...the phrase "great intrepidity" meant the opposite - that it took considerable determination for Darcy to admit that it was Elizabeth's eyes he was admiring, because he knew what Caroline's reaction would be! ;-) As he tells her, "That is exactly the question which I expected you to ask. A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony, in a moment. I knew you would be wishing me joy." I'm sure he did it partly to discourage Caroline's own pretensions, but some people really don't enjoy being teased about their love lives, and I think Darcy is one of them!