"Persuasion" is the story of a second chance of lost love. Anne Elliot is the second daughter of Sir Walter Elliot, a proud and foolish baronet. Sir Walter Elliot is a widower with no son, so his land will go to a cousin, William Elliot. Eight years before the story begins, Anne had been engaged to a young naval officer, Frederick Wentworth. However, her mother's friend Lady Russell persuaded her to break off the engagement because he had no fortune. Sadly, she had done so, and Wentworth had angrily left her. Austen writes: "She had been forced into prudence in her youth, she learned romance as she grew older–the natural sequel (following) of an unnatural beginning." Later, Cassandra Austen wrote beside it in her copy of "Persuasion", "Dear, dear Jane! This deserves to be written in letters of gold." Eight years later, her younger sister Mary has married a neighbor, Charles Musgrove. Anne is growing older, her family does not care about her, and she greatly regrets breaking off the engagement.