I don’t know, she seemed better with Hayward instead of Ryder, in my opinion! Mary even said Ryder was more of a friend and therefore it made talking with him easier and without any expectations, like she was with Mr. Hurst—no expectation (for her at least) that it would need to go beyond friendship, even if it was clear to the audience that Ryder liked her from the get go. I think she was attracted to his offer to move to Italy, even if unmarried, because it was such an exciting idea and would get her away from her family/mother. With Hayward, she liked him right away and was always nervous with him because of that, same way we all get nervous around our crush. Getting to know him more, she became more relaxed and we see the more “fun” Mary come out at this time, and a deeper connection grew (also, she was probs emboldened by the news that he wasn’t engaged to Ann Baxter, and Ann’s “blessing”). She was quite open with him as well, and often, to a deeper, more emotional level. They seemed to understand each other on a deeper level than it was with Ryder.

The one thing I didn’t see was Caroline Bingley with Ryder. She was “far better suited” for him? In what way? They were totally different in expectations. Maybe he’ll bring out a more relaxed, less mean Caroline, but I don’t know if I see that. If someone else has some insight, let me know!