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 arrogant rude behaviour. She knows he's more intelligent and less crude in his family pride than Lady Catherine but she is very angry that he has interfered in Janes 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, and to her amazement asks her to marry him. She is startled as he has never given any indication of liking her, and 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 and gives her a long letter he has written. He explains that he did not cheat Wickham... that he knew Wickham was not suited to being a clergyman, and that Wickham himself who had been leading a scandalous life, told him he would prefer to study law, and Darcy gave him money to further his law studies. THen Wickham tried to elope with Darcy's 16 year old sister, Georgiana, in order to get his hands on her fortune and Darcy only stopped him because Georgiana, feelig guilty, told him what she had planned. Elizabeth realises that she was naive in believing what Wickham said, because he was handsome and 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, but she still blames him for Janes loss of Bingley. She is due to return to her home, Longbourne and she and Jane meet up and go back to the family home. Lydia is upset because the Regiment is going to Brighton and she wants to go there as well and Mrs Forster, the wife of the Colonel invites her to stay for a few months. ELizabeth is increasingly uneasy, knowing how silly Lydia si but her fahter agress 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 who might fall in love with someone in the family and begs him to restrain the girls but Mr Bennet laughs her off.