The briefest of cameos from Tim Wilkinson informs us that due to inheritance rules, the second “Mrs. Dashwood” (Gemma Jones) and her daughters are going to be at the mercy of his son upon his demise. That fellow (James Fleet) is actually quite a kindly soul, but his rather more mercenary wife “Fanny” (Harriet Walter) reckons they can be left to get by with just their annuity of £500. With daughters “Elinor” (Emma Thompson); “Marianne” (Kate Winslet) and “Margaret” (Emilie François) to keep, that’s going to be quite a task. Luckily, widower distant cousin “Sir John” (Robert Hardy) and his…