Bath Tangle Part IV

Serena writes to Ivo to let him know she is privately engaged to Hector and they will marry when she's out of mourning. He pays a visit and seems to get on well with the Major, and is more pleasant than Fanny has ever seen him being. Soon afterwards, the ladies see in the paper that Ivo has become engaged to Emily Laleham. Fanny is schocked and upset. She is fond of Emily and beleives that such a young shy girl can never cope with a marriage to an older man like Rotherham, who has a harsh temper and is very domineering. Serena says that Emily is a pretty but silly girl, but Rotherham must love her as she has very little to recommend her other than good looks and a pleasant nature. She advises Fanny not to get emotional about the marriage. Meanwhile, Rotherham's cousin and ward, Gerard Monksleigh finds that Emily is engaged. He does not get on with his severe cousin, and is afraid of him.. but he himself had been infatuated with Emily when he knew her during one of his vacations from Oxford. He is furious and upset to learn that Emily is now engaged to his guardian but his tendency to bluster and try to show off how brave he is irritates the unsympathetic Rotherham. Rotherham lends him some money but lets him go off in an upset stormy state, and this behaviour makes me dislike this particular hero. Emily's grandmother, Mrs Floore tells the Carlow ladies that she is going to have Emily to stay with her soon because the family has had a bout of influenza and she is tired out and unwell. She is looking forward to seeing the girl because she thinks when Emily marries into the nobility, she wont have much time for her grandmother. Emily arrives in Bath and does look tired out. Mrs Floore is delighted to have her staying and takes her out to mild social events, in the town. Serena takes her riding and tries to instruct her as to her role as the wife of Lord Rotherham, though it seems unlikely that Emily will be all that successful as a political hostess.