This was what she had gained by not letting Shadrach Jolliffe, whom she had so faintly loved, carry his affection elsewhere.
Shadrach was a good and honest man, and he had been faithful to her in heart and in deed.

Time had clipped the wings of his love for Emily in his devotion to the mother of his boys: he had quite lived down that impulsive earlier fancy, and Emily had become in his regard nothing more than a friend.

It was the same with Emily's feelings for him.

Possibly, had she found the least cause for jealousy, Joanna would almost have been better satisfied.

It was in the absolute acquiescence of Emily and Shadrach in the results she herself had contrived that her discontent found nourishment.
Shadrach was not endowed with the narrow shrewdness necessary for developing a retail business in the face of many competitors.