Nikki N Wrote:
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> Unlike in canon, Darcy would not be afraid that
> Jane might be pressured by her mother to accept a
> man she did not love for the sake of her mother's
> and sisters' financial security. He would believe
> that as an heiress, she could afford to follow her
> heart, even if she appeared rather reserved.
Canon never actually says that this is what Darcy thought. It's easy to read between the lines and guess that he thought that, but he never says so. He just says that he didn't believe Jane was in love. There are a number of reasons why he might have believed that Jane would accept Bingley even though she didn't love him--because her mother pressured her, or just because she knew that Bingley was a good catch (even without her mother's pressure), or because their names were so linked together in society by then. Making a sensible match was such an accepted practice, probably no one really thought Jane would refuse an agreeable, attractive man with money, particularly when it could be seen that she was receiving his attentions with smiles. I don't know how much that would really change even if she had money. If she remains there in the country, Bingley is still the best match available to her, and many women who weren't constrained financially to marry still wished to do so for the sake of status, children, etc.
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> Unlike in canon, Darcy would not be afraid that
> Jane might be pressured by her mother to accept a
> man she did not love for the sake of her mother's
> and sisters' financial security. He would believe
> that as an heiress, she could afford to follow her
> heart, even if she appeared rather reserved.
Canon never actually says that this is what Darcy thought. It's easy to read between the lines and guess that he thought that, but he never says so. He just says that he didn't believe Jane was in love. There are a number of reasons why he might have believed that Jane would accept Bingley even though she didn't love him--because her mother pressured her, or just because she knew that Bingley was a good catch (even without her mother's pressure), or because their names were so linked together in society by then. Making a sensible match was such an accepted practice, probably no one really thought Jane would refuse an agreeable, attractive man with money, particularly when it could be seen that she was receiving his attentions with smiles. I don't know how much that would really change even if she had money. If she remains there in the country, Bingley is still the best match available to her, and many women who weren't constrained financially to marry still wished to do so for the sake of status, children, etc.