Chapter 13
By the time we made it to Cupid’s Confections, it was getting dark.
“Mary usually reads in the front room,” Lizzy said. “If we tell her, we’re going to have to tell her everything.” She glanced at me, searching for how I felt.
“We can share with her who I am. Hiding things won’t help us find the cure.”
She nodded and led me around to the side and through an entrance into their main living area.
Glass jars filled with rose petals and soft pink candles lined the wooden coffee table.
Their warm glow cast heart-shaped shadows as they flickered gently.
The cinnamon candles mingled their scent with hints of vanilla.
Other than that, the room appeared mostly the same as when I was here last.
True to form, Mary sat on a large sofa, curled up, reading a book.
“Hey Mary,” Lizzy said. “We have to talk to you.”
She raised her hands. “I had nothing to do with the poor matchmaking skills of our family. I told them that you wouldn’t like it and that I wanted no part of it.”
“No, it’s not about that.” Lizzy shifted. “We want your help with something. We may be close to finding a cure for Dad.”
“Really?” Mary closed her book. “Tell me.”
So we did. We told her everything about me, my parents’ deaths, my uncle, and Moonrot. Afterward, Mary sat in shock. “Wow… that’s a lot.”
“Yeah,” Lizzy said. “We just found out most of it.”
Her brows drew together as she eyed me. “Are you okay?”
No. My life had shattered, and I’d ruined every possibility with the sole individual I believed could help me through it.
“Can you assist us? We think that if we combine the magic of different magical races into one remedy, we might cure Moonrot.” Which is why we came to Mary.
According to Lizzy, not only did she have experience mixing different magic together, but she knew where to find werewolves and vampires who could aid us.
“I don’t know,” Mary said, pushing her glasses up on her nose. “Experimenting is what caused the curse. What if we did the same and made something worse?”
“And what if we came up with something that healed everyone?” Lizzy took Mary’s hand, swallowing once before adding, “Father is close to dying, anyway. I don’t think there’s much we can do to make it worse.”
Sadness filled Mary’s eyes at Lizzy’s mention of their dad.
“You’re the one in the family with the most experience in mixing magic,” Lizzy pressed. “Surely together we can create something?”
Mary nibbled her lip while looking at her hands, contemplating.
Kitty burst into the room, heading straight toward them and not even noticing me standing off to the side.
“Mary, Lizzy, have you heard the news? Everyone around town is saying that Darcy is the prince. Someone at the airport saw him with his uncle, the king regent, and people are saying that Darcy has been disguising himself with a glamour this entire—”
I cleared my throat, and Kitty spun to face me.
I let the glamour I’d been holding for what seemed like forever drop. “It’s true.”
Kitty’s eyes grew round, and she bowed. “Your Highness, forgive me. I didn’t see you.”
“You can call me Darcy,” I said. This was what always happened. This was why I had hidden my identity ever since I’d come to Austen Heights. It had been nice avoiding all of… this.
Mary cast a glance at Lizzy. “How long have you known?”
Lizzy gave a small smile. “A while.”
Kitty straightened. “Yes, Darcy… or Prince Darcy.”
“Just Darcy.” I turned to Mary. “This isn’t a royal edict, but we’d appreciate assistance in healing your father and everyone of Moonrot. You have access to the royal library, and anything that you require to do so.”
Mary eventually nodded. “Okay, but we’ll want Mom’s help. She’s the most experienced with potions, and I’m glad you offered the library because I’ll need books. LOTS of books.”
Mary insisted she needed a few magical ingredients.
So I put my glamour back on, and Lizzy and I made our way over to Elixir and Ivy, the apothecary shop, to purchase the items. It didn’t seem like my glamour was doing much though, as stares and whispers followed us.
After getting the items on the list, we dropped them off at Cupid’s Confections and drove over to Netherfield.
When we arrived at Netherfield, we found Mary sitting among a plethora of books strewn out in Netherfield’s library.
When Charles moved in, he’d allowed me to set up a book conduit that would allow us to call any book we needed in the royal library to Netherfield for our perusal.
I’d felt it necessary for my research on Moonrot.
At least now it was getting some decent use. Books sat in stacks, and Mary looked through different ones at her will, checking others, and cross-referencing everything.
Every once in a while, she’d take a book over to her mom and ask a question or two. For the first time, I beheld a serious Mrs. Bennet—no gossiping, freaking out about men or her daughters dating. She focused completely on the research to save her husband.
“This has got to be the strangest sight I have ever seen,” Lizzy said, watching Mary and their mom discuss different ingredients and their uses in potions.
They worked and discussed well into the night. Lizzy and I fell asleep in separate large chairs.
Mary shook me awake, and then Lizzy. “I might have something. Mom and I are going to pick up a couple more items and return to Cupid’s Confections, where we’ll start brewing. We’ll need all our sisters and Frank, Riley, and Wickham. Can you call them and make sure they come?”
Lizzy lifted her phone from her pocket. “We can do that. Don’t you have to sleep?”
“Two sofas appeared next to us when we needed them. Mom and I both got a couple of hours of sleep. We should be fine. Have everyone meet in an hour.”
Lizzy called each person on the list, and then we headed over to Cupid’s Confections ourselves, along with Jane and Charles.
Lydia burst in through the door with Wickham close behind. “Is it true? Are we going to heal Dad?”
“We hope so,” Lizzy said.
Soon, Frank, Kitty, and Riley had also arrived.
“I pray this works,” Kitty said, the hope in her eyes a bit less explosive than Lydia’s but still undeniably present. She clutched Riley’s hand so tightly her knuckles turned white.
“I’ll go check on Mary,” Lizzy said, and she left the room. She returned a short time later. “They’re ready.”
We filed into the Bennets’ basement. Jars and potions filled the room.
The walls and table were a bit charred from a recent fire.
Mary was at a table with a few potion books open, standing with her mother next to a miniature cauldron that sat over a Bunsen burner.
Herbs hung from the ceiling, and I breathed in the smells of rosemary and sage.
Frank walked over and gave Mary a quick kiss on the cheek. She peered up at him and smiled sweetly.
Mrs. Bennet looked up from where she’d been focused on the potion, saw me, and scowled. “What’s he doing here? We didn’t ask for him.”
“He let us use his library, Mom,” Mary reminded her exasperatedly.
Mrs. Bennet lifted her chin. “Yes, probably so he could take credit for all of our hard work. You know how these stuck-up types are, right, Lizzy?”
“No, Mom. Darcy literally came up with the idea, and he’s not the type to take credit for anything that isn’t his,” Lizzy said, casting me a warm glance.
“Haven’t you heard the rumors? Don’t you realize who he is?” Lydia asked.
Clearly, for once Mrs. Bennet hadn’t. Though I couldn’t blame the woman for remaining at her husband’s side as he fought for his life. “I don’t care if he were the prince of the fae.”
“Actually, he is the prince of the fae,” Lizzy said.
“No, he is not. I would have known if he—”
I lowered my glamour, and Mrs. Bennet gasped out loud. It took almost a full minute for her to respond, and then she turned to her second-oldest daughter. “Lizzy, didn’t you say he proposed to you?”
Lizzy shifted, appearing uneasy. “That was a while ago.”
And I was engaged to someone else now.
“Mom, the potion.” Mary motioned to it. “Can we focus for Dad’s sake?”
“Yes, yes. Of course.” She bustled over to the potion, the surprise still etched on her face.
Mary stepped away from the potion and faced everyone.
“A potion like this is super special. Not only is it important to get the ingredients right, it’s also necessary to create a concoction with the right emotions in order to keep it stable.
” She looked each person in the eye as she spoke.
“We all care for Dad and for those who have gotten ill in Austen Heights. We want everyone to get better. To do that, we must counteract the discordant emotions in which the spell was cast. We must combine our powers. We’re going to need everyone’s help. ”
Those in the room gathered around the table. I took a step back, lingering by the stairs. I was pure fae. My very presence was probably unwelcome.
“Take each other’s hands,” Mary said.
Lizzy grasped her sister’s hand, but then paused and turned back to look at me. “You too, Darcy.” She held out her hand.
“You don’t need me,” I said. “My family caused all of this.”
Mary looked at me. “How badly do you want to make restitution for the damage your family has caused?”
I met Lizzy’s gaze. “More than anything.”
“Then your willingness to reconcile may add the stabilizing force we require. Please enter the circle.”
I stepped forward and entered the circle. Lizzy slipped her hand into mine, and the tightness in my muscles soothed. I was getting too used to this, the calming nature her touch brought. A twinge inside my chest warned me that it couldn’t last. But I’d hold on to her for as long as possible.
Wickham on the other side of me quirked a smile. “I guess you’re lucky enough to hold my hand, too.”
I frowned but took his hand as well.
“Everyone think about Dad, your love for him, and how badly you want him to get better—or how badly you want to heal everyone with Moonrot,” Mary said.