The Woodlanders Chapter 32

In which Melbury, burdened with paternal concern and resolved to confront delicate matters, ventures boldly to Hintock House to beseech Mrs. Charmond’s kindness towards his daughter, despite the fraught tensions lurking beneath polite discourse. Mrs. Charmond, at first defensive and unsettled by the unexpected appeal, retreats into a storm of conflicting feelings as the morning wanes and unforeseen callers intrude upon her solitude.