...and thus only 9 years old when her mother died. She was then sent away to boarding school, we don't know at what age nor for how long, but it seems that as a result of all this she got less parental attention than her sisters, and unlike Anne had not Lady Russell figure to fill in as a surrogate mother. Her sister Elizabeth, already 15 when their mother died, was clearly too cold and selfish for the role, and Anne was still a few years too young.