Darcy’s Story (Pride & Prejudice & Potions)

Chapter 1

The snow on the mountain glistened in the daylight as the chairlift brought me gradually upward.

I breathed in the chilly air as I watched the skiers and snowboarders make their way down the slopes beneath me.

A gust of wind blew, and I was thankful I’d used my magic on my coat to act as a mini heater that kept me from feeling the cold.

I’d come on this little getaway to clear my head.

A lot had happened in the last few months.

Murders and revelations and betrayals that left me reeling.

But all of that would have been endurable, if it weren’t for my feelings for one woman that clung to me with all the tenacity of a rumor racing through a small town.

Elizabeth Bennet. Lizzy.

The chairlift lurched as it crossed a support tower.

I tightened my grip on the safety bar. It was ridiculous, really—absurd that someone with her quick wit and sharp tongue took up so much space in my mind.

Yet there she was, as present as the cold biting at my cheeks, as persistent as the snowflakes landing on my gloves.

I’d come to our family cabin in Wyoming with my uncle and sister to forget, to let the clean air scrub my thoughts bare.

But of course, memories weren’t so easily removed.

And I had to admit to myself that a person didn’t get over someone like Elizabeth Bennet.

Which was fine, other than the fact that I’d completely blown my chances with her. I couldn’t count the times I’d replayed in my head the fire in her flashing eyes when she said, “You are the last fae on earth I’d ever want to marry.”

It was harsh, but fair. I’d told myself at the time, when I disparaged her social standing and her family in the midst of my proposal, that I was being honest. But her candor had cut through that illusion. In that moment, I’d realized I wasn’t being honest—I was a rude idiot.

The chairlift neared the summit. The wind whipped harder now, carving lines of frost across the metal railings. I exhaled, watching my breath turn into fog and drift away. Perhaps this retreat wasn’t about forgetting. Perhaps it was about deciding what to do next.

Because the truth was undeniable. I missed her.

As my skis touched the unloading ramp, I steadied myself and slid off, heading toward the steep run that dropped away from the ridge. The world below was quiet, wrapped in winter. I pushed off, letting gravity take me.

I cut through the snow, descending the mountain. The speed filled me with adrenaline even while the question echoed within me. “What do I do now?”

It was a mocking question. One that didn’t have a direct answer. I didn’t wish to let Lizzy go, but I also didn’t want to turn into a stalker after she’d made it so clear she didn’t desire me.

My skis dug into the path, and I used my poles to move even faster.

I slid to a stop at the bottom, and still the answer eluded me. It was the same question I’d been asking for months. My life had come to a standstill without her.

In frustration, I unclipped my feet from the skis and picked them up, heading for the parking lot.

“Hey Darcy!” My sister Georgiana and her boyfriend Henry stood outside the lodge as I passed. “Enjoy your run?”

“I’m going to head to the cabin. I’ll walk and leave you the car.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, it’s not far.”

“Okay, yeah, we plan to do a few more runs.” Georgiana tapped her snowboard next to her.

“See you there,” Henry said with a wave.

“Be careful,” I said.

Georgiana rolled her eyes. She thought I was being an overprotective older brother, and I was, but over the past few months a surprising number of people close to us had turned out to be murderers.

Which was why I was here with just my family. I was grateful for having those I trusted nearby—Georgiana, my uncle, and even my childhood friend Wickham after our reconciliation. Enemies had become friends, and some former friends had become murderers.

As the heir to the throne, there were precious few I put my faith in.

I headed out to the snow-covered parking lot. The trail to the cabin was exactly beyond it.

My feet crunched, leaving a series of footprints as I hiked. I enjoyed the calm stillness of the forest. The light chirping of the birds and the white aspen trees dotting the area made it look like a winter wonderland.

Our cabin was a large structure composed of logs several stories high. A single rose popped out of the snow and bloomed in welcome. A smile crossed my lips. The cabin was filled with various spirits that had taken residence here.

I picked the flower and took in its gentle fragrance. “Thank you,” I said to the deer spirit that often lingered close to the entrance.

Briefly, the deer appeared in a soft glowing outline before fading into nothing.

I walked up to the door and set my skis to dry on the covered front porch before heading inside.

The warmth of the space was stifling after the icy wind outside.

Setting the rose on a small windowsill, I began stripping off clothes.

After hanging my outer clothes onto the nearby rack, I slipped into the bathroom and changed into a sweater with jeans.

In stockings, I moved into the cabin. Even though we rarely visited it, Georgiana had insisted on giving it a Valentine’s Day touch by adding delicate, pink-colored candles to the fireplace mantel and a single bouquet of white peonies in the foyer.

I walked into the main room and was surprised to find Uncle James sitting on the sofa, enjoying a steaming cup of hot chocolate while he looked over documents. My uncle was the king regent of the fae, holding the spot for me, the heir, until I was ready to take over.

He smiled at me. “Have a good time skiing, my boy?”

“It was refreshing. I thought you had already left for New York?” Uncle had meetings he needed to attend before coming to the Saints and Sweethearts Festival in Austen Heights.

“Not quite yet.” He patted the suitcase next to him. “But I’ll leave soon.”

The dying embers in the fireplace began to pop and spark. The hearth spirit that resided there was temperamental and hated it when the flames burned too low. I stepped up to it and added another log, then grabbed a poker, adjusting the wood. The fire crackled to life.

I set the poker aside. “I’m headed to the study to work.” By work, I meant I was going to review the information I’d collected about my parents’ murder and Moonrot.

“Did you find something new?” My uncle asked. I’d told him about how I suspected that someone had murdered my parents a few weeks ago.

“Not yet.” I’d been over the details a hundred times, and I was stalled out.

My parents had died in a car accident the same night that the curse Moonrot had spread among the fae.

The fact that it happened on the same day was a secret that only my family and the council were aware of.

We announced my parents’ death several days after they’d actually passed to reduce speculation that the two might be connected.

But they were. Or at least I thought so.

And I’d discovered evidence that they may not have died in the car accident after all.

I’d made a list of people I planned to interview and discover what they knew, but I couldn’t do those interviews from miles away.

The Saints and Sweethearts Festival was approaching, and it was tradition for the council and the prominent fae to travel to Austen Heights for the celebration.

All of my suspects would be in the same place, making it the perfect opportunity to gather new information.

Uncle set his hot cocoa on a coaster on the table. “Before you do that, do you mind if we talk?”

“Sure.”

My uncle was tall and had the same light brown hair and green eyes as my father. He pushed an article from a newspaper in front of me. “They printed another one.”

I picked up the paper. The article titled “Prince Valemont, Lazy or Reckless: Backs Changes On Dangerous Creatures But Won’t Take The Throne.”

“Things are getting unstable with the council, and the increased bad press is making it harder,” Uncle stated. “You have a month until you turn twenty-eight and must ascend the throne. Then all this will be over.” He observed me. “Or you can take the throne early.”

My heart sank, and the newspaper crinkled under my hand. “I need these last few weeks to focus on Moonrot and my parents’ murder.”

“I don’t want to stop you from finding your parents’ killer or from discovering the source of this horrible curse, but don’t you think you might do both?”

How could I become king when the people were hurting from this curse that had something to do with my parents' death? My duties as king would limit my time and slow me down in uncovering the truth. The council, however, didn’t even believe my parents had been murdered.

They ruled it an accidental death. I’d been searching for the answer to my parents’ deaths and the cure to Moonrot for three years.

I refused to give up until I found out the answers.

“You can see how close I am to solving this. When I turn twenty-eight, I will take the throne.” The law said I had ten years from when I turned eighteen to take the throne.

And that time was coming swiftly to a close, so I didn’t have any other choice.

But if the council turned fully against me before my next birthday, then my uncle would have to find someone else to rule.

“Can you hold the council off? Convince them to wait?”

Uncle regarded me thoughtfully. “I can try. But there have been a lot of questions since I took over as regent. And now with the recent blows to your popularity, you must keep your head down until your birthday and do what you can to improve your public image.”