Darcy and his cousin Richard Fitzwilliam travel every spring to Kent to assist their aunt Lady Catherine in the management of her estate Rosings Park. During their coach ride from London, Fitzwilliam notices Darcy forlornly fingering Elizabeth's embroidery-thread bookmark, and he insists on hearing the romantic story associated with it. To avoid telling Fitzwilliam the truth, Darcy quickly decides on providing him an alternate story about how he saved one of his best friends from an imprudent marriage. The story satisfies Fitzwilliam's curiosity and increases his estimation of Darcy.