Page 141 of Murder in Highbury
“How so?”
“Well, first, he said it was a great relief to speak with me, because I better than anyone could understand his present state.” He waved a vague hand. “He meant as a fellow widower, of course. But he has such a different view of the matter than I. After losing your dear mother, I never contemplated the wedded state again. After all, how could one replace such a woman? To even consider it at that time was out of the question.”
Even though Emma had been very young when her mother died, she could still recall the depth of her father’s grief. And she’d been living with the aftermath of that grief and the effect on his temperament for all these many years.
“That was perfectly understandable,” she replied. “But how does his view differ from yours?”
“Mr. Elton said that, despite his grief, he had too great a regard for the married state to remain a widower. In fact, as a cleric, he felt it his duty to remarry as an example to his parishioners, preferably sooner than later.”
Something instinctively recoiled in Emma, giving her pause.
“I’ll grant that it was strange for him to speak of such matters so closely upon the heels of his wife’s death,” she cautiously said. “But perhaps he was simply rambling. He’s been somewhat scattered since Mrs. Elton’s passing.”
Father shook his head. “No, he spoke quite decisively about it. He expects to remarry within a year’s time, and he seems certain to find a lady of equal stature and standing as Mrs. Elton.”
Emma felt her eyes go wide. In fact, she rather imagined them popping right out of their sockets. This sounded much like the Mr. Elton of old, the man who had betrothed himself to Augusta Hawkins within weeks of swearing undying devotion to Emma.
“What an extraordinary thing to say,” she managed.
“I was surprised, as well, my dear. Indeed, I was so astonished that I quite forgot myself and asked him a rather impertinent question.”
Emma waited, but he simply gazed at her pensively.
“Father, what was the question?” she finally prompted.
“I suppose it wasn’t so much a question as an observation,” he replied.
“Which was?”
“That despite one’s obligations to one’s vocation, one should never rush into these matters. I advised him that the widowed state could indeed be preferable, especially for a man of the cloth. Having once lost a spouse, one doesn’t wish to take the risk of losing another. That would bemostregrettable.”
She had to stifle an inappropriate impulse to laugh, since he made it sound as if Mr. Elton had simply misplaced Mrs. Elton as one would a set of keys. But lurking underneath that impulse was something decidedly lacking in humor. Uneasiness was growing within her, and it was of a piece to the unsettling conversation she’d had with Frank and the others at Randalls.
“I strongly advised Mr. Elton to resist any such decision for two years, if not longer,” her father added.
“And how did he respond to that advice?”
“He said he could not afford to wait.”
Again, she felt that strange sense of disorientation come over her, as it had at Randalls.
“I assume he was referring to his financial situation?” she asked. “Did he discuss that with you?”
Her father grimaced. “Indeed he did. I fear Mr. Elton is in very straitened circumstances, Emma. I believeimpoverishedis the word he used.”
“But how is that possible?” she exclaimed. “Of course the loss of his wife’s fortune was a terrible blow, but he has his own independence—and his living as Highbury’s vicar. He will be forced to economize, but he is hardly penniless.”
“Not according to Mr. Elton. Apparently, Mr. Suckling invested and lost his money, too.”
Emma now felt like she was wading through a field of mud. “Do you mean Mr. Elton’s personal independence? Because I understood that was separate from Mrs. Elton’s fortune.”
“I must admit he was rather vague on that point,” he replied. “And it was such a muddle that I grew quite confused. He said so many things, Emma. I confess they didn’t all make sense to me.”
Or to her, either, which was immensely frustrating.
“It certainly sounds confusing,” she replied as she struggled to maintain a calm demeanor. “But I do wonder how this came about, and how Mr. Elton was apprised of the loss of his personal funds.”
“Ah, I do know that,” her father replied with a triumphant air. “He happened upon a letter from Mr. Suckling to Mrs. Elton that was tucked away in the corner of her—”
