The cat hissed at her, turned and stalked away. Elizabeth followed her.
“What was that?” asked Charlotte. “Who were you talking to?”
“The brownie. I warned her about the iron shavings.” Elizabeth rubbed her skin where the brownie had scratched her.
Charlotte peered at her neck. “What happened?”
“The brownie marked me. It is a message, I think, to tell other fay that I helped her, but I could do without it.”
“I wish I could still see fay folk. I do not remember much about them from when I was little,” said Charlotte wistfully.
“And I wish I understood why they are attacking innocent children,” grumbled Elizabeth. “I hope the boy improves. Once Mr. Darcy arrives, I cannot afford to use magic on him again.”
“I doubt we will see much of Mr. Darcy. Lady Catherine will have less use for our company once her nephews are at Rosings,” said Charlotte.
“Her nephews? Is there another one besides Mr. Darcy?”
Charlotte nodded. “Lady Catherine told Mr. Collins yesterday that Mr. Darcy will be bringing his cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, the son of the Earl of Matlock. That should work in your favor; Mr. Darcy will be spending his time with him. He may not even notice you are here.”
Elizabeth stopped short in horror. “The Earl of Matlock’s son? That is even worse! Lord Matlock is the Master of the Collegium of Mages. If Mr. Darcy confides his suspicions to his cousin, I am lost.” She tried to still her racing heart. “It is too dangerous. I cannot stay here.”
“Don’t be foolish, Lizzy. Leaving would be even more likely to draw their attention. Besides, you do not know that Mr. Darcy suspects you.”
“I cannot prove it, but why else would he always be watching me? He suspected me in Meryton and he wished to catch me in the act.” She had been so frightened of making a slip during those days at Netherfield.
“I remember, but I think he watched you for a completely different reason. He finds you attractive, Lizzy.”
“Nonsense. He finds me tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt him. He said so himself.” One more reason to dislike Mr. Darcy.
“Why are you so worried about Mr. Darcy? You never fretted so much over any of the mages near Meryton discovering you.”
“The Meryton mages have known me all my life and would likely be forgiving if they discovered my magic. Mr. Darcy disapproves of me. I was so relieved when he finally left Netherfield.”
“How could he have found you out? You are always careful not tolet anyone see you use magic.”
Elizabeth closed her eyes. “Because I was foolish. I employed an illusion that first night at the assembly in Meryton, just a tiny illusion to cover a stain on my dress where Lydia spilled tea, but he must have noticed it. I risked everything for vanity.”
“Perhaps he noticed and did not care. Have you ever considered that?”
Elizabeth shook her head. “He paid too much attention to me for that. I will not be so foolish now. Oh, why could they not have waited to visit until after I left?”
“HOW CLEVER OF YOU TObe acquainted with the new parson’s wife and her friend,” said Richard Fitzwilliam. “It gives us a good excuse to escape from Rosings. I always forget just how much I dislike the place.”
“You hide it well.” Darcy’s step was light. Soon he would be in the same room with Elizabeth, after all these dark months believing he would never see her again.
It had to be an improvement over the empty months of longing. Perhaps he would discover she was not as bewitching as he remembered, and she would stop haunting his dreams. Or perhaps he would once again experience the sheer delight of being in her presence, the shiver her low laugh sent down his spine, and the freedom of spirit only she could bring to him. Or perhaps when she saw him, her fine eyes would burn with a sultry look, and she would take him by the hand, lead him somewhere private, slide her hands under his coat and caress him as her lips feathered along the line of his jaw, sending a jolt of awareness and desire straight through his body as he finally captured those tempting lips with his own... Well, perhaps not that, but a man could dream.
How often had he awakened from fevered dreams of ElizabethBennet, dreams of pushing aside the fabric of her dress to reveal the untouched flesh below, dreams of her dark curls spread across his pillow as she moved beneath him?
Richard continued, “I can ignore Her Harridanship easily enough, but Anne would be a blow to any man’s pride. Not that she is any prize, but what man likes being around a woman who swoons in fear whenever he comes near her? What did I ever do to produce such terror in her? Jasper was the one who put crickets in her bed, not me.” He snorted in disgust.“The servants are the worst part. God knows I am accustomed to servants who spy on me, but the ones here are so, well, servile. All that abject boot licking turns my stomach, just like eating jellied eels does. Ugh. I would not be surprised to discover that they actually clean my boots by licking them.”
“Wait until you meet Mr. Collins, the parson. He has taken toadying to a high art. He cannot stop praising our aunt even when he is three counties away.”
Richard groaned. “I hope he is not at home, then. I do not need another dose of jellied eels.”
It was a constant mystery to Darcy why Richard could face Napoleon’s charging army without turning a hair, yet there were certain everyday people whose presence he could barely tolerate without feeling ill. They were never the people one would expect, either. Usually it was just some harmless busybody. But he could not deny that the abject, cringing behavior Lady Catherine demanded in those around her could be stomach turning. “Collins’s wife is a good enough sort. I cannot imagine what induced her to marry such a ridiculous man.”
“Money will make women do the strangest things. For example, Anne does not swoon when you approach her. I do not think it is merely your pretty face, cousin. Do you suppose that could be why she fears me? Perhaps she thinks I will try to compromise her for her money and snatch her and Rosings out of your hands.”
