“I have some funds of my own and would be happy to use them for Nell’s sake.”
“Oh! Bless you, Miss Elizabeth.” Lines crinkled around her eyes as the woman smiled. “That is a very generous offer. I do not believe we need Mr. Jones just yet.”
“Do not hesitate to ask if you do.”
“I won’t. I thank you.”
As they neared the gates marking the Longbourn estate, Elizabeth contemplated how to broach the subject of deceiving Longbourn’s master. It was much trickier in person than when she had envisioned it in bed the night before. “How is Mrs. Wiley faring?” she asked.
Mrs. Greeves pursed her lips. “Well enough. She and the boys have enough food, and she lets them out to play when nobody is around.”
“What about the Knights? I heard their roof is leaking.”
The other woman gave Elizabeth a sidelong glance. “Aye, it leaks.”
“And nobody has fixed it?”
“No,” Mrs. Greeves answered warily.
“And the Winstons? Their cottage has holes in the walls?”
“Yes. And rats that come in at night. The Winstons’ little girl has been sick, and Mr. Knight’s gout is worse—from the damp”
Elizabeth shuddered. “How many of the cottages need repairs?”
Mrs. Greeves rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Truth be told…most of them do. But only a handful are so very bad. The others…well, the families make do.”
Elizabeth’s vision blurred momentarily as she blinked tears from her eyes. All this so her cousin might have embroidered waistcoats. It was no more than what Elizabeth had expected to hear, but the answers were still painful.
“Why are you asking me these questions, miss?”
“I am hoping to find a way to help the tenants,” Elizabeth said, choosing her words carefully.
“Well, bless you, but you’ve already done so much. I can’t imagine there’s much more you can do.”
Elizabeth took a deep breath. “I believe there might be. My sister Mary and I spoke with Mr. Collins about using more modern agricultural methods such as the Norfolk four-field system and a seed drill.”
Mrs. Greeves eyes widened. “Bert heard about such things from a cousin down that way. He’d sure like to try it.”
“Unfortunately, Mr. Collins would not allow himself to be persuaded.”
The other woman’s face fell.
“However, I was thinking that perhaps the tenants of Longbourn might give it a try anyway.”
Mrs. Greeves stopped walking, and her mouth dropped open. “You mean do the Norfolk planting and the seed drill without telling Mr. Collins?” Elizabeth nodded. “No, it’s impossible!”
“I think they can manage it if we help them.”
Mrs. Greeves’s brows scrunched together. “We?”
“You and I and the other women at Longbourn—including my sisters.”
Mrs. Greeves frowned. “What might we do? We’re just women.”
Elizabeth snorted, an inelegant noise that prompted a smile from the other woman. “How many children do you have, Mrs. Greeves? Six?” The other woman nodded. “You gave birth to six children. You are keeping them alive and raising them to be good people.”
“I do my best.”