you mention does not tell us what Jane herself thinks of it, though. Mr.Knightley does seem to spend time with them. And he is pointed in his enquiries regarding her health, actually uses his carriage so that he can be useful to her, and so on.

That's why I am curious to know what Jane herself thought of any possibility of marriage to Mr.Knightley. After all, if Mr.Cole has the guts(I would not have dared;) to ask Mr.Knightley, why not Mrs.Cole to JF? Perhaps the rumour made her reluctant to accept charity from him or be more open with him...