Pride and Prejudice Part III

Elizabeth's angry feelings towards Darcy increase, even though she can see that at times, he is embarrassed by his Aunt Catherine's rude behaviour. She knows he's more intelligent and less crude in his family pride than Lady Catherine. But she can't help being angry that he has interfered in Jane's love affair. Jane is her beloved sister and she wishes to protect her. Then after a few days, Darcy arrives at Charlotte's house, when Elizabeth is alone there. He asks her to marry him. She is startled as he has never given any indication of liking her. He tells her that he had to struggle against his family pride and class feeling, to make this proposal. Elizabeth turns him down rudely, and accuses him of cheating Wickham out of a living. Darcy angrily that Elizabeth seems to take a lot of interest in Wickham. He leaves her, but the following day he meets her in the park. He gives her a long letter he has written. In it, he explains that he did not cheat Wickham. He knew that the young man was not suited to being a clergyman, and that Wickham himself had been leading a scandalous life. Wickham had told him he would prefer to study law. Darcy gave him a sum of money to further his law studies. Then Wickham tried to elope with Georgiana Darcy, who was only 16. He wanted to get his hands on her fortune. Darcy only managed to stop him because Georgiana, feeling guilty, told him what she had planned. Elizabeth realises that she was naive in believing what Wickham said, because he was charming. Darcy's letter also refers to the Jane affair and he claims that he genuinely felt that Jane was not in love with Bingley. Elizabeth thinks over all she has read in the letter and begins to think a little better of Darcy. She still blames him for Jane's loss of Bingley. She is due to return to her home, Longbourne. When she and Jane get home, they find that Lydia is upset, because the Regiment is going to Brighton and she wants to go there as well. Mrs Forster, the Colonel's wife, invites her to stay for a few months. Elizabeth is increasingly uneasy, knowing how silly Lydia is, but her father, for the sake of peace, agrees to let her go. Elizabeth tries to tell him that the silliness and vulgarity of the 2 younger girls is enough to put off some men and can damage her marital prospects and Jane's. She begs him to restrain the younger girls but Mr Bennet laughs her off.