Mansfield Part V

Fanny and William go together to Portsmouth, and Maria moves to London, wiht her new husband. Mary Crawford goes there as well and Edmund feels depressed as he fears that Mary's smart London friends will put her off the idea of marrying a country clergyman. Fanny finds Portsmouth something of a shock. She is used to the size and comfort of Mansfield, even though she always had fairly poor accommodation there, sitting in rooms that had no fire and not having much comfort for herself plus continually acting as an upper servant to Mrs Norris. But her parents' home is small, grubby and not well managed. Her mother is pleased to see her but soon forgets her in the bustle of looking after her husband and her many sons. She has 2 other girls Susan who is loud but good natured and Betsy who is spoiled. Fanny tries not to be critical of her mother who is clearly over worked, and her father who drinks, but she finds it hard to adjust to the confined life of her family home. She becomes fond of Susan who tries to help her mother and has plenty of energy, but Fanny realises that although Mansfield has its problems, she was happier there than in this home that she cannot feel is her own. Then, Tom comes home from a visit to the races and is quite ill, and Lady Bertram is very upset. This is followed by more bad news. Maria has left her husband and run off, with Henry Crawford. Fanny is horrified, and longs to go back to Mansfield. Sir Thomas is very moral and shocked at his daughter's having an affair within months of her marriage, and leaving her husband. He blames Mrs Norris to some extent for spoiling her niece and letting her grow up with poor morals. However Mary takes a more sophisticated view of the affair and tells Edmund that he must persuade Sir Thomas not to get Maria to leave Henry, because he will let her go, but if they stay together and Rushworth divorces her, Henry will feel obliged to marry her and that it is possible for a divorced woman to have a place in society, among certain circles.