Chapter 11
“ M ama, you cannot possibly think a soirée will distract me from any of this!” wailed Frederica.
“I am glad you recognize I cannot possibly think that,” said Lady Matlock with some asperity. “This is a matter of fashion.”
“Ordering a closet full of new dresses will not make me happier, either.” Frederica jumped to her feet. “Pray forget I said anything.”
“Temper, my dear. Fashion goes far beyond clothing. The fay are out of fashion. Women performing magic is out of fashion. If you do not like it, you must be prepared to change the fashion.”
Frederica asked cautiously, “What do you mean?”
“We must make the Sidhe all the rage, so that no society hostess would dream of holding an event without a Sidhe or two in attendance. We must also establish that no young lady can be considered truly accomplished unless she can perform some feat of magic to delight an audience. I have not yet seen how we can tie the two together, but it will no doubt come to me.”
If anyone could accomplish this, it was her mother. “The Sidhe think it is barbaric that our women are not permitted to practice magic.”
Lady Matlock beamed. “There it is! Well done. Now I believe I must speak to your Faerie queen.”
SPEAKING TO VISCOUNT Eversleigh came first, however. He seemed quite pleased with the idea of the soiree, although Elizabeth was more dubious. When Lady Matlock asked him if he had any suggestions, he raised his quizzing glass to look at her and said, “Lady Matlock, should there ever come a day on which I dare to offer you a suggestion on how to plan a successful entertainment, I pray you to be so kind as to send me to Bedlam, as it would be a sign I had completely lost my mind.”
It was no wonder he was so popular with ladies. Elizabeth hid a smile despite her disquiet with their idea. Mortals had been frightened of the fay for too long to be easily convinced to accept them.
“Lord Eversleigh, will you be able to conduct me to Faerie to speak to Queen Titania?” asked Lady Matlock.
“Sadly, if you wish to go today, I cannot assist you. I have overused the rings, and it will be several days before I can use them again. Miss Bennet is perfectly capable of taking you there.”
“I am?” asked Elizabeth.
“Certainly. Have Lady Matlock enter the ring before you, and when you enter, you must visualize the entrance to Titania’s bower. Your talisman will do the rest.”
“YOU ARE MARIGOLD MEADOWSWEET’S mother?” asked Titania.
“I am.”
“You are fortunate, then. I have no children, so I must borrow other women’s daughters. It might be different if more mortal men visited Faerie.”
Lady Matlock showed no response to this risqué statement. “That is something I hope to change. I asked to see you to discuss an idea for increasing contact between mortals and fay. Long ago, mortals honored the Sidhe, and it is time to restore that as the natural order. ”
Titania leaned forward. “You have my interest.”
AFTER DISAPPEARING for most of the morning, Richard strode into the library where Darcy, Eversleigh, and Lord Matlock were discussing plans for dismantling Sir Lewis’s study. He tossed a sheet of paper onto the table in front of Eversleigh.
Eversleigh picked it up and examined it. “What is this?”
Richard scowled. “There are certain people I do not like being near. For lack of a better word, they make me queasy, the way I feel when I eat jellied eels. I always assumed I just did not like them. Sometimes it was someone who had made me angry, but mostly they had done nothing to me. Darcy knows about this.”
“Richard has spoken to me of it many times,” said Darcy. But why was he bringing it up now?
“When I was fifteen, I had a fight with my father. The next time I came back from school, I had that feeling about him, and I assumed it was because of the fight. It never went away, though, not until yesterday. I used to have that feeling about Cousin Anne as well, but not now. The Rosings servants, too. All gone now.” Richard pointed at the paper. “That is a list of every person I can remember who has given me that jellied eels feeling.”
Eversleigh ran his finger down the list. “There are several mages listed here.”
“It used to be a joke,” said Richard with some bitterness. “I went into the Army because Collegium meetings made me feel sick. That was what the fight with my father was about. He wanted me to study magery and become the next Master of the Collegium.”
Lord Matlock wiped his forehead, his expression grim. “That disagreement was not long before Sir Lewis’s death. ”
“Which was when Lady Catherine placed the spell on you. I am not saying everyone on that list is under a spell. Perhaps none of them are. As I said, sometimes it happens when I am angry. Recently it started happening with a young girl who had disappointed me, but she is certainly not under a spell. I thought you should know.” Richard dropped into a chair.
Lord Matlock grabbed the paper from Eversleigh. “Good God. You cannot possibly be angry with all of these people. Mages. Ladies of the ton . Even tradesmen.” He looked up at Richard. “Not a single officer.”
Richard turned his hands upwards. “I cannot explain it. It is simply what I feel. And I do not like it.”
Eversleigh peered at the paper over Lord Matlock’s shoulder. “How many of them have had contact with Lady Catherine?”
“None that I know of, apart from the servants and Mr. Collins,” said Richard. “She did not go out in society.”
“Some of them knew Sir Lewis,” said Lord Matlock. “Perhaps you react to the residue of a spell.”
“Then why does it not happen with you now?” Richard’s frustration was obvious.
Darcy came to look at the list. “Some of these he has mentioned to me. The servants here in particular.”
“How many of these people make you angry?”
Richard grimaced. “Very few. Unless I have a good reason, I tend to stay far away from people who make me feel that way.”
Eversleigh tapped his fingers on the table. “If these people – if any of these people are under a spell, you know what that means.”
“Another sorcerer,” grunted Lord Matlock. “One we do not know about.”
“Or more than one,” said Eversleigh. “But none of this is proof.”
“I know!” Richard said, his voice raised. “I do not like it. I like things that are certain, things I can see in front of me. I do not like feelings. I do not like making accusations based on whether someone makes my stomach turn. But I hate sorcery worse than any of it.”
“You were right to bring this to me,” said Eversleigh. “It is not proof, but ever since Miss de Bourgh told us her father was a sorcerer, I have been wondering if he was the only one. If we missed him, we could have missed another. I am inclined now to think it is probable.”
“What do we do?” asked Darcy.
“Fitzwilliam, are you willing to be deployed as a spell-sniffing hound?” asked Eversleigh.
“No. But I will do it anyway,” grumbled Richard.
“Your first task is to remain here until the three mages arrive to examine Lady Catherine. If any of them make you feel queasy, I need to know that,” said Eversleigh.
“Collingswood, Winston, and Elliott? You cannot possibly suspect any of them,” said Lord Matlock.
“If I were to list the mages whom I believed least likely to be under a sorcerer’s spell, you would have been at the top of the list, my lord,” said Eversleigh with a touch of acid in his voice. “I intend to suspect everyone.”
FREDERICA COLLAPSED onto the drawing room sofa across from Eversleigh. Elizabeth followed her more sedately.
“What happened in your meeting with Titania?” asked Eversleigh. “You look exhausted.”
“It went well, once we moved past the disastrous beginning,” said Frederica. “Titania told Mama that she had not known ladies of her advanced age could still be elegant even though their faces were lined.”
“Oh, dear,” said Eversleigh. “She probably meant it as a compliment. ”
“Lady Matlock could not have been more gracious, although I doubt she felt that way,” added Elizabeth. “She said Frederica had told her there were no older mortal women in Faerie. ‘It is a shame,’ she said, ‘since what we lose in beauty is made up in becoming more interesting. Young people can be very dull.’ Titania seemed to consider it.”
Frederica nodded. “Then they talked for hours about bringing the fay into fashion. Titania was quite taken with the idea of attending a soirée, though perhaps that was only because Mama mentioned that there would be handsome young men to wait upon her. But Titania said it could not be in London because the fay are uncomfortable with so much iron about, so instead it will be a moonlight revel somewhere near London, perhaps here if Anne is willing to permit it. Mama plans to string lanterns like Vauxhall Gardens. It will start as an ordinary gathering and then become increasingly in the fay style.”
“There is to be complete secrecy about the presence of the fay. We are only to tell guests it will be beyond anything they can imagine, and that anyone who misses the revel will forever regret it. If pressed, we are to hint at the possible presence of members of the Russian royal family,” said Elizabeth archly.
“I am to call on my dressmaker and convince her to lend her talents to making us a version of the dryads’ clothing which will be decent for young ladies to wear,” said Frederica with a sly glance at Eversleigh.
Elizabeth laughed. “I would say it is an impossible task.”
Eversleigh teased, “Shall I tell your mother I liked seeing you in the original version?”
Frederica’s cheeks reddened. “If you dare to tell her, I will – Oh, Mama, I had not seen you there.”
“If you dare tell me what?” Lady Matlock looked at Eversleigh.
Eversleigh bowed to her. “Merely that when I called upon Titania some days ago, I had the pleasure of seeing Lady Frederica dressed as a dryad. ”
“Eversleigh!” yelped Frederica.
“You did dare me,” he pointed out.
Lady Matlock eyed him and said, “St. George’s, Hanover Square?”
“Naturally,” said Eversleigh.
“In two months, perhaps, to allow time for the revel,” added Lady Matlock.
Eversleigh straightened his cuffs. “Perhaps Lady Frederica would prefer to choose the date.”
“I prefer never!” Frederica jumped to her feet and ran from the room.
Eversleigh stretched his hand out towards her, but she was already gone.
ELIZABETH KNOCKED ON Frederica’s closed door. “It is I, Elizabeth. May I enter?”
“Are you here to plead his case?”
“No. I came to see if you wanted anything. I thought you might prefer me to your mother or Viscount Eversleigh.”
“You may enter.” Frederica sounded resigned.
Elizabeth opened the door and slipped inside.
Frederica lay crosswise on her bed, her legs dangling off the edge, staring up at the bed canopy. “I suppose you think I am foolish for refusing such an excellent match.”
“I have only known Viscount Eversleigh a few days, and I know you only a little better. I fail to see how my opinion of a match between you would be of any use.”
“I thought I knew him, but that was before I discovered he was keeping half his life a secret, and now this. How dare he assume my consent?”
“Now that is something we agree on, and your mother does as well. When she discovered he had not yet made you an offer, she told him he was cork-brained.”
Frederica propped herself up on her elbows. “Did she truly? I would have liked to see that.”
“I thought her a little cork-brained as well for jumping straight from a situation of compromise to planning the wedding. Only a few of us are aware of what happened, and if we all hold our tongues, there would be no compromise.”
“Stupid men and their stupid sense of honor! It was a complete accident he saw me that day. There is no reason he should feel bound to marry me.” Frederica’s voice wavered.
“Is it possible that is not his only reason? He flirts with you and seems to enjoy your company.”
“He barely noticed me before that day in Faerie. If he is paying me attention now, it is because of his sense of honor.”
“Well, he certainly liked what he saw that day. I do not need fay abilities to tell that!” And he had not appeared indifferent to her afterwards, but clearly Lady Frederica was not interested in hearing that. “He did not handle himself well today, though.”
“No, he did not! He always knows the right thing to say, so why did he behave so foolishly? Every gentleman knows how to make a proposal. All he had to do was to ask me to be his wife and make him the happiest man in the world. But no, this is the one time he chooses to be different!”
Elizabeth was half tempted to tell her that Darcy had made an even worse disaster of his proposal, but it was better to keep Frederica unaware of that event. But it was worth considering. Mr. Collins had cared nothing for her, but his proposal could have been written for a book of etiquette. She had always felt Mr. Darcy’s disapproval, but after the first set down he delivered at the Meryton assembly, he had not insulted her nor criticized her family to her face. He knew better than to do that, but when he offered her his hand, he could hardly have done worse. She could not attribute it to a lack of caring; Darcy would never have deigned to offer for her unless he was half mad with desire. “I wonder if gentlemen under the influence of an ardent attraction may have more difficulty with the proper proposal. Those who feel less can stay with their script, but is it possible that strong feelings interfere with a man’s choices?”
“You are trying to convince me to accept him after all! I pray you to stop at once.”
“No, I am only attempting to make sense of his out-of-character behavior. I think you would be wise to find out more about his fay connections before considering him. Or it may be fay behavior. Perhaps this is how they propose marriage.”
Frederica said, “I do not know, but I have no desire to marry a man who would prefer a different woman.”
“You think Eversleigh prefers another woman?” asked Elizabeth in surprise.
“I know it.”
Elizabeth knew when there was no point in arguing.
EVERSLEIGH JUMPED TO his feet when Elizabeth reentered the sitting room. “What did she say? May I speak to her?”
Elizabeth curtsied despite his lack of formality. “Lady Frederica is resting, and she does not wish for company at present.”
“Is she angry?”
Lady Matlock said, “Of course she is angry. Otherwise she would be here herself. ”
Elizabeth deemed it best not to respond to that. “Lady Frederica asked me to inform you that you are under no obligation to offer for her because there was no compromising situation. She dressed in the appropriate attire for one of Titania’s court, as is only good manners. You were given permission to enter. Within that setting, neither of you behaved inappropriately, and there is no reason to consider marriage as a remedy.”
“Surely she does not think that is the only reason I want to marry her!”
Elizabeth gave him a long serious look. “I would not be certain of that. Unfortunately, she is unwilling to discuss the matter at present.”
“Perhaps I could write her a letter.” He slanted his eyes towards Lady Matlock. “If her mother is kind enough to give me permission.”
“No letters, I am afraid,” said Elizabeth. “She has already said as much.”
Eversleigh made a wan attempt at a smile. “Am I so predictable, then?”
“I would not dream of attempting to answer that,” said Elizabeth demurely.
Lady Matlock dusted off her hands, although she had been doing nothing with them. “Well, she will have to speak to me sooner or later, and perhaps this can be resolved then. After all, if she does not wish to marry, all she needs to do is to say so. We will not insist on a marriage that is against her will.”
“Of course not.” Eversleigh seemed to be trying to put a brave face on it.
“In the meantime, we have a revel to plan. Lord Eversleigh, might I impose upon you to locate three handsome young men, either mages or poets, to act as Titania’s court at the revel?”
“I can manage that.”
“Frederica and Elizabeth will also be her attendants. Titania hopes to convince Oberon to join her.”
“Most likely Aelfric will attend as well if I ask him,” said Eversleigh.
Elizabeth’s shoulders tightened. “Might he not offend some guests?” He certainly offended her often enough.
“I will speak to him about the importance of temperance. It may be difficult to believe, but he is generally a pleasant fellow, and he has the advantage that we can present him as royalty.”
“That brings up the delicate question of your own status, Lord Eversleigh,” said Lady Matlock. “Do you intend to reveal any of your own connections with Faerie?”
Eversleigh looked thoughtful. “I would prefer not to bring my parentage into question, but if I am there, Oberon, Titania, and Aelfric will not pretend they do not know me and will not lie for my sake.”
“Yet it would be best to have your presence in case of misunderstandings. Would your Sidhe friends be willing to tell a partial truth – that you are descended from Oberon, and Aelfric has always considered you his brother?”
“Clever,” Eversleigh acknowledged. “That might work.”
“Good. Now we must return to London without any further delay, but we will be in contact.”
DARCY BOWED OVER ELIZABETH’S hand as she prepared to depart from Rosings with the Matlocks. He dared not draw attention to her by kissing it, but he tried to show her with his gaze how much he cared.
She looked at him longer than propriety required, with both warmth and sadness, he thought. She said, “Goodbye, Mr. Darcy. I hope we will meet again soon.”
“You may depend upon it, Miss Bennet.” Now he was certain she could see the burning desire in his eyes as he released her fingers.
It was all he could hope for.
When Eversleigh took her hand, he leaned forward and said something too quiet for Darcy to hear, but it made Elizabeth laugh and say, “I have no doubt of it! But be careful, shurinn .”
Eversleigh bowed to her. “ Shurinn , I hope you will do the same, as we discussed.”
Blood rushing through his ears, Darcy did not hear what, if anything, Richard said to her. How dare Eversleigh behave so familiarly with his Elizabeth? They had been introduced for the first time only a week ago. Anyone seeing it would think there was an understanding between them. It could not be an accident. Eversleigh was usually so careful to avoid that sort of thing.
He watched the carriage start off, taking Elizabeth away from him, leaving him bereft. Why was he remaining here to help the man who was winning her away from him? He should be going with her, but instead he trudged back to the breakfast room.
Eversleigh poured himself a third cup of coffee. “It will be dull here without the young ladies. Collingswood, Winston and Elliott are good fellows, but not as pleasant to look upon.”
“Definitely not,” said Richard.
Darcy asked abruptly, “That thing you and Elizabeth call each other – sharin – what does that mean?”
“ Shurinn ,” Eversleigh corrected. “It means that we are kin through Aelfric.”
“Not true kin, though. More like a stepbrother, if anything.” Darcy had no intention of allowing Eversleigh to presume on his very slight connection to Elizabeth.
“To a mortal, yes. Among the Sidhe, half brothers and sisters are the rule rather than the exception, and shurinn is considered a blood tie.”
“Ridiculous,” said Richard. “You can call it what you like, but you and Miss Elizabeth are not related.”
“It may seem illogical, but nature works differently in Faerie. It is a true bond we are born with. Lord, this is difficult to explain to a mortal!” Eversleigh rubbed his hands over his face. “When two Sidhe, or a Sidhe and a mortal, are close kin, they share a magical connection, and it comes with obligations and bindings. If I concentrate, I can sense certain things about Aelfric – where he is, what he might be feeling, if he is in pain – even when he is not present. The bond also forces me to protect him. If I allowed him to be hurt when I could prevent it, I would feel physical pain.”
“So you have a magical bond with your brother. Fine. But Miss Elizabeth is not related to you.” Richard crossed his arms.
Eversleigh took a sip of his coffee, looked at the cup dispassionately, and pushed it aside. “There are three kinds of fay blood kinship. What you think of as relatives, close kin who share blood, like Aelfric and me, are called tiarinn . Shurinn are kin through a blood relation. Elizabeth was carried in the same womb that carried my brother, and that makes us kin. Titania is shurinn to me by her blood tie to Oberon. Shurinn is not as intense a bond as tiarinn , but it is still strong. I had never experienced it with a mortal before meeting Elizabeth. It is a strange sensation.”
“How can that be?” asked Darcy. “Would not all the Sidhe be shurinn since their bloodlines are intertwined?”
“No. Only close blood ties matter, within two steps of relation. Father, mother, brother, sister, child – each of those is one step. Aelfric is one step from both Elizabeth and me. If Elizabeth had a child, Aelfric would be tiarinn to the child, but the child would not be shurinn to me because that would be three steps. The fay recognize the concept of aunt and uncle, since that is two steps, but not the concept of cousin, because that is three steps.”
“You and Elizabeth are related despite having no shared blood, while Aelfric and his own cousin would not be?” Richard asked in disbelief.
“Essentially, yes. Still kin, but without the bonds of obligation or magic. The shared food ties between a Sidhe and his mortal followers are stronger.”
“This makes no sense!” exclaimed Richard.
“It does not matter if it makes sense,” said Eversleigh irritably. “It is not a choice, but something we are born with. Perhaps it is the same inexplicable instinct that makes mortal mothers protect their newborn babies with their lives.”
Darcy shook his head. “Elizabeth does not seem to feel that connection to Aelfric. She seems to have taken him in intense dislike, and certainly does not feel protective of him.”
Eversleigh sighed. “Ah, that is the other side of Sidhe kinship. Sometimes kin do not like each other, but because there is forced mental closeness, the bond can turn oppressive and lead to even greater conflict. Aelfric and Elizabeth met badly. I hope they will not always have a troubled relationship, but it is possible they will. Even if they do, should Elizabeth see someone trying to hurt Aelfric, she would stop them at all cost. And if Aelfric asks her to do something, she will do it unless she feels it is immoral.” He gave a slight smile. “She will also resent having no choice.”
Darcy could easily believe that part. “Are you also shurinn to Elizabeth’s sisters, then? You may not find that a comfortable bond. Her younger sisters would be very pleased to be able to give orders to a viscount.”
Eversleigh groaned. “I will try to avoid meeting them. The closeness of shurinn is often not as comfortable as it is between Miss Elizabeth and me. We each treat the bond with care.”
Darcy could not help himself. “Do the Sidhe forbid incest?”
“Between tiarinn , yes, but not between shurinn .” Eversleigh picked up his abandoned coffee cup and drained half of it.
Darcy stood and strode to the window. He could not even bear to look at Eversleigh. So that was why Elizabeth had said nothing was possible between them. She might be attracted to him, but what did he have to offer compared to a viscount with whom she had a magical bond?
“Wait,” said Richard. “Did you not say there were three kinds of Sidhe kinship?”
Eversleigh nodded, for all the world as if he had not just shattered Darcy’s world. “The third kind, eliarinn , is rare. You may safely forget about that one.”
Darcy wished he could forget the entire conversation, but he expected it would haunt him forever.