From the description, it sounds to me like JA expected her readers to agree that it was a *good* thing Lady Russell took such an interest in Anne, especially since nobody else did! As Cheryl points out, she would have been all in favour of Anne marrying Charles Musgrove. IMO, you're thinking of a later part of the book, which we haven't gotten to yet. ;-) So far, I like her quite a lot, and it seems obvious that her heart is in the right place, which for me covers a multitude of sins, especially in that family where genuine affection seems like a foreign concept!