Chapter 57: Much Ado About Tumblr
It takes a couple hours for Elizabeth to calm down after the sheer adrenaline rush that was kicking Lady Catherine to the curb. During that time, she tries to reason how in the hell Lady Catherine had even come to the conclusion that her engagement to Mr. Darcy was imminent. She eventually figures, perhaps it's not that big a leap in this day and age to go, hey, Bingley and Darcy are friends, and Jane and Elizabeth are sisters... maybe we just pair the spares? Charlotte's family probably came up with the ship on a whim, which was then reblogged by Charlotte, and then Mr. Collins, where Lady Catherine eventually laid eyes on it.
The next day, Elizabeth sits down in the library with Mr. Bennet, where Austen dramatically reveals that, actually... yeah, Elizabeth pretty much guessed it perfectly a paragraph ago. However, Mr. Bennet is entirely unaware of the reason for Lady Catherine's visit yesterday; instead, he found out about the rumor just now because he's received a letter from Mr. Collins, who included the hint that Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy... well, you know.
But because Mr. Darcy is the one being paired with Elizabeth, and because it's Mr. Collins suggesting it, Mr. Bennet finds this letter hilarious. Only Mr. Collins could come up with such a terrible match! The grumpy, stuck-up Mr. Darcy, proposing to the headstrong Elizabeth of all people! It's preposterous!
...Elizabeth, why aren't you laughing at this? This is gold!!!