After the excitement of Lyme, Anne is now with Lady Russell at Kellynch Lodge, but longing for news of Louisa et al, and then…

"The first three or four days passed most quietly, with no circumstance to mark them excepting the receipt of a note or two from Lyme, which found their way to Anne, she could not tell how,"

She received letters from Lyme, but doesn't know who wrote them or how they came to be in her possession? This seems very odd - and mysterious. When she and Lady Russell visit the Crofts, she discovers the source of the letters:

"Captain Wentworth had been in Kellynch yesterday (the first time since the accident), had brought Anne the last note, which she had not been able to trace the exact steps of…" (ch 13)

And, moreover,

" He had enquired after her, she found, particularly; had expressed his hope of Miss Elliot's not being the worse for her exertions, and had spoken of those exertions as great. This was handsome, and gave her more pleasure than almost any thing else could have done." (ch 13)

Wow. First of all, how very nice of Frederick to keep Anne informed, to know that she would be anxious for news and to know that perhaps the Musgroves, busy as they were, might not think of writing to her.

Secondly, he has obviously not signed these letters. Why? We've talked before about how intimate letter-writing is. Did he feel that signing his name was too much? I assume these were brief "Just the facts, ma'am" notes. If he were to write actual, personalized letters, would that be an act of intimacy he wasn't ready for yet?

Thirdly, the praise of and interest he showed in Anne in his conversation with his sister is marked. I wonder how closely Sophy took note of it. She obviously did, for she repeated it to Anne, who received it with great pleasure. I wonder how much Anne mulled over Mrs Croft's words when she got back home? And if she reread those letters with different eyes, now that she knew who the writer was. ;-)