“Do you think she would be willing to carry a message for me to Aelfric?”
Elizabeth could not help smiling. “My lord, she is a cat, so there is no telling what she is willing to do. I will be happy to ask her. Is there a window I can open, preferably one not on the street?”
“Certainly.” He opened a window into the garden. “Will this do?”
“Admirably.” Elizabeth leaned out the window and called, “Pepper! Can you hear me, Pepper, my love? I have a question for you.” She turned back to Eversleigh. “Now we wait.”
Eversleigh nodded. “Thank you. I imagine you would prefer it if I did not invite Aelfric at this stage, but I must. It would be a violation of our blood bond for me to fail to do so.”
“Blood right again? I wish I could say I understand completely, but I do believe you. As long as you remove the spell, I will be happy.”
“It should not be a problem. I cannot keep it a secret, though. I will have to write to your father to inform him I have removed the spell. Since he should not have placed it himself, I can use that as a reason and tell him that if he wishes to restore it, he must follow proper procedures and find another mage to do it. If he does that, there will be little I can do.”
“I hope he would not, but I cannot say. Look, there is Pepper.”
The white raven managed to fly in through the window despite it being no more than half her wingspan. She perched on a chair back and regarded Elizabeth quizzically.
Elizabeth gently stroked the top of the raven’s head. “Pepper, you are very prompt. Viscount Eversleigh would like to know if you would be so very kind as to bear a message for him. He is about to remove the binding spell from my mother.”
Pepper cawed.
“Yes, it is about time someone did,” said Eversleigh with amusement. “It would help me greatly if you would bear a message to Prince Aelfric that I am doing it and guide him here. Aelfric would not be able to manage London on his own. This is a very great favor I ask.”
Pepper tilted her head to one side as if considering the matter.
Recognizing the signs, Elizabeth said quickly, “Lord Eversleigh,does your cook make ginger biscuits?”
“She makes excellent ginger biscuits, and I shall ask her to make an entire batch for Pepper – and what is more, I shall not give Miss Elizabeth even one of them.”
Pepper spread her wings, pecked at Eversleigh’s perfectly arranged hair, and flew out the window.
Eversleigh shook his head. “Phouka humor.”
EVERSLEIGH KEPT HISfingers on Mrs. Bennet’s wrist. “Tsk, tsk. We must review our training for mages, I see. There are three spells layered atop one other. The first is a binding spell, the second limits speech about certain topics, and the third is an attempt to remove the first spell. Naturally, that only entangled the first two spells together. The first spell should have been removed before the second was placed.”
“Can you still remove it?” asked Mr. Gardiner, since Mrs. Bennet stood in too much awe of a genuine viscount to speak a word.
“I can. It will simply take longer, and I must remove one spell at a time. Miss Elizabeth and Lady Frederica, might I ask you to close your eyes? It will be simpler if there are no stray bits of magic about.”
“I must be thinking too loudly again,” whispered Elizabeth to Frederica.
“Indeed you are. Mrs. Bennet, shall I begin?” At her nod, he spoke in sonorous Latin, making it sound almost like poetry. “There, the second and third spells are gone. Mrs. Bennet, how do you feel?”
“Odd,” she said calmly. “I do not know why I was so distressed before.”
“That was most likely from the entangled spells. Now let me see about the original spell.” The Latin began again.
When he ceased speaking, Mrs. Bennet asked, “That is all?”
“That is all,” Eversleigh agreed. “You may feel as if your thoughts are tumbling over each other because there is nothing holding them back. After a binding spell is removed, there is often a period of euphoria at first, followed by intense anger. That is normal.”
Instead of brushing off his words as Elizabeth expected, Mrs. Bennet nodded. “I thank you for the warning, as well as for removing the spells. I feel as if my wits have been addled for years. Lizzy, come let me look at you. How odd it is to have a grown daughter and to feel as if I do not know her.”
Her mother’s voice had never sounded so calm, and even the lines on her face seemed softer. Tears pooled in Elizabeth’s eyes. “I look forward to knowing you better.”
The butler’s aggrieved voice came from outside the room. “Sir, you cannot simply push your way inside! You must permit me to announce you.”
“That will be Aelfric,” said Elizabeth dryly.
