Chapter 41
Lydia and Kitty grow sad when they learn that the militia will be leaving. Lydia is invited to go to Brighton with them, an invitation Lydia gladly accepts. Elizabeth tries to warn her father against this, but he lets her go anyway. Elizabeth is delighted that she will be able to say goodbye to Wickham. She lets him know that she has gotten to know Darcy better, something that highly agitates Wickham. Lydia leaves for Brighton the next morning.
Chapter 42
During this chapter, Elizabeth realizes how bad her parents' marriage is and how it might affect her sisters. she begins to judge her father, thinking he could have raised his daughters far better. Mrs. Gardiner writes to invite Elizabeth to go with her to Derbyshire, where Mr. Darcy lives. Elizabeth is hesitant but goes anyway. Once there, Mrs. Gardiner wants to visit Darcy's estate, Pemberley. (It was a common practice to visit wealthy homes on vacation.) Elizabeth only agrees to go there when she learns that Darcy is out of town.
Chapter 43
Elizabeth is delighted with the Pemberley grounds and regrets that she may have been mistress there. The housekeeper says that Darcy is supposed to be back tomorrow. When Mrs. Gardiner finds a portrait of Wickham, they find out that he was the son of the steward. The housekeeper proceeds to praise Mr. Darcy as a great man, making Elizabeth even more worried that she declined the proposal. When they leave to go look at the gardens, they run into Mr. Darcy as he is entering the grounds. He greets the whole party very warming. Elizabeth is beginning to warm up to Darcy at this point, seeing him in a better light than before. Later Mr. Darcy wants to meet the Gardiners. He is surprisingly friendly to them, although they are in Elizabeth's family. Darcy invites Mr. Gardiner to fish, making Elizabeth see that Darcy really does love her. Mr. Darcy invites Elizabeth to meet his sister and Elizabeth accepts. The Gardiners remark on Darcy's kind behavior and learn that Wickham is not so credible as they thought.
Chapter 44
Miss Darcy calls on them the next morning. She is found to be very polite, although shy. The Gardiners begin to suspect that Darcy may fancy Elizabeth. Mr. Bingley also comes, and Elizabeth sees that he has no interest in Miss Georgiana Darcy. Darcy invites them to come over in 2 days, something that pleases Mr. Bingley who wants to talk to Elizabeth about Jane. The Gardiners are pleased to find that everyone in the area has a high opinion of Darcy. Elizabeth reflects that evening on her gratitude toward Mr. Darcy, gratitude that is growing into love. She resolves to visit Georgiana the next day.
Chapter 45
The next morning, Georgiana is kind to Elizabeth, while the Bingley sisters are merely civil. Mr. Darcy enters the room and everyone pays close attention to his behavior. Miss Bingley inquires about Darcy, causing everyone else in the room pain, especially Miss Darcy. As soon as Darcy and Elizabeth leave, Caroline begins being mean to Elizabeth, something that Miss Darcy refuses to do. When Mr. Darcy hears this, he admits to Miss Bingley that he likes Elizabeth. As Elizabeth leaves, she and Mrs. Gardiner both