“If anyone finds out, it will ruin him.”
Why it's great
One short threat of ruin raises the stakes and makes the secret feel dangerous.
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Neutral
Use it yourself
If anyone finds out, it will ruin the surprise.
00:00 / 03:24
00:00 / 03:24
Lucy Reveals Her Secret Engagement, Explained
Sense and Sensibility · 1995
Chapter 15 of 27 · 3'24"
Lucy confides in Elinor that she is secretly engaged to Edward, and begs her to keep the secret — "If anyone finds out, it will ruin him." Then Mrs. Jennings sweeps everyone into a plan: she will take Lucy and the Dashwood sisters to London, and "will brook no refusal."
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:02–0:28
Lucy Swears Elinor to Secrecy
26s - 0:43–1:40
Mrs. Jennings Invites Them to London
58s - 1:53–3:22
❝ Monologue · 4 lines The Sisters Wait and Lucy Confides
89s
Lucy Reveals Her Secret Engagement, explained
What happens
Lucy takes Elinor aside and confesses that she and Edward are secretly engaged, asking Elinor to protect the secret. Meanwhile Mrs. Jennings announces that she is going to London and will bring Lucy and the Dashwood sisters with her, refusing to take no for an answer. Marianne is thrilled to think she will see Willoughby.
What's really going on
The scene is built on two secrets in the same room. Lucy tells Elinor about her engagement to Edward, the man Elinor herself loves, and asks her to keep quiet because 'if anyone finds out, it will ruin him.' That choice turns Elinor's politeness into a mask; she must listen and smile while her own hopes are quietly dismantled. Then Mrs. Jennings, who knows nothing, cheerfully engineers the trip that will carry everyone to London — including Lucy, the last person Elinor wants near Edward. The invitation is kind and unstoppable at once: 'I will brook no refusal.' What the sisters carry to bed that night is the distance between Marianne's open delight and Elinor's silence.
Key lines & what they mean
- “If anyone finds out, it will ruin him.”
- Lucy's reason for demanding silence: revealing the engagement would destroy Edward's prospects.
- “It is the best plan in the world!”
- Mrs. Jennings's delight at her own scheme to carry the young women off to London.
- “I will brook no refusal, Miss Dashwood.”
- Her firm invitation, which leaves the Dashwoods no polite way to decline.
- “I shall see Willoughby, and you will see Edward!”
- Marianne's happy assumption that the trip means seeing their suitors, which she speaks for both sisters.
- “I do not believe you feel as calm as you look. Not even you.”
- Marianne's remark that Elinor cannot be as unruffled as she appears, though Elinor gives nothing away.
- “Secrecy is vital. He'll never be able to call.”
- Lucy's warning that Edward's visits must stay hidden, since a formal call would expose the engagement.
Theme
- Secrets — Lucy burdens Elinor with a secret engagement that must not be revealed, forcing Elinor to hide her own feelings.
- Romance — Elinor must remain gracious while listening to the woman secretly engaged to the man she loves.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
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Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“It is the best plan in the world!”
Why it's great
A childlike superlative plus an exclamation mark captures her whole noisy, generous enthusiasm.
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Informal
Use it yourself
That is the best idea in the world.
“I will brook no refusal, Miss Dashwood.”
Why it's great
She turns an invitation into a command, and the forcefulness is both warm and overbearing.
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Formal
Use it yourself
I will brook no refusal; dinner is at eight.
“I shall see Willoughby, and you will see Edward!”
Why it's great
She names both their hopes in one breath, and the echo quietly exposes the difference between them.
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Informal
Use it yourself
I shall see the coast, and you will see your family.
“I do not believe you feel as calm as you look. Not even you.”
Why it's great
She sees through the calm face and adds not even you, refusing to let her sister stand apart.
Register
Neutral
Use it yourself
You do not look as calm as you sound on the phone.
“Secrecy is vital. He'll never be able to call.”
Why it's great
The flat statement that secrecy is vital makes the constraint on their love feel absolute.
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Formal
Use it yourself
Secrecy is vital until the papers are signed.
Monologue
One character carrying the scene — shadow the whole passage❝ Lucy on jealousy
Oh. I'm of rather a jealous nature. If he talked more of one young woman than any other... But he's never given a moment's alarm on that count. Imagine how glad he'll be to learn that we are friends.
She calls herself jealous, then boasts that Edward never worried her once, all in a sweet voice.
Up next · 16once and for allThe scene: Brandon Asks About WilloughbyTakeaways
What you walk away with- Mrs. Jennings makes an invitation sound like an order.
- Marianne's joy and Elinor's silence run side by side.
- Lucy's modesty is a way of boasting.
- A secret kept is a burden carried alone.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhy is Lucy's engagement to Edward a secret?
Because Edward's family would oppose it, and Lucy says that if anyone finds out, it will ruin him. She makes Elinor promise not to tell.
Why does Mrs. Jennings invite the Dashwood sisters to London?
She wants their company and enjoys arranging other people's lives. She plans to bring Lucy and both sisters with her and refuses to accept a refusal.
Why does Elinor object to the trip?
She says they cannot leave their mother. But her mother insists she can spare them, so the objection is brushed aside.
What does "brook no refusal" mean?
It means to allow no refusal. Mrs. Jennings uses it to make clear that the Dashwood sisters have no polite way to decline her invitation.
What troubles Elinor about the invitation?
The trip will bring her to London with Lucy, whose secret engagement to Edward she must now keep, and with the man she loves still out of reach.