Pride and Prejudice
Mr. Darcy
The proud master of Pemberley
A wealthy, reserved young man from Derbyshire whose pride makes a terrible first impression. Under the stiffness is a loyal friend and a devoted brother.
Fitzwilliam Darcy is twenty-eight, tall, rich and master of the great estate of Pemberley. He is proud, serious and awkward at small talk, and at the Meryton ball he stands apart looking disapproving while his friend Bingley charms everyone. He is a man of firm principles, though, and loyal to the people he cares about, including his friend Bingley and his shy younger sister Georgiana.
Darcy never expected to be captivated by a country girl with a sharp tongue. He wants to do what is right, and he finds that his feelings for Elizabeth do not fit with the rank and family expectations he was raised with. Strangers see him as cold and haughty. Those who know him well, like his housekeeper at Pemberley, call him the best master and best landlord who ever lived.
“In vain I have 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.”
In the story
Contains spoilers.
Darcy begins by insulting Elizabeth and ends by being unable to stop watching her. He steps in to separate Bingley from Jane, believing the match unwise, and then proposes to Elizabeth at Hunsford in a way that insults her family. She refuses him sharply. The next morning he hands her a long letter explaining his side, including Wickham's attempt to elope with fifteen-year-old Georgiana.
The refusal changes him. At Pemberley he greets Elizabeth and her aunt and uncle with real warmth. When Lydia runs off with Wickham, he quietly finds them, pays Wickham's debts, and arranges the marriage, asking that no one ever be told. When Elizabeth thanks him later, he tells her he did it for her alone. She accepts his second proposal, and they marry at Pemberley.
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