Chapter 14 #2
“I leave my granddaughter to explain things as I have much to do before you can return home. I came only to assure myself you had healed properly.” Aurolea turned her attention to Elizabeth. “Come give your Grandmama a hug, Ellucia.”
Elizabeth gracefully rose to her feet and he appreciated how the soft linen of her dress caressed her curves.
Not until you are wed, D’Arcionage, came a stern chastisement from the Queen.
Surprised, he lifted his gaze to hers. Over Elizabeth’s shoulder as she hugged her grandmother, Queen Aurolea flashed him a sharp look worthy of his sternest tutors, followed by one of complete love when she looked upon her granddaughter.
“I love all my granddaughters, but you hold a special place in my heart, little warrior.” She kissed Elizabeth’s cheek and disappeared in a cloud of silver light.
Elizabeth turned and hurried back to him, grabbing hold of both his hands.
“Although our arrival here was brought about because of great evil and pain, I cannot say that I regret one thing.”
“How can you say that? My heart was torn asunder when I saw you strung up on those pillars.”
“It is in the past.” She cupped his cheek and held his gaze. He was mesmerized by the shafts of silver around her pupils. “We should remember it only as it gives us pleasure.” Her hand moved down his neck and onto his chest. “And we had much pleasure.”
She would have trailed her hand further down his body, but he captured her small hand in his and held it against his heart.
“As much as I would love to explore further our earthly pleasures, I received a very strong warning from your Grandmother that we must wait until we are wed.”
Elizabeth stepped closer and lifted her lips to his in invitation.
“Are you sure?” she whispered; her soft breath warm against his lips intermingling with his.
“Woman, you are going to be the death of me.” He gave her a quick kiss, then with both hands on her shoulders, set her away from his body. “I do believe what I received was tantamount to a Royal command.”
“I’m sorry Fitzwilliam.” She wrapped her arms around her middle and walked to the edge of the terrace. “I’m all sixes and sevens. When I saw that... that man crush you before my eyes I...”
He rushed to her side and from behind wrapped his arms around hers.
‘Shh....,” he said low in her ear. “We are safe and whole.”
She turned in his arms and slid her arms around his middle, locking them in a close embrace.
“I never wish to be apart.” She raised her head and looked at him. Her eyes swam in unshed tears. “You are my heart, Fitzwilliam. Without you I am a lost soul upon the ocean of humanity, seeking shelter from the wind and waves.”
“Then, we never shall be apart.”
With two fingers he raised her chin and captured her lips with his. It was Elizabeth who broke the embrace and after a loving caress of his cheek, returned to her chair and invited him to sit across from her. Once settled, he waited for her to speak.
“How long do you think we’ve been in Miathara?” she began.
“I don’t know. I don’t even know how I arrived. My last memory is of Richard storming out of the woods to where I lay within the standing stones. There was no one else in the area. You had disappeared as well as Wickham and his cohorts.”
“Anything else?”
“Yes. I smelled citrus fruit. Of what kind, I do not know.”
Elizabeth smiled when he mentioned citrus. “That was Grandmama. She brought us both back to Miathara with her.”
“Ah.” He couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“So, how long do you suppose we’ve been here?”
“Truly, Elizabeth, I do not know.”
“One day.”
“One day?” Surprised he sat back in his chair. It felt like he’d been here a lifetime.
“Yes,” she smiled again although this time there was a touch of sadness in her mien.
“What is it, my love?”
“While we have been here one day, our family and friends in Meryton have lived years.”
“What!” He stood and almost fell again at the thought of Georgiana, alone, not knowing where he’d gone.
Our family and friends in Meryton have lived years.
Elizabeth’s words skipped through is mind in a never-ending loop.
“Fitzwilliam!” Elizabeth jumped to her feet and took his hands in hers. “Pray, sit. I’ll explain further.”
He fumbled to grasp the back of the chair and lowered his body into the seat. She held out a glass of water and he took it in hands that shook beyond his control. Next to Elizabeth, Georgiana was his greatest love. To think she was alone... His heart lurched again.
“How do I get back. Georgiana... she has no one.”
“That is what Grandmama is working on.”
He cut a sideways glance at Elizabeth. “Working on? Can she not just send us back? Are we here forever?”
“No, oh bother.” She whirled and paced back and forth on the terrace stones. “I’m making a mess of this.”
She came to a full stop and turned to face him. “Do not interrupt or I’ll never get through this because it’s convoluted, yet simple.”
He longed to ask more questions but he also understood she was trying to tell him something important. Not trusting his voice, he nodded.
“First, we are in Miathara which moves through time at a different pace than we on earth. In this dimension, from my understanding, what is days on earth is seconds and minutes in Miathara.”
She stopped and held his gaze, clearly wanting to know that he followed her line of thought. He nodded again.
“Good. Now, the reason it is taking time is that Grandmama is working to return us to a time before Wickham executed his terrible revenge.”
“She can do that?” he sputtered out.
“Yes.”
He rubbed his forehead while digesting her explanation in his mind.
On a base level he understood what Elizabeth spoke of, but to think of some being having the power to travel through time and alter it.
.. well, it was beyond his comprehension.
A sudden thought entered his mind and he blurted it out.
“Is she the Creator?” Surely this was the only explanation of her great and awesome power.
Elizabeth trilled out a delighted laugh. “Absolutely not. She cannot create, Fitzwilliam, but she can manipulate that which is created. This is a power which has been bestowed upon her by the Creator and she does not abuse it.”
“So, when will she send us back?”
A swirl of citrus enveloped them.
“It seems now is the appropriate time,” Elizabeth said with a smile.
~~oo0oo~~
“Come, Darcy,” said he, “I must have you dance. I hate to see you standing about by yourself in this stupid manner. You had much better dance.”
“I certainly shall not. You know how I detest it, unless I am particularly acquainted with my partner.”
“I would not be so fastidious as you are,” cried Bingley, “for a kingdom! Upon my honor I never met with so many pleasant girls in my life, as I have this evening; and there are several of them, you see, uncommonly pretty.”
“Yes, I saw that you were dancing with a handsome woman,” Darcy said, smiling at Miss Bennet.
“Oh! She is the most beautiful creature I have ever beheld! But there is one of her sisters sitting down just behind you, who is very pretty, and I dare say very agreeable. Do let me ask my partner to introduce you.”
“Which do you mean?” and turning around, he looked for a moment at Elizabeth, catching her eye and impish grin. “Oh yes, Bingley. She is very pretty and very agreeable. By all means have your partner introduce me to her sister and I will dance with her.”
“Really?” Momentarily stunned at Darcy’s lifted mood, he faltered. “Yes. Yes, of course.”
Darcy almost laughed out loud as Bingley hurried toward Elizabeth. Most likely thinking he’d change his mind before they reached her and stalk off in high dudgeon. As they drew near, Elizabeth stood, hands clasped in front of her. Her eyes shone and the shafts of silver around her pupils sparkled.
“Miss Elizabeth, may I introduce you to my good friend, Mr. Darcy of Pemberley.”
Darcy took her hand and gave a polite half bow over it, noting with deep satisfaction the shimmering scroll on her wrist.
“Miss Elizabeth, if you are not engaged for the next set, would you do me the great honor of dancing with me?”
She tightened her grip, giving his fingers a little squeeze.
“It would be my great pleasure, Mr. Darcy.”
As they made their way to the head of the line, he glanced toward the area he remembered Mrs. Bennet holding court with her neighbors and saw that, instead of behaving in a silly manner, she stood quietly, watching them.
There was no mistaking her great joy, nor could he miss the shards of silver in her eyes.
Behind her, much to his surprise, stood Mr. Bennet who also watched them, a look of smug satisfaction on his face.
He turned his attention back to Elizabeth and smiled at the raised brow she presented.
“I see we have been given a second chance, my love.”
“All of us, Richard and Anne included.”
The musicians began their opening chords.
“What of Wickham?”
Anger chased briefly across her face. “Mr. Wickham is no more.”
“But how? If we have been restored, would he not also be restored to this time?”
They came together in the first movement of the dance.
“I’m afraid his atoms have been scattered to the edges of the universe.
Apparently when I wished him gone, he went.
” They paraded down the center of the room, hands lightly held.
“Grandmama explained it is a difficult and delicate task to pull and re-thread the fabric of time. There are too many variables at stake and he could not be recovered. It will be as if he’d never been born. ”
“This means the incident with Georgiana never occurred.”
They parted for another rotation.
“We won’t know until you write Georgiana and ask how she fares,” Elizabeth said when they rejoined, “but I believe that is a possibility.”
~~oo0oo~~