Elizabeth subtly told Sheryl that everything had gone well and thanked her for staying with Sandra. As she closed the door behind her, she heard Sandra chattering away to Darcy about what she and Sheryl had done.
“And she said I can be a flower girl!” There was a pause, and from the corridor outside Sandra’s room, Elizabeth heard her say, “If Mr Roland and Miss Sheryl have a kid, maybe they could work for me like Mr Roland works for you when I’m in charge of Pemberley.”
“‘In charge’? And what does that mean?”
Elizabeth knew that tone, but Sandra was too overexcited. “I get to make all the decisions!” It sounded like she was jumping on the bed. “All the dresses are mine, and the sheep are mine, and the?—”
“Everything is not yours,” Darcy said sternly, “and certainly not with an attitude like that.” The sound of jumping abruptly stopped. “You will be the steward of vast resources, and that does not?—”
“What’s a steward?” she interrupted.
“The careful and responsible manager of something entrusted to your care. Pemberley is not yours to control and enjoy for your own sake. It is yours to take care of. And what about your employees and tenants?”
“They’ll work for me too.” This was said with less confidence.
“The house and the land would be nothing without them.” It sounded like Darcy was now tucking her under the sheets. “You have a heavy charge on your conscience when you employ someone and are responsible for their livelihood. If they have a hardship, it is up to you to relieve it.”
“You mean you gotta take care of them. But don’t you just have to tell employees what to do?”
“No, you have to balance authority with kindness, and you impose no commands that are not appropriate and necessary. And if a servant—if an employee,” he corrected, “has behaved commendably, you ought to prefer them if it is in your power or recommend them to a better provision.”
“You mean help them get promoted or leave to find a better job?” Sometimes, it was like Sandra spoke two languages, Regency English and modern English, and translated one into the other. Had she watched her mother do that, or had she naturally learnt to do it on her own?
“If that is in their best interest, and there is nothing here at Pemberley that would match their talents and ambition.”
Elizabeth heard Sandra gasp. “What if Mr Roland and Miss Sheryl leave?”
“We would be sad, but we always want them to do well, and what is best for them might not be staying here.”
“So I need to say thank you, but still tell them what to do?”
She heard Darcy exhale a soft laugh. “People who think they are in charge think highly of what they bestow and little of the service they receive. Yes, you must be grateful, and yes, you must make decisions. But if you only think of your own convenience,your own power, your employees will not stay—and you cannot keep the dresses and the sheep and all the rest. You will have nothing to be the good steward of and leave nothing for your own children.”
“You’re nice to everyone, but you and Mummy still make all the decisions.” Sandra now sounded drowsy.
“Being in charge doesn’t mean telling everyone what to do. It means you’re answerable for every decision. Every success and every failure.”
“Is that hard, Daddy?”
“Yes, it is. I am taking care of Pemberley not just for me, but for you and your children and for every person in this community who depends on us. It is not a responsibility I take lightly.” His voice softened. “And it is not anything you have to worry about for a long time. But if you want to be a steward of Pemberley when you are grown, I know you will be excellent.”
“Will we see Aunt Georgiana again?” Elizabeth held back a laugh. That was just like her mind to jump from one thing to another.
“No, dear, she has gone back to her life.” Darcy was always honest with her, or as honest as they could be without burdening a child with something she couldn’t handle yet. “She will always love you, and we can remember her, but she is too far away and too busy, so we won’t see her again.”
“Not even FaceTime?”
“Not even FaceTime.”
“Why don’t I have grandparents or aunts and cousins like my friends do?”
A pang of sadness hit Elizabeth as she listened. While she was grateful for their found family, her mother and sister should have wanted to be a part of her life and know how wonderful her little girl and her husband were.
“I don’t have those people either,” Darcy said. “You are the only person related to me in the entire world. So it is a good thing we have Frank and Gwen, and Charlotte and Mary.”
Elizabeth heard an enormous yawn and a few murmurings about it being very late and school was tomorrow.
Darcy came out of her room a moment later, exhaling heavily as he walked past her.
