for the sake of the family’s future, she would have hoped he was sincere in his desire to live right and bring credit to the Elliot name. Not going to happen though.

      • Beatrice on February 23, 2015 at 4:53 am
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      Once more, I’m looking for the LIKE button. Great comment on a great story.

      1. No “like” button, it’s true. But I’m glad I spotted your follow-up comment. Thanks, Beatrice.

  1. Mr. Elliot’s true colors are slipping. He is fooling himself. Anne was never in love with him. She has manners and listens to people which is lacking in her family.

    1. Thanks for reading and commenting, Patty!

  2. Shannon, I loved getting to see our clever Anne putting Mr. Elliot in his place! Such fun being allowed this peek into his devious mind, too! Thank you for the fabulous scene. 😉

    1. He’s always been a mysterious character to me. What was he really up to, anyway? It was fun to try to figure out what was going on in his beady little mind. Glad you enjoyed it, Marilyn!

    • Julie on February 22, 2015 at 1:45 pm
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    Another fun chapter! I did like to see Mr. Elliot actually only con himself… a fitting end! Love Persuasion and loving this Persuasion 200 so much!

    1. Yay! Glad to hear you’re a fan of the book and of this project, Julie! It’s been a delight to spend so much time in the world of Persuasion, first writing my book (The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen) and then with P200.

    • Kathy L Berlin on February 22, 2015 at 2:16 pm
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    Nice touch. We get a a taste of his arrogance. Anne always distrusted him and he simply talked himslef into believing otherwise. What a fool!

    1. I think he’s accustomed to being able to charm his way through life. He’s just not been used to dealing with anybody like Anne before! Thanks for your comment, Kathy!

  3. Brilliant chapter!! It was amusing (and also a little sad) to see Mr. Elliott’s thoughts of how easily he had hoodwinked everyone, even Anne…until now.

    And having an utter cad refer to Captain Wentworth as “an uncouth sailor”–what delicious irony!

    A wonderful and supremely ironic vignette–thank you!! 🙂

    Warmly,
    Susanne 🙂

    1. I appreciate your ‘warm’ regard, Susanne. Glad you enjoyed this chapter. It was a lot of fun to write. 😀

    • Jane Odiwe on February 24, 2015 at 5:41 am
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    Ooh, the odious Mr Elliot-I loved this episode, Shannon, and hearing Anne put him in his place!

  4. Thanks, Jane. Glad you enjoyed it!

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