I know how Cheryl loves to see our heroes tortured ;-) !

This thread was making me think that perhaps, rather than this being any sort of a strain or a difficulty to call her 'Anne', all the weeks of being together before and calling her/refering to her as 'Miss Elliot' or 'madam' or even "Anne Elliot", either aloud or in his thoughts, must have been a kind of torture for him. It must have required a deliberate effort to do it, because she was really always "Anne" in his mind and in his heart.