Sickens to read contents in Austen’s novel (9)

I believe the answer is:

nauseates

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'sickens' is the definition.
('nauseate' can be a synonym of 'sicken')

I don't understand how the remainder of the clue works.

(Another definition for nauseates that I've seen is " disgust".)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.

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