I have a warm spot in my heart for Admiral and Mrs. Croft, especially after developing their relationship through their counterparts in The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen. (According to my premise in that book, Jane Austen modeled the fictitious Admiral and Mrs. Croft after a real-life couple by the name of Crowe, of whom she thought very highly.)
This is a “missing scene” about the Crofts that I wrote some time ago but decided to share with you today! It takes place the day the party from Uppercross walked to Winthrop (which also happens to be their anniversary). If you remember, the Crofts, at Cpt. Wentworth’s insistence, gave a weary Anne a ride home in their gig. The following scene is what happened next.
Anne was still in the lane; and though instinctively beginning to decline, she was not allowed to proceed. The admiral’s kind urgency came in support of his wife’s; they would not be refused; they compressed themselves into the smallest possible space to leave her a corner, and Captain Wentworth, without saying a word, turned to her, and quietly obliged her to be assisted into the carriage. (Persuasion, chapter 10)
After depositing Anne at Uppercross cottage, Admiral and Mrs. Croft continued on toward Kellynch at a gentle pace, the admiral returning to a former topic by and by.
“As I was saying to Miss Elliot before, my dear, sailors cannot afford to go in for long courtships during war, and who knows how long this current peace will hold? Your brother must not tarry about the business of choosing one Miss Musgrove or the other if they are to preserve time to enjoy themselves before he returns to sea.”
“I should very much like to see Frederick well married,” returned Mrs. Croft. “I only hope he will not be in too much of a rush to the altar. I like the Miss Musgroves well enough, but, upon further reflection, I am convinced it will take more than an a little beauty and a few smiles to win my brother’s heart. He deserves a wife with a strong mind and sweetness of temper as well. This is how he has described to me the woman he wants.”
“So, you see he has been thinking on the subject seriously.”
“Yes, and I trust it will serve as some protection against an overly impulsive choice.”
“Ah, that is where you are mistaken, Sophie. Like all men, he thinks he will judge soundly, but it is more probable he will lose his head and end by making a very stupid match.”
“For shame, Caspian! How can you say such a thing? This is no very fine compliment to me, I fear, or to yourself either. And on our anniversary too!”
“Patience, my dear, he said, patting her hand affectionately. “Patience. I only meant to say that I deserve none of the credit. I lost my head like every other young fool in love. But I had the great good fortune to lose both head and heart to a woman of superior worth. We must hope your brother has the same good luck. Which Miss Musgrove it is to be, I cannot say, for I can never learn to know one from the other. When Frederick introduces the young lady to us as our future sister, that will be time enough to remember her name.”
Mrs. Croft shook her head in wonder, thinking to herself that she was the one who had been gifted with unexpected good fortune in this man. Had not that storm years ago forced the admiral – a captain then – into the port town where she lived, seeking emergency repairs to his ship, they would never have met. What might have become of her then? Perhaps she’d have married somebody else eventually, but she could hardly imagine that she would have been as happy.
Between herself and her husband, there was more depth of affection and mutual respect than she would have dared to hope for. No love sonnets were required to prove it; it was understood between them, conveyed in the most seemingly insignificant gestures – the smallest look, word, or touch. The light burned so steadily bright between them that it could not be denied.
Sometimes she wondered if their uncommonly strong bond was the natural outgrowth of their compatible dispositions or if it could only have been forged by their weathering trials and dangers together over the course of the years. She thought once again of their private sorrow of having no children. No, they had not enjoyed that blessing, but there were other compensations…
The admiral interrupted his wife’s reverie. “What shall we do when we reach home… to further celebrate our anniversary, I mean?” he asked.
“We need not make a fuss. Remember, we agreed to keep it to ourselves. Frederick, from all appearances, did not connect any special significance to the date, and there is no reason anybody else should know. We have had our drive in the country, as I wished for, and I have ordered a fine dinner. I need nothing more to make me happy.”
“Nothing?”
“Nothing I can think of.”
“Well, Mrs. Croft, it is lucky you have me here. I have one or two more ideas for making you happy before we blow the candles out tonight, things you may have forgotten or are too proper to propose in the light of day.”
Mrs. Croft considered that she could pretend to be shocked by her husband’s suggestive words or deny that she understood his meaning altogether. They knew each other far too well for that, however. Instead, she simply smiled to herself for the thought of what lay ahead. It was a time-honored anniversary tradition, after all, and tradition must be observed. Who was she to dispute that fact?
I hope you enjoyed this “missing scene” starring the Crofts from Persuasion, and I hope you’ll also read about the Crowes in The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen. What do you like about the Crofts? It just occurred to me that they might deserve to have their own book. What do you think?
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Shannon Winslow's "Jane Austen Says..." 
Yes!!! Please write a book about one of my favorite couples from my favorite Jane Austen novel.
Love your enthusiasm, Mary! But I literally never thought about the possibility before today, so we’ll see. In the meantime, I hope you’ll read about the Crowes in TPoMJA. I enjoyed writing them while picturing the Crofts so much!
A very cute scene — I love this couple as well. My only critique is that Marguerite was not Mrs. Croft’s name. Her name is given in the original novel as Sophia.
You’re absolutely right, Christina! I’m trying to remember how this might have happened. (As I said, I wrote this quite a while ago.) I think I tripped myself up, confusing the two couples – the Crofts and the Crowes. Mrs. Crowe’s name is Marguerite! I wrote a whole post about how hard it was to keep the names straight. Here is the proof. (Name corrected in post. Thanks!)
You’re very welcome for the assist! I am always hesitant about critiques these days, but I am glad you took it in the spirit it was intended. And actually, Caspian makes for a good name for a sailor, as I believe there is a Caspian Sea.
Yes, there is!
We all make mistakes. Embarrassing but true. I’d rather get them corrected as soon as possible.
Here’s the bit from the post I mentioned, plus the link, in case you’re interested:
…I have no choice with a sequel; I need to do the best I can with the cast of character names I have inherited from the original. And you would think I’d have learned my lesson in the process. But I actually set myself a bigger challenge in The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen, where I wrote two stories running parallel – what was happening in Jane’s own life set alongside what she described in Persuasion as a reflection of it. I had two of everything: two heroines (Anne and Jane), two captains (Wentworth and Devereaux), and two admirals (Croft and Crowe). The admirals were the hardest to keep straight because of the similarity of names. Argggh! And no one to blame this time but myself.
(https://shannonwinslow.com/2017/12/28/william-fitzwilliam-and-fitzwilliam/)
As a die hard Pride and Prejudice fanatic I don’t often dwell on the other novels, but I do like the Crofts. If they can just give up on the idea of a Miss Musgrove and give their support to Anne I will like them even more.
Don’t worry. I’m sure that if they were ready to be satisfied with a mere Miss Musgrove they will be delighted with the upgrade to Anne Elliot!