If Elizabeth had only looked at her own parents, she would have thought that a happy marriage was impossible. Her father had married her mother because she was young and beautiful. However, he soon found out that she was not very smart and had a difficult personality. He lost his respect for her very early in their marriage. To find peace, Mr. Bennet spent most of his time in his library or walking in the country. He often made fun of his wife’s silliness to entertain himself.
Elizabeth had always seen this with pain. She loved and respected her father’s intelligence, but she knew his behavior as a husband was wrong. She could see that his lack of interest in the family was hurting her younger sisters.
After the soldiers left Meryton, life at Longbourn became very quiet. Mrs. Bennet and Kitty complained every day about how boring everything was. Kitty was sad because she missed the parties, and Elizabeth worried that Lydia would become even more foolish in Brighton.
To keep herself happy, Elizabeth looked forward to her summer trip with her aunt and uncle, the Gardiners. At first, they planned to go to the Lake District. However, a letter arrived from Mrs. Gardiner saying they had to change their plans. Mr. Gardiner was too busy with work to take a long trip. They decided to go to Derbyshire instead.
Elizabeth was disappointed that the trip would be shorter, but she was interested in Derbyshire. She knew that Pemberley—Mr. Darcy’s home—was there. "I can visit his county without him seeing me," she thought.
In July, the Gardiners arrived at Longbourn with their four children. They left the children in Jane’s care and set off with Elizabeth. After visiting several famous places, they arrived at the small town of Lambton, where Mrs. Gardiner had lived many years ago. They discovered that Pemberley was only five miles away.
Mrs. Gardiner wanted to see the famous house and gardens. Elizabeth was very nervous. She did not want to meet Mr. Darcy! She only agreed to go after she found out from a servant at the inn that the Darcy family was away for the summer.