To Elizabeth's utter amazement, she saw Mr. Darcy walk into the room. In a hurried manner he immediately began an enquiry after her health, imputing his visit to a wish of hearing that she were better. She answered him with cold civility. He sat down for a few moments, and then getting up, walked about the room. Elizabeth was surprised, but said not a word. After a silence of several minutes, he came towards her in an agitated manner, and thus began –

"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."

Elizabeth's astonishment was beyond expression. She stared, colored, doubted, and was silent. This he considered sufficient encouragement; and the avowal of all that he felt, and had long felt for her, immediately followed. He spoke well; but there were feelings besides those of the heart to be detailed, and he was not more eloquent on the subject of tenderness than of pride. His sense of her inferiority - of its being a degradation - of the family obstacles which judgment had always opposed to inclination, were dwelt on with a warmth which seemed due to the consequence he was wounding, but was very unlikely to recommend his suit.

In spite of her deeply rooted dislike she could not be insensible to the compliment of such a man's affection, and though her intentions did not vary for an instant, she was at first sorry for the pain he was to receive; till, roused to resentment by his subsequent language, she lost all compassion in anger. She tried, however, to compose herself to answer him with patience, when he should have done. He concluded with representing to her the strength of that attachment which, in spite of all his endeavors, he had found impossible to conquer; and with expressing his hope that it would now be rewarded by her acceptance of his hand. As he said this, she could easily see that he had no doubt of a favorable answer. He spoke of apprehension and anxiety, but his countenance expressed real security. Such a circumstance could only exasperate farther, and, when he ceased, the color rose into her cheeks.

How could she possibly reply to such a proposal and such insults? Blood pulsed through her head while thoughts crowded it. She could only settle on one – she wanted to get away from this man as fast as possible.

"I am truly sorry to give you pain, sir, but I cannot accept. Surely those feelings which have long prevented this acknowledgement of your regard will prevail, and your disappointment will be of short duration."

She pressed her lips together and stared at him, hoping he would silently turn and walk away as he had in so many other social settings. But Mr. Darcy, who was leaning against the mantelpiece with his eyes fixed on her face, seemed to catch her words with no less resentment than surprise. His complexion became pale with anger, and the disturbance of his mind was visible in every feature. He was struggling for the appearance of composure, and would not open his lips till he believed himself to have attained it. The pause was to Elizabeth's feelings dreadful. At length, in a voice of forced calmness, he said -

"And this is all the reply which I am to have the honor of expecting! I might, perhaps, wish to be informed why, with so little endeavor at civility, I am thus rejected. But it is of small importance."

Complaints of civility! From a man who had just made such a speech! Elizabeth's head pounded and tears of both frustration and rage threatened to spill. More than anything she wanted to throw his many sins into his face, and demand that he defend his behavior to Jane, Bingley, and Mr. Wickham. But again the thought flashed through her head that the best answer would be the one which ended this interview as soon as possible.

"It is quite simple. I do not love you."

Darcy stared, and opened his mouth but then closed it again.

Reluctantly Elizabeth continued. "Would you prefer that I accepted you despite this, for your fortune? You would be trapped with a wife who neither loved nor respected you. You have made no attempt to win my heart, sir, nor have you ever given me any indication that you thought my heart worth winning. Our entire acquaintance has been defined by your insults to me, from publicly insulting my looks at the Meryton assembly to insulting my family and breeding today."

Darcy blushed at the memory of his words at the assembly, but then narrowed his eyes. Could she not see the integrity of his proposal? The honesty with which he had laid his heart bare? Could she really expect him to rejoice in the inferiority of her connections?

In a foreboding voice he began. "Miss Bennet. I –"

"The truth is, sir, you have had a very narrow escape, one which I encourage you to think on before attempting to make love to any other lady. Because only a fortune hunter would have accepted such a – a hurtful and ungentlemanlike proposal."

She saw him start at this, but he said nothing, looking at her with an expression of mingled incredulity and mortification. Mortified herself at the way her voice had broken, and at the tears which now threatened to spill, she stood up, whispered "Excuse me, sir" and fled the room.