Pride & Prejudice FINALE!---February 5th!

I know that today is the finale of our Pride & Prejudice book discussion & I am so excited to hear what you guys thought of the book....

(As always) I have put together a summary of  the remaining chapters :)

I knew that because I'm sick, I didn't really want to take the time and post anything today, so I've worked on this post a little bit each day :)

ENJOY!

Part 3, Chapter 10

• Mrs. Gardiner replies to Elizabeth’s letter and lets her know that Mr. Darcy left his house a day after Elizabeth had. He went to London and located Mr. Wickham and Lydia.
• Darcy tried to induce Lydia to leave Mr. Wickham, but she wouldn’t, assuming they would marry at some time or another.
• Wickham was definitely not keen on the idea of marrying Lydia, since he still hoped to make his fortune through marriage.
• Darcy settled Wickham’s debts and gave him the fortune he desired so as to marry Lydia.
• This was all to be kept secret, however, Mrs. Gardiner cautions Elizabeth. She writes that she likes Mr. Darcy very much and he was very sly, never mentioning Elizabeth at all. She hopes Elizabeth will not be angry with her for bringing the subject up.
• Elizabeth doesn’t know whether to feel pain or pleasure, but she knows how obligated she is to Mr. Darcy for his utter goodness. Mr. Darcy had met with a man whom he despised, and bribed him to do the right thing for a girl Mr. Darcy could have little respect for.
• Elizabeth wants to think he did it for her, but can’t possibly believe it’s true, given her behavior towards him after his proposal.
• She goes out walking and Wickham joins her. He fishes around to find out what she knows about his past. Elizabeth admits to him what she knows, but in a genteel manner, and she lets him know that she wants bygones to be bygones. They are brother and sister now.

Part 3, Chapter 11

• Wickham is so satisfied with this conversation that he never bothers dear Elizabeth again.
• Elizabeth is thankful that she’s figured out how to shut him up.
• The day comes for Lydia and Wickham to leave Longbourn. Lydia says her dear sisters should write to her, but as a married woman, she will not have much time to write.
• Mrs. Bennet mopes around the house. Her lifelong goal of marrying off her daughters has at least come true, for one of them, but now she’s sad. She doesn’t want Lydia and dear Wickham to live so far away.
• At long last, Bingley is coming back to Netherfield.
• Mrs. Bennet pressures her husband to visit Bingley. Mr. Bennet agrees, but only after some sighing about how Mrs. Bennet promised if he did this last year, it would result in one of his daughters getting married and that hasn’t happened.
• The day comes at long last. Mr. Bingley not only arrives at Netherfield, but comes calling only three days later. And Mr. Darcy’s with him, too.
• Elizabeth sees Mr. Darcy through the window and sits down, feeling awkward.
• Her feelings towards him have entirely changed and she knows the whole family owes him an enormous debt, but she doesn’t know how he’ll behave towards her.
• Like Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy is awkward and ill at ease.
• The two are silent. Mr. Darcy seems thoughtful but less anxious to please.
• Elizabeth doesn’t know what to think. She wants to talk to him but she doesn’t know what to say.
• Mrs. Bennet starts prattling on foolishly about her youngest daughter’s marriage to George Wickham. She remarks that Wickham has at least some friends, though not as many as he deserves – intending it as an insult to Mr. Darcy.
• Elizabeth feels completely horrified.
• When the men leave, Mrs. Bennet invites them to return for dinner soon, and reminds Mr. Bingley that he had promised to come for dinner when he returned to town – and that was a year ago.

Part 3, Chapter 12

• Elizabeth mopes around.
• She wonders why Darcy came at all if he was just going to be silent and serious.
• She decides she won’t think about him anymore – a resolution that lasts for only a few minutes.
• When Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy come for dinner, Mr. Bingley sits near Jane and it’s clear that if it’s left to the two of them, they will soon be engaged.
• Mr. Darcy has to sit next to Mrs. Bennet. The two simply endure each other.
• Elizabeth hopes all evening that she’ll get a chance to speak to Mr. Darcy but alas, like any good romance worth its salt, she gets thwarted at every turn.
• When they leave, Jane comments that she had good time.
• Seeing Elizabeth smile, Jane protests that she has no hopes that she will ever be more to Bingley than an interesting acquaintance at parties.

Part 3, Chapter 13

• When Bingley comes a few days later, he says Mr. Darcy has gone to London for a while but will return in ten days.
• The Bennets invite Bingley to come to dinner the next day.
• He comes so early that nobody’s even dressed.
• After dinner, Mrs. Bennet keeps winking at Kitty and Elizabeth. Elizabeth ignores her, knowing she’s just trying to get Jane alone with Mr. Bingley.
• Kitty finally asks all innocent, "Why do you keep winking at me, mamma?"
• Mrs. Bennet tells her to hush.
• Mrs. Bennet finally maneuvers them all out of the room, to Jane’s distress, but Elizabeth returns as soon as possible.
• Mr. Bingley fortunately ignores all of Mrs. Bennet’s hints.
• The next day, Bingley spends the morning with Mr. Bennet, has dinner with the family, and gets engaged to Jane.
• Bennet is fulfilled. His visit to Netherfield so long ago has, indeed, produced an engagement.
• Now come lots of congratulations and happiness and Mr. Bennet’s teasing.
• Mr. Bingley starts coming every day and, when he and Jane aren’t attached at the hip, one of them is talking Elizabeth’s ear off.
• Jane wishes that Elizabeth could be as happy. Elizabeth says it’s impossible, she’s not made like Jane.
• In her own dry manner, Elizabeth says she only hopes that she have good enough luck to find another Mr. Collins. Hah!

Part 3, Chapter 14

• The great Lady Catherine makes a surprise visit to the Bennet home to strongarm Elizabeth into promising not to become engaged to Mr. Darcy, who Lady Catherine claims is engaged to her daughter.
• Are they engaged? Elizabeth enquires.
• Well, no, Lady Catherine hems and haws, but there has always been an understanding…the two mothers always wished it…but no, they’re not actually engaged.
• Elizabeth declares that she and Mr. Darcy are not engaged, but she will never make a promise not become engaged to Mr. Darcy.
• Lady Catherine leaves in a huff, but only after declaring how ungrateful Elizabeth is after all she did for her while visiting the Collinses.

Part 3, Chapter 15

• Elizabeth can’t help but wonder where Lady Catherine’s extraordinary idea came from.
• She starts to feel uneasy, wondering how far Lady Catherine would go to interfere. Could she possibly do something that would prevent any possibility of her getting together with Mr. Darcy? Would her arguments, unreasonable to Elizabeth, convince Mr. Darcy?
• If Mr. Darcy makes some excuse about being unable to come back to visit Mr. Bingley, Elizabeth decides, she will know that he was convinced to forget her.
• The next morning, Mr. Bennet calls Elizabeth into his study to congratulate her on her connection to Mr. Darcy. He has received a letter from Mr. Collins, who congratulates Mr. Bennet on Jane’s engagement.
• Mr. Collins also warns him that Elizabeth’s engagement to Mr. Darcy is not looked upon with favor by Lady Catherine and could cause problems for her.
• Mr. Bennet, thinking Mr. Collins is utterly mistaken, comments that this is a great joke. Surely Mr. Darcy has never looked at any woman without seeing blemish, and definitely not at Elizabeth.
• Elizabeth, however, can’t join him in the teasing.
• Mr. Collins also blathers on about his surprise that a Christian family would welcome Lydia and Wickham into their house after their behavior. This comment doesn’t go over so well with Mr. Bennet.
• Mr. Bennet continues his teasing Elizabeth, since he thinks Mr. Darcy is perfectly indifferent and that Elizabeth can’t stand Mr. Darcy.
• He asks his daughter if Lady Catherine had mentioned the "engagement."
• Elizabeth just laughs, even though she wants to cry.

Part 3, Chapter 16/ "Darcy's Proposal, Round Two."

• Mr. Darcy does not make an excuse to stay in London. He shows up a few days later at Longbourn with Mr. Bingley.
• The girls take the gentlemen out for a walk.
• As soon as she finds herself alone with Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth expresses her gratitude for all he has done for her sister Lydia. She says her family is completely indebted to him, even though they don’t know the part he played.
• Mr. Darcy replies that her family owes him nothing. He was only thinking of her.
• Elizabeth hardly knows what to say. And she doesn’t know where to look.
• Then Mr. Darcy adds that he’d like to know if she still thinks of him the way she did last April. His feelings (of love) are unchanged.
• Elizabeth, of course, lets him know that she is completely in love with him.
• She soon learns that it was his aunt that clued him in to Elizabeth’s change of heart. Lady Catherine called on him in London on her way back to her estate and told him the details of her conversation with Elizabeth. She hoped to convince him that Elizabeth was unsuitable as a wife.
• Both of them confess their shame over their past behavior towards each other.
• Darcy is especially repentant over parts of his letter and hopes she’ll burn it.
• Elizabeth tells him not to be sorry – the letter changed her whole attitude toward him.
• Darcy explains how her refusal made him recognize his vanity and arrogance. It made him anxious to change himself so that he might please her after all.
• Elizabeth questions him about Bingley and learns that Darcy had been the one to convince him that Jane cared for him. Bingley was angry with his friend for one thing: that he had concealed information about Jane’s three-month visit to London. But Bingley was only angry until all was settled with Jane.

Part 3, Chapter 17

• That evening, while the family talks and plays together, Elizabeth wonders how she will tell her parents about her engagement. How will her family respond since none of them like Darcy?
• That night, she tells Jane. The poor girl is royally confused. She thought Elizabeth didn't even like Mr. Darcy…
• Elizabeth teases Jane a little, saying she’s only afraid Jane will think she loves him too much because, why, she loves him better than she loves Bingley!
• Really, Jane insists, how long has Elizabeth loved him?
• Why, Elizabeth says, it probably dates to the first moment she realized he was so wealthy and had such beautiful gardens as the ones at Pemberley.
• Finally, Jane convinces her sister to be serious. Elizabeth convinces Jane that she does, indeed, love Darcy and she loves him enough to marry him.
• They stay up half the night talking and Elizabeth also reveals Darcy’s role in Lydia’s marriage.
• The next morning, Bingley finagles it so that Darcy and Elizabeth are able to go for a long walk together – alone.
• Mrs. Bennet apologizes to Elizabeth that she has to spend so much time with the nasty Mr. Darcy but "it is only for Jane’s sake" so she can spend time alone with Mr. Bingley.
• On their long walk, Elizabeth and Darcy decide he will talk to Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth will talk to her mother.
• Elizabeth doesn’t know whether her mother will be happy because Mr. Darcy is fabulously wealthy, or unhappy because she doesn’t like him. Elizabeth can’t bear the thought of Darcy hearing either her mother’s groans or cries of joy.
• After Mr. Darcy returns from her father’s study, he lets her know her father wants to speak to her.
• Her father is concerned. Is Elizabeth marrying Darcy just for the money?
• Elizabeth’s all, "But you don’t know what he’s really like!" Finally, Mr. Bennet gives his blessing.
• Then, and only then, Elizabeth tells him what Darcy did for Lydia. Mr. Bennet is astonished but chalks it up to the violence of passionate young love.
• Now it is up to Elizabeth to convince her mother. When Mrs. Bennet hears the news, her response is really unusual – she does not say a word, not a single syllable. When she finally stirs, she begins to fuss about how rich Elizabeth will be; she is so happy, so charmed, such a nice handsome man, so tall! And my, so rich!
• Elizabeth did not need to be so afraid of how her mother would react to Darcy after all. Mrs. Bennet is so in awe of Darcy that she says almost nothing to him the next day, except to defer to his opinion.
• Mr. Bennet claims that Wickham is his favorite son-in-law (sarcasm at work here), but he likes Mr. Darcy already, just as much as he likes Mr. Bingley.

Part 3, Chapter 18

• Elizabeth soon gets over her shyness and becomes playful and flirty again.
• She asks Mr. Darcy how he came to fall in love with her. It’s the sort of lovey-dovey talk that never gets old between two new lovers.
• Darcy doesn’t know the answer to the Elizabeth’s question, telling her that by the time he realized he was in love, he was in the middle of it and couldn’t put his finger on when it first began.
• Yet, Elizabeth says, she was always trying to irk him. How did he put up with it? Did he admire her wit?
• Yes, he replies, he liked her liveliness of mind.
• What he really hated, Elizabeth insists, is all the officious women who only wanted to please him all the time – women who didn’t have a mind of their own. In fact, Elizabeth points out, she had never shown him a good quality at all.
• Darcy points out that Elizabeth nursed Jane through her sickness, but Elizabeth argues that no other woman would have done less.
• Nevertheless, she adds, since he loves her, he has to exaggerate all her good qualities and tell her how wonderful she is all the time…
• They go on like this for some time until they turn to letter writing. Mr. Darcy will write to inform his aunt about their engagement and Elizabeth to inform Mrs. Gardiner.
• Mr. Bennet has great fun letting Mr. Collins know that Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are, in fact, engaged. Mr. Collins can do as he wishes, of course, but Mr. Bennet would advise him to remain in good standing with the nephew, who has, ahem, a lot more money than Lady Catherine.
• Elizabeth does her best to shield Mr. Darcy from her family’s vulgarities and obsequiousness as they hear about the engagement.

Part 3, Chapter 19-THE LAST CHAPTER!

• The narrator wishes she could tell us that Mrs. Bennet soon became a sensible, friendly, happy woman – but no.
• After the marriage, Mr. Bennet misses Elizabeth a great deal and makes many surprise visits to Pemberley.
• Mr. Bingley and Jane only remain in the area for a year, and then they buy property near the Darcys – they really had to escape Jane’s relatives, especially Mrs. Bennet.
• Kitty spends a lot of time with Jane and Elizabeth, and Mr. Bennet keeps her from visiting Lydia (who writes to promise lots of dances and young men). Kitty’s time with Elizabeth and Jane changes her for the better. Mary remains at home and grows out of her bookish ways.
• Lydia writes to Elizabeth, saying that it is so wonderful she is so rich and hopes that when Elizabeth has some spare time or nothing better to do, she will think of them (and give them money).
• Elizabeth decides she has many better things to do and writes a firm response to Lydia to put a stop to such requests. But she does, from time to time, send a little money here and there.
• For Elizabeth’s sake, Darcy assists Wickham in his career as much as possible.
• Lady Catherine eventually gives up her grudge, as does Miss Bingley.
• The Gardiners are frequent visitors, always welcome as they were the ones who brought Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth back together again in the first place.
• Everybody lives happily ever after, except for Lydia and Wickham, who spend too much money. :)

Don't they BOTH look sooooo happy???

As a rewarding discussion day, I just want you to congratulate yourself on completing a novel in only 2 months and I want you to relax, enjoy a nice hot cup of tea, and have a great day! :)

You guys have all done a fantastic job following, however....I'm deciding that I need to take a break from the book discussion theme.

This past book was great and I hope everyone loved it!

But now I'll just take it slow and blog about other fun things :)

KEEP READING!

Optimistically, Bethany Lea