An Offer of Marriage
I'm not even going to try to match Jane Austen's level of glorious prose, so I hope you'll forgive me this one indulgence to my inner movie fanatic.
For the record, yes, I read the book first. Duh. It would be blasphemy not to.
Disclaimer: Don't own the book, the movie, or the music from the movie, although it is exquisite.
Darcy dismounted from his horse, trying not to look as though anything particularly urgent was on his mind. Miss Bennet could be seen, just barely, through the window, and his heart raced just a bit faster.
Without thinking to knock, Darcy burst through the front door and the sitting room door, immersed in his routine.
Miss Elizabeth stood upon his sudden entrance, seeming a bit taken aback. "Mr. Darcy!" Remembering her manners, she curtsied to him. Darcy bowed back impatiently, fingering his gloves. He had no time for such propriety!
The air was a bit uncomfortable now. Miss Elizabeth's lovely eyes darted from corner to corner of the room. "Please, do be seated," she invited, gesturing to a chair. Darcy shook his head, knowing it would be improper to sit in the presence of a lady, though it would be all right now that she had invited him.
Think, Darcy, he commanded himself, for he had drawn a blank on his speech. He had practised it for days now, and as soon as their eyes had met, he had completely forgotten it!
"I'm afraid Mr and Mrs Collins have gone on business to the village," Miss Bennet went on, as Darcy was obviously a bit agitated, and completely misinterpreting his visit.
Finally, painfully, Darcy extracted words from his throat. "This is a charming house," he said, and he could have stuffed his gloves into his mouth. This is a charming house? Feeling foolish, but needing to cover it up, he continued, "I believe my aunt did a great deal to it when Mr Collins first arrived."
"I believe so," Miss Elizabeth replied. This was better; they were making cohesive conversation! A tiny smirk overtook her plump lips as she said, "She could not have bestowed her kindness on a more grateful subject."
Apparently Collins was even a laughingstock to his own family. Darcy would have laughed, had that smirk not taken his breath away.
"Shall I call for some tea?" Miss Bennet inquired, sensing the returning tension.
"No, thank you," Darcy declined, too quickly this time! Could he get nothing right this day?
To punctuate his frustration, the door could be heard squeaking open in the hall. Eager to simply make done with this whole fiasco, Mr Darcy bowed briefly to the woman who haunted his dreams (she curtsied back demurely), mumbled, "Good day, Miss Elizabeth," and took his leave, brushing swiftly past poor Mrs Collins, who curtsied to her unwarranted guest.
"What on earth have you done to poor Mr Darcy?" he heard Mrs Collins ask Miss Elizabeth, flabbergasted at his odd behaviour.
"I have no idea!" Miss Bennet breathed, and Darcy set spurs to his horse.
She must have some idea.
I've always loved that scene in the movie. It's another perspective of the situation put forth in the book. I like to think of the movie as splitting up both components of the book proposal: the first time, in the Collinses' house, the second, with an actual proposal.
