London

I am off to London to try and find what is now becoming my least favorite daughter. What a stupid little girl! I thought Lizzie was bad before, but this is awful. It will ruin the entire reputation of the Bennets, or whats left of it. She has no idea how this will affect her and her sisters. But I should never have let her go to Brighton in the first place. And when I find this man, the things i will do....

Daughters

Why, why could I not have had sons? They seem to be so much easier to raise than these foolish girls. Now I am informed that Lydia has eloped with Wickham. And yet, they are not to be married. I can only hope that Elizabeth will sort out this situation. She blames herself for not having exposed Wickham in the first place.

DURR

I have come to understand that the Gardiners are not necessarily the most intelligent people we know. They seem to think that Darcy has feelings of love for Elizabeth. Obviously if he proposed to her he might just love her a little bit. Its not often that men go proposing to women that they don't actually have feelings for. I would certainly be astonished to find out if he was anything but in love with her.

I knew it

I absolutely knew Darcy would appear during my relatives trip to his estate. Although I am quite surprised to hear the good words coming from his house keepers. I cannot attest to their accuracy, but I have the slight feeling that my daughter may have misjudged this man. The Gardiners seem to think that he is rather different from the accounts given to them by Lizzie. I should see this man and his behavior for myself.

The Gardiners

What a strange sort of people are the Gardiners? They invite Lizzie to accompany them on a tour of Derbyshire, then manage to find their way over near Pemberly. It is impossible that they are not aware of her recent conversation with Mr. Darcy, if it can be called such. And yet they take her to his estate regardless of any awkwardness she might feel. They assume the man is not home, but why chance such an unfortunate meeting at all. I can hardly believe that Lizzie allowed to be taken on the grounds. Unless she would not consider a chance meeting with Darcy to be entirely undesirable......

Brighton

With all the noise Mrs. Bennet is making these days about the failure of her first daughter to get married, I am glad there has been a change of plans for our family. I've decided to let Lydia spend the summer in Brighton. She was invited by the wife of a Colonel Forster. I have a good feeling that he can keep Lydia out of trouble. It would certainly be a godsend to have some quiet in this house, which of course is Lydia's worst nightmare.

Soldiers

I can hardly stand the silliness that flows from the mouths of my younger daughters these days. Now all they speak about are those soldiers. Can we go to Meryton? Where are the soldiers headed? Can we go to Brighton for the summer? I understand now that it is inevitable that one of my daughters will end up marrying a soldier. I was worried for quite a while that it would end up being Elizabeth, but thankfully that door has been shut.

Keeping Quiet

I find it simply astounding, Lizzie, that you have managed to stay so incredibly restrained in your recent conversations with Mr. Collins. We can both agree that he is not the easiest man to bear to listen to, but to hear him talk of his marriage with Charlotte must be most difficult for you. Especially since he insists upon the happiness of it, and also how much he thinks it was meant to be. I understand you are not always the nicest of women, but I must say I am impressed with your ability to not laugh at his face. I hope to see you continue this recent behavior of not necessarily speaking your mind.

Apologies

I now see that Mr. Darcy is already trying to do the job that Lizzie avoids. He is attempting to swallow his pride for a greater cause. With a man such as Darcy, writing a letter like that admitting to any fault of his own would be difficult. He is trying, and that is the best that he can do for the moment. Will that convince Lizzie to forgive? Probably not, but it shows progress in their relationship. I might actually be able to get these girls out of my house before I die.

Proposal

I must say I am by no means shocked by how Elizabeth treated the situation. At the perfectly improper time she acted completely inappropriate. I understand that Mr. Darcy had hurt her a great deal, or at least her pride. I understand that he was responsible for the failure of the union between Jane and Mr. Bingley. I understand that she is partial to her friend Wickham and his misfortunes. But she needs to think with her head! I would be the first in line to allow her to follow her own path, but there is a fine line between refusing a proposal that disgusts her, and embarrassing and insulting one of the proudest men in England. If she truly want happiness for her sister, Bingley will be involved. If Bingley is involved, then so is Darcy. One of their prides is going to have to break, if not both.

Obviously...

My dear daughter Elizabeth, how naive! Obviously the highly desirable Mr. Darcy shows interest in you, even though you are too blinded by your own pride to see it. I understand that you are getting to know his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam quite well. Can you not see how this bothers him? These strange interactions you keep having with him, are they not a red flag in your mind? Obviously you do not comprehend the mind of men as well as you think you do. Nor do any women for that matter. Just ask your mother.

Rosings

What a dreadful place! I know how very difficult it is for Elizabeth to be in the company of Mr. Collins, as it is for us all, but to deal with both him and Lady Catherine would be unbearable. I find it hard enough with the countless schemes of my wife. And to hear that Mr. Darcy and his cousin have arrived as well! I do fear for the poor girl as she obviously has no one there except Charlotte to talk to. Thank heavens I can observe these events from the comfort of Longbourn.