She gave him a nod, so he lifted her onto the horse. Once again, he did not let go of her waist until he was sure she was steady. She could feel herself blushing slightly and was glad he had turned away to see to his own horse. Matthew joined them, and soon they were on their way back to Longbourn.
When they returned, Elizabeth acquainted Cook with everything she needed to know to pack food for the tenants. She also made sure Cook sent plenty of ginger cake for Margaret and her parents. Jane and Mary gathered the tincture and salve from the stillroom and put them with the Camden’s things.
Mr. Anderson assured Elizabeth that he had men free to take food to all the tenants so she could stay home and rest from going all day. She agreed to letting one of the men deliver to the Quimbys, but she insisted on going to the Camdens personally. Less than an hour later, Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy, and Matthew were on their way again.
When they arrived back at the Camden farm, they were about to ride past the grain barn when Mr. Darcy asked them to wait a moment. He dismounted and went inside. After several minutes had gone by and Elizabeth had begun to wonder what in the world he was doing, he finally walked out holding a gray and white kitten.
Elizabeth burst out laughing.
“You found him!” she exclaimed.
Mr. Darcy gave her a lop-sided grin. “He seemed eager to be found.”
“Aww, poor thing! I am sure he was. Margaret will be ecstatic to see him.”
Mr. Darcy grinned in response, then mounted his horse.
He had spoken about being moved by her care of the tenants, but Elizabeth was most definitely moved by Mr. Darcy’s thoughtful gesture of looking for the kitten. As they neared the house, she eyed him as closely as she could without being noticed. Yes, she was very moved indeed. Elizabeth had also been impressed with his confidence and his willingness to assist her. Throughout this whole day, his intellect and his expertise in estate management had been extremely helpful. The kindness he showed to Longbourn’s tenants, people so far beneath him . . . it was a side of him Elizabeth might never have seen if not for these circumstances. Mr. Darcy’s respectful treatment of them raised him exceedingly in her esteem.
They rode up closer to the house and secured the horses. Mrs. Camden met them at the door. When she saw that Mr. Darcy was holding Margaret’s kitten, she gasped in surprise. Elizabeth raised a finger to her lips, and Mrs. Camden nodded in understanding. She beckoned them all inside.
“Where would you like me to put the food, Mrs. Camden?” Matthew asked.
“Just here on the table is fine. Thank you, Matthew,” Mrs. Camden said.
“Miss Elizabeth, did you bring me something sweet and tasty?” Margaret asked. She was sitting on the floor, playing with her doll.
“Yes, I did, but Mr. Darcy brought you something even better,” Elizabeth said with a grin.
“He did?” Margaret asked, looking at Mr. Darcy.
Mr. Darcy, who had been hiding Jack from view, got down on one knee before Margaret and presented the kitten.
“Jack!” Margaret cried, reaching for him. “Oh, Jack! Where have you been?”
“He was in the barn. He had gotten himself up on such a high place, he was afraid and did not know how to come down,” Mr. Darcy explained.
“Thank you for saving him and bringing him back,” Margaret said as she hugged Jack tightly to her.
“It was my pleasure, Miss Margaret,” Mr. Darcy said with a smile.
“Thank you, Mr. Darcy, for taking the trouble to look for the kitten,” Mrs. Camden said.
“It was no trouble at all,” he said, rising to his feet.
“Mrs. Camden, here is the tincture and salve for Margaret's arm," Elizabeth said, handing her a small bundle.
“Thank you so much for everything,” Mrs. Camden said.
Elizabeth gave her a smile and a nod. She then turned to Margaret and said, “You and Jack have a good time now.”
Margaret looked up at her, beaming. “We will, Miss Elizabeth!”
Chapter 13
The next morning, after breakfast, Elizabeth enlisted Matthew to ride out with her over the grounds so she might take a look at the amount of debris still needing to be removed. After she covered a reasonable portion of the estate, Elizabeth decided to head back to the house and spend some time with Georgiana. The previous evening, she had asked Elizabeth and her sisters to call her by her given name, and they had asked her to do likewise. She was pleased Georgiana felt so comfortable with them now. As Elizabeth and Matthew approached the house, they noticed the Lucas’ carriage coming down the drive.
Matthew helped Elizabeth dismount, then led both horses away. She then walked towards the carriage.
