Mr. Darcy’s Enchantment

Chapter 1

Elizabeth Bennet leaned over the injured boy lying in the narrow bed. “What happened to you, Tommy?” She did not expect a useful answer. No one else had been able to tell her what had attacked them.

“Don’t know,” said the boy sullenly.

“I saw it.” A girl of perhaps five peeked out from behind the door. “It was a fay. It jumped out of the bushes, grabbed his leg, and bit him.”

Finally, someone who could confirm her guess! “What did it look like?”

The child considered. “It was one of the little ones with the red stocking hats.”

A redcap, as Elizabeth had suspected. “Thank you. That is very helpful.”

“Only babies see the fay,” Tommy sneered.

Elizabeth gently touched the skin around his wound. Hot. Too hot. “All children can see them when they are very young, but I know a few lucky people who have kept the ability to see fay folk all their lives.”

The little girl crept forward to stand by Elizabeth’s skirt. “I hope I can. I like the fay folk. We have a brownie.”

“I can tell,” said Elizabeth. The cottage was sparkling clean, inside and out, unlike many of the neglected cottages at Hunsford. “She does excellent work.” She nodded to the short, stocky creature who stood outside the window, polishing each pane. The brownie glared at her.

“Is this going to hurt?” asked the boy suspiciously .

“A little, but it should not be bad. Your mother was clever to rinse it out so quickly.” Elizabeth unpacked several vials from her satchel and handed one to Tommy’s mother. “Put two drops of this on his temples and rub it in slowly.” It would make no real difference, but it served as a good distraction while she performed her magic.

She sent her consciousness through her fingertips into the gaping maw of the bite. The fay poison had not traveled far, but the bite was alive with sparks of malicious magic. One by one she stubbed out the sparks and drew the poison to the surface.

“That stings!” the boy cried as she wiped a damp cloth over his wound to collect the poison.

“I am sorry.” Elizabeth folded the cloth over itself twice and handed it to Charlotte.

“Will he live?” Tommy’s mother, Mrs. Miller, asked, her voice trembling.

“I see no reason why he should not.” Elizabeth wrapped a thick bandage around his leg. “He is young and healthy. You should put a deadly nightshade vine around his leg above the wound, but not touching it. That will draw out the rest of the poison.” The nightshade would do nothing for the poison, but it would catch any sparks of malicious magic she might have missed. If only she did not have to hide her use of magic! “We will come again tomorrow to check on him.”

Mrs. Miller wrung her hands. “Why are the fay folk attacking us? They never used to hurt anyone. Now it isn’t safe to cross a field.”

“I wish I knew.” Elizabeth surreptitiously pinched out a stray spark of magic. “I remember when redcaps never bothered people unless they were attacked.”

The woman lowered her voice. “Is it safe, living in a house with a brownie?”

“Your brownie will not hurt you. I have only seen injuries from redcaps and elfshot. Staying away from trees and bushes may help to keep the children safe from redcaps.” Nothing could protect against elfshot, the terrifying projectile that seemed to come out of nowhere and ate its way to the victim’s heart. It was no wonder the villagers were frightened. “If he worsens, send for me at the parsonage.”

Tears filled the woman’s eyes. “Thank you. I will.”

Elizabeth followed Charlotte Collins out of the cottage. “Could you wait for a minute? There is something I need to do.” Beside her a fluffy white cat yawned and stretched.

“Of course,” said Charlotte.

Elizabeth walked around the outside of the cottage to the window where she had seen the brownie. The stocky fay was still there, scrubbing industriously at the window frame with a worn rag.

She scowled at Elizabeth. “What is it ye want?” she demanded. “I’ve work to do.”

“The bandage on the boy’s leg has iron shavings in it. I did not wish for you to burn yourself by touching it.”

“Iron shavings, forsooth,” grumbled the brownie. “Mortals are nothing but trouble.” With inhuman speed she reached out and scratched the side of Elizabeth’s neck with the pointed nail of her little finger. “Now be off wi’ ye, and take yon bit of bad luck with you.” She pointed at the white cat.

The cat hissed at her, turned and stalked away. Elizabeth followed her.

“What was that?” asked Charlotte. “Who were you talking to?”

“The brownie. I warned her about the iron shavings.” Elizabeth rubbed her skin where the brownie had scratched her.

Charlotte peered at her neck. “What happened?”

“The brownie marked me. It is a message, I think, to tell other fay that I helped her, but I could do without it.”

“I wish I could still see fay folk. I do not remember much about them from when I was little,” said Charlotte wistfully .

“And I wish I understood why they are attacking innocent children,” grumbled Elizabeth. “I hope the boy improves. Once Mr. Darcy arrives, I cannot afford to use magic on him again.”

“I doubt we will see much of Mr. Darcy. Lady Catherine will have less use for our company once her nephews are at Rosings,” said Charlotte.

“Her nephews? Is there another one besides Mr. Darcy?”

Charlotte nodded. “Lady Catherine told Mr. Collins yesterday that Mr. Darcy will be bringing his cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, the son of the Earl of Matlock. That should work in your favor; Mr. Darcy will be spending his time with him. He may not even notice you are here.”

Elizabeth stopped short in horror. “The Earl of Matlock’s son? That is even worse! Lord Matlock is the Master of the Collegium of Mages. If Mr. Darcy confides his suspicions to his cousin, I am lost.” She tried to still her racing heart. “It is too dangerous. I cannot stay here.”

“Don’t be foolish, Lizzy. Leaving would be even more likely to draw their attention. Besides, you do not know that Mr. Darcy suspects you.”

“I cannot prove it, but why else would he always be watching me? He suspected me in Meryton and he wished to catch me in the act.” She had been so frightened of making a slip during those days at Netherfield.

“I remember, but I think he watched you for a completely different reason. He finds you attractive, Lizzy.”

“Nonsense. He finds me tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt him. He said so himself.” One more reason to dislike Mr. Darcy.

“Why are you so worried about Mr. Darcy? You never fretted so much over any of the mages near Meryton discovering you.”

“The Meryton mages have known me all my life and would likely be forgiving if they discovered my magic. Mr. Darcy disapproves of me. I was so relieved when he finally left Netherfield.”

“How could he have found you out? You are always careful not to let anyone see you use magic.”

Elizabeth closed her eyes. “Because I was foolish. I employed an illusion that first night at the assembly in Meryton, just a tiny illusion to cover a stain on my dress where Lydia spilled tea, but he must have noticed it. I risked everything for vanity.”

“Perhaps he noticed and did not care. Have you ever considered that?”

Elizabeth shook her head. “He paid too much attention to me for that. I will not be so foolish now. Oh, why could they not have waited to visit until after I left?”

“HOW CLEVER OF YOU TO be acquainted with the new parson’s wife and her friend,” said Richard Fitzwilliam. “It gives us a good excuse to escape from Rosings. I always forget just how much I dislike the place.”

“You hide it well.” Darcy’s step was light. Soon he would be in the same room with Elizabeth, after all these dark months believing he would never see her again.

It had to be an improvement over the empty months of longing. Perhaps he would discover she was not as bewitching as he remembered, and she would stop haunting his dreams. Or perhaps he would once again experience the sheer delight of being in her presence, the shiver her low laugh sent down his spine, and the freedom of spirit only she could bring to him. Or perhaps when she saw him, her fine eyes would burn with a sultry look, and she would take him by the hand, lead him somewhere private, slide her hands under his coat and caress him as her lips feathered along the line of his jaw, sending a jolt of awareness and desire straight through his body as he finally captured those tempting lips with his own... Well, perhaps not that, but a man could dream.

How often had he awakened from fevered dreams of Elizabeth Bennet, dreams of pushing aside the fabric of her dress to reveal the untouched flesh below, dreams of her dark curls spread across his pillow as she moved beneath him?

Richard continued, “I can ignore Her Harridanship easily enough, but Anne would be a blow to any man’s pride. Not that she is any prize, but what man likes being around a woman who swoons in fear whenever he comes near her? What did I ever do to produce such terror in her? Jasper was the one who put crickets in her bed, not me.” He snorted in disgust.“The servants are the worst part. God knows I am accustomed to servants who spy on me, but the ones here are so, well, servile. All that abject boot licking turns my stomach, just like eating jellied eels does. Ugh. I would not be surprised to discover that they actually clean my boots by licking them.”

“Wait until you meet Mr. Collins, the parson. He has taken toadying to a high art. He cannot stop praising our aunt even when he is three counties away.”

Richard groaned. “I hope he is not at home, then. I do not need another dose of jellied eels.”

It was a constant mystery to Darcy why Richard could face Napoleon’s charging army without turning a hair, yet there were certain everyday people whose presence he could barely tolerate without feeling ill. They were never the people one would expect, either. Usually it was just some harmless busybody. But he could not deny that the abject, cringing behavior Lady Catherine demanded in those around her could be stomach turning. “Collins’s wife is a good enough sort. I cannot imagine what induced her to marry such a ridiculous man.”

“Money will make women do the strangest things. For example, Anne does not swoon when you approach her. I do not think it is merely your pretty face, cousin. Do you suppose that could be why she fears me? Perhaps she thinks I will try to compromise her for her money and snatch her and Rosings out of your hands. ”

It was Darcy’s turn to groan. “Please do! I would be in your debt.”

“That would be a novel experience,” Richard grumbled. “Just think, I could spend every day of my life among servants who make my skin crawl. Delightful.”

They had reached the parsonage, so Darcy did not trouble himself to point out that Richard could hire new servants. His heart began to beat faster as he rapped on the door with the gold knob of his cane. Elizabeth was behind that door. He could tell she was there because the constant pressure of the elements around him was already starting to fade.

The maid showed them into a small sitting room where Elizabeth and the former Miss Lucas sat near a tiny fire. Darcy somehow managed to introduce Richard to them despite his every sense being overwhelmed by Elizabeth’s light and pleasing figure, the tiny dark curls along her neck that escaped from the restraint of her hairpins, the movements of the long, slender fingers on her small hands. Oh, to have those delicate fingers caressing his skin! If he did not restrain his thoughts, the direction of them would become all too apparent.

How was it that the air around Elizabeth seemed brighter than everywhere else?

Her dark eyes were every bit as fine as he remembered, although the expression in them was not sultry, but wary. It was natural, he supposed. He had singled her out for attention at the Netherfield ball and then he had abandoned her. She must think he had deliberately toyed with her feelings. But she seemed well enough; her complexion was still rosy, and she did not appear to have lost weight, as he had.

Charlotte said, “It is a pleasure to meet you, Colonel. Lady Catherine often tells us about you and your family.”

Richard assumed an expression of mock dismay. “Pray permit me to guess.” He pressed his hand to his chest and said in falsetto, “My dear brother, the Earl of Matlock. ”

Charlotte laughed. “To be fair, she has mentioned him once or twice without reminding us he is an earl – but only to remind us he is also a powerful mage.”

“I am all astonishment that she should ever forget!” said Richard.

Darcy felt pressure against his leg and looked down to see a white cat turning mismatched eyes to him. “Miss Elizabeth, did you bring your cat to Kent, or is this simply a close relative?”

Elizabeth smiled. “That is indeed my cat. She hates being separated from me. Since she does not mind curling up in a basket on the stage, I brought her with me.”

“I recall how she followed you across three miles of fields when you stayed at Netherfield.” Darcy reached down to scratch the cat’s head. Normally he did not care much for cats, but he had felt so peaceful when this one sat in his lap in the garden at Netherfield. Or perhaps he liked her simply because she was Elizabeth’s cat.

“I am impressed you remember her,” said Elizabeth.

“A white cat named Pepper is rather memorable.” Darcy could hardly say he had not forgotten anything about Elizabeth during the months since he had seen her at Netherfield. He had tried to forget her and failed, and now he could not stay away from her.

“You named a white cat Pepper?” asked Richard in surprise. Hearing her name, the cat sniffed at his boots.

“I cannot claim the credit,” said Elizabeth lightly. “She was given to me by a friend with an unusual sense of humor. I am fortunate she did not name her Bluebird or Elephant or something even less appropriate than Pepper.”

“Good God! Her eyes!” exclaimed Richard. “One is blue and the other yellow. I have never seen such a thing.”

“Pepper is an unusual cat,” Elizabeth said archly.

Pepper abandoned Richard’s boots and jumped onto Darcy’s lap. Her fluffy tail tickled his chin as she turned around, curled up, and started to purr. Darcy’s muscles relaxed as he stroked her back. The purr grew louder.

Mrs. Collins handed Richard a cup of tea. “Are you a mage like your father?”

“Of a sort,” said Richard. “My magic cannot compare to his. A good thing, since otherwise

I would have been forced to follow in his footsteps at the Collegium of Mages, and I am much happier in the Army.”

“It must be exciting to grow up with a father who is a mage,” said Mrs. Collins. “When I was a child, Mr. Bennet would occasionally create an illusion to entertain us, and I thought it the most marvelous thing in the world.”

A shadow crossed Elizabeth’s face so quickly Darcy thought he might have imagined it. She said, “My father no longer practices magery. For all I know, he may have resigned from the Collegium.”

Richard shook his head. “He would not resign. People would suspect he was dabbling in sorcery.”

“Surely that is no longer the case,” said Mrs. Collins. “There has not been a sorcerer in England in more than a century.”

“Only thanks to the Collegium, and the watchful eye it keeps on all mages to keep them from being tempted into sorcery.” Richard sipped his tea with the elegant grace his mother had instilled into him. “Good Lord, I sound just like my father. Heaven forbid!”

Mrs. Collins shivered. “Tempted into sorcery? Who would want to become a monster from our nightmares?”

“I doubt any of them set out to be evil. But have you never wished you could make someone do your bidding? For a mage, that is the road to sorcery, so we have outlawed casting spells on people.”

Elizabeth’s eyes flashed. “At least on men.” Her normally smiling lips had a bitter twist to them.

Oh, no. Darcy wanted to kick himself. He should have seen that coming.

Richard fell into the trap. “Mages don’t cast spells on women or children, either.”

“Except for those unfortunate women who have magic,” Elizabeth said with finality.

Before Richard could reply, Mrs. Collins said firmly, “Lady Catherine was gracious enough to send us one of her cook’s delicious almond tarts. Lizzy, would you like a slice?” Her tone held a warning.

“I thank you, no.” Elizabeth sounded subdued.

“Mr. Darcy? Colonel Fitzwilliam?” She cut a slice for each of the gentlemen. “I hope Lady Catherine and Miss de Bourgh are in good health.”

“Indeed they are,” said Richard a little too heartily. “Lady Catherine is very pleased with the state of Anne’s health. She has told us that at least four times since we arrived yesterday.”

As if being in good health meant someone who swooned twice a day and could barely complete a thought before being distracted by something else! Darcy would much rather be with Elizabeth, even though he would pay for it later with tortured dreams.

But Elizabeth did not seem to have recovered her spirits. She had not even touched her tea. Had she missed him as much as he had longed for her? Was it painful for her to be thrown into his company, knowing there could be no future? Poor Elizabeth! If only he had the right to make her smile again.

Absently he continued to stroke her cat. It was as close as he was ever likely to come to touching her.

“LIZZY, WHAT WERE YOU thinking?” exclaimed Charlotte in exasperation. “Were you trying to expose yourself? ”

Elizabeth looked away. “I know. I was not thinking.”

“You most certainly were not! Two mages, and you immediately inform them that their treatment of women with magic is unfair. They are not stupid, Lizzy. What if they tell Lady Catherine what you said? It could bring trouble for me as well.”

As if she did not feel frightened enough about her slip already! “I truly am sorry. I just could not bear it when the Colonel went on about how the enlightened Collegium will not permit spells on people’s minds – at least when it suits them. I stayed out of the discussion until then. Perhaps I should return to London early, and you can tell Lady Catherine you sent me away because of my behavior.”

“Don’t be silly. It will come to nothing. Colonel Fitzwilliam seems to find Lady Catherine a subject for mockery. I doubt he would consult her on anything.”

“If you change your mind –” Elizabeth wished she would. It would be so much easier to leave all of this behind, but she had promised Charlotte a long visit. Besides, the injured villagers needed her.

“I will not change my mind. I am happy to have you here.” Charlotte picked up Elizabeth’s full tea cup and placed it on the tray. “Was something wrong with the tea?”

Elizabeth shook her head. “No. It was simply not as hot as I like it. I had best accustom myself to it. I will be drinking a great deal of lukewarm tea until Mr. Darcy leaves Rosings Park.” Noticing Charlotte’s worried look, she added, “I do not mind lukewarm tea, to tell the truth. It simply made me angry that I could not heat it with magic as I usually do.”

“And then you did not want it at all, because you were so busy resenting Mr. Darcy.”

“How well you know me!” Elizabeth turned to her cat. “And you have turned traitor, Pepper. When did you become such a great friend of Mr. Darcy?”

“Mrowr.” Pepper nonchalantly began to wash herself.

DARCY TOOK THE PATH through the grove towards the parsonage. He had planned to call there with Colonel Fitzwilliam later in the day, but the thought of Elizabeth drew him in, moth to her flame, and he could not wait to be in her presence. She had seemed unhappy at the end of their visit yesterday, and he ached to relieve her distress.

He stopped in mid-stride. The elements were growing weaker, so Elizabeth had to be near, probably here in the grove. Darcy went still and listened. Yes, there were sounds from over to the left. He hurried to reach the path in that direction.

There she was. He could see her light and pleasing figure past a clump of trees. A smile curved his lips. Elizabeth! She was looking down at something and seemed to be talking to it. Her cat, most likely. How very like Elizabeth to have conversations with her cat!

But as he rounded the curve, he discovered a little girl was skipping beside her, a tenant’s child, by the look of her. What was she doing on the private grounds of Rosings? Tenants were only allowed there if they were doing work.

He bowed. “Miss Bennet, this is a fortuitous meeting. I was on my way to call on you at the parsonage.” It came out sounding too stilted and formal.

Her cheerful expression faded. “You would have found no one there. Mrs. Collins is helping at a parishioner’s cottage, and I am assisting her by distracting young Meggy.”

Darcy examined the girl. Her clothes were clean and mended, at least, but her hands were grubby. “This is Meggy, I assume.” She certainly did not belong on the private estate lands.

The girl buried her face into Elizabeth’s skirt. “Am I in trouble?” she whimpered .

“Not at all,” Elizabeth said firmly. “Mr. Darcy, Meggy knows she is not supposed to come onto the Rosings grounds, but I told her it would be acceptable for her to come into the grove this one time with me. Her brother is very ill, and I wanted to show her something here.” She gave him a pleading look.

Ordinarily he did not approve of bending rules of this sort, but clearly Elizabeth had done it out of a charitable impulse. “You are not in trouble. As long as you are with Miss Bennet, you may come here.”

“You see, all is well.” Elizabeth smiled and mouthed the words ‘thank you’ to him. “Meggy, this is Mr. Darcy, Lady Catherine’s nephew, and he will not eat you up like the wicked wolf.”

The girl’s face emerged, but she kept hold of Elizabeth’s skirt. “Promise?” she asked Elizabeth shyly.

If being kind to the little girl meant smiles from Elizabeth, he intended to make the most of it. “I promise on my honor as a gentleman not to eat you up.”

“Oh.” The girl ducked her chin. “Or tell her ladyship?” Her tone made it clear that telling her ladyship was a worse threat than being eaten by the wicked wolf.

“Or tell her ladyship.”

Elizabeth said, “Thank you. Lady Catherine is an intimidating figure to some of the children here.”

Darcy chucked. “I can imagine. She intimidates many adults, too.”

“I was not going to say that,” Elizabeth said pointedly, but with a smile.

“I cannot imagine that you allow yourself to be intimidated by her,” Darcy said.

“Of course not,” Elizabeth said gravely. “It would be most ungenerous of me to let her intimidate me.”

This was much better. She was about to tease him, he could tell. “ I fail to see why it would be ungenerous.” He awaited her riposte.

She opened her eyes wide in mock innocence. “Why, if I were intimidated, I would be afraid to reveal my character flaws and the deficits in my education, and that would deprive Lady Catherine of the great joy of informing me of my failings and those of my parents. I do not think I have ever seen her as happy as when she is informing someone of their inferiority to her and instructing them on how they might improve.”