“I will bring some back with me this evening.”
“Miss Elizabeth, it is too much trouble,” Mrs. Camden said.
“It is no trouble at all. Cook is preparing dinner for a few of our tenants who were affected by the storm. I will bring dinner this evening for your family, so it will be nothing for me to bring the tincture and salve as well.”
“Miss Elizabeth, you are too good,” Miss Camden said, smiling.
“Not at all. Are you expecting the men helping your husband to stay for dinner?” Elizabeth asked.
Mrs. Camden laughed. “No. Maybe if I were not expecting a child, David would ask them to stay for dinner. My husband is very careful with me. He does not let me do too much.”
“He sounds like an excellent husband,” Miss Elizabeth said with a grin.
“He absolutely is.”
“Well, I just wanted to make sure if I needed to ask Cook to prepare extra because you might have guests.”
“Thank you for checking, but there will be no guests here,” Mrs. Camden said.
Miss Elizabeth nodded, then turned to Margaret. “I must put you down, sweet girl.” She helped Margaret slide off her lap, then she stood up. “We shall leave you and be back in a couple of hours.”
“We will see you then,” Mrs. Camden said.
“Mrs. Camden,” Darcy said with a nod.
“Mr. Darcy,” she replied with a smile.
After Mrs. Camden saw them out, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy began walking back to the horses. Did he think she was showing her country ways and lack of class by taking such an interest in the tenants?
“Mr. Darcy, I hope I have not offended you by taking so much time with the tenants. I understand it is not the done thing among ladies in the first circles to have such an informal relationship with their tenants. I also know that most gentlemen leave the running of their estates to their stewards,” she said.
Mr. Darcy stopped walking and looked at her. She stopped as well. Her eyes met his.
“On the contrary. I am moved by the care and concern you show your tenants,” he said. “You are correct that most women of the first circles keep to a very formal and limited relationship with tenants. And, although my mother was the daughter of an earl and therefore of the first circles, I grew up watching her see to our tenants the way you see to yours.”
“Really?” Elizabeth asked, shocked.
He nodded.
She smiled. “I guess there is an exception to every rule.”
“I will give you another. Again, you are correct that most gentlemen leave the running of their estate to their steward. However, this was not the case with my father. Though he was also from a prominent family, he took a very hands-on approach to running our estate, and he taught me to do the same. I do have a steward, Miss Elizabeth, but I run Pemberley.”
A grin slowly spread across her face. “I see.”
He gave her a brief nod and a small grin. “I think you do.”
They began walking again.
Still grinning, Elizabeth said, “I have learned some interesting tidbits about you, Mr. Darcy.”
“And I have watched you handle every consequence of the storm admirably.”
Her head snapped up to him. Elizabeth felt the compliment deeply. Looking back at the path in front of her, she could not stop the smile that formed on her lips.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
“You are welcome,” Mr. Darcy said as they both came to stand beside her mare. He then raised his brows in question.
