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— I'm 27. I have no money and no prospects. I'm already a burden to my parents. And I'm scared. So don't judge me, Lizzie. Don't you dare judge me.
Lizzie didn't judge her, she really didn't judge, how could she? What choices did women have in this world? She herself, at 22, felt the pressure that society had on her to find a good husband. She could ignore it as she did, but that didn't mean she didn't know the pressure was still there.
She didn't know how to free her precious Charlotte from an embarrassing and boring marriage with Mr. Collins and Miss Smith, and it was keeping her up at night and tearing her apart inside.
When Charlotte stopped being Miss Lucas and became an important person in her heart, Elizabeth no longer knew it anymore, now her days and nights were consumed by the need to save her friend from this terrible fate.
So Lidya and Kitty had run away with George Wickham; her father, mother, and pope were in despair, and the entire family was threatened with disgrace; if it were not for Mr. Darcy's intervention, they would all be lost. She was so grateful and so ashamed that she was speechless and her heart overflowing with emotion.
The solution to all her problems came in the unlikely form of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who had left her mansion and gone to the Bennetts' house with the express interest of ensuring that the engagement between her daughter, her niece, and Mr. Darcy would remain intact. Mr. Darcy appeared shortly thereafter.
— I am sure you are too generous to disregard my feelings. If yours are still the same as they were last April, tell me so at once. My affection remains unchanged; but a single word from you is enough to silence me forever. — They spoke frankly for the first time, looking into each other's eyes without pride and prejudice interfering and preventing them from understanding each other.
He wanted her as his wife and she wanted him as her husband, it could be as simple as that.
— Nothing would please me more than to become your Lady, but I must ask if you have a third in mind.
— I cannot say that I have a third in mind. When I was young, Lady Catherine was certain that I would marry her daughter and nephew; I was not particularly interested in them, but my marriage would certainly be decided by my parents, so I worried little about such details. When my parents passed away and it became clear that Lady Catherine's nephew and daughter were in poor health, I had no impulse to disillusion her about a possible marriage. A little later, I met a knight who interested me, but our relationship ended... on friendly terms. So no, Miss Bennett, I have no prospects for a third.
— If I had prospects for a third, would you consider her?
— If you have prospects for a third, I am sure you would be delighted to meet her.
Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Mr. Collins could not believe that Miss Elizabeth Bennett had destroyed not one but two engagements to form her own triad.