Holton notes that years after Louisa's trip to Abigail's she confessed "that as the stagecoach carried her little family north toward Quincy, her sense of dread approximated that of a prisoner headed to the gallows." This isn't surprising that Abigail has this effect on her. Louisa feels inadequate around Abigail, which seems normal considering Abigail's intelligence and her independence as a woman. It probably was not normal for women of this time to be so in control of everything, which Abigail definitely was.
The dynamic between Louisa and Abigail is an interesting one to read about and though the two are always kind to one another, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of affection there. When Louisa gets sick, it doesn't surprise Abigail at all because she thought that she was going to be some frail, weak being. Holton writes that in Louisa's memoirs she talks about how John had affection...
It doesn't seem that she is threatened by Louisa, but more by the idea of these women were she perceives to be less than she is. Abigail takes great pride in the fact that she is independent and that she has a good financial sense (she is able to put away several thousand dollars, Holton notes) and any women who can't do the same is less than in her eyes. Perhaps it was because Louisa wrote the letter to her earlier saying that she was unhappy in her marriage that Abigail doesn't seem to trust her. it's not clear, but this relationship as Holton depicts it, gives another dimension to Abigail that is just another part of her complex character.
