Page 30 of A Most Beloved Sister
“It was indeed! I would be interested in knowing what was in it. I’ve never seen anything quite like it; the scent was one I’ve never noticed before.”
“I’m afraid it is a receipt that is closely guarded by my housekeeper, or I would give it to you.”
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. “Please extend my gratitude to her, then.”
Darcy merely nodded before taking his seat once more and picking up the newspaper he had set aside upon Elizabeth’s entrance. He resumed reading but was shortly interrupted by Bingley, who had been looking at his own.
“Say, Darcy, have you read this article about the discussions of replacing the Poor Relief Act?”
“Yes.” He frowned. “It’s caused quite a bit of a headache for my uncle.”
“Oh, the Earl of Matlock!” cried Miss Bingley. “I’m sure he is quite occupied with so many important matters with running the kingdom.”
“I don’t understand,” Mrs. Hurst said.
“Have you heard of the Elizabethan Poor Law?” Elizabeth asked.
When Mrs. Hurst shook her head, Elizabeth continued, “In 1601, Parliament under Queen Elizabeth I set up a system of laws for the poor, to be used throughout England and Wales. It formally made the parishes responsible for caring for the poor.”
“Why would they want to change it, then?” Mrs. Hurst asked.
“The problem comes in determining who, exactly, is poor,” Darcy answered before Elizabeth could open her mouth. She raised an eyebrow at him, and he gestured for her to continue.
Turning her attention back to Mrs. Hurst, Elizabeth said, “Right now, there are three classes of poor people: those who cannot work, those who can work, and those who can work but refuse to do so.”
“If they can work, wouldn’t that make them not poor?” Miss Bingley asked. “It seems to me that the only ones who are poor are those too lazy to do something about it.”
“Caroline!” exclaimed Bingley.
“I’m sure Mr. Darcy agrees, do you not, sir?” She batted her eyelashes. “After all, you must deal with many tenants who demand more than their fair share.”
“As a matter of fact, I disagree entirely,” Darcy replied, causing the arrogant woman to gasp. “Most of my tenants want to work. But there are many things that occur that are out of their control. The weather, for example, or illness that sets them back.”
“Precisely,” Elizabeth added. “Additionally, there are others who would work but are physically unable to do so. A soldierlosing a limb in a war, or a farmer who was thrown from his horse and is now unable to use both hands, for example.”
“If these laws are helping the poor—and they do seem to be somewhat well thought out—then why would changes be made?” Mrs. Hurst asked.
Hurst snorted. “Because some people think they’re being too generous… and they are.”
The lady blushed at her husband’s condescending tone and looked down at her hands to fiddle with her bracelet. Elizabeth felt a moment of pity for the woman, whom she had, only hours before, privately thought of as arrogant and unfeeling.
“It’s a difficult topic, Mrs. Hurst,” she said, smiling kindly at the married woman. “If it were easy, there would be no need to discuss it or make changes!”
Mrs. Hurst looked up and gave Elizabeth a shy smile of her own. “I’ve never been one to follow current events—unless it pertains to fashion, of course.”
Elizabeth gave a surprised laugh at this unanticipated bit of humor. “It is time well spent. No one who sees your dresses could think anything else.”
Sitting a little taller, Mrs. Hurst then asked, “So what is going to be changed?”
“That’s part of what my uncle is discussing right now,” Darcy replied. “There are those who feel the workhouses and poorhouses are making the problem worse by encouraging sloth and idle behavior. Then there are others who feel more resources should be devoted towards improving the standards in such places. One of the reasons this has become a central topic of discussion recently is that a gentleman by the name of Mr. Thomas Robert Malthus has once again released a new edition of his book.”
“You meanAn Essay on the Principle of Population?” Elizabeth asked. “I wasn’t aware that a new publication had been released.”
Darcy turned to her in surprise. “You are familiar with his work?”
“Oh, yes.” She scowled. “I think my favorite part is in his second edition when he says, ‘A man who is born into a world already possessed, if he cannot get subsistence from his parents on whom he has a just demand, and if the society does not want his labor, has no claim of right to the smallest portion of food, and, in fact, has no business to be where he is.’”
“You have that memorized very well,” Miss Bingley said snidely.
