“You must excuse me, indeed you must excuse me,” cried Fanny, growing more and more red from excessive agitation, and looking distressfully at Edmund. He was kindly observing her. But unwilling to exasperate his brother by interference, he gave her only an encouraging smile.

Lord Eastwind watched them. He then slowly started to raise his hand, palm up, in a peculiar gesture.

Fanny’s entreaty had no effect on Tom: he only repeated the same. And it was not merely Tom, for the requisition was now backed by Maria, and Mr. Crawford, and Mr. Yates, with an urgency which differed from his but in being more gentle or more ceremonious, and which altogether was quite overpowering to Fanny. Before she could breathe after it, Mrs. Norris completed the whole by thus addressing her in a whisper at once angry and audible—“What a piece of work here is about nothing: I am quite ashamed of you, Fanny, to make such a difficulty of obliging your cousins in a trifle of this sort—so kind as they are to you! Take the part with a good grace, and let us hear no more of the matter.”

Lord Eastwind moved his raised hand palm down and pointed at the doors.

In that moment two servants entered, both in somewhat ill-fitting clothing and with horrendously bad skin. In unison they inquired very politely whether there was anything needed by the ladies and gentlemen—tea service perhaps?

The unhappy tension was broken. Tom shooed the servants out, saying that it was a mistake and nothing was required. But they seemed to ignore him and instead had their faces—dark-skinned and windblown—turned to Lord Eastwind, who nodded silently.

“Do not urge her, madam,” said Edmund to Mrs. Norris, finding his voice at last. “It is not fair to urge her in this manner. You see she does not like to act. Let her chuse for herself. Her judgment may be safely trusted. Do not urge her any more.”

“I am not going to urge her,” replied Mrs. Norris sharply, barely suppressing an angry yelp; “but she is a very obstinate, ungrateful girl, if she does not do what her aunt and cousins wish her—very ungrateful, indeed, considering who and what she is.”