#julia bertram

Jane Austen: and meet Henry Crawford, Mr Rushworth’s crush’s crush

Jane Austen: also meet Fanny Price, Mr Rushworth’s crush’s crush’s crush

Jane Austen: also also meet Edmund Bertram, Mr Rushworth’s crush’s crush’s crush’s crush

Assertive protagonist who is wrong about human nature vs timid protagonist who is extremely perceptive.

Rich guy helps protag's sibling. Should she marry him?

Two very different reactions when protag's cousin proposes marriage

Caroline Bingley vs Mary Crawford: rich woman with a brother (who is in a will they/won't they situation with protag's sister or cousin); she doesn't get the (rich/poor) guy because money and status are so important to her

Lydia's elopement vs Julia's

Parenting failures: Bertrams' main struggle was substance/morals; Bennets' was purely financial, but morals too. (Though some would more closely compare the Bertrams with the Darcys and that's valid too)

It seems like Tom at least knows people in their neighborhood, he has a bunch of possible names for people to play Anhalt, so the Bertrams aren't entirely isolated. We also know that Maria, Julia, and Edmund attended balls in Northampton, where they likely interacted with their neighbours as well. This sentence implies that the Miss Bertrams were known: The Miss Bertrams were now fully established among the belles of the neighbourhood. The only person truly isolated is Fanny, who does not attend the balls or seem to have any friends.

However, I do think more socialization would have done the Bertram girls good, specifically beyond their neighbourhood where they wouldn't have been the biggest fish in the pond. I think going to London for the season regularly would have made a really big difference. Maria marries imprudently because she wants to be out in the world. She and Julia also would have already encountered men like Henry Crawford and known what they were playing at.

This is the last we'll see of this particular bunch of Bertrams for a little while.

Swift on the heels of multiple family birthdays, is the safe arrival of another daughter for Julia and Crawford. They name her Deborah.

Unfortunately, Julius has to miss his first day at high school - and a chance to show off his trendy new haircut - thanks to a bout of pneumonia! (I recently installed the 'realistic sickness' mod from MATY, and had a fright from how rapidly my Sims became seriously ill, and how much care they now need in order not to keel over!)

A bit of TLC from mum is what's needed.

And he's soon feeling well enough to challenge her to a pillow fight...

...and preside over his baby sister's birthday.

~ Libra 4 / 4 / 6 / 5 / 2

~ Eccentric / Mean-Spirited

(Another grump!)

Older brother Francis likes to exercise his mean streak on a regular basis - on this occasion mocking his dad's work colleague Martha for recently losing her mother to the Grim Reaper! How low can you get?

Julius is soon up and about again, and able to join his older siblings at high school, where he starts getting up to youthful hijinks with some of his fellow students, including Annemarie...

Julia stopped dead and even Miss Crawford, usually so self-possessed, blushed and hesitated. Her brother too seemed struck by astonishment at the sight of the party. Only Mr. Yates, whose happy disposition did not admit of any embarrassment, was unperturbed.

“Crawford!” he boomed. “This is capital! No idea you were in the country, let alone in town! It's been years! But of course we should meet at the theatre - where else? You remember my wife, of course? And this is her cousin, Miss Price. Susan, this is the famous Mr. Crawford.”

Susan was as surprised as the others but for different reasons. This was the infamous Mr. Crawford? Her cousin had ruined herself and plunged her family into disgrace for him? Why, he was such a short and slight man! Susan was on the taller side of average for her sex but she was nevertheless unaccustomed to stand eye to eye with a man in the way she was able to with Mr. Crawford. And those expressive, dark features - so elegant and pretty on his sister - were not so attractive on the gentleman. He cut an insignificant sort of figure, especially when put next to the broad bulk of Mr. Yates, who loomed over them all in his usual way. She had only met him briefly many years ago but he had seemed taller and more impressive in her memory.

What was she to say to him? She did not desire an introduction; indeed, Yates probably ought not to have done it. She could not see Julia’s expression but her silence was speech enough. Perhaps she could cut him, she could give him the cut direct and walk straight past him with her head held high and Fanny in her heart… except of course that she did not dare.

In the event, he was the first to speak. The awkwardness and evident embarrassment of his address as well as its obvious insincerity as he reacquainted himself with Mrs. Yates and professed a delight to meet Miss Price gave Susan the courage to respond with a clear and direct look, “How do you do, Mr. Crawford? But we have met before in Portsmouth five years ago; perhaps you do not recall.”

Surprise crossed his face. “I do recall our meeting. How could I forget?”

How indeed? Later, she would think of many retorts, albeit none of them suitable to be spoken aloud. Instead she found herself asking if was enjoying the play. 

“With reservations,” he replied, his gaze never straying from hers. “And yourself, Miss Price?”

“Tolerably,” said Susan at the same time as Mr. Yates jumped in to inform them that this was Miss Price’s first ever visit to the theatre and how important it was that it was to such a wonderful production as The Distress’d Mother and had they ever seen anything so touching as Andromache’s tragic devotion?

“I find her a little too pious for my own taste,” interjected Miss Crawford. “I find myself drawn to Hermione and I cannot feel ashamed of it. But you have a very fine performance in Orestes for your first play, Miss Price. You have chosen well.”

Susan acknowledged that it was so and that she was very much looking forward to seeing him go mad in the final act. Yates declared there was no better actor anywhere in Europe and seemed on the point of anticipating the mad scene itself in the corridor when Julia finally roused herself to insist that the performance must be starting soon and hurried Susan back into the box, leaving the Crawfords behind to make of Mr. Yates’ paroxysms of dramatic enthusiasm what they would.

*reads Mary’s letter alluding to some horrible rumor involving Henry and the Rushworths* 😲 😲 😲 What, was there a duel? Did Henry make a pass at Maria? Did they run away together? (no, that’s ridiculous, they wouldn’t do something that far beyond propriety...)

*reads the newspaper* Oh my gosh, they did!!! Well, at least this can’t get any worse-

*reads about Julia and Yates on their scandalously merry way to Gretna Green* 😱😱😱