Elizabeth was sure that Miss Bingley disliked her because of jealousy. She knew that her visit to Pemberley would be unwelcome to the lady, and she wondered how Miss Bingley would behave.
When Elizabeth and Mrs. Gardiner arrived at the house, they were shown into a beautiful sitting room. Through the large windows, they could see the green hills and great oak trees outside. Miss Darcy received them politely, but she was still very shy. Elizabeth and her aunt realized that Georgiana’s quiet manner was not because of pride, but because she was afraid of saying the wrong thing.
Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst were also in the room, but they only greeted Elizabeth with a cold nod. They sat in silence until a kind woman named Mrs. Annesley started a conversation. Elizabeth noticed that Miss Bingley was watching her closely. She felt a mix of hope and fear, wondering if Mr. Darcy would enter the room.
After a while, the gentlemen arrived. When Mr. Darcy entered, Elizabeth saw that everyone was watching him. Miss Bingley, especially, watched his every move with a fake smile. Darcy immediately tried to help Elizabeth and his sister talk to each other. He clearly wanted them to become friends.
Miss Bingley noticed this and became angry. She decided to attack Elizabeth. She said with a mean smile, "Tell me, Miss Eliza, is the militia still in Meryton? It must be a great loss to your family now that the soldiers are gone."
She did not dare say Wickham’s name in front of Darcy, but everyone knew who she was talking about. Elizabeth felt a moment of distress. She looked at Darcy and saw that he was red in the face. Poor Georgiana was so shocked that she could not look up. Miss Bingley did not know the secret about Georgiana and Wickham, so she did not realize she was hurting her friend. She only wanted to embarrass Elizabeth.
Elizabeth stayed calm and answered the question quickly. Her cool behavior helped Darcy and Georgiana relax. Miss Bingley was disappointed that she had failed to make Elizabeth look bad. In fact, her plan had backfired; Darcy seemed to admire Elizabeth’s strength even more.
When the visit ended, Darcy walked Elizabeth and her aunt to their carriage. As soon as he returned to the room, Miss Bingley began to criticize Elizabeth’s looks.
"How bad Eliza Bennet looks today!" she cried. "She is so brown from the sun and looks quite coarse. I never saw anyone change so much for the worse."
Darcy replied coldly, "I see no change in her, except that she is a bit tan from traveling."
Miss Bingley continued to insult Elizabeth's face, her nose, and her eyes. She even reminded Darcy that he used to think Elizabeth was plain.
Darcy finally lost his patience. "Yes," he replied, "but that was when I first met her. It has been many months since I have considered her one of the handsomest women I know."
He then left the room, leaving Miss Bingley feeling very bitter. She had forced him to admit his love for Elizabeth.