to persuade her father and Elizabeth to retrench--I think it was more of a matter of "if anyone can, it will be LR, but I won't hold my breath"--if I may be allowed to imagine Anne's thoughts with so little eloquence! I do, however, believe that Anne's opinion of LR and her advice changed greatly long before the events in this novel. Anne declined to marry Charles Musgrove only three years after the rupture of her engagement with Captain Wentworth, and LR "had lamented her refusal" because she wanted to see Anne comfortably situated. Anne may have understood the importance of financial arrangements in marriage, but Charles's standing was not enough to tempt her, and she was not a snob! So she has already rejected LR's advice...I'd love to comment further, but I'm sure it would involve chapter jumping, so I will end here!