You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.
Emotion bursts through Darcy’s reserve here. The intensity of “ardently” makes the feeling undeniable, yet his framing still drips with class bias. Austen captures how love and pride can share the same breath. Elizabeth hears the tenderness but refuses the package it comes in. The moment reveals that affection without respect isn’t enough. It becomes a turning point that pushes both characters toward truer versions of themselves.
