To make it worse, she could not even claim that the cause of her downfall had been a desire to heal Lady Catherine. It had been her pride, her ridiculous, dangerous pride. Mr. Darcy had insulted her abilities, her family, and herself. When he had needed her help, she could not resist the chance to show him her skills were not useless. And then, after it was too late, she had not known when to stop.
But Colonel Fitzwilliam had been so kind to her. He had shown no shock or dismay and had treated her as if it were a natural thing for a woman to have magic. Was there a chance he would defend her?
She swallowed down a bite of pastry. “Colonel, you do not seemtroubled by what I did.”
“Saving Lady Catherine?” he teased. “No doubt I will regret it someday when she is chastising me for breathing improperly or some other sin, but I could not have left her to die.”
“But you did not expect how I would do it, and I am a woman.”
“A very lovely one at that!”
She hesitated. “The Collegium of Mages takes the position that women cannot be trusted with magic because their weaker characters and lack of reason would make them too susceptible to the temptations of sorcery.”
The colonel’s lips twitched with amusement. “I believe there is also something in there about women’s poor moral judgment and inability to tell right from wrong, but you are in general correct. I do wonder how the men who think that way permit such deficient creatures to raise their children! As for your use of magic, well, I have a sister. I am aware many women have the ability. It appears you use your powers for healing. Why should I object?”
“Many mages would already have put a binding spell on me.”
He shook his head. “Many mages still have their heads in the Middle Ages. I take a more scientific view. All the Fitzwilliams do. We have seen how power so often goes from parent to child. It does not favor the eldest son nor the youngest daughter.”
Relief trickled through her. “That is indeed modern thinking. I had not realized anyone held such views.”
“If you look at the evidence, it is clear. Your father is a mage, is he not?”
“Yes,” she admitted. “He rarely uses his powers, though.”
“Even so, as soon as I knew that, I assumed you were likely to be gifted with magic. Darcy confirmed it when I asked him after our first visit.”
Shock riveted her in place. “Mr. Darcyknew?”
Colonel Fitzwilliam chuckled. “You thought he did not?”
“I was terrified he would guess! How did he find out?” And he had proposed to her anyway!
“Something about your effect on his elemental magic. I do not remember the details.”
Her magic affected him? Then he must have known all along, all those months when she had been so frantically worried he would discover her secret! “I had no idea.”
“Even without that, he knows magic is often inherited. My grandfather noted the pattern, and when he realized my father had unusually strong abilities, he made a point of marrying his other children into families with powerful mages. Darcy’s father was an expert at manipulating the elements, and my grandfather hoped his daughter would produce a son with both elemental powers and the ability to create spells. Alas for Darcy, he got only the elemental powers, but with the strength of the Fitzwilliam magic. The poor fellow cannot create even the most basic spell, but he always has to be careful not to inadvertently cause a flood or set a fire. Lady Catherine denied having any magic, but my grandfather married her off to a strong mage anyway. Perhaps he knew she was not telling the truth. I myself have only the abilities that run in my mother’s family, not my father’s.”
Elizabeth’s tea had cooled. But now that there was no need for secrecy, she might as well have hot tea. She wrapped her hand around her teacup and willed the temperature to rise. “If Mr. Darcy cannot use spells, how did he heal my hands?”
“He can employ spells designed by another mage. He simply cannot create his own.”
“If it is not improper to ask – if he can heal, why did he not offer to mend Lady Catherine’s wound?”
The colonel shook his head. “Healing a blood relative is dangerous. Too often it turns out badly, usually in some unexpectedway.”
Was that why her remedies always seemed to make Jane sicker instead of restoring her health? If only she had known! “What sort of power did you inherit from your mother?”
“Me? I am a source. I can provide power to another mage. I can sense spells – what they are, who made them, that sort of thing. Most mages can do a bit of that, but not as easily as a source. Nothing dramatic, I fear.”
“But very useful on occasion, I imagine. I certainly appreciated your confirmation about Lady Catherine’s magic.”
“Yes, there was that.” He tapped his finger on the side of the table. “What troubles me is how it has gone unnoticed for so long in a family like mine. Why have I never sensed it from her before?”
Elizabeth considered. “Might she have a way of covering it up? She was unconscious when you checked her. Perhaps if she had been awake, you would have found nothing.”
“That, my dear, is an interesting thought. I must ask my father about it. Lady Catherine’s hatred of being touched may play a role. I cannot remember the last time she offered me her hand.”
