Darcy eyed him suspiciously. “That sounds as if you have more than a slight knowledge of Faerie.”
Eversleigh bowed to him. “You are quite correct. To put it bluntly, something I am generally at great pains to avoid, I am half mortal, half fay.”
The colonel’s eyebrows shot up. “You have kept that a very close secret.”
“That was my intention,” said Eversleigh dryly. “My mother took me on several occasions to Faerie to visit a gentleman of the Sidhe who – how shall I say it? – bore more than a slight resemblance to me. Those visits stopped when I went off to school, but I retained a certain curiosity about Faerie. In due course I went off on my Grand Tour and returned with stories of all the usual attractions. Those stories came from reading books. I had actually spent those two years in Faerie.”
Richard chuckled, shaking his head. “And my father, so desperate to gain even the least knowledge of Faerie, knew nothing of this, despite working closely with you?”
With a cool smile, Eversleigh said, “I have never had an interest inbecoming the subject of academic research. My goal, apart from pure curiosity, was to position myself should there ever be the need for an emissary between Faerie and the mortal world.”
Frederica nodded. “And now the time has come when the Sidhe are so desperate for an emissary that they are willing to accept any mortal who crosses their path.”
“Precisely, Lady Frederica. As it happens, I am not likely to be well received by those who disagree with their king, as my fay connections are strongly tied to him. However, as a mortal, and therefore on the opposite side of the war, I must naturally support whichever side is working for peace.”
Darcy said, “A convincing argument, I would think. Miss Bennet and I are to meet with the Sidhe lord tomorrow at sunset, and while he insisted no one else should accompany us, any insight you can give us into the politics of Faerie would be greatly appreciated. I know nothing of even the basic laws of nature there.”
Elizabeth smiled. “Mr. Darcy is kindly trying to avoid saying that I am somewhat useless as well. I do have some knowledge of Faerie, but I am not aware of what I know. If he had asked me the proper address for a Sidhe lord, I could not have told him, but faced with one, I knew what to say.”
Darcy looked at her soberly. “You have a great advantage over me in that you are comfortable with the fay. They do not strike you as frightening, foreign, and incomprehensible.”
Elizabeth considered this. “I suppose that is true. I am no more troubled by them than I am troubled by cows or dogs.”
“Rrowr.” Pepper jumped up onto Elizabeth’s lap and began to wash her face.
“Or cats,” said Elizabeth with a laugh, stroking Pepper’s back.
Eversleigh raised his quizzing glass to inspect the cat. “Odd. I have never seen a white phouka before.”
Elizabeth shared a surprised look with Darcy. “How can you tell she is not just a cat?”
The viscount furrowed his forehead. “The same way I can tell she is not a cow or a dog, I suppose.”
Elizabeth laughed. “That is fair enough, I suppose, but you have just given away my secret. The colonel and Lady Frederica were not aware Pepper is fay.”
Wide-eyed, Frederica asked, “Is she truly a phouka? Does she change shapes?”
Elizabeth nodded. “She can change into a white raven in our world, but in Faerie she became a horse.”
Richard chuckled. “Do you suppose my father would be more horrified or pleased to discover that it was a fay cat that attacked him?”
“Pleased,” said Frederica without hesitation. “It is the closest he has ever managed to come to one of the fay.”
“YOU SPENT A LONG TIMEtalking to Miss Bennet after dinner.” Darcy tried not to sound jealous, but watching Elizabeth and Eversleigh’s heads leaning together as they conversed had been enough to spoil his digestion.
“An interesting girl.” Eversleigh accepted the glass of port.
Darcy could not help himself. “She is not unprotected.”
Eversleigh turned a surprised gaze on him. “I am not planning to seduce her, if that is your concern. I simply wished to know more about her.”
Richard shot Darcy a warning look. “We feel rather responsible for her. If she had not tried to heal Lady Catherine at our request, no one would be calling her witch, and her cousin would not have thrown her out of his house.”
“I confess that is where I am mystified,” said Eversleigh. “I understand she does not wish to return to her father’s house, but she has an uncle who would take her in. Instead she is staying here with Lady Frederica whom she has just met. You are an acquaintance of a few weeks standing, and Darcy only slightly more. It is an odd situation in which to find a gently bred young lady.”
“I agree. It is not an ideal situation, but with the Sidhe lord insisting on her involvement, it seemed simplest to keep her here,” said Richard. “After Beltane, I expect she will go to her uncle.”
“Unless he continues to insist on her involvement,” said Darcy flatly. Was it wrong for him to hope for that?
