When Elinor finds out that Willoughby has rushed off for London “indefinitely” due to work and has abandoned Marianne in the process, she believes there is something more duplicitous going on, foreshadowing the news of Willoughby’s involvement in a sexual scandal and, later, his engagement to Miss Grey:
Elinor’s uneasiness was at least equal to her mother’s. She thought of what had just passed with anxiety and distrust. Willoughby’s behaviour in taking leave of them, his embarrassment, and affectation of cheerfulness, and, above all, his unwillingness to accept her mother’s invitation, a backwardness so unlike a lover, so unlike himself, greatly disturbed her.
Readers learn later that Elinor was right—Willoughby fled after being disinherited by his aunt due to an affair that he had with Eliza that resulted in her becoming pregnant. What’s more, he was not going to London for work but to find a wealthy woman to marry so that he could maintain his class position, something that Marianne could not offer him.
Though Elinor judges Willoughby harshly for his behavior and attempt to cover up the truth (hurting Marianne in the process), she ultimately forgives him once he explains himself. Here Austen hints that it is inadvisable to judge people's characters before getting to know them and their stories. In having Elinor forgive Willoughby, she shows that it is possible for people to redeem themselves even after causing harm to others.
