[3] Despite a certain sharpness of tongue,[4] his genuine qualities are revealed for example by his disappointment when he sees Emma insult Miss Bates, a spinster of modest means.[8] In the course of the story, Emma believes that she falls briefly in love with a young, handsome man named Frank Churchill.[10] Frank Churchill's guardian—his aunt—dies, and he is now free to publicise his engagement to Jane Fairfax, which had been kept secret to avoid his domineering aunt's disapproval.Emma becomes very unhappy; finally it dawns on her that she loves Mr. Knightley—and has for a time, apparently unconsciously[11]—and is distressed as she believes Mr. Knightley and Harriet to be on the verge of marriage.Mr. Knightley is in London, visiting his brother John and sister-in-law Isabella (Emma's sister), when he is apprised of Churchill's clandestine engagement.
1898 illustration of the wedding of George Knightley and Emma Woodhouse
