Plot Summary
Chapter 42 of Pride and Prejudice opens with one of the novel's most incisive passages of social commentary: Elizabeth's clear-eyed analysis of her parents' failed marriage. Mr. Bennet, "captivated by youth and beauty," married a woman whose weak understanding quickly destroyed his respect and affection. Rather than seeking consolation in vice, he retreated into books and the country, deriving his chief amusement from his wife's ignorance and folly. Elizabeth, while always aware of this dynamic, now feels more keenly than ever the damage an ill-matched marriage inflicts on children -- talents that might have preserved the daughters' respectability were instead squandered on mockery.
The Aftermath of Wickham's Departure
With Wickham and the regiment gone from Meryton, Elizabeth finds little satisfaction in their absence. The household is dreary: Mrs. Bennet and Kitty fill the rooms with constant complaints about the dullness of life without officers. Kitty may recover in time, but Lydia -- now at Brighton, a place of "double danger" as both a watering-place and a military camp -- is likely to grow only more reckless. Elizabeth reflects philosophically that anticipated events rarely deliver the happiness one expects, and she fixes her hopes on the upcoming tour to the Lakes with the Gardiners as consolation.
The Change of Plans: From the Lakes to Derbyshire
A letter from Mrs. Gardiner announces that business will delay Mr. Gardiner's departure by a fortnight, forcing the travelers to shorten their route. Instead of the Lakes, they will tour Derbyshire -- a county that holds a "peculiarly strong attraction" for Mrs. Gardiner, who once lived in the town of Lambton. Elizabeth is disappointed but quickly reconciles herself to the change. Privately, however, the word "Derbyshire" triggers an unavoidable association: Pemberley and its owner, Mr. Darcy.
The Approach to Pemberley
The Gardiners arrive at Longbourn with their four children, who are left in Jane's care, and the traveling party sets off through Oxford, Blenheim, Warwick, and Kenilworth. Near Lambton, Elizabeth learns that Pemberley is only five miles away. Mrs. Gardiner proposes a visit; Elizabeth, terrified at the thought of encountering Darcy, invents excuses about being tired of great houses. When her aunt insists the grounds are magnificent, Elizabeth privately resolves to inquire whether the family is in residence. Learning from the chambermaid that the Darcys are not at home, she agrees to the visit with feigned indifference. The chapter closes with the fateful decision: "To Pemberley, therefore, they were to go."