“I do not want to wait. I hate swooning.”
“Lady Catherine must make that decision,” Mrs. Jenkinson insisted.
Darcy said, “I am Anne’s guardian, not Lady Catherine, and I give my permission. Mrs. Jenkinson, you may leave.”
“I cannot leave poor Miss de Bourgh alone with three gentlemen!”
“The doors are open. She does not need a chaperone. Now go.”
“Lady Catherine will hear of this!” Mrs. Jenkinson gathered her shawl and shuffled away.
“I’m sure she will,” Richard muttered.
Anne actually smiled. “Thank you, Darcy. She never listens to me.” She held her hand out to Eversleigh.
Eversleigh carefully wrapped his fingers around her wrist. “I will be using magic.”
Anne swooned, of course. Darcy gently laid her back on the fainting couch.
Eversleigh moved his hand to her neck and began murmuring the Latin words of a spell. After a few lines, his speech began to slow. With a puzzled look, he held out his free hand towards Richard.
Richard jumped up and put his hands around Eversleigh’s wrist. If a mage as powerful as Eversleigh needed help, he must be using an enormous amount of magic. Darcy stepped out of the room and asked a footman to bring food immediately. They would be ravenous when this was over.
With Richard supplying power, the words of the spell were flowing easily again. When Eversleigh’s chant finally stopped, he removedhis hand from Anne’s neck.
“What happened?” asked Darcy. “I thought you were only assessing the spell.”
“That is what I thought, too,” said Eversleigh grimly. “I suspect I know why Matlock refuses to remove the spell. I do not believe he has the ability to do so.”
Richard whistled. “Are you certain? Poor Anne!”
“I cannot be certain. The standard binding spell incorporates a method for removal. It appears he excised that portion of the spell and wrapped the remainder in a strong defensive spell. I had to penetrate the defensive spell to see the actual binding spell, and I would not have made it through the defenses without Fitzwilliam’s timely assistance. The actual spell would be extremely difficult to remove. Matlock is unmatched at creating spells, but I do not boast when I say I am better at removing spells than he is.”
“It truly is unbreakable, then?” asked Darcy.
The footman brought in a tray of food, and Eversleigh took a piece of bread and cheese before he had even set the tray down. He bit into the bread, and when he had swallowed it, he said, “I might be able to break it, given sufficient time and several sessions. Then again, I might not. I was able to remove part of the defensive spell so it would be easier next time. The spell itself is a masterpiece. No one but Matlock could manage a two-layered spell without creating a hopeless tangle. But I will have words with him when I see him next.”
“A cruel masterpiece,” said Darcy. “If, after speaking to him, you are willing to try to remove it, I would support that.”
“It will have to wait until we know the outcome of your meeting tonight,” Eversleigh said. “But it is possible Miss de Bourgh may feel some slight relief from the weakening of the defensive spell. Usually a binding spell does not cause as much impairment as she has, which inclines me to think the defensive spell has an effect as well.”
Darcy remembered the look on Anne’s face when he asked her whether her thoughts drifted away. “Let us hope so.”
“WHAT DO YOU THINK?”Darcy gestured to the table laden with a wide selection of cold meats, pastries, bread, cheese, and fruit. The servants had arranged it under the whitethorn with three chairs, believing it to be a picnic for the three ladies.
“Excellent,” said Eversleigh. “Given how much the Sidhe value food from the mortal world, you could serve breadcrumbs and he would happily eat those, but this does him honor.” He peered into one of the jugs. “Good. You have milk. That is better than wine for them.”
“Elizabeth’s suggestion,” Darcy said. “But if the Sidhe crave mortal food so much, why do they not simply take it?”
Eversleigh smiled. “It must be freely given, or it will not nourish them. In the old days, food was left out as tribute for them. Now it is in short supply.”
Elizabeth shaded her eyes and gazed into the grove. “I wonder if he will even come. Perhaps he has thought better of it.”
Eversleigh said, “He will come. If he offers you food from his hand, be aware that eating it will create a bond between you. Refusing it would be an insult, though.”
“He has already bonded us,” said Elizabeth calmly.
Darcy stared at her in shock. “He did?”
