Jane Austen's Persuasion has the reader rooting for the protagonists to rekindle their estranged affections. But what of the novel's nemeses? In the end, the wily and impious Mr. Elliot casts aside his carefully groomed reputation and persuades the infamous Mrs. Clay to become his mistress.
But every persuader needs a persuadable partner, and Mrs. Clay is no ing nue; she'd send a Willoughby or a Wickham packing. Though no less calculating...