WAAAAY back in Chapter two the ground work is laid for LR's eagerness to see WWE's preference for Anne returned.

"She had a cultivated mind, and was, generally speaking, rational and consistent - but she had prejudices on the side of ancestry; she had a value for rank and consequence, which blinded her a little to the faults of those who possessed them..."

She and Anne have a very basic difference of opinion here. Anne's preference is for the warmth of Uppercross, with all its burdens, and of course for the Naval friends that might have been hers. Her preference is for the Crofts, and even for their possession of Kellynch, as opposed to "Cold and Colder" (I love that!) Here is something LR doesn't understand about the mature Anne. Here is something Anne senses WWE is lacking, even if she is only acting on instinct, not evidence (yet...)Anne's preference is for true nobility, not just titles.