Murder at Mansfield Park

thing of my own, but you have to
seize it from me? He admired me, I know he did, and it wanted only a little encouragement to turn that admiration into a decided attachment. A very little encouragement, and a very reasonable
forbearance on your part. But no—even that , you could not permit me. Even though you were already pledged to another man—and honourably, publicly pledged at that.’
    ‘Do not delude yourself,’ said Fanny angrily, snatching her hand from Maria’s grasp. ‘You may have seen admiration; I saw only an idle flirtation—a passing
and frivolous gallantry. Whatever you may have hoped, you and your pitiable portion would never have been sufficient to attach a man like Mr Rushworth. You may take my word for
that.’
    These words drew a gasp and a cry of anguish from Maria. ‘I wish you had never come to Mansfield,’ she sobbed: ‘We were all of us perfectly happy before you came—I wish I had never seen you—I wish—I wish you were dead .’
    For a single dreadful moment Julia thought her sister was about to strike her cousin; but the next thing she knew, Maria had turned away without another word, and was making her way, not very
steadily, towards the house. When she reached the steps Julia saw her stumble blindly, and put her hand out to break her fall. Fanny, for her part, stood motionless for some minutes, leaning
against the gate for support, her face and lips quite white.
    Julia was thrown into a state of dreadful indecision, uncertain whether to remain where she was, or go to offer her sister some assistance, and thereby reveal what she had overheard; but she was
soon relieved of the necessity of action by the appearance of Henry Crawford, who had been wandering about the grounds for some time, in search of Miss Price. He had seen her with Rushworth half an
hour before, but had been detained at the critical moment by the housekeeper. Having but this minute extricated himself, he was now in the happy but unexpected situation of being face to face with
the real object of his attentions. More gratifying still, the young lady was alone, and—to his eye—very much in need of all the relief and support he was only too willing to proffer.
She was trembling, and at first she could only cling to his arm, as he helped her to a small rustic seat some yards farther on. The first fit soon passed, however, and in another moment she was
able to recollect herself, and make a strong effort for composure, while still refusing in the most strenuous terms to disclose the cause of her distress. Mr Crawford elected not to press her on
the subject, while indulging in the private hope that the whole blame of it might be laid to his rival’s account.
    ‘I believe I saw Rushworth on my way here,’ he said, curious to see her reaction. ‘He was posting away as if upon life and death.’
    Miss Price smiled, roused from her indisposition by such pleasing evidence of her power. ‘He is gone to fetch the key to the gate,’ she said. ‘I wanted to see the view from the
knoll.’
    ‘Then I am delighted to be in a position to assist you,’ said Henry, taking the key from his pocket, while carefully omitting to mention that it was this very key that Mr Rushworth
was at that moment in quest of.
    Miss Price rose from her seat, and took Mr Crawford’s arm. ‘So much you have done here, Mr Crawford!’ she said, with forced gaiety. ‘And to think that Mansfield may look
like this in another summer! I confess I long for such freedom and openness as you have created here. Mansfield seems to me more and more like a prison—a dismal old prison. “I cannot
get out”, as the starling said.’
    ‘To tell you the truth,’ replied Henry, speaking rather lower, ‘I do not think that I shall ever see Mansfield again with so much pleasure as I do now. Even my own plans
will hardly improve it in some ways.’
    He moved closer to her as he spoke, and they were too far away for Julia to discern what happened next, but when she saw her cousin’s face again her colour was heightened, and she was
breathing rather faster than usual.
    ‘You are too much a man of the world not to see with the eyes of the world,’ Miss Price continued, somewhat abstractedly. ‘If other people think Mansfield improved, I have no
doubt that you will.’
    Henry smiled, and took her arm with more confidence and cheerfulness than he had thought possible even an hour before. ‘I am afraid that there is little prospect of