] I'd like to go back to before the confession even begins.

] I can only suspect that had Mr. Palmer been at home, the manservant would have been ordered to remove Willoughby from the building post-haste. I'm sure that with the respectful regard Mr. Palmer has for Elinor, his indignation would have been raised by this appallingly rude entrance.

I think we have already established Willoughby had no regard for the rules of society. Perhaps we should not be too surprised at his bursting in unannounced! Yet the actual reasons for Willoughby's confession-the guilts, remorse, or simply wanting the Dashwoods to think slightly less ill of him-still eludes me. Perhaps J.A. left it to her readers' judgement.