Chapter 21 #2
“Surely they are not still repeating that old canard!” Granny said.
“My father would never have been chosen to succeed Queen Anne, even if he had not flirted with Catholicism. Too much commoner in his mother’s bloodline, not to mention that he was a tyrant.
He was lucky they let him keep the earldom. ”
“It is but a family joke now, that we have more English royal blood than the royal family,” Frederica said.
“My sister saw it as a grave injustice,” Lady Anne said.
“I doubt that has changed. But the Prince Regent is married now, so she cannot become his wife, and she is too old for childbearing. Unless she has some strange Talent that allows that, too.” She sounded doubtful, though.
“It would not surprise me if she intends to try to marry one of my brother’s sons to Princess Charlotte. ”
“Surely Prinny would never approve that. He wants a European prince for her,” Darcy said.
“The Prince of Wales will be completely under Catherine’s thumb,” Lady Anne retorted. “I imagine he has as many bindings as I did.”
Darcy drew in a deep breath. This was grim, but once again, not the greatest danger England faced right now.
A knock at the door preceded the entrance of Hobbes. The butler held a silver salver with a newspaper on top. It must be important for him to have interrupted their conference.
Then he noticed he was wearing a hastily tied black armband, and a chill ran through him.
Darcy took the newspaper from the salver. It was still hot from being ironed, another sign that Hobbes felt this was urgent. Then he saw the headline.
He looked up at the others and said in a hollow voice, “The Princess of Wales is dead.”
Elizabeth took a seat next to Darcy at the edge of the ballroom, taking comfort in sliding her hand into his. Roderick and Frederica were already there, sitting alongside them.
The large space was crowded with both Cerridwen and Rowan there. Coquelicot and Quickthorn were in attendance, too, but of necessity they took their bird forms. Otherwise there would not be room to breathe.
The dragons had been the ones to call this meeting, which was odd enough. And likely not good. They must have a reason, and of late reasons always turned out to be bad news.
Rowan began, “The Dark Peak Nest has come to a decision about the Traitor Companion Catherine. When she broke her bond to Hornbeam, we cut all ties with her. However, we cannot afford to have her wreaking havoc when a mad dragon is at large, so we have concluded we must stop her.”
Could Elizabeth possibly be understanding correctly? “Surely you cannot think she would ally herself with Napoleon.”
Darcy’s hand gently tightened around hers. “Lady Catherine is ruthless, amoral, and power hungry. She would not hesitate, if she thought it could be to her advantage. And she is a powerful enemy.”
“What do you propose to do?” Frederica asked. “And can we help?”
Rowan again took the lead. “In fact, we will need your assistance. We must put the Traitor Companion under a binding that stops her from using her Talent, but this is a complex process that requires us to be near her. Since only dragons with companions can make the journey, it falls to those of us here. The Eldest says it will require four dragons to complete the binding.”
Roderick spoke up instantly, “I am at your disposal.”
Frederica nodded. “I am prepared to go, naturally. Darcy, would you be willing to take on the lesser bond with Coquelicot again so she could participate? Her experience would be a boon to us, and she would be the best at removing the bindings Lady Catherine has made on Prinny and the others.”
Darcy said, “I am willing, if we can find a way for me to travel safely. I would have to be in disguise.” But he sounded eager, which was hardly surprising. It was no secret how much he hated being trapped at Pemberley when there was so much at stake in the wider world.
But this was dangerous for him. Not just the part about facing Lady Catherine and her vast Talent, either. No matter how carefully he was disguised, he would still be at risk from both the French assassins and the High Fae.
Her heart pounded. How many times would she have to stand by while he risked his life? But she could not deny that it needed to be done.
At least this time she would be there to help defend him. “I will go, of course,” she said determinedly.
Cerridwen spoke in that echoing, odd voice that Elizabeth had learned to associate with her dragon’s far-sight. “Not Elizabeth.”
“Why did you say nothing of this earlier?” Quickthorn demanded. “Now we will have to change plans.”
“I did not know,” Cerridwen said in a low voice. “Not until the vision came.”
Elizabeth wanted to protest, to say she must go, but she swallowed it before a word came out.
She could argue with Cerridwen her companion, but not Cerridwen the Seer.
And it was probably for the best that one of them would remain with Jenny.
Both her parents should not go into danger at the same time.
Darcy frowned. “I do not like leaving Elizabeth here by herself, given the attacks that have occurred.”
She did not like staying behind either, not one bit, but that was because she could not help to protect Darcy. “I will have Cerridwen, Jasper, Granny, Georgiana’s lesser fae, the wards, and the Pemberley Nest here. Between them, I should be perfectly safe.”
Darcy looked as if he would like to disagree. “If we must.”
Frederica shook her head. “If Elizabeth cannot come, we should find another companion. Granny needs more time to recover. We could ask one of the Scottish companions, I suppose. Not that they feel any loyalty to England or the royal family, but I imagine they would do it if the Eldest requests it.”
“I suppose we have no choice,” Roderick said. “The Eldest would prefer not to involve other Nests. She sees Lady Catherine as a personal failing of the Dark Peak Nest, but needs must. Bronwyn from Gwynedd is too young, as is her dragon.”
They would all be leaving her again, then. “How long do you expect to be gone?”
“It depends on how much time it takes to find Lady Catherine at a vulnerable moment. Perhaps no more than a fortnight, with travel time, if nothing goes wrong.”
If nothing goes wrong. The words echoed in Elizabeth’s mind. Because of course this would be risky, especially when the War Office wanted to arrest Darcy and give him to Napoleon.
Then a piercing scream split the air, making her jump. From the front of the house, if she was not mistaken. What had happened? A French assassin, or could the High King have defeated the wards?
Darcy was already on his feet and racing out the door. Elizabeth followed.
A white-faced maid was running past, and Elizabeth grabbed her arm. “What has happened?”
“A ghost! You must flee, madam!” She lifted her skirts and hurried off.
“Ghosts are not real,” Elizabeth said to the empty air. But she had thought dragons were extinct and that she would never see a fae, too. Her skin prickled. Still, she would not be intimidated, so she hurried onward down the half-flight of stairs into the grand entrance hall.
An unknown young man stood just inside the door, looking perfectly healthy and not at all like a ghost. But a burly footman was backed up against the great tapestry, and Hobbes – totally imperturbable, stony-faced Hobbes – had actual tears on his ashen cheeks.
Ahead of her, Darcy hurled himself at the man. For a moment Elizabeth thought he meant to attack him, but then he threw his arms enthusiastically around the newcomer. “You made it!”
“Indeed I did, although I had hoped for a happier welcome than screaming maids,” the man said with a laugh.
A gasp came from behind Elizabeth’s shoulder. It was Frederica, her hands covering her mouth in shock. Behind her stood Jasper Fitzwilliam, slack jawed, with his sword drawn but sagging in his hand.
“Do you know who that is?” Elizabeth asked quietly.
“Surely it cannot be…Jack?” Frederica squeaked.
Jack? Darcy’s brother who had been killed in the dragon massacre at Salamanca? No wonder the staff thought him a ghost!
Jasper half-tumbled down the stairs and enthusiastically pumped Jack’s hand. “Good God, you are alive! We thought you were dead!”
“It is a long story, and I will tell it in due course. Is that Freddie I see back there? What is this, a family party?”
Darcy suddenly seemed to remember Elizabeth’s existence, holding out his hand to her. “Elizabeth, look who is here! It is my brother Jack.” Darcy, who seemed very pleased to see him… but not particularly surprised.
Puzzled, she stepped forward. “This is a great – and very unexpected – pleasure. You are most welcome here.”
“I thank you, Mrs. Darcy,” he said, “and I look forward to your better acquaintance. If I may address you as Companion Elizabeth, I have a dragon of my own waiting just outside your formidable wards. Could he be invited in, too?”
Darcy’s mouth dropped. “You are a companion now, too?”
Jack gave a crooked smile. “It was that or let Gentiane die when Napoleon took over the Nest. All those years I refused to develop my mage abilities, and look at me now!”
“Well, that is convenient,” said Frederica in an odd voice. “Now we have four dragon companions after all.”