Page 186 of What Change Entails
A boundary dispute.
By the second paragraph, annoyance had begun to gather.
By the third, he already knew he would have to go himself.
“What is it?” Georgiana asked.
Darcy folded the paper.
“A disagreement regarding property lines at Kelton.”
Mr. Gardiner grimaced sympathetically.
“An unpleasant neighbor?”
“An ambitious one.”
Mrs. Gardiner smiled.
“There is often little difference.”
Miss Bingley finally raised her head.
“Surely such matters may be handled by a steward.”
Darcy’s attention shifted toward her.
The remark was delivered lightly enough.
It nevertheless revealed just how little she understood.
A steward could report a problem.
A steward could oversee accounts, supervise labor, inspect buildings, collect rents, correspond with solicitors, and recommend action.
Ownership was another matter.
Ownership required judgment.
Presence.
Responsibility.
Men who entrusted every difficulty to servants eventually ceased to know their own estates. Their tenants paid the price long before they did.
Miss Bingley admired great houses.
She had never understood what it required to maintain one.
“A steward may inform me of a dispute,” Darcy replied. “He cannot resolve every dispute in my place.”
“I should think he might resolve this one.”
“I should think otherwise.”
The words emerged more coolly than he intended.
Miss Bingley’s expression hardened.
