“I can help you,” said Titania.
“If you wish. I suspect it is too late.” His normally ruddy face was white.
Titania laid her hand on Lord Matlock’s cheek and gazed into his eyes. After a moment, she beckoned Elizabeth to her and put her other hand on Elizabeth’s cheek. “Mortal hearts are different from ours. I must see yours to know how his is supposed to work.”
A tickling heat built up in Elizabeth’s chest and sweat broke out on her forehead. What was one more bit of magic running through her?
Titania began to sing, a wordless melody that seemed to wind itself in and out of the air. FitzClarence arrived, chest heaving, with Darcy just behind him. How had he known to come?
Aelfric held up his hand to stop them. “The queen is healing Lord Matlock.”
“And those men?” Darcy gestured to the bound mages.
“They have snakes in their heads,” said Aelfric matter-of-factly.
Mr. FitzClarence peered at the blindfolded men. “Is that notBiggins?”
“It appears to be,” said Darcy grimly. “What happened?”
“Snakes,” said Aelfric, as if surprised he had to repeat himself. “That one in front was building a snake spell for Lord Matlock.”
“Snakes?” Mr. FitzClarence sounded baffled.
“Sorcerer’s spells,” said Darcy.
Elizabeth’s eyelids were growing heavy. Would it be rude to sit on the ground? She was so tired, and the ground looked so very appealing. She sat, put her head on her knees, and slept.
TITANIA FINALLY STOPPEDher song. “He will live. His heart is different now, neither entirely mortal nor fay, but it will do what is needful.”
“We are in your debt, great lady,” Darcy said. Perhaps the queen of Faerie could help with this new problem as well. How could he ask her without making a demand? “I will need his advice for dealing with these men who have been practicing dark magic. I do not know what to do with them.”
She gave him a sympathetic look. “I wish I could help you, but I am not permitted to interfere in mortal conflicts. I will leave Libbet with you. She needs you.” And she vanished.
What the devil was he to do now? The three mages, either sorcerers or in thrall to sorcery, were struggling against their bonds and trying to shout through their gags. Elizabeth, Lord Matlock, and presumably Eversleigh were still in their deep sleep from healing. Why had Elizabeth needed healing? Had someone hurt her? He could not afford to think about that.
If only he had some idea what had led to this situation! But everybody who knew what had happened was unconscious. It was as if AMidsummer Night’s Dream had magically turned into Hamlet, with sleepers scattered about the stage in place of dead Danes.
Well, everybody except Aelfric, who might or might not understand any part of it, with his wild talk of snakes. He said nothing had been wrong with Libbet but could not explain why Titania had healed her. His highest priority seemed to be waiting for Lord Matlock to awaken so he could ask him about his horses.
“Are there any other mages here tonight?” Darcy asked FitzClarence, who was visibly trembling at the thought of facing sorcery.
“I saw Watts earlier, but he has left already,” said FitzClarence. “I was told to pay attention to Titania, not to the guests.”
“What of Lady Frederica?”
“She went somewhere with Miss de Bourgh after the Prince Regent left.”
The Prince Regent? Darcy raked his hand through his hair. Three possible sorcerers and a mage who was still wet behind the ears. This was not promising. A few days ago, the responsibility to deal with the situation would have been his, but he had resigned from the Collegium. “FitzClarence, with Matlock and Eversleigh incapacitated, and those three suspected of sorcery, you are the senior member of the Collegium here, at least until we find Richard Fitzwilliam. It falls to you to decide what to do with our guests.”
“Me?” squeaked FitzClarence. “You are senior to me.”
“Unfortunately for you, I resigned from the Collegium two days ago, largely because of the antics of Biggins and the rest of his Board of Inquiry. They have placed me under proscription for misuse of my powers.” At least sorcery might provide an explanation for their outrageous behavior towards him.
Aelfric said, “If that refers to the dry wells, he did not do it. I was responsible for those.”
“I do not believe Darcy has done anything wrong, but I have noidea what to do,” said FitzClarence. “If I truly am in charge, then... then I askyouto take charge of them, Darcy.”
Damn it. Eversleigh and Lord Matlock would expect him to do it, too. “Aelfric, you said the one man was making a snake. The other two – are they sorcerers as well or only enslaved to a sorcerer?”
