Although over the weeks as they meet more, Mr. Darcy becomes more attracted to Elizabeth’s personality and in intelligence. Jane’s friendship with Mr. Bingley also continues to flourish. Jane pays a visit to the Bingley house and on her way catches the flu because of the rain, forcing her to stay at Netherfield for several days. To help Jane Elizabeth walks through the muddy fields and arrives with a wet dress. Miss Bingley despises her and her spite increases when she notices that Darcy, who she is chasing, pays quite a bit of attention to Elizabeth. It says in the novel that he really believed that were it not for the inferiority of her connections, he should be in some danger. This shows us that he is already in love with her and only is pride stands in his way.
At the beginning of winter, the Bingleys and Darcy leave Netherfield and return to London, to Jane’s disappointment. Another shock arrives that Mr. Collins has become engaged to Charlotte Lucas. Charlotte explains to Elizabeth that she is getting older and needs the marriage for financial reasons. That spring Elizabeth visits Charlotte, who now lives near the home of Mr. Collins’s patron, Lady Catherine De Bourgh, who is also Darcy’s aunt. Darcy comes to the house and sees Elizabeth, whose presence leads him to make a number of visits to the Collin’s home, where she is staying. Darcy then proposes to Elizabeth one day when he visits.
"In vain have I struggled it will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." This demonstrates how his feelings towards her changed since is earlier dismissal of her as “not handsome enough.” While Elizabeth rejects his proposal, this event is the start of a turning point in the novel. Before Darcy asks Elizabeth to marry him, she feels only dislike for him; afterwards she begins to see him in a new way. As Certain Incidents show the goodness of his character. At this moment, Elizabeth's final change of heart remains unexpected—all she thinks of is Darcy's arrogance, his attempts to interfere in Bingley's courtship of Jane, and his supposed mistreatment of Wickham. He spends more time emphasizing her lower rank and unsuitability for marriage to him than he does complimenting her or saying he loves her. The narrator states; Darcy must prioritize love over his sense of superiority before he is worthy of Elizabeth's hand. This is interesting because a woman was expected to feel grateful for an offer of marriage but she unwelcomes it.
Darcy leaves her but shortly delivers a letter to her. In this letter he admits that he urged Bingley to distance himself from Jane, but claims he did because he thought their romance was not serious. As for Wickham, he tells Elizabeth that the young officer is a liar and that the real cause of their disagreement was Wickham's attempt to run off with his young sister, Georgianna Darcy. In the letter he says “Mr. Wickham’s chief object was unquestionably my sister’s fortune, which is thirty thousand pounds, but I can’t help supposing that the hope of revenging himself on me was a strong inducement. His revenge would have been complete indeed.” This shows us that Mr. Wickham was a fortune hunter and that’s why he wasn’t interested in Elizabeth. This also changes Elizabeth’s view of Mr. Darcy. When she returns home, she doesn’t care about Wickham, the militia is leaving town, which makes the younger Bennet girls distraught. Lydia manages to get permission from her father to spend the summer with an old colonel in Brighton, where Wickham’s regiment will be stationed. In June, Elizabeth goes on another trip with the Gardiners who are relatives of the Bennets. The trip goes north and eventually to the neighborhood of Pemberley. She visits Pemberley, after making sure Darcy is away, she hears from Darcy’s servants that he is a wonderful, generous master. Darcy arrives and behaves warmly towards her, not saying anything about his proposal. He entertains the Gardiners and brings Miss. Darcy to see Elizabeth, this surprises Elizabeth because it was unusual for someone like Miss. Darcy to go to see Elizabeth straight away after her long journey, it would be more likely for Elizabeth to go and see her. This shows how much Mr. Darcy still likes Elizabeth.
Elizabeth later on receives a letter from Jane saying that Lydia has left all her friends and eloped and has thrown herself into the power of Mr. Wickham. This is a key bit because Darcy pays for the wedding of Lydia and Mr. Wickham when they are found. This shows that Darcy still wishes to be with Elizabeth. Lady Catherine de Bourgh pays a visit to Longbourn. She asks Elizabeth and says that she has heard that Darcy is planning to marry her. Since she thinks a Bennet is an unsuitable match for a Darcy, Lady Catherine demands that Elizabeth promise to refuse him. Elizabeth refuses, saying that that she will not promise anything against her own happiness.
Elizabeth and Darcy go out walking together and he tells her that his feeling have no changed since the spring. She accepts his proposal and both Jane and Elizabeth are married. Elizabeth was much too embarrassed to say a word. After a short pause, her companion added, "You are too generous to trifle with me. If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes are unchanged, but one word from you will silence me on this subject forever." This proposal and the acceptance mark the climax of the novel. The proposal and acceptance are almost an unavoidable conclusion by this point. Darcy's intervention of Lydia makes obvious his continuing affection to Elizabeth, and the appearance of Lady Catherine de Bourgh in the previous chapter, with her attempts to stop the engagement, suggests strongly that a second proposal from Darcy is about to happen. The language with which the narrator summarizes Elizabeth’s acceptance captures the one moment of joyful inconsistency for her well spoken character. She accepts Darcy’s proposal immediately. Elizabeth admits her love has replaced her prejudice, her control of language breaks down. The reader is left to imagine, the clever Elizabeth struggling for words to express her happiness.
We see her father trying to compare his marriage and Elizabeth’s marriage, “Or in other words, you are determined to have him. He is rich, to be sure and you may have more fine clothes and fine carriages than Jane. But will they make you happy?” Mr. Bennet misjudges the reason for her acceptance because he does not know the facts. He is referring to his own experience and does not wish it on Elizabeth. We see some difference between Elizabeth and Lydia’s marriages. Lydia’s is rushed and is not true love and will be live Mr. And Mrs. Bennet, Although Elizabeth is true love and will be happy and is more like Mrs. And Mr. Gardiner.
