“Er, yes,” said Charlotte. “She is in no danger at present.”
“Oh.” Miss de Bourgh looked back out the window, her fingers picking at the fringe of her shawl.
“We believe she was attacked by one of the fay folk. She was struck by elfshot, but it has been removed.”
Miss de Bourgh’s brow creased. “Fay folk? There are no fay folk at Rosings. I...” Her forehead suddenly smoothed. “What was I saying?”
“Your mother’s injury was caused by elfshot,” prompted Charlotte.
“Elfshot? How odd.” She paused. “The sun has come out, I see.”
Elizabeth leaned forward to be ready to catch Miss de Bourgh. “We believe Lady Catherine’s injury is magical in nature.”
As she had expected, Miss de Bourgh’s eyes turned up, and her head fell to the side. Elizabeth eased her back into her chair.
As Mrs. Jenkinson bustled around Miss de Bourgh with vinaigrette and pillows, Elizabeth laid a hand on the young woman’s wrist and extended her senses. Yes, there was a spell, no question, but it did not have the same flavor as either Mr. Darcy’s magic or Colonel Fitzwilliam’s. It was a relief to know neither of them were responsible for it.
RICHARD STROLLED INand stopped short at the sight of Darcy. “I had not expected to find you here. I thought you would be keeping Miss Bennet company.”
Darcy scowled. “I doubt Miss Bennet wishes for my company, especially after I disrupted her visit by bringing her here. And I mightpoint out you apparently decided not to remain with her either.”
Richard sat down in the leather armchair and stretched his legs out in front of him. “I was writing a letter to my father. Since it was about Miss Bennet, I thought it better done in privacy.”
Darcy stiffened. “You wrote to your father about her?”
“Of course. He will want to meet her.”
“Why?”
“No need to snap at me, old fellow! Because she has information about Faerie. He may or may not already be aware of the practices of wisewomen, but you know how anxious he is to learn anything about Faerie. She has only been there very briefly, but that is more than anyone else we are aware of. And...”
“And what?” A weight settled on Darcy’s chest.
Richard leaned forward and spoke quietly. “She knows the fay spell for shape-changing. She cannot do it, but she knows the words. My father would sell his soul for that spell.”
“Even though it does not work?”
“Come now, Darcy. Just because an untrained girl cannot make it work does not mean my father cannot. If there is a spell that has defeated him, I do not know of it.” Richard rubbed his hands together.
A bitter taste stung Darcy’s mouth. While Lord Matlock might not sell his soul for the spell, he would certainly sell his son. Richard had made no secret of his admiration for Elizabeth, but her pittance of a dowry had put her out of his reach. That spell alone would be an enormous dowry. “Elizabeth is unlikely to wish to meet your father. She has made it clear she wanted as little as possible to do with the mages, much less the Master of the Collegium.”
“She need not fear him. You know that as well as I do. I will say nothing of it to her for now. If he is not in London, that letter might take a week to reach him. I told him I could not bring her to him, so he would have to come here. Once she meets him, she will understand he wouldnot hurt her.”
It was better not to answer that. Let Richard learn for himself that Elizabeth did not like to be coerced.
“Still, this means I must remain here until I hear from my father. I know you were eager to leave before any of this happened, so if you wish, you can return to London tomorrow while I manage matters here.”
An hour ago Darcy had been cursing the fate forcing him to stay at Rosings, subject to the agony and the humiliation of being in Elizabeth’s company. But Richard’s plan to manage things might include managing a ring onto Elizabeth’s finger. “I prefer to remain for now. I am Anne’s guardian, and I do not wish to face our aunt’s righteous wrath if she discovers I abandoned my duty.” Did it sound like a good enough reason?
“Good. If you are still here when she recovers, you can be the one to explain why we allowed a wisewoman to treat her and that we discovered her secret. She will take it better from you.”
The butler brought in a calling card and silver tray. Who would be calling at this hour? Darcy read the card and snorted. “Collins. You had best receive him, Richard. I would end up saying something I would regret.” Darcy headed for the door.
“Oh, thank you so very much, my dear cousin!” Richard called after him in a falsetto voice.
A QUIET KNOCK AT LADYCatherine’s bedroom door made Elizabeth snap shut the lady’s magazine she had been paging through. She had not been reading it, anyway, only using it to disguise her discomfort. She kept hearing Colonel Fitzwilliam telling her that Darcy had known about her magic all along. That one fact turned everything she thought she knew of him on end. He had sought out her company, even offered her marriage,knowing she had magic. It sounded as if his family would even expect him to marry a woman with magic. If only she had known! She would have given anything to find a mage who supported her use of her abilities. She would have been beyond grateful for his attentions, no matter how proud and disdainful he might be. But how could she have guessed that his beliefs were in opposition to the Collegium?
How could she face him now, after the accusations she had made to him when he offered her his hand? She had misjudged him so badly. And now she could not stop thinking about him.
