What happens in this chapter and how does it affect the relationship between Lizzy and Darcy?

When they both danced there was usually an awkward silence (e.g. “They stood for some time without speaking a word; and she began to imagine that their silence was to last through the two dances”), however the reason was different on both sides. Lizzy’s loathing towards Darcy and her objective to pain Mr Wickham as little as possible left her with little to say. However her prejudice wasn’t fully established yet and possibly the only thing that drove her to speak was her curiosity of Darcy and his side of the story to put it one way; “I hear such different accounts of you as puzzle me exceedingly”. On the other, she might have just commenced the conversation in order to attack Darcy, seemingly she attempts to do this by mentioning the fact that she had met Mr Wickham and made him as an acquaintance (not actually naming him of coarse but she knew Darcy knew who he was since she saw him seeing her with him); “When you met us there the other day, we had just been forming a new acquaintance. The effect was immediate. A deeper shade of hauteur overspread his features, but he said not a word”, if this were an attack and it seems it was since she knew bringing up Mr Wickham would remind Darcy of the bad history between them both, she seems to have a naturally good personality since “blaming herself for her own weakness, could not go on”, she couldn’t be so cruel as to further attack Darcy. Whereas for Darcy it’s completely different, he obviously admires Lizzy otherwise he wouldn’t have asked her to dance with himself, his behaviour throughout the chapter also strengthens this idea, for example when Lizzy first asks him to join in the conversation it says: “He smiled, and assured her that whatever she wished him to say should be said” this shows not only his unusual politeness towards Lizzy but also the fact that he’s willing to oblige to her requests even though he’s of a higher status than her. The reason therefore why Darcy speaks so little is either I believe because he’s shy or because he’s embarrassed about his own admiration for what he would consider an underling.

Darcy after acting suspiciously around Sir William asks Lizzy what they were talking about. Lizzy’s reply, “I do not think we were speaking at all” I believe implies a deeper meaning, apart from simply answering his question her statement seems to also imply that they weren’t socially connecting and that they are dissimilar and don’t go together. Darcy’s admiration becomes even more transparent from the fact that he won’t accept Lizzy’s statement and attempts to restart the conversation in a very polite manner: “What think you of books?” said he, smiling” however Lizzy just reinforces her statement by not even giving an attempt to carry the conversation on: “ I cannot talk of books in a ballroom”. Near the end of their dance Lizzy asks Darcy some questions of which I believe in her own mind she has already fabricated an answer to because of her prejudice such as: “And never allow yourself to be blinded by prejudice”, these questions irritate Darcy which is possibly why Lizzy asks them. Overall their dance is an unsocial event, “She said no more, and they went down the other dance and parted in silence; on each side dissatisfied”, nothing about the dance had changed their opinions of each other. Darcy is still passionate for Lizzy with “a tolerable powerful feeling towards her”, and Lizzy’s feelings (although being slightly intensified after speaking with Miss Bingley) are “solicitude for Wickham, resentment against his enemies”.  

Mr Bingley believes that (concerning Darcy’s actions towards Mr Wickham), “it was left to him conditionally only”. However since it was Darcy who informed Bingley of the situation, Lizzy refuses to confirm with Bingley’s point of view: “you must excuse my not being convinced by assurances only” this is because of her prejudice which is comparable with Darcy’s feelings becoming transparent during this chapter. It’s obvious that Lizzy finds Mr Collins extremely annoying and possibly as a form of attacking Mr Darcy she encourages Mr Collins to go and speak to him: “You are not going to introduce yourself to Mr Darcy”. However after Lizzy’s attempts to attack Mr Darcy because of her love for Mr Wickham, ironically she ends up being embarrassed by her mother and sister, “Elizabeth blushed and blushed again”. Also she seems to finally catch on to the fact that Mr Darcy is attracted to her at the end of the chapter, “she was convinced that his attention was invariably fixed by her” by noticing how much Mr Darcy stares at her.