THE BENNET FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Elizabeth Bennet—protagonist, the second of five daughters; pragmatic and independent; her father’s
favorite
Miss Jane Bennet—Elizabeth’s older sister; wants to see the best in everyone;
Mary Bennett—the plain, bookish middle sister
Miss Catherine (Kitty) Bennett—easily led and shallow fourth daughter
Lydia Bennet—the youngest sister, flirty and undisciplined
Mr. Bennet—their father, cynical and permissive
Mrs. Bennet—their mother, whose main goal is to find husbands for her daughters
Charlotte Lucas—Elizabeth’s best friend
Sir William and Mrs. Lucas—The Bennets’ neighbors
Mr. Collins—the Bennet girls’ overbearing cousin, a priggish clergyman who stands to inherit Longbourn, the
Bennets’ entailed estate
The Gardiners—Mrs. Bennet’s brother and sister-in-law who live in London
George Wickham—an attractive militia officer stationed near the Bennets

THE BINGLEY FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Mr. Charles Bingley—unmarried, wealthy young man who has leased nearby Netherfield
Miss Caroline Bingley—Mr. Bingley’s sister
Mrs. Hurst—Bingley’s married sister
Mr. Hurst—Bingley’s brother-in-law
Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy—Bingley’s prideful, wealthy friend
Miss Darcy—Darcy’s sister
Col. Fitzwilliam—a relation of Darcy whose status as second son leaves him with little wealth
Lady Catherine de Bourgh—a condescending wealthy snob; patron of Collins; aunt of Darcy

CHAPTER ONE The Bennets

In the early 19th century, the Bennet family lived at their Longbourn estate. Mrs Bennet's greatest desire was
to marry off her five daughters to secure their futures. One day Mrs Bennet told her husband, Mr. Bennet,
that a wealthy gentleman named Charles Bingley had moved into the neighborhood, to the grand estate of
Netherfield Park. Mr. Bingley was unmarried and Mrs Bennet, a foolish and fussy gossip [pettegola sciocca e
pignola], saw Bingley’s arrival as an opportunity for one of the girls to obtain a wealthy spouse. Therefore,
she asked her husband to visit Mr. Bingley so that his daughters could be properly introduced to the eligible
bachelor. However, Mr. Bennet pretended to have no interest in doing so.

CHAPTER TWO New Neighbours at Netherfield

Mr. Bennet informed his family that he eventually had met with Mr. Bingley without their knowing. When he
revealed to Mrs. Bennet and his daughters that he had made their new neighbour’s acquaintance, they were
overjoyed and excited discussing how soon Mr Bingley would have returned Mr Bennet's visit. Meanwhile
Lady Lucas, their neighbour, spoke favourably about Mr. Bingley commenting he was quite young, very good-
looking, extremely agreeable, and that he had planned to be at the next public ball.
A few days later, Mr. Bingley returned the visit, though he did not meet Mr. Bennet’s daughters. Soon after,
the Bennets invited him to dinner, but he refused the invitation because he had to go to London to collect
people for the ball. In fact, he returned soon to Netherfield Park with his two sisters (Miss Caroline and Mrs.
Hurst), his brother-in-law (Mr. Hurst), and a friend named Darcy.

At the ball, the eldest daughter, Jane, danced twice with Mr Bingley and she was noticed by Mr Bingley’s
sisters. Within her sister Elizabeth’s hearing, Bingley exclaimed to Darcy that Jane was “the most beautiful
creature” he had ever beheld. Bingley suggested that Darcy should dance with Elizabeth, but Darcy refused
saying that she was fairly pretty tolerable, but not good-looking enough to tempt him. Although she joked
about it with her friend, Elizabeth was deeply offended. So she took an immediate and understandable
disliking to Darcy. Because of Darcy’s comments and refusal to dance with anyone not rich and well-bred, the
neighbourhood took a similar dislike. Mr Darcy, reputed to be twice as wealthy as Mr Bingley, was haughty
and aloof, causing a decided dislike of him. On the contrary, Mr Bingley's friendly and cheerful manner had
earned him popularity among the guests.

CHAPTER THREE Jane gains an admirer.

As they continue to encounter each other at social events, Mr Darcy secretly began to finds himself attracted
to Elizabeth, appreciating her wit and frankness. At one party at the Lucas house, Sir William attempted to
persuade Elizabeth and Darcy to dance together, but Elizabeth refused.

One day a note arrived at the Bennets inviting Jane to Netherfield Park for dinner. Mrs. Bennet conspired to
send Jane by horse rather than coach, knowing that it would have rained and that Jane would consequently
have to spend the night at Mr. Bingley’s house. Mrs Bennet’s plan worked well: caught in the rain on her way,
Jane caught a bad cold. Then, Elizabeth went to check on her and Miss Bingley invited her to stay as well.
During dinner, in Jane’s absence, Elizabeth was able to observe Mr Bingley's sisters true colors: they
demonstrated a lack of real concern towards Jane and made her feel like an unwelcome guest. Only Mr
Bingley’s anxiety for Elizabeth and Jane seemed sincere to her. Moreover, after dinner, while Elizabeth visited
Jane, Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst ridiculed Elizabeth because of her dirty clothes due to her walking in the
rain and her inferior social position. Darcy and Mr. Bingley defended them, though Darcy conceded that the
Bennets’ lack of wealth and family make them poor marriage prospects. The next morning, Mrs. Bennet with
Lydia and Cathering came to Netherfield to check on Jane. Jane proposed of being taken home but, as
she was not fully recovered she remained at Netherfield with Elisabeth. In the evening, while Miss Bingley
was playing “a lively Scotch air” on the pianoforte, Elizabeth again refuses to dance with Darcy. Her refusal
only increased his admiration, and he considered that “if it were not for her inferior relations, he would be in
some danger of falling in love”. Miss Bingley, observing his attraction, became jealous and wanted Jane to get
better soon so she could get rid of Elizabeth.

The next morning, Elizabeth wrote to her mother to say that she and Jane were ready to return home. Mrs.
Bennet wished Jane to stay longer with Bingley, and she refused to send the carriage. Elizabeth, anxious to
be away, insisted on borrowing Bingley’s carriage and she and her sister left Netherfield Park. Darcy was glad
to see them go, as Elizabeth attracted him “more than he wished,” considering her unsuitability as a prospect
for matrimony. Once Jane and Elizabeth reached home, Mrs. Bennet was not happy to have them back. But
Mr. Bennet was relieved to have them return for the sake of interesting conversation.

CHAPTER FOUR Mr Collins

Soon after Jane and Elizabeth arrived back home, they learned that a cousin, Mr. Collins, would be visiting.
According to the law, Mr. Collins would inherit Longbourn when Mr. Bennet died (since there were no sons).
Because of some past disagreements, Collins had written in a letter that he wanted to make a personal visit
to try to repair the relationship. He also explained that he had been recently ordained as a rector in the parish
of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who became his patroness. Mr. Collins's arrival was awkward. He proved to be
a silly man, easily impressed by wealth and status. He behaved pompously and insulted Mrs. Bennet by
mistakenly assuming that she could not afford a cook. After dinner, Mr. Collins spent a great deal of time
describing the woman who has helped him establish his career in the clergy, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. During
teatime he attempted to read a sermon to the family and when Lydia interrupted him he got offended. As the
narrator explains, Mr. Collins was "not a sensible man," an odd blend of "pride and obsequiousness, self-
importance and humility." Collins told Mrs. Bennet that he was interested in marrying one of her daughters
and expressed an interest in Jane. However, Mrs. Bennet told him she might soon be engaged. He then set
his sights on Elizabeth, the next oldest.

CHAPTER FIVE Mr Wickham

During Mr Collins’ visit, the sisters went to Meryton, where militia officers are stationed for the winter. At
Meryton, they encountered a handsome man named George Wickham. As the sisters were walking and
conversing with the officers, Bingley and Darcy approached the group on horseback. Bingley was warm, but
Darcy seemed removed. Elizabeth noticed that Wickham and Darcy were not on friendly terms. There was a
tense nonverbal exchange between the men that made her curious. The next evening, the sisters arrived at
the home of their aunt, Mrs. Phillips, who lived in Meryton. She had invited the whole group, including Mr.
Collins and Mr. Wickham, to supper and cards. During supper, Wickham revealed to Elizabeth the nature of
the relationship he had with Darcy. He explained that his father worked for Darcy's father, and he and Darcy
essentially grew up together. However, at the time of Darcy’s father death, Wickham was denied his promised
living that Darcy’s father had arranged for him (a position at the rectory that the Darcy family oversaw).
Wickham claimed that the younger Mr. Darcy did not fulfill this promise and gave the position to someone
else. He claimed that the younger Darcy found some kind of loophole [scappatoria] in the arrangement that
also meant Wickham did not receive the money he was promised. Wickham expressed his lack of respect for
Darcy and his sister, saying that people in their neighborhood were disgusted by their pride. Both Elizabeth
and Wickham expressed outrage at the way Wickham was treated. Wickham also told Elizabeth that Lady
Catherine de Bourgh was Darcy's aunt and that Lady Catherine hoped to marry her daughter to Darcy,
combining the two families' fortunes.

CHAPTER SIX The Ball at Netherfield

The next day, Elizabeth shared with Jane the story she had heard about Darcy. Jane was skeptical and thought
that perhaps there was some kind of misunderstanding. As one who tended to look for the best in people,
Jane questioned why Darcy would be so intentionally unfair. But Elizabeth believed that Wickham was
probably telling the truth. Bingley and his sister invited the Bennets to a ball at Netherfield. Mrs. Bennet was
especially excited because she thought that this was a promising sign of Bingley's interest in Jane. Elizabeth
was excited about the ball and the prospect of spending more time with Wickham there. Mr. Collins, who was
also planning to attend, asked Elizabeth if she would reserve the first two dances for him and, even if she
wanted to dance with Wickham, she felt compelled to accept Mr Collins invitation to dance.

However, Wickham did not appear at the ball at Netherfield, and Elizabeth was disappointed. She wondered
if his unease around Darcy led to his absence. She danced with Mr. Collins and was then surprised when Darcy
asked her to dance. She accepted his offer. As they danced, Elizabeth asked him about his relationship with
Wickham, but he seemed uncomfortable with the topic. He also seemed unsettled by the news that there
might be an engagement between his friend Charles Bingley and Jane Bennet. Miss Caroline Bingley
attempted to set Elizabeth straight about Wickham's role in his falling out with Mr. Darcy and told Elizabeth
that the story that Mr Darcy had wronged him was completely untrue. Meanwhile, Mr. Collins, who has
discovered that Darcy was the nephew of his patroness, Lady Catherine, audaciously introduced himself to
Darcy. At dinner, Elizabeth's mother talked loudly to Lady Lucas about what was sure to be an impending
marriage between Jane and Bingley and was overheard, to Elizabeth's dismay, by Darcy. After dinner, Mary
insisted on playing and singing, eliciting laughs from the Bingley sisters who made fun of her. Mrs Bennet left
Netherfield perfectly satisfied. She was fully confident that she would see Jane married in the course of three
or four months. She thought with equal certainty of having another daughter married to Mr Collins. She loved
Elizabeth less than her other daughters, and she thought Mr Collins quite good enough for her.

CHAPTER SEVEN Mr Collins Makes a Proposal of Marriage

In fact, the next dat Mr. Collins surprised Elizabeth with a marriage proposal. She politely turned him down,
and he persisted, not believing that she was sincere in her refusal. He told her that it was not uncommon for
women to pretend to be uninterested. He repeated his offer and listed the many reasons the match would
be a good idea. She insisted that she is not pretending to be uninterested and indeed did not want to marry
him. Mrs. Bennet was extremely upset at the news of the declined marriage proposal. In her mind, a match
with Mr. Collins would have been advantageous in securing her family's future at Longbourn. However, Mr.
Bennet applauded Elizabeth's rejection of Mr. Collins. Even when Mrs. Bennet implored her husband to
intervene, he refused. During this confusion in the Bennet family, Charlotte Lucas came to spend the day with
them. Mr Collins's attentions were now turned to her, which Elizabeth found to be a great relief.

CHAPTER EIGHT Netherfield Is Empty

Jane received a letter from Caroline Bingley explaining that she and her brother would be leaving Netherfield
to spend the winter in London. She also wrote that she thought her brother might marry Darcy's sister,
Georgiana, and about her family's hopes that they would marry. Naturally, Jane was upset by this news.
Elizabeth attempted to comfort her, but she suspected a concerted effort was being made to keep Jane and
Bingley apart.

CHAPTER NINE Mr Collins Makes Another Proposal

During a dinner with the Lucas, Elizabeth was grateful to Charlotte for engaging Mr. Collins in conversation.
But Charlotte had her own motives for talking with Mr. Collins, she wanted to attract him herself. In fact, the
next day, Mr. Collins made a new marriage proposal—this time to Charlotte, Elizabeth's good friend. Charlotte
accepted the proposal and shared the news with Elizabeth the following morning. Charlotte explained to
Elizabeth that she believed the marriage was her best chance to avoid being a spinster. She was less romantic
than Elizabeth and did not think that love was an essential ingredient for marriage. Elizabeth was shocked
that her friend would marry for security in the absence of love.

CHAPTER TEN Jane Goes to London

As for Mrs Bennet, she was astonished and shocked by the news. The failure of her wish to have Mr. Collins
marry one of her daughters, combined with her annoyance that Charlotte Lucas was asked instead, lead her
to fear that Charlotte would turn the Bennets out of their own home. Mrs. Bennet was also anxious about
the absence of Mr. Bingley and what it meant for Jane. A second letter from Caroline Bingley made clear that
Mr. Bingley would not be returning to Netherfield from London. Elizabeth became convinced that Darcy and
Bingley's sisters had persuaded Bingley to keep away from Jane. She became increasingly angry with both
Bingley and Darcy and more drawn to George Wickham. In fact, her whole family became more negative
about Darcy and sympathetic toward Wickham. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, Mrs. Bennet's brother and sister-in-
law, arrived at Longbourn for the Christmas holidays. Mrs. Gardiner discussed Jane's heartbreak with
Elizabeth, who claimed that Bingley was in love with Jane a few days before abandoning her. Mrs. Gardiner
offered to host Jane in London as a diversion. It was not likely they would encounter Bingley there, as they
had different social circles. Jane agreed to go, still hoping she would see Bingley. Mrs. Gardiner noticed that
Elizabeth and Wickham seemed to be interested in each other. She knew the family from Derbyshire. She did
not think that the relationship is serious. When Wickham tells Mrs. Gardiner about his past dealings with
Darcy, she agreed that he was a very proud man and rather disagreeable. She also advised her niece Elizabeth
to be cautious about being involved with Wickham, as neither of them had much money.
In London Jane had an unpleasant encounter with Caroline Bingley, which she described in a letter to
Elizabeth. Jane said she was resigned to the fact that Caroline changed her manner towards her and that
Bingley was not going to pursue a relationship with her. Jane had closure on this situation and no longer was
under the delusion that Caroline was a good friend.

In a letter, Elizabeth updated her aunt on the Wickham situation. It seemed he was now the admirer of a
young miss, Mary King, who recently inherited a fortune. Elizabeth rather easily distanced herself from
Wickham, whom she did not love. She had no bad feelings about the reason for his change of heart: her pride
she believed that she would have been his only choice, if fortune had permitted.

CHAPTER ELEVEN Elizabeth Visits Hunsford

In March, Elizabeth went to Hunsford to visit her friend Charlotte and Mr. Collins. On the way, she stopped in
London to join her sister at the Gardiners' home. The Gardiners invited Elizabeth to travel with them and with
her daughter Maria to northern England in the summer. Elizabeth, happy for a distraction, agreed to the trip.
At Hunsford, Charlotte warmly welcomed Elizabeth. Charlotte's parents were present as well. Mr. Collins
seemed to be determined to point out every detail of the house and gardens to Elizabeth, as if to remind her
of what she missed out on by refusing his proposal. She noticed that Charlotte appeared to keep herself
engaged, and perhaps this was how she coped with her husband.

CHAPTER TWELVE Lady Catherine de Bourgh

Lady Catherine's daughter, Anne, went to Charlotte’s house to invite her family and Elizabeth to dine at
Rosings Park, Lady Catherine’s residence. She was a pale, sickly young woman; when Elizabeth saw her she
felt mean pleasure at the idea of Darcy being stuck with her. During the dinner, Lady Catherine took command
of the situation, expressing her opinions, none of which were questioned by Mr. Collins or by Charlotte's
parents. Lady Catherine freely criticized Elizabeth's upbringing and education and Elizabeth was annoyed by
the criticism. After Elizabeth said that all of her sisters had been out in society, Lady Catherine asked about
her age, a very impolite question. Challenging Lady Catherine, Elizabeth refused to answer and Lady Catherine
seemed surprised and somewhat unnerved.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN Visitors to Rosings

Lady Catherine's nephew, Mr. Darcy, along with his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam, came to Rosings. When they
visited the Collins home Elizabeth found the Colonel to be pleasant and Darcy aloof, as always. When she
asked Darcy if he had seen Jane in London, he said he had not. Mr. and Mrs. Collins, Elizabeth, and Maria
Lucas (Charlotte’s sister) are invited to dine at Rosings. During dinner, Lady Catherine, Elizabeth and the
Colonel had a lively chat about music, where Lady Catherine suggested that Elizabeth practise the piano more
in order to improve her skills. Then the Colonel asked Elizabeth to play the pianoforte. Darcy and Elizabeth
soon got involved in a spirited conversation that ranged from music to his shyness around people he did not
know well. During Elizabeth’s performance on the piano, Lady Catherine made a comparison between
Elizabeth’s music abilities and Anne’s, praising Anne. However, Darcy didn’t show any sign of interest towards
his cousin.

The following day, Darcy visited the Collins home where Elizabeth was alone. St first they spoke with
embarrassment and their conversation was full of silence. Then Elizabeth began to question him about Bingley
and whether he would return to Netherfield. He told her that Bingley was unlikely to return to Netherfield.
Charlotte then arrived home, and Darcy left soon after. After observing them, Charlotte suggested that Darcy
might be in love with Elizabeth. Over the next several days, the cousins visited them several more times and
Darcy usually sat glumly and talked little. So, considering Darcy’s lack of interest and ability to make
conversation Elizabeth did not believe he could be interested in her and laughed at the idea.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN Mr Darcy

Several times, when Elizabeth would take her favorite walk, she encountered Darcy. The conversations were
somewhat awkward. Another time, while she was walking, she encountered the Colonel. In the course of
conversation, he described what a good friend Darcy was to Bingley. He told her Darcy congratulated himself
for preventing an unwise marriage, but without mentioning names or any other details. Elizabeth had always
blamed Miss Bingley as the person responsible for separating Bingley and Jane but during this conversation
she realized that it was Darcy the cause of her sister's unhappiness. She was upset and angered, and the
excitement and tears which the subject caused brought on a headache which, added to her unwillingness to
see Mr Darcy, it made her decide not to go with her cousins to Rosings, where they were invited to take tea.

So when the Collins left for Rosings Elizabeth stayed at home by herself. Darcy showed up, inquiring about
her health. He then shocked her by declaring his love for her and proposing marriage. Darcy's listed the
reasons that she was a poor choice for him—that is, her social inferiority and her family's reputation—but
confessed that, against his better judgment, he had fallen in love with her. At first, Darcy's marriage proposal
took Elizabeth completely by surprise but this shock turned to resentment because she was still angry about
what she perceived as Darcy’s role in breaking up her sister's romance. She refused his proposal, criticized his
role in separating Jane and Bingley, and also accused him of mistreating Wickham. Also, she was also insulted
by the nature of his proposal because his manner was not "gentleman like". He suggested that if his proposal
had been less honest, perhaps she would have responded differently. She said he was mistaken, and he left
the house angrily. Elizabeth cried and hided in her room to avoid seeing anyone once the Collins returned
from Rosings.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN Elizabeth receives a Letter

The next morning, while Elizabeth was going on her favorite walk Darcy gave her a letter. His letter began by
addressing the issue with Jane and Bingley. Darcy wrote that he had indeed influenced Bingley to go to London
in an attempt to spare his friend a connection with the Bennet family, who lacked social status. Darcy also
believed that Bingley was more invested in Jane than Jane was in Bingley, and he wanted to protect his friend
from falling in love with a woman who was perhaps interested only in his fortune. Darcy also explained what
actually happened with Wickham: he did give Wickham the inheritance he had been promised by Darcy’s
father. However, Wickham spent the money and lived a life of laziness and never pursued the career in the
clergy provided to him. After Wickham ran out of money, he demanded more. Wickham attempted to run
away with Darcy's sister, Georgiana, who was only fifteen years old. In Darcy's view, Wickham was after
Georgiana's considerable wealth. Darcy intervened in time to prevent this disaster. In order to protect
Georgiana's reputation this episode must be kept secret.

Elizabeth reread the letter, trying to make sense of all she had learned. She believed Darcy's account of
Wickham because she felt as Wickham’s behavior toward her and the all story had been strange: she
remembered how Wickham talked badly about Darcy with her, when she was still a stranger to him, seeing a
lack of good education in the way in which he had put himself forward. She remembered that Wickham had
claimed to have no fear of seeing Mr Darcy, but he had avoided the Netherfield ball the very next week. She
became completely ashamed of herself. She felt that she had been blind, prejudiced, unreasonable. She was
angered by Darcy's claims about Jane not returning Bingley’s feelings and his continued insistence on her
family's unworthiness, based not only on their small fortune but on the behavior of Mrs. Bennet and the
younger Bennet sisters. But when she considered how unfairly she had misjudged him, her anger turned
against herself, and his disappointed feelings became the object of pity. She could feel grateful for his
attachment and could respect his general character, but she could not approve of him, or be sorry about her
refusal, or feel the desire ever to see him again. When she returned to the Collins home, she learned that
Darcy and the Colonel had left. All she can thought about was the content of the letter.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN Elizabeth and Jane Return Home

Elizabeth and Maria left Hunsford a week later, stopping in London on the way where Jane was to join them
for home. Toward Longbourn they are met halfway there by the youngest Bennet sisters, Kitty and Lydia, at
an inn. Lydia ordered a lunch for the group without having the money to pay for it. Kitty and Lydia were
distressed about the fact that the militia men, the objects of their flirtations, would be leaving for Brighton
shortly. Elizabeth was relieved that she would not have to encounter Wickham. She also learnt that Miss King,
the most recent object of Wickham's attention, was out of the picture. Meanwhile, Lydia was hoping to spend
the summer in Brighton in order to be around the officers. At home Elizabeth finally decided to tell Jane what
happened during her visit to Hunsford. She related the proposal from Darcy and the new information she had
about Wickham. As they discussed Darcy, Elizabeth admitted that her enjoyment of deriding him prevented
her from seeing the truth about his character. The sisters decided not to make public the information about
Wickham's past behavior. Even though they did no approve of Wickham's behavior, they agreed it was not
their place to share this information. Jane was still feeling sad about Bingley's absence, but Elizabeth did not
tell her sister what she learnt from Darcy about Bingley.

Meanwhile, Lydia was hoping to spend the summer in Brighton in order to be around the officers. One day,
she received a letter from Mrs. Forster, the wife of a colonel in the regiment soon departing for Brighton. She
invited Lydia to spend the summer with her in Brighton. Elizabeth was deeply worried that her immature
sister would get into serious trouble because of her uncontrolled behavior in public. She tried to persuade
her father not to let Lydia go. Mr. Bennet, however, thought independence would help her mature and that
the Forsters would supervise her. As preparations for the militia's departure was underway, Elizabeth saw
Wickham. She coldly made him understand that she knew the truth about his past.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Pemberley

The chapter opens with a discussion of the Bennets' marriage. Mr. Bennet was initially attracted to Mrs.
Bennet's youth and beauty, but their incompatibility was clear when he realized her weak understanding and
narrow mind. But he was fond of the country and of books, and his wife's foolishness and lack of knowledge
gave him amusement. Even if Elizabeth respected his abilities and was grateful for his caring treatment of her,
she strongly felt how such an unsuitable marriage would disadvantage the children.

With Lydia gone to Brighton with Mrs Forster, the Bennet family began to settle back into routines. Elizabeth
was looking forward to her summer trip north with the Gardiners. The itinerary changed, however, and the
Gardiners chose to tour the area of Derbyshire, where Mrs. Gardiner had been raised. Derbyshire was also
the location of Pemberley, Darcy's estate. Mrs. Gardiner wanted to take a tour of the estate, but the possibility
of meeting Mr Darcy was frightening for Elizabeth. However, receiving confirmation that Mr. Darcy was out
of town, Elizabeth agrees. When Elizabeth and the Gardiners reached Pemberley, she was amazed by its
beauty and size. They talked to some of Darcy's servants. They described him as a kind master and a pleasure
to serve. This information surprised the Gardiners. Although they had never met Darcy, his reputation was
that he was an overly proud person. Elizabeth found herself wondering what her life would have been like as
mistress of Pemberley if she had accepted Darcy's marriage proposal.

As the Gardiners and Elizabeth explored the grounds of the estate, they were surprised to encounter Mr.
Darcy. Elizabeth was caught off guard and embarrassed to be there. Darcy, however, was surprisingly
courteous. It turned out he had returned home earlier than planned because he would be receiving guests,
including Mr Bingley and his sisters. He told the group that he would like them to meet his sister, Georgiana.
The Gardiners were struck by his graciousness. Elizabeth was deeply gratified by Darcy’s friendly behavior
toward the Gardiners. She had fully expected him to snub them, as someone like Lady Catherine surely would
have, because Mr. Gardiner was not of the gentry. Darcy told Elizabeth and the Gardiners that Charles Bingley
would be arriving soon and invited them all to dine with him at Pemberley.

CHAPTER NINETEEN The Bingleys

Elizabeth met Georgiana the next day and found her to be extraordinarily shy. On the evening of the dinner,
she also encountered Caroline Bingley and Miss Georgiana’s companion. During dinner, Caroline noticed that
Darcy was interested in Elizabeth, not in her, and made rude comments to Elizabeth about her family. After
Elizabeth departed, Caroline criticized Elizabeth's appearance, behaviour and dress trying to engage Darcy in
insulting Elizabeth but succeeded only in making Darcy declare Elizabeth one of the most beautiful women
he knew. Georgiana was also not willing to engage in criticism of Elizabeth.

CHAPTER TWENTY Lydia and Wickham

When Elizabeth returned to the inn where she was staying, she found two letters from Jane. They were filled
with upsetting information. Lydia had run away from Brighton with Wickham, and they were both missing.
Elizabeth was dumbfounded. She had never noticed any affection or interest between Lydia and Wickham.
Mr. and Mrs. Bennet were desperate to make sure that the two got married. If they did not, Lydia's reputation
would be destroyed, along with the family's. Mr. Bennet was on his way to London, as Lydia and Wickham
had been last seen heading in that direction. Dismayed, Elizabeth rushed off to find her aunt and uncle and
asked Mr. Gardiner to help Mr. Bennet search for Lydia and Wickham. She ran into Darcy and shared the
terrible news. He was extremely upset, and felt he might have been able to prevent this episode if he had
been more forthcoming about Wickham. Elizabeth, too, felt responsible for not telling all that she knew. Now
that she was warming to Darcy, she also wondered if the potential disgrace looming over her family had
destroyed any interest he might still have in her.

So, Elizabeth and the Gardiners prepared to leave Pemberley to return to Longbourn.

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE Mr Gardiner Goes to London

When they arrived at Longbourn, Elizabeth learnt that her father had already left for London. Her mother was
somewhat hysterical. She blamed the Forsters for being negligent in watching over Lydia. Jane tried to
reassure Elizabeth, who was blaming herself, that nobody could have prevented Lydia's actions. Mr. Gardiner
left Longbourn to join Mr. Bennet in London. Jane showed Elizabeth a letter that Lydia left to Mrs Forster, in
which she wrote she left with Wickham for Gretna Green in order to get married.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO Mr Bennet Returns

The townspeople were beginning to talk about the situation and everybody spoke of him as the worst young
man in the world. To add to the gossip, a letter arrived from Mr. Collins where he wrote badly about the
Bennets and adviced them to disown their daughter. Mr. Bennet returned home from London but doesn't
reveal much about what transpired there, leaving the situation in Mr Gardener’s hand.

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE Lydia and Wickham Are Found

Soon, a letter from Mr. Gardener informed the Bennets that Wickham had been found. Wickham had agreed
to marry Lydia, on the condition that the Bennets guaranteed that he would receive a small income in return.
Mr. Bennet agreed with the demand in order to prevent the ruin of his family, but he believed that Mr.
Gardiner must have paid Wickham money to marry Lydia; Wickham would have never agreed otherwise. Mrs.
Bennet was thrilled to have one of her daughters married at last. She was extremely excited about the
marriage, planning for her daughter's wedding clothes and so on.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR Mr Bennet Agrees to Their Marriage

Mr Bennet agreed to Lydia and Wickham’s marriage but declared she would get no money for clothes and
would not be allowed to set foot in Longbourn, though eventually he changed his mind. Over time, Elizabeth's
feelings for Darcy had changed. But Lydia's scandalous marriage to Darcy's enemy had convinced Elizabeth
that her chance to marry Darcy was long gone. Because she rejected his first proposal, she thought he would
be happy if he knew about her change of heart. She also began to realize that he was exactly the man who,
in character and ability, would most suit her. Their union would advantaged both of them. By her confidence
and liveliness, his mind might have been softened and his manners improved, and from his judgment,
information and knowledge of the world, she would have received advantages of greater importance.

Lydia and Wickham arrived at Longbourn after their marriage in London. Elizabeth was rather disgusted by
their behavior. Lydia bragged about her new marital status and marveled that she, the youngest, was the first
of the sisters to marry. Elizabeth also noticed that Lydia seemed more in love with Wickham than he was with
her. In the course of their chatter, Lydia happened to mention to Jane and Elizabeth that Mr. Darcy attended
her marriage in London. She then wrote a letter to her aunt, Mrs. Gardiner, to see if she could shed light on
this. Mrs. Gardiner replied explaining that it was actually Darcy who located Lydia and Wickham and that
Darcy paid Wickham to marry Lydia, paid off Wickham's debts, and bought him a new military commission in
the north of England. She told Elizabeth to keep this information a secret, as Darcy did not want the
information to be made public. Her letter stressed that she believed that Darcy's heroic rescue of the situation
reflected his true love for Elizabeth. His action to remedy a potentially disgraceful situation was his way of
proving his devotion to her and respect for her family. In her heart Elizabeth felt her aunt's assessment was
correct.

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE Return to Netherfield

When Lydia and Wickham left for his new military posting in Newcastle, Mrs. Bennet was sad because her
darling daughter would be so far away, but news that Bingley was returning to Netherfield proved a
distraction. Bingley arrived at Longbourn, and Mr. Darcy was with him. Bingley was very pleasant, but Darcy
seemed reserved. Mrs. Bennet was carelessly rude to Darcy, upsetting Elizabeth, who knew Darcy's role in
saving their family from disgrace. Mrs. Bennet invited the two gentlemen to return to dine with them soon.
As soon as they had gone, Elizabeth thought about Darcy's reserve during the visit. She was not sure whether
this behavior reflected his feelings about her or discomfort around her family. When Bingley and Darcy came
to dine at the Bennets' home Bingley sat next to Jane, and they seemed to enjoy each other and conversed
warmly. Elizabeth was seated across from Darcy. They were not communicating well with each other and
Elizabeth convinced herself that she must accept the fact that he would not propose again. She felt
disappointed and disheartened. However, she was happy to observe that Jane and Bingley seemed to be
progressing in their relationship. Bingley made several more visits to Longbourn. During one of them, he
proposed to Jane. She joyfully accepted and the family was thrilled. Bingley told Jane that he did not know
she was in London when he was. Darcy and his sister Caroline had kept that information from him. He also
admitted to Jane that he left Netherfield because he thought that Jane was not interested in him. The Bennets
were excited at the prospect of Jane's marriage, and Bingley's frequent presence at the house seemed to
make everyone happy.

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX Lady Catherine Visits Longbourn

One day, Lady Catherine paid an unexpected visit to Longbourn, saying that she wanted to speak privately
with Elizabeth. They went for a walk and Lady Catherine explained that she had heard a rumor that Darcy,
her nephew, was going to propose to Elizabeth. She went on to describe this idea as absurd, considering the
Bennets' social status was so inferior to Darcy's. In addition, she expected that he would marry her daughter,
Anne. The conversation was surprising to Elizabeth, who had no idea that a proposal is planned. In fact, Darcy
had been rather distant lately. Elizabeth was insulted by Lady Catherine's negative descriptions of her family.
Lady Catherine attempted to make Elizabeth promise that she would not marry Darcy. Elizabeth firmly refused
to promise any such thing and Lady Catherine felt outraged by her defiance. Back home, Elizabeth decided
not to mention this conversation to anybody. The next day, Mr. Bennet shared with Elizabeth a letter he had
received from his cousin, Mr. Collins. In it, he brought up the rumored impending engagement between
Elizabeth and Darcy. Mr. Collins warned Elizabeth not to thwart Lady Catherine's will. Mr. Bennet did not take
the letter seriously and he was ironic about it because he had never noticed a loving bond between Elizabeth
and Darcy, but exactly the opposite. Her father's reaction was insulting to Elizabeth, and the exchange
between them was awkward.

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN Elizabeth and Mr Darcy

A few days later, Darcy and Bingley visited Longbourn, and the young people went for a walk. While Elizabeth
and Darcy were walking together, she told him how grateful she was for his role in rescuing Lydia from
disgrace. Darcy replied that he did so only because of his feelings for her. He professed his love for her and
asked if her feelings for him had changed since he first proposed to her. She replied that her feelings had
indeed changed, and the two agree that they would be married.

Elizabeth first shared her news with Jane, who was dumbfounded because of Elizabeth's initial disdain for
Darcy. The next day Darcy asked Mr. Bennet for Elizabeth's hand in marriage. Mr. Bennet was overcome with
shock that Elizabeth would want to marry Darcy, and Elizabeth persuaded her father that she was following
her heart. When Mr Bennet said Darcy was a proud and unpleasant man she replied what he was saying
about Darcy was untrue and revealed her father Darcy's role in rescuing Lydia's reputation. The family was
surprised and excited. Mrs. Bennet was ecstatic that her daughter was marrying into such wealth.

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT The End

It was a happy day for Mrs Bennet when she saw her two most deserving daughters married. Jane and Bingley
moved to Pemberley and Mr Bennet missed his second daughter very much. His love for her caused him to
travel from home very often. Mr Bingley and Jane remained at Netherfield for only a year. The nearness of
her mother was not desirable even to his kindly nature or her loving heart. He then bought a property in
Derbyshire, and Jane and Elizabeth visited each other often. Kitty visiteds them frequently, and her character
improvex under the influence of her two older sisters. Lydia and Wickham were unchanged, constantly asking
for money from Lydia's family. Although Lydia frequently invited Kitty to come and stay with her, with
promises of dances and young men, her father would never allow her to go. Mary was the only daughter who
remained at home, and she began close to Mrs Bennet and the society. Pemberley was now Georgiana's
home, and the sisterly love that grew between her and Elizabeth was exactly what Darcy had hoped to see.
Lady Catherine was extremely angry at the marriage of her nephew, and expressed herfeelings in a letter so
insulting to Elizabeth that for a time all friendly connections were ended.