“But why would they do that?”
He shrugged. It would be better to leave George Wickham out of it. “They dislike me.” It sounded like a very weak reason for them to start a vendetta against him. He could not understand it himself. Most men who befriended Wickham could not be bothered to do anything that took much effort.
“Does it have something to do with George Wickham?”
Damnation, how did she guess that? “These men are friends ofhis, and that is why they dislike me. Somehow I will resolve this, but it may take time, and that is why I must leave.”
Georgiana’s shoulders trembled, but she said nothing. Her stillness reminded Darcy of how he often felt when controlling his powers.
Abruptly he asked, “Georgie, do you have magic?”
Her eyes darted back and forth as if the answer might be written on the walls. “Women do not have magic,” she whispered.
“Actually, they do. Our father was a mage and our mother was a mage’s daughter, so it would be more surprising if you had no magic than if you did.” Why had he never considered this before?
She licked her lips. “I never use it. Never.”
“Would you like to learn to use it?”
Her eyes widened. “That would be wrong.”
“Some people think so, but I do not. Cousin Frederica has learned to use her magic, and Cousin Anne is starting to as well. Even Lady Catherine has magic, though she misused it.”
Georgiana looked down. “I do not know.”
“Perhaps you should take some time to think about it. I am sure Cousin Frederica would be happy to teach you.”
“Could... Could you teach me?”
Darcy sighed. “The rules of the Collegium do not allow me to instruct a woman. It is a foolish rule, but I agreed to abide by the rules when I joined the Collegium.”
“Oh. It does not matter.” But obviously it did.
How could he explain it to her when he did not understand it himself? God, he hated it when Georgiana pulled away into herself like that. If only Elizabeth were here. She would know what to say.
As clearly as if Elizabeth had been whispering in his ear, he knew. She would ask him why he was still a member of the Collegium if he disagreed with them. And she would not think it a good reason if he saidit was because his father and Lord Matlock had expected him to be.
He would not be looking to flee the country if it were not for the Collegium. Why was he part of it?
“But I plan to resign from the Collegium, and after that is done, I will be able to teach you.” He could not believe he had said it.
“You will?” Georgiana’s eyes were shining. “Thankyou!”
Part V – Wild Magic
Chapter 14
When the ladies at Matlock House retired to the drawing room after dinner, Lady Matlock produced a piece of fine notepaper. “I received this shortly before we sat down to dine, and it concerns the two of you. Would you care to hear it?”
Elizabeth sent up a silent prayer that it would not be yet another invitation. She had already attended more soirees, Venetian breakfasts, and musicales than she cared to remember. At each one, she had been introduced to so many people she could hardly recall their names, but most of them either preferred their friends of longer-standing or spoke exclusively to Lady Frederica about balls Elizabeth had never attended. Lady Matlock had carefully introduced her to a number of marriageable gentlemen, but none of them could compare to Darcy, and he was not an option.
“Yes, Mama,” said Frederica.
Lady Matlock unfolded the paper. “It is from Viscount Eversleigh. After the usual niceties, he says, ‘I pray you will be so kind as to inform Lady Frederica and Miss Bennet that tomorrow morning I plan to walk through Hyde Park to visit some mutual acquaintances with a fondness for nature. In case the young ladies might be inclined to an outing, I will call at Matlock House after breakfast to see if they would honor me with their company. Our marigold-loving friend has been asking about them, and I promise not to bore them with discussions of horses.’ I understand the significance of marigolds, but the horses aremore mysterious.”
“He is hinting that he will not expect me to spend time with my horse-mad brother,” said Elizabeth. “I think I must go. I promised Titania that I would return and stay with her for a time, and this is a good opportunity.” And it was the excuse she had been looking for to leave Matlock House. It was hard enough knowing she could never have Darcy without being thrust into the bosom of his family where she was forced to hear his name frequently and had to pretend she did not care. In Faerie, no one would take it badly if she seemed sad. Perhaps she could tell Bluebird about her woes.
“We would be sorry to see you leave us,” said Lady Matlock. “You are very welcome to stay. Frederica has enjoyed having another young lady here rather than the usual male procession of mages and her brothers.”
