The Bennet ladies visited the Bingley ladies at Netherfield, and the visit was reciprocated.
Jane Bennet impressed Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley with her kind manners, though they found Mrs. Bennet intolerable and dismissed the younger Bennet sisters.
Jane’s growing affection for Mr. Bingley was evident, and Elizabeth noted his reciprocal admiration.
Elizabeth confided in Charlotte Lucas about Jane’s feelings, and Charlotte advised that Jane should show more affection to secure Mr. Bingley’s attention.
Charlotte shared her pragmatic view on marriage, suggesting that happiness in marriage is largely a matter of chance and not dependent on deep understanding of one another’s character beforehand.
While Elizabeth observed Mr. Bingley’s attention to Jane, she was unaware that Mr. Darcy had started to admire her, despite his initial critical attitude towards her appearance and manners.
Mr. Darcy’s growing interest in Elizabeth led him to pay attention to her conversations with others, which Elizabeth noticed with curiosity and suspicion.
Elizabeth humorously confronted Mr. Darcy about his attentiveness, but he politely deflected the topic during a conversation at a social gathering.
Elizabeth performed on the piano at the gathering, and though not highly skilled, her easy and unaffected manner charmed the audience more than her sister Mary’s overly pedantic performance.
Elizabeth’s wit and refusal to dance with Mr. Darcy, despite Sir William Lucas attempting to pair them, intrigued Mr. Darcy, making him think about her with growing admiration.
Miss Bingley, noticing Mr. Darcy’s distraction, sarcastically speculated about his thoughts and was surprised when he admitted his admiration for Elizabeth’s fine eyes.
Miss Bingley mockingly suggested a future marriage between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth, but Darcy listened with indifference, further irritating Miss Bingley as her wit failed to elicit a reaction from him.