A report of a most alarming nature reached me two days ago. I was told that not only your sister was on the point of being most advantageously married, but that you, that Miss Elizabeth Bennet, would in all likelihood be soon afterwards united to my nephew – my own nephew – Mr. Darcy.
– Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 56. Lady Catherine de Bourgh pays an unexpected call on the Bennet family, where she targets Elizabeth. What follows is of the most fascinating and captivating battle of wits in all of English literature. In her opening shot Lady Catherine expresses her alarm over a report she received that Elizabeth is likely to marry her nephew Mr. Darcy.