Summary

Chapter 5 began with Frances Knight overhearing Adeline and Dr. Gray’s conversation from her window seat in the Great House. She listened as they discussed characters like Mr. Knightley and Fanny Price, analyzing their motives and likeability. Frances contemplated her loneliness; her father was dying, and she would become the last surviving Knight. She felt the weight of her responsibility to preserve their ancestral legacy, and over time, she had lost the will to engage with the outside world. As it began to rain, Frances asked Josephine, the cook, to suggest that Adeline be driven home by the stableboy, Tom. When she offered, Adeline refused, preferring to visit the newborn lamb in the barn. Adam and Tom were tending the lamb, and upon Adeline and Dr. Gray’s leave, Tom suggested that Dr. Gray had romantic feelings for Adeline. On Adam’s walk...