Darcy held up a hand to stop him. “Permit me to tell her. If she is going to hate the bearer of this news, better it be me than you.” He took adeep breath. “Your uncle says your mother was once very different, witty and clever, proud of her fay heritage, and a frequent visitor to Faerie. Your father thought it was too much. One day she changed, never mentioned the fay again, and became the person she is today.” He paused, his brow furled. “I am so very sorry.”
For a minute she was perplexed, unable to understand why he was so distressed. Then her stomach lurched. “He put a binding spell on her?” It came out as a whisper.
He glanced at Mr. Gardiner. “There is no proof. Your father claims he did nothing.”
Mr. Gardiner said, “It was around the time she had a son who died at birth, the year before Jane was born. Your father attributed the change in her to that. He was not the same either, but it was not as drastic a change. He just became more bitter and sardonic, especially towards your mother.”
She shook her head slowly, not even knowing what she was denying. Her mother, whom she had always looked down on as unintelligent and silly, was spellbound. Her beloved, trusted father had done it, and nothing could ever be right again. Ever.
Darcy’s warm hand settled on her wrist. “If you wish it, I will arrange for Richard to meet your mother. He will be able to tell you for certain, one way or another.”
She nodded jerkily. “But why could I not tell? I was able to feel the spell on Miss de Bourgh.”
“Would not any such spell simply have felt like part of her? After all, she was under it when you were born, and children do not question why their parents are the way they are.”
“I suppose so.” Blinking back tears, she pressed the back of her free hand against her mouth. “Now I pray you to speak of something else.” Otherwise she might start sobbing then and there. A quarter hour without a shock had been too much to hope for.
After a brief silence, Darcy asked, “Mr. Gardiner, what are your plans for the day?”
“I plan to stay for breakfast and will head back to London after that.”
“Would you perhaps consider staying a little longer? I must discuss with my cousin the question of our further meetings with the Sidhe lord, and I would appreciate your perspective, both as a non-mage and someone with some knowledge of the fay. I hope Miss Elizabeth will take part as well, if she is willing.”
“Why, if you would like it, I would be most interested to take part in that discussion,” said Mr. Gardiner. “I can delay my return without any difficulty.”
It was too much. Elizabeth put her head in her hands. “Five minutes,” she said plaintively. “Is five shock-free minutes really too much to ask?” At least this shock did not make her want to curl up in the corner and sob.
With a puzzled look, Darcy asked Mr. Gardiner quietly, “Did I say something I should not have?”
Elizabeth gave a humorless laugh. “This is my uncle, the one in trade, who lives in Cheapside on Gracechurch Street, for heaven’s sake, and you just told him you want his opinion. You are not the Mr. Darcy I met in Meryton.” And the more she came to know him, the more he confused her.
“Perhaps not,” said Darcy, “but this Darcy has only recently come to realize the depth of his own ignorance on certain subjects and will accept wisdom wherever it can be found.”
She swallowed hard. That was the Darcy she found altogether too attractive. “As I said, shocking. Would you be so kind as to ask the maid to bring me breakfast in my room? I feel the need for some quiet reflection.”
“Of course.” Mr. Gardiner cleared his throat and addedhesitantly, “Before you go, Mr. Darcy tells me you have a fear of being spellbound, but I think it is unlikely your father would attempt that with you. Your situation is different from your mother’s.”
Darcy touched her wrist again, sending a bit of his warmth into her. “I also asked Mr. Gardiner to inform me if he ever notices a change in you. I will make certain you are freed, whether it is tomorrow or in twenty years. You have my word of honor on it.”
But even if she were freed, the very idea that her father would bind a woman, much less his own wife... It made her feel ill. “I thank you.” Her voice seemed high-pitched even to her own ears. “It is unlikely to occur as, given these circumstances, it is improbable that I will return to Longbourn. I do not know where I will go, but it will not be there.”
Her uncle’s eyes were full of pity. “You always have a home with us on Gracechurch Street. Your aunt and I would be very pleased to have you.”
“Thank you. Pray excuse me.” She fled the room.
DARCY PUT DOWN THEpages he had just read aloud to the assembled group. “That was our conversation with the Sidhe lord as Miss Elizabeth and I recall it. The question is what we should do next.” He looked at each of them in turn, careful not to let his gaze linger on Elizabeth. Her eyes were still red rimmed.
Richard tilted back his chair, balancing precariously on two of its legs. “You will meet him on Beltane, clearly.”
“We must have something to offer him,” Darcy said. “Some plan for how the groves could be protected, perhaps, but I am not empowered to make promises for any land but my own. He was very specific that it should be only the two of us, so even if I could convince someone from the government to take this seriously, I cannot bring them.”
Mr. Gardiner stroked his chin. “Presumably he wishes to meet with you because he has more trust in a man he has met, but why did he insist on Lizzy’s presence as well? You told him you were a mage, so it makes sense he would think you had the ability to make changes, but why would he think Lizzy could? If we can understand his reasoning, perhaps we can understand him better.”
“Perhaps he sensed I had been influenced by fay, and that made me some sort of ally.” Elizabeth’s voice lacked its usual liveliness.
“Or perhaps that is how negotiations in Faerie are done, by both male and female fay,” said Richard. “Devil take it, we know nothing of them!”
Darcy cleared his throat. “Miss Elizabeth handled the discussion with the Sidhe lord better than I did. She spoke fluently and seemed comfortable when I was tongue-tied and my discomfort must have been apparent. If they felt Miss Elizabeth’s hunger, they must have known I was afraid.”
