One of Emma's reasons for helping Harriet, is that she must be the daughter of a gentleman. Obviously someone paid for her schooling, and is keeping her as a parlour-boarder, but does that mean that its her father?

Could it be her mother or grandparents? If her mother was a gentleman's daughter and she fell in love with the local farmer or something, would Harriets grandparents have placed her in a home, and then finally Mrs Goddards school?

I'm not sure if it would be possible, but the thought keeps coming up everytime I read Emma's "defense"

Fannie