One morning ten days after Mrs. Churchill's death, Mr. Weston comes with an urgent request for Emma to come see Mrs. Weston for news about a "most unaccountable business." Emma becomes more and more inquisitive and upset on the way, but for once Mr. Weston will not divulge anything prematurely.
Left alone with an ill-looking Mrs. Weston, Emma learns that Frank has come over to see them that very morning and to break the news that he and Jane Fairfax have been long and secretly engaged—since they were together at Weymouth in October, in fact. Emma is first agitated about her former conversations with Frank about Jane and then in regard to "poor Harriet." She now has to reassure Mrs. Weston that, though briefly it was otherwise, she is not in love with Frank. While Mrs. Weston shows her relief "with tears of joy," Emma states that Frank is greatly to blame for deceiving everyone. After her friend defends him, she speaks out for "upright integrity" and cries out at the indelicacy of letting Jane be "on the point of going as governess." But Frank has known nothing of this until yesterday, after which time he immediately headed for Highbury to see Jane. Mr. Churchill has given his consent to the engagement, and Emma thinks regretfully that he would have done the same for Harriet. When she thinks of Mr. Dixon, she blushes; but in spite of all the upsetting news, she musters her reserves to set Mr. Weston at ease when he re-enters. She does so well, in fact, that on the way home with her Mr. Weston begins to think that the engagement is the best step that Frank could have taken.
