To round out 2022, we're reading The Younger Sister, a completion of Austen's The Watsons written by her niece, Catherine Hubback.

Visit this thread to suggest a story to read in January!

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Below you'll find a summary of Volume 3. Let's discuss!

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Ch 1: Tom Musgrove arrives to visit Margaret. Mr. Morgan corners Emma in a dusk-darkened room, his sister and other ladies walk in and accuse them of having a lovers tete-a-tete. Emma is warned of Mr. Morgan: “'Don’t try for Mr. Morgan, my dear, he will only disappoint you - do not trust him too far; you had better not.'”

Ch 2: Emma learns that Lady Fanny Alston is no longer interested in hiring her. Mr. Bridge, the clergyman, comes upon her, and warns her again of Mr. Morgan and that she has enemies in Croydon. He agrees to walk her home. Mr. Morgan, who apparently had been waiting, joins them. He tells Emma that Lady Fanny ended negotiations because of rumors of her poor character. The next day, Mr. Bridge arranges to speak again with Emma, at her request. He agrees to help her out of Croydon, away from Mr. Morgan, Jane, and her other “enemies”.

Ch 3: Emma is ill for several days, refusing Mr. Morgan until she is too sick to voice her objections. When she is recovering, Mr. Bridge visits and proposes Emma remove to stay with his sister. He informs Jane and Robert that Emma will be leaving.

Ch 4: The next day, Mr. Bridge drives Emma to his sister’s - her escape is complete! She spends the next weeks with Miss Bridge in comfort, removing only for Margaret’s wedding, where she is shunned by the Croydon ladies.

Ch 5: The dowager Lady Osborne proposes to Mr. Howard. It is awkward.

Ch 6: A month has passed and it’s time for Emma to visit the newlywed Lady Gordon at Osborne Castle. She arrives to find Mr. Howard. Lady Gordon maneuvers so that Emma and Mr. Howard are alone in the flower garden, where they discuss her time in Croydon. She’s relieved that he hasn’t heard any rumors about her supposed bad conduct.

Emma visits her sister, the new Mrs. Musgrove, and is troubled by what she sees: “Tom was reckless and unkind; Margaret peevish and fretful, without energy of character to make the best of her situation”.

On her way back to the castle, she runs into the Gordons, and they walk together to visit Mr. Howard. Emma is delighted by the beauty of his garden. Despite how enjoyable the afternoon is, neither of them can read the other’s interest or intentions.

Ch 7: Lady Gordon receives a letter from her brother that he intends to visit. She knows it is because Emma is there - she does not condone his interest: “'She is a very nice girl, and I should like to have her as a friend always, but I do not desire her for a sister; she is not Osborne’s equal, and I should regret the connection.'” Lord Osborne arrives and is delighted at how well Emma looks. He convinces the ladies to go for a drive. While exploring, Emma badly sprains her ankle and spends the evening in pain. The next day, she is drawing and Osborne is shadowing her when Mr. Howard arrives. He doesn’t stay long, jealous of Osborne’s attentions towards Emma.

Tom and Margaret come for dinner. Emma is left alone to read when Mr. Howard arrives. He apologizes for an earlier conversation where he called her ambitious. He tells her “You have not a sincerer well-wisher in the world.” She tells him that she is looking for a situation as a governess, though she hopes one day to find a home with her youngest brother Sam, the surgeon in training. Mr. Howard hesitates, considering whether to propose - and the moment is lost as voices are heard approaching. He squeezes her hand and slips from the room before they are discovered.

Ch 8: At dinner, Mr. Howard says something (we’re not told what) that results in teasing for his feelings for Emma. Lord Osborne finally realizes that Mr. Howard is his rival and confronts him after dinner - Mr. Howards admits he has loved Emma since meeting her in the assembly rooms. Osborne asks that he leave for a few days to clear the field so that he can propose. Mr. Howard initially refuses, but then receives a letter from his sister (who is in Wales visiting a friend) that her son is very sick, and resolves to travel to her immediately. He goes to take his leave from the castle ladies, and maybe even propose, only to learn that Emma is sick.

Miss Carr arrives, intent on securing Lord Osborne’s affections, and discovers that Emma is in her way. She resolves to act against poor Emma - turns out she is Lady Fanny Allston’s cousin, and had been staying with her during the time of Emma’s negotiations for the governess position! Fortunately, the Gordons come to Emma’s defense. Emma receives a letter from Elizabeth, with news that Sam has procured a position and will soon be able to offer Emma a home.

Ch 9: Miss Carr finally has an opportunity to fully share her dirt on Emma. Lady Gordon dresses her down: “Excuse my saying that if Lady Fanny did not object to employing the man in question as a physician, she had no right to take umbrage if another permitted him as a companion.” Lord Osborne resolves to travel to Croydon in order to prove Emma’s innocence, perhaps even duel Mr. Morgan, then return and propose.

Ch 10: Lady Gordon plans a party. The day before, Lord Osborne returns and presents to Miss Carr a packet of testimonials supporting Emma’s character. We get a recounting of his detective work - he traced the rumors about Emma to Miss Jenkins, a close friend of Margaret’s. The experience has increased his confidence; he is ready to propose.

Ch 11: The day of the party. After the meal, the group travels to a forest spring and encounters a Roma woman who offers Lord Osborne a silver cup to drink from: "'It is a magic cup. Carry that cup steadily to your lips, full to the brim, without losing a drop, and it betides you success in your life's undertakings.'” He drinks, then refills and hands the cup to Emma, who takes a sip then dumps the rest out. And so the Roma woman curses her, I guess? IDK this is a mess - Emma has met her before, the day Mr. Howard escorted her and Margaret home. Curiously, the author only mentions this now.

Ch 12: That night, the ball. Emma will not to dance due to her ankle. She withdraws to the conservatory, where Lord Osborne finds her. He tells her of his travels to clear her name and declares his love. She asks him to stop, but they are interrupted by a scream from the ballroom - Sir William runs in and shares the news that Mr. Howard is dead! After withdrawing, Emma despairs:

Happiness was fled from her for ever; she could not expect to meet it again. A calm, dull future spread before her, uncheered by love, or home, or hope. Her affections blighted in their first spring, were for ever destroyed, and if she could learn resignation that was the utmost she could look forward to.

Miss Carr cannot read the room the next day: "'How miserably uncomfortable everything seems to-day. I cannot imagine why the death of this man—even supposing he is dead—should derange everybody here to such a degree.'” She and Emma go to breakfast together, where Emma finds three letters waiting for her: one from Miss Bridge, one from Elizabeth, and the third - FROM MR. HOWARD! It is his own declaration of love, postmarked nearly two weeks before. “Could she but have told him of her feelings—but now he would never know them.”

Ch 13: Emma returns to the castle, and soon finds herself alone again with Lord Osborne. However, he has lost his courage: “To have expressed all his feelings would have been impossible even for an eloquent man—his love was so mingled with jealousy, his hope with doubt, and his satisfaction with regret.” He presses Emma for an answer to his proposal, and she formally declines. He realizes she loved Mr. Howard and takes it in stride:

"Poor fellow, he did not live to know that, I am sorry for him!"

There was something in the manner of this very unexpected admission which quite overpowered Emma's heroism; it was so different from what she had expected; she covered her face and burst into tears.

He sat looking at her, then said, "Don't Miss Watson, pray don't cry—it makes me so very uncomfortable; but indeed I do pity our poor friend, and the more so because loving you so very much myself, I feel what he has lost; and I am so sorry for you too; you must have felt it—the shock of his death I mean."

Ch 14: Oops Mr. Howard isn’t dead.

Reunited with his friends, they rejoice at Mr. Howard’s ongoing life. He’s desperate to see Emma but she has hidden: “in fact she had shut herself into her own room, to give utterance, in grateful thanks, to the emotions which swelled her heart; emotions far too powerful for words.”

Lady Gordon arranges a meeting in the library and the two lovers are finally united:

"And though you would not write, you will condescend now to answer that letter by word of mouth," taking her hand in both of his; "I am sure you are too generous wilfully to torment me—and if you had known how much pain your silence gave me, you would not have allowed it to last so long."

"Mr. Howard," said Emma, looking up, but making no attempt to withdraw her hand; "I only received that letter yesterday morning; and as I then thought you were dead—you cannot imagine the pain which the receipt of it occasioned me."

Ch 15: Two days later, Lord Osborne learns of the death of another rector under his patronage. He offers the living, an improvement on his current post, immediately to Mr. Howard, who travels there at the end of the week to make arrangements. Soon after Emma returns to Croydon for Elizabeth’s wedding, where she stays with Mr. Bridge and his sister. She is greeted by Elizabeth, but also, Sam!

Ch 16: Talk of Lord Osborne’s visit to Croydon in Emma’s honor has circulated, and the ladies of the town are now eager to be in Emma’s good graces. A flirtation is established between Sam and Annie Millar.

Ch 17: As Elizabeth’s wedding approaches, Emma again often has to be in Mr. Morgan’s presence. He conspires to befriend Sam and crashes an expedition to a neighborhood Park. Sam stays by Emma’s side, until he is distracted by Annie. Emma is left alone with Mr. Morgan; he accuses her of loving him, even though she’s been avoiding him. He even pledges to stoop to the “yoke of matrimony”, among other things. Fortunately Sam comes back. Emma is rattled but otherwise unharmed, and no one has seen her alone with Mr. Morgan.

Ch 18: Mr. Morgan and Alfred Freemantle have had too much to drink and take a row boat out on the Park’s lake with two young ladies. Alfred attempts to scare them by making the boat roll - they both start to stand and fall on him, making the boat turn over. The ladies are immediately rescued. Alfred quickly follows. But Mr. Morgan has not resurfaced. A search commences with no luck. Sam and George Millar stay, but the rest of the horror-stricken party must return home.

Ch 19: Emma is out walking, processing the previous day, when she is surprised by Mr. Howard! He is alarmed to find her crying and she relays her history with Mr. Morgan. Mr. Howard has his own bad news - the rectory of his new post must be rebuilt and they will need to delay their wedding. Fortunately Sam is preparing to set up his own household and has a home to offer Emma. Several months later, he becomes engaged to Annie Millar.

But also - Emma’s aunt has escaped her quickie marriage with her fortune intact. She reconciles with Emma, giving Emma a very large wedding present and pledges to leave her estate to Emma and Sam. She takes up a house in Mr. Howard’s new parish in order to give the couple a home so that they can marry immediately.

Lord Osborne joins the army and fights abroad, returning ten years later with a Spanish bride whose eyes are very much like Emma’s.