The butler announced, “Miss Darcy and Mr. Alfred.”
“Georgiana!” Darcy jumped to his feet and embraced his sister. “You are awake! Are you well?”
She smiled tremulously at him. “I am perfectly well. Prince Aelfric has taken such good care of me.”
“Aelfric did?” Darcy sounded surprised.
Aelfric held out both hands to Darcy. After a moment Darcy grasped Aelfric’s wrists, his expression confused.
Eversleigh pointed a finger at Darcy. “You owe me an apology for all those times you told meshurinnis not a real bond.”
Darcy’s jaw worked, but he said nothing.
Eversleigh turned to the others with a gleeful look. “Darcy has just discovered that his reaction to Aelfric has changed now that they areshurinn. I would venture to guess he cannot bear the illogic of it.”
“Of courseshurinnis real.” Aelfric sounded astonished anyone would think otherwise. He gripped Eversleigh by the wrists, kissedElizabeth’s cheek, and sat down beside Anne and kissed her. On the lips.
“I am sorry to have stayed away so long,” Aelfric told Anne. “Myshurinn’s sister needed care.”
“That had to come first, naturally.” Anne appeared completely unperturbed.
Aelfric looked up as he noticed the complete silence in the room. “Is something the matter?” he asked.
Anne spoke before anyone else could respond. “Aelfric has become a frequent visitor here of late. And none of you are to say even one word about it. Not one single word.” It was a clear warning.
Lady Matlock might have said nothing, but her expression spoke volumes.
Anne turned back to Aelfric. “Your timing is excellent. We have just learned that Elizabeth and Darcy are to be married tomorrow afternoon, and I am sure Elizabeth would like for you to be present.”
“Married?” Aelfric’s forehead wrinkled. “But they have already pledged blood right.”
“True,” said Eversleigh. “But in the mortal world, everyone expects a man and woman who are lovers to have words of marriage spoken over them. People would be cruel to Libbet if she and Diarcey did not go through the marriage ceremony.”
“Oh. Then she must do it.” Aelfric still appeared concerned, though. “Anne, should we have a ceremony? I do not want anyone to be cruel to you.”
For once, Anne’s air of certainty slipped. She chewed her lip for a moment. “Let us speak about this later.”
“That is a very gentlemanly offer, Prince Aelfric,” said Lady Matlock approvingly. “Some women are married to sailors who are absent for long periods of time, so it would not be unusual that you are not always here.”
Miss Darcy’s previously happy expression had disappeared, andshe appeared to be blinking back tears. Elizabeth reviewed in her mind what had been said recently and hurried to the girl’s side. “Miss Darcy, I am so glad you could be here, even though this wedding tomorrow is but a patched-up business. When Lady Matlock discovered a few hours ago that your brother and I went through a bonding ritual in Faerie, she was insistent that we must marry immediately.” She leaned closer, whispering in the girl’s ear. “To be honest, this wedding is not completely legal, so your brother and I plan to have another proper wedding at a later date. This ceremony is purely to appease Lady Matlock.”
“Oh.” She seemed to breathe easier. “That explains it. I could not see why it was happening so quickly.”
“Neither can I!” She needed to distract the girl before she realized her brother had already made the commitment without telling her first. “What did you think of Faerie?”
“Oh! It was wonderful. Even better than I had imagined it. I only awoke a few hours before we came here, but Queen Titania was so kind to me. I have never seen anyone like her! Can you believe she invited me to visit her again? She called me her Woodlark because she said my voice was silken like the lark’s.”
“Oh, no,” groaned Colonel Fitzwilliam. “Not another name. I can barely remember one name per person. It is too much for me to manage two different names to be used in different places, and one world where it is rude to thank someone, while in the other it is rude not to thank them!”
“Fay names make more sense than mortal names,” volunteered Aelfric. “Evlan and I call you Dubheach, which means black horse.”
Colonel Fitzwilliam clutched his hands to his head.
DARCY RETURNED THEfollowing morning with a special license inhand. “They accepted my uncle’s letters and gave it to me,” he told Elizabeth. “Whether it is legal or not is a different matter.”
With an arch look, Elizabeth said, “It is more legal than the blood right ceremony.”
He smiled in a way that sent heat rushing through her. “I cannot argue with that.”
