Gracious Jane likes everyone including the Bingley sisters. The Bingley sisters, although snobs, feel they "have to converse with someone while staying in the country" so they invite pleasing Jane to dine. Knowing it will rain Mrs. Bennet instructs Jane to travel by horseback, so she can stay overnight, to be closer to Mr. Bingley. Jane arrives to Bingley's soaking wet and a comes down with a fever.
Although mortified that her mother's plan worked, Elizabeth hurries to visit her dear sister by foot. When Elizabeth arrives with mud splattered on her petticoat, the Bingley sisters are shocked and appalled. Although Caroline Bingley loathes Elizabeth and recognizes her as a potential rival for Mr. Darcy's affections she invites Elizabeth because a sick Jane begs Lizzy to stay and care for her. Caroline prides herself on following the rules of polite, civil society and thus, she feels, proving herself superior to Elizabeth.
The Bingley sisters initially invite only Jane to spend time at Netherfield. Mrs. Bennet takes advantage of the situation, forcing Jane to go on horseback and expose herself to the rain. Mrs. Bennet's plan is successful; Jane has to stay the night in the home of the man Mrs. Bennet wishes her to marry. Unfortunately, she falls ill.
This is the setup for the reason that Elizabeth is invited to stay at Netherfield as well. Elizabeth rushes out in the mud to tend to her sick sister. It is important to note that she was not invited. When she arrives, Miss Bingley is bound, as hostess of the home, by social customs and rules of polite society to extend the invitation to Elizabeth, so that she can care for her sick sister.
When Jane receives an invitation from the Bingley girls to dine at Netherfield, Mrs. Bennet seizes the opportunity to put a cunning plan into effect. She instructs Jane to travel to Netherfield on horseback. Mrs. Bennet figures that, as it will be raining when Jane arrives, she'll be invited to spend the night at Netherfield, thus giving her an opportunity to get to know the dashing Mr. Bingley a little better.
Mrs. Bennet's plan works, but only up to a certain point. Jane is indeed invited to spend the night at Netherfield, but that's only because she's wet through from the rain and has developed a nasty fever. When the Bennets receive word of Jane's illness, Elizabeth immediately sets off for Netherfield, tramping through the sodden fields, as there are no horses available. As one can imagine, once Lizzie arrives, her clothes are all spotted with mud, much to the horror of the Bingley sisters. However, Lizzie is invited inside and spends all her time keeping vigil by the stricken Jane's bedside. As Jane doesn't want Lizzie to leave her side, Caroline Bingley invites her to spend the night at Netherfield.
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