“He did not always hate the fay. That came later. His wife was fascinated with Faerie, spending much of her time there, but something changed. She became a different person. Silly, shallow, and completelyuninterested in anything about the fay. Bennet denied having done anything, but I have my own theories.”
Darcy drew in a sharp breath. “You think he put a spell on her?”
“I am not a mage, and I do not understand these matters. It may be better that way for the sake of family harmony. She had just lost her firstborn child, a son who did not live, and he attributed the change in her to that.”
At least a spell would explain how a ridiculous woman like Mrs. Bennet could have two such clever, well-bred daughters. But Mr. Gardiner must be correct that Elizabeth was unaware of her heritage. If she had known her mother was under a binding spell, she would not have the same affection for her father. “Mr. Bennet will not be pleased by the news that Miss Elizabeth visited Faerie, then. That is why you are telling me this, is it not?”
Mr. Gardiner’s eyes twinkled. “I am not in the habit of revealing my family history to strangers.”
This was too much for Darcy’s exhausted brain and throbbing arm. “Miss Elizabeth’s greatest fear is that a mage will put her under a binding spell. If she discovers her father put one on her mother, she will be furious at him. If she tells him about her journey to Faerie...” He sucked in a deep gulp of air. “He would not put a binding on her, would he?”
Mr. Gardiner pursed his lips. “I think not. Lizzy is not as wild as her mother was. But I cannot be absolutely certain.”
“If Miss Elizabeth were ever to undergo a change in behavior, I hope you would contact me. I can discover if she is spellbound and, if necessary, have someone remove the spell.”
“It relieves my mind to know the spell can be reversed. I have often wondered about that.”
“Do you plan to tell her about her heritage now?” She would not be happy to discover Darcy had known it first.
Mr. Gardiner grimaced. “I think I must, though perhaps not the part about her mother.”
“Good. She and I are to meet with a Sidhe lord on Beltane. Good God, I do not even know what day today is!”
“Not to worry, you have five days still. But a Sidhe lord! This is a story I must hear, but perhaps after you rest. Your eyes are glassy.”
Darcy nodded, too tired to argue.
“As I mentioned, I do have some small skill in healing,” Mr. Gardiner said conversationally. “If someone had, for example, a broken arm, I could speed the healing process and reduce the pain. A Collegium-trained healing mage would no doubt do better, but there is not one here.”
“How did you know?” Darcy asked. “Never mind. I do not care how you know. I would be very appreciative of any assistance you can give.” He did not have time for a broken arm, not with Beltane only five days off. He gingerly moved his arm out from his side.
Mr. Gardiner slid his chair closer and ran his hand along Darcy’s forearm. Astonishingly, his touch did not hurt. “The bone is still in place. That is good.” Holding Darcy’s wrist in one hand, he laid the other over the throbbing spot in his arm and closed his eyes. After a moment he began to hum softly.
Darcy watched him, but his lips never moved. No spoken spell, the same as Elizabeth. But Elizabeth had been right. He would have hated it if her uncle had tried to heal his arm without asking him first. It did not matter that he needed the help. Elizabeth would be pleased to know he understood now.
The throbbing in his arm was diminishing as Mr. Gardiner worked his magic. Darcy leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
“DARCY, WAKE UP! YOUcan sleep after you tell me where the devil you have been.” It was Richard’s voice, and he did not sound pleased.
Darcy opened his eyes. Where was he? He must have fallen asleep in the chair. “I...what?”
Mrs. Collins said, “Apparently the pain was the only thing keeping him awake. Once Mr. Gardiner healed his arm, he went straight to sleep. It should hardly be a surprise; Lizzy lay down on her bed fully clothed and fell asleep midsentence.”
Darcy attempted to pull his scattered thoughts together. “Richard, I have been in Faerie, as you must have guessed. It went well in that both of us are still alive, and poorly in that we discovered the fay are determined to make humans suffer for breaking a thousand-year-old agreement none of us remember having made.”
“Good God! But how did you travel there?”
Darcy had thought ahead to this question. “I found a stone sitting in the faerie ring and recognized it as belonging to Miss Elizabeth. I picked it up to keep it safe for her and it sent me to Faerie. Perhaps it is a gateway of some sort.” Now he had kept his word to Elizabeth and prevented anyone from suspecting Pepper was anything but an ordinary cat.
“Did you return the same way?” Richard demanded.
“No. We stepped inside a silver filigree gazebo.”
“Not a faerie ring? How did you know to go there?”
“We did not know. A Sidhe lord ordered us to go into it, and he is not a man – pardon me, a fay – with whom you would care to argue.”
Richard threw his hands in the air. “A Sidhe? Everyone knows the Sidhe are a myth.”
