Matlock tossed back an amount of port that would have made Darcy choke and held out the glass for more. “Had to.”
“Why?” Darcy tried to keep his anger from showing.
“She is too strong. Unnaturally strong. Stronger than me. Stronger even than you, Darcy. Never saw anything like it. Even worse, her affinity was for unmaking, and she was a temperamental child. She unmade half of the east wing in a tantrum. Sir Lewis caned her for it and she unmade him. Yes, you heard me correctly. I can barely unmake an apple, and she unmade a man! She was only nine years old and completely untrained. We gave out that Sir Lewis was lost at sea, buried an empty coffin, and I put her in the tightest binding spell I could manage. No point in trying to imprison her; she would just unmake the walls.Terrifying child.”
“But surely now she is an adult and could understand the consequences –”
“If you had done as you were told, Darcy, and married her years ago, I could have loosened the bindings. You are the only one with the training and the ability to keep her in line if something went wrong. Catherine would have been helpless on her own.”
There was some logic to it, but his uncle would not have come up with the marriage plan out of charity for his niece. It must have been one of his experiments to breed stronger mages. Damn him!
Without a word Darcy strode out of the room.
Richard called after him. “Where are you going?”
“To look for Miss Bennet. Where else?”
THE PARSONAGE WAS THEobvious place to begin. The Collins’s maid admitted that Miss Bennet had been there, but only long enough to fetch something from her room. No, she had not taken her luggage. No, she had not seen which direction Miss Bennet had taken. Yes, she would send word to him when Miss Bennet returned.
It was hardly surprising Elizabeth had gone out again. She would not have wanted to be easily found. But where could she have gone? His first impulse was that she might have sought out the grove where he had often found her walking, but he could not imagine she would choose to be so close to Rosings Park.
Had she made other friends in Hunsford? She had cared for several ill parishioners, but he did not know whom or where. Did he truly know so little of her daily life? He checked the church, although it seemed an unlikely refuge for her. Finding it empty, he set out for Rosings again.
He skirted the study where Richard and Lord Matlock were deep in conversation, instead seeking out Mrs. Collins in Lady Catherine’s rooms.
Mrs. Collins put her finger to her lips when he entered the sitting room. “She is finally asleep,” she whispered.
He had practically forgotten Lady Catherine’s injury in this last chaotic hour. Darcy gestured at the open door. Mrs. Collins followed his direction and he joined her at the top of the stairwell.
“Her ladyship is sleeping peacefully,” she said. “I have had all the fragile items removed from her rooms and replaced them with the old mismatched china used by the servants. That way she can still break things if she wishes, but nothing valuable will be lost.” She obviously assumed he had come to check on his aunt’s condition.
“I thank you for your forethought. My uncle, Lord Matlock, has recently arrived and will no doubt wish to see Lady Catherine at some point.” Darcy hesitated. “He managed to inadvertently frighten Miss Bennet, causing her to flee the house.”
“Oh, dear. That is most unlike Lizzy.”
“It is, but he is the Master of the Collegium of Mages. It is perhaps understandable that he would seem intimidating. I do not believe he meant her any harm, but I can see how she might jump to that conclusion.”
Mrs. Collins said, “Perhaps if you try speaking to her alone, without your intimidating uncle, she might be more willing to listen.”
“That had been my thought. I went to the parsonage, but she had already been there and left, so I will have to wait until she returns. When you see her, would you be so kind as to tell her I spoke to you?”
“Certainly. Perhaps Lizzy should stay at the parsonage now. Lady Catherine is well enough that I do not think Lizzy’s presence here is needed at night.”
“I suppose not.” It would be easier if she had fewer dealings withhis uncle, but it would reduce his chances of seeing her. It was the first step to going on to a life without her. An empty, hollow life without her.
And Elizabeth thought he had betrayed her. His stomach clenched into a knot, his throat so tight he doubted he could force out even a word more. He bowed to Mrs. Collins and left. Alone.
“DARCY, DO COME JOINus,” Richard said genially. “I was just showing my father the spell for curdling milk Miss Bennet taught me. He is going to try it as soon as the girl brings us more fresh milk. Not that being able to curdle milk is particularly useful, but it proves we can perform fay spells.”
“If Richard can do it, that proves almost anyone can perform them,” Lord Matlock said repressively. The scratches on his face were less vivid now. He must have done a healing spell.
“The next time you need a power source, you will not be complaining about my limited ability with spells,” retorted Richard.
Darcy added, “Your talents were very useful when Miss Bennet insisted Lady Catherine had magic, and I said that was ridiculous.”
Lord Matlock harrumphed. “It only goes to reason that she has some magic. Everyone else in the family does, after all.”
“No one else always denied it vehemently,” said Darcy.
