janeaustentextposts:

Hi hi!

Firstly I wouldn’t say that it’s Totally Okay with Mrs. Ferrars that Robert marries Lucy. The book does stipulate that they’re somewhat out of favour with Mommie Dearest for some time after their marriage, until eventually Robert and Lucy especially can work their asskissing magic and get them back into Mrs. F’s good graces. Also worth noting that Robert is her favourite son already, for no real sensible reason other than he’s the golden child she decided on.

As Edward says: “She will be more hurt by it, for Robert always was her favourite.—She will be more hurt by it, and on the same principle will forgive him much sooner.”

Part of the ‘joke’ is that Mrs. Ferrars only has two sons, and she’s already disinherited one, so her fortune is settled on Robert. (Which is probably why Lucy’s affections begin to shift.) I don’t think she can disinherit her second son without getting into a legal quagmire over where the family money goes when she dies. (Fanny has presumably had hers as her dowry when she married.) So Lucy outplays Mrs. Ferrars in the game by doing the downright slimiest move and snags Robert and his fortune only after Edward has sacrificed every claim to that fortune for her sake. Mrs. Ferrars has already played all her cards in trying to keep Edward from marrying Lucy, and it looked like she failed. And then she double-failed because Lucy married Robert, instead. And Mrs. Ferrars was so angry in wanting to spite Edward that she arranged things in a manner which means Robert will inherit everything.

Mrs. Ferrars certainly isn’t happy with Lucy and Robert, but Lucy’s powers of ingratiating herself are considerable, and Robert’s already a Mama’s boy, and Mama settled all the inheritance on him, so that’s that.

Elinor does wonder if all this means Fanny will get the whole of the inheritance, now; but this never seems to be a serious threat. Mrs. Ferrars’ disinheriting Edward was meant to induce him to break off the engagement, not to undo a marriage–she can’t use disinheritance to threaten Robert in the same manner, as there was scarcely any engagement to be broken–they just jumped straight to marriage.

Lucy just outplayed absolutely everybody, including Mrs. Ferrars, and Austen gives her her proper due for it:

The whole of Lucy’s behaviour in the affair, and the prosperity which crowned it, therefore, may be held forth as a most encouraging instance of what an earnest, an unceasing attention to self-interest, however its progress may be apparently obstructed, will do in securing every advantage of fortune, with no other sacrifice than that of time and conscience.

Translation: Lucy Steele’s story is proof that you can get away with anything if you well and truly commit to only giving a shit about yourself and absolutely nothing and no-one else.