P & P Blog 3

Elizabeth, while visiting Charlotte, is encountered once again by Mr. Darcy. This time, however, Darcy brings a cousin, Fitzwillaim along with him. Elizabeth at first is not too enthused about having to see Darcy, but one night after dinner, they have an interesting argument. Elizabeth uses her conversation with Fitzwilliam to deride Darcy while he is in the room, so it is obvious that Elizabeth is not trying to conceal her feelings from Darcy. In fact, she wants him to know, but she finds it more powerful if she condescends to him through his cousin. Of course, Darcy replies very laconically, and does not really give Elizabeth the benefit of the doubt. The following day, Mr. Darcy wanders off to Elizabeth's room and claims that he did not think her to be alone. However, instead of leaving, he stays and attempts to have a pleasant conversation with her. Elizabeth finds Darcy to be surprisingly amiable. However, their paltry conversation lacks any sort of concrete structure so their interaction suffers from quiet awkwardness several times. Once Darcy finally departs, Charlotte declares that Darcy must be in love with Elizabeth if he decided to specifically spend time with her. Elizabeth is not so easily convinced. Elizabeth is still suffering from a confirmation bias, and she will not allow her opinion of Darcy to change. Elizabeth begins to notice Darcy taking a sudden interest in her. But, Elizabeth find out from Fitzwilliam that Darcy "saved" a friend from an "imprudent marriage". Because of her confirmation bias, Elizabeth automatically believes this is referring to Mr. Bingley and Jane. Elizabeth is now convinced that Darcy intentionally sabotaged her sister's chance for felicity.