17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

T he next morning, when Lady Cresswell and her Healing Circle did not put in an appearance, Darcy enlisted Miss Bingley's help to take her brother's place in the sick room. Bingley, of course, was resistant to leaving, as was Elizabeth, but Darcy was adamant.

"Elizabeth, if you are to perform the Circle as we planned, you will need all the rest you can get. Miss Bingley has kindly agreed to take your place here."

Elizabeth gave a wide stretch and stood up. "For once I am in perfect agreement," she said, and, without further argument, she left the room.

"The same applies to you, Bingley. Come, I will walk you to the breakfast room."

"I do not know if I can eat," he admitted. "There is too much on my mind, Darcy."

"Then you cannot participate in the Healing. You cannot put Miss Bennet in jeopardy because you are too foolish to look after yourself."

The threat produced the required effect. Bingley caved in. Darcy took him to the breakfast room and gave him a plate with a few of Cook's pastries.

Bingley took a few bites, then pushed the plate away, looking ready to gag.

"How do you expect me to gorge myself when Miss Bennet is in danger? You cannot imagine what I am going through." Bingley threw his head back and groaned loudly, forking his fingers through his hair. "I should have had the courage to ask her to marry me a second time. I was staying away because I wanted to be sure she really wanted to be with me." He peered closely at Darcy. "If I had not been such a coward, we would have been engaged, and we would have journeyed together, and this would not have happened."

He swallowed hard, his shoulders folding forward. "Now it is too late." His voice broke.

Darcy was appalled to witness Bingley's state of mind. "Courage, my friend. In heaven's name, do not give in to despondency. Miss Bennet is very much alive, and she is fighting to stay alive. You cannot simply throw the towel and give up on her."

"Give up on her? No, no, of course not." He glared at Darcy. "How could you say such a thing, Darcy? I would never give up on Miss Bennet."

"That is what I thought," said Darcy, his tone uncompromising. "Chin up! You must stay strong for her sake."

"I am well aware of that, thank you," said Bingley, in an irritable tone. "But tell that to Lady Catherine. She has sent Mrs. Jenkinson to order me – a Royal Mage – not to enter the sickroom."

"I suppose she wants to safeguard the young lady's reputation under her roof." Though Darcy could not help but wonder why Lady Catherine would care, when she was quite happy to cast Jane out.

"It is rather too late for that." He gave a bitter laugh. "I have already ruined Miss Bennet's reputation." He began to pace. "That is what bothers me most. If Miss Bennet –" he took a deep breath, "— when Miss Bennet recovers, she will have no choice at all. She will have to marry me. I did not want to put her in such a situation for the second time."

"Then there is no point agonizing about it," said Darcy. He did not know how Jane would feel. She was reserved, and did not show her feelings often. "You are a good person. I am sure she will come to care for you."

"You think so?" said Bingley, wistfully.

"I do." It was impossible not to like Bingley.

The tightness in Bingley's face disappeared. "Good, because I will not leave her alone, no matter what Lady Catherine declares."

"Of course not," said Darcy, pushing Bingley's plate in front of him. "But first you must rest and eat, so we can help Jane get better."

Some time later, Darcy woke Elizabeth up.

"I think we had better get started, my love."

Elizabeth got up, smoothed down her gown, and went to the pitcher and bowl to wash her face.

"No Healers yet?" she asked as she dried her face.

"Sadly not. I do not know if it is because everyone dislikes my aunt, or if it is simply bad luck."

"Well, then," said Elizabeth. "I suppose we have to do it."

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"As ready as I will ever be."

He had never seen Elizabeth so tense. She had always been even-headed, no matter what the circumstances, but now, it was clear she was terrified.

He took her hand and held it, trying to give her some encouragement. Her hand was ice-cold. He rubbed it between his own, trying to warm her.

"What if something were to happen to her?" she whispered.

"You must not think about what could happen. You have to anchor yourself, or your magic will not work. Let me cast a Calming spell. Perhaps you can draw on some of my magic to calm your thoughts."

She gave him a sharp look. "I don't think—"

The uncertainty in her eyes, in her whole body, was obvious. She was not capable of pretense, of dissembling, and he felt a wave of tenderness towards her. He wanted to take care of her, to shield her from harm, but she was in the middle of everything, and there was no chance at all he could do that. All he could do was give her strength and support her magic.

"My love, I want to help. You do not have to do everything alone, you know," he said gently. "I'll be careful. I won't use too much magic."

She nodded. "You're right. I do need a Calming spell. I am too agitated to bring the Circle together."

He closed his eyes and murmured the words of the spell, extending it to Elizabeth. At first nothing happened, then a calm sense of peace overtook him. He opened his eyes to see if Elizabeth was experiencing the same effect.

"Better?"

Her smile said it all. "Yes."

He held the spell briefly, then let it go, satisfied that Elizabeth was calmer.

"Shall we go?"

"We shall." She slipped her hand under his elbow. "Thank you. I feel much better now."

Not long later, Darcy had reason to be proud of his intervention, when Elizabeth's plan proved to be a success. With the aid of Elizabeth and Bingley who held the Circle together and the proficiency of the two Healers, Darcy and Mr. Bennet were able to extract the piece of branch embedded in Jane's leg. Miss Bingley and Anne could not repair the underlying damage, but they were able to patch up the wound. It was by no means perfect. It would take the work of much more experienced Healers to enable Jane to heal, but it was a step to preventing the wound from festering until help arrived.

Their sense of elation was quickly followed by exhaustion, so that even Bingley was obliged to surrender his place by Jane's side to rest.

When Elizabeth woke up, she was seized with a sense of panic as she realized that, with all her thoughts focused on Jane, she had completely neglected something essential: Riquer's communication.

A sick feeling took hold inside of her. What if Riquer had tried to send a message through the mirror, and she had missed it? Her feeling of dismay intensified when she went in search of Darcy, only to discover that at some point in the afternoon, Lord Matlock had arrived. He was in intense conversation with Darcy, Mr. Bennet, and Colonel Fitzwilliam as she entered the parlor, but he stopped at once when he saw her.

"Ah, Elizabeth! Just who I was hoping to see! What news of Riquer?"

There was of course no news of Riquer, since she had not even gone outside the mansion since she arrived.

"No news," she said, briefly, looking away, consumed by guilt.

"Well, perhaps he has not had a chance yet to discover anything."

"Perhaps," she said, and escaped as quickly as she could before he asked her more questions.

With Lord Matlock now at Rosings, Lady Catherine was obliged to provide a proper dinner which everyone was obliged to attend. It began with a great deal of awkwardness, particularly since Elizabeth, Darcy and Mr. Bennet were deliberately slighted by being seated at the bottom end of the table. It seemed Lady Catherine was determined to make a point of it, even though Darcy had tried to reason with her more than once.

Darcy was incensed, but Mr. Bennet thought it was a huge joke. "This is the best seat in the house," said Mr. Bennet. "I can derive my amusement from observing everyone without being obliged to speak to them."

"I will not stand for it," said Darcy. "Come, Elizabeth. We will have a tray brought to my room."

Lord Matlock took one look at Darcy's tempestuous expression and addressed the elephant in the room.

"It looks like your servants have made a mistake, Catherine. They have muddled the seating arrangements."

"My servants," she said emphatically, "never make mistakes under my supervision. It was I who requested it."

Lord Matlock gave a deep sigh. "Your peevish attitude, Catherine, is quite absurd. You are punishing your nephew because he did not marry Anne, and you are punishing Mrs. Darcy because she agreed to marry him. However, that is not what happened. I will testify that Elizabeth Bennet was unwilling to marry your nephew. She even asked for an annulment and went home. Both she and Darcy were forced into this marriage by the Council, I am sorry to say. They did their duty because they were required to, nothing more. You cannot blame them for something they themselves resisted."

Lady Catherine glared at everyone. "Not only was my daughter wronged and the sanctity of my home invaded, but now I am to be lectured by my own brother! I will not tolerate it."

She started to rise from her chair, but Matlock put his hand on her arm. "Catherine, this is your chance to make peace with your nephew. He has not done anything wrong. It will reflect ill on you if you continue this senseless quarrel. And if you leave, I will miss the chance to have dinner with my favorite sister."

"I am your only sister," she replied, in a quelling tone, but she sat down. "Very well, I will stay, but only because you are my brother, and I rarely see you." She looked down the table at the Darcys. "They may stay, but I will not put my servants through the trouble of rearranging the whole table for their sake. If you are still here tomorrow, we shall see."

"Thank you, Catherine," said Lord Matlock, "I commend your generous spirit."

Mr. Bennet hid a smile with his table napkin and looked at Elizabeth, his eyes brimming with laughter.

It took Elizabeth all her self-control not to laugh, and it was only because she did not want to hurt Darcy.

When the table cover had been removed, Elizabeth went outside, leaving the gentleman to their after-dinner port and their discussion of the scraps of news they had received from the telegraph tower. She went to fetch her mirror and went outside. Maybe tonight, she would hear from Riquer. By now he should undoubtedly have arrived at his destination, if all had gone well.

As she stepped out of Rosings, she carefully cast out a faint thread of magic to make sure there was no one lurking around. The countryside was peaceful. Nothing unusual stirred. She recognized the magic signatures of the two lesser mages who were working with Colonel Fitzwilliam to stand guard around Rosings and to pass on messages. They would raise the alarm if there was anything wrong.

She considered asking someone to fetch a chair she could sit on, but that would involve the servants, and she did not know if they would be receptive. She would ask Darcy to arrange for one tomorrow.

The night was a pleasant one, with a bite in the air that spoke of autumn. There was a freshness to the scent of rain and earth that she welcomed. She walked a short distance along the road, holding her candle high, and treading carefully. It was good to be outside.

After a while, it grew cooler. Holding the mirror ready in her hand, she found a low wall settled down to wait. Two hours was a long time. She could be spending time with her sister, or Darcy, or be in her bed, sleeping.

Not for the first time, she questioned whether Mirror magic had any useful purpose. The Prince Regent had such high expectations of it, but it had so many limitations. The relay towers were far more practical. They could be manned at all hours, and anyone could be taught to interpret the messages.

With Mirror magic, everything was more complicated. You needed two people to have their mirrors available at the right time. Then there was the fact that they had to wait outdoors. Apart from the vagaries of the weather, there was the fear of exposure or attack. For a young lady like her it felt uncomfortable to be sitting in the dark, out in the open, when anyone could attack.

And it was definitely easier for Riquer, who did not have to wait at all. He could choose a time that was convenient for him. She chided herself at the uncharitable thought. It was not exactly convenient to put oneself in danger to send a message.

She stared at her image reflected in the mirror. Where are you, Riquer? Are you still alive?

She was startled when a voice broke into her thoughts. "Are you admiring yourself, Lizzy?" said Mr. Bennet. "I would strongly suggest you wait until daylight. Moonlight can distort your features."

She had to laugh. "Papa, there is no moonlight. And you know exactly why I am out here. What about you? No brandy and cigars?"

"I may be a lackluster father, Lizzy, but I am not so heartless as to be drinking with the gentlemen while my daughter is fighting for her life. You have not yet heard from Riquer, I assume."

"Not yet," she replied, trying hard not to let her anxiety show, but her voice quivered.

He nodded. "Remember that they will be keeping a close eye on him. He will need to prove he is worthy of their trust before they allow him any freedom."

"What if they have executed him?"

"They would be foolish to do so. According to Riquer, his magic is unusual even in the large pool available on the Continent, which was why they resorted to blackmail so they could force him to work for them. And now his brother Luis has also been recruited by threatening that if he did not join the Imperial Mages, they would kill his mother. Apparently, she is being held hostage by a distant relative who is assisting the French."

Elizabeth already knew the French had blackmailed Riquer, but she did not know about his brother. She was surprised he had talked to Papa about it.

"Do you trust him?" she asked.

"I do trust him," replied Mr. Bennet, readily. "I will be sorely disappointed if I am proven wrong."

It was reassuring to hear that. If she was a fool, at least she was not the only one.

Hearing her father's opinion emboldened her to ask the question that had haunted her since Riquer left.

"Do you think they might —" She swallowed, the mere thought of it turning her stomach, "—torture him?"

She had asked Darcy the same question, but she wanted Papa's opinion.

"All I can say is that Riquer is a wily one." Mr. Bennet made a wry face. "He is capable of talking himself out of awkward situations. He will find a way to convince them he is trustworthy."

It was true. Riquer was good at persuading others to see things from his perspective. She smiled as she thought of how easily he had convinced her that he was not a threat when she was trapped in the cellar with him.

"I suppose you're right."

There was a short silence, which Mr. Bennet broke a few minutes later.

"I wanted to talk to you about something concerning Jane."

She jumped up in alarm. "Is she— Has something happened?"

"No," he said. "But I have been thinking about your mother. Do you not think we should write to her and let her know Jane is gravely ill? It will take her a couple of days to arrive, but your mother is entitled to say goodbye to her daughter."

Elizabeth had not even considered the idea, and it filled her with horror to think of it this way. "Papa! It is not as dire as all that. We have the worst of it under control, and once the proper Healers arrive, they will know what to do."

But Mrs. Bennet was entitled to know that Jane was sick, and it seemed selfish not to give her the choice of coming to be with her daughter.

"Maybe we should wait until tomorrow morning?" she said. "We would not want Mama to come all the way for nothing."

"I was hoping you would say that," said Mr. Bennet, turning to go inside. "I would rather not write an unpleasant letter unless it was essential. I am glad we agree."

Elizabeth did not hear from Riquer, but the clatter of carriages woke her up from the light slumber she had fallen into. She came to full alert as she realized there were at least eight magic signatures in the carriages.

Before she could consider whether she was in danger, the door of Rosings was thrown open, and a number of manservants and footmen poured out to receive the carriages. Lord Matlock appeared in the doorway.

"Welcome to Rosings," he said, as the mages descended. They were dressed in blue robes with stars embroidered on them in gold.

He turned to Elizabeth. "Allow me to introduce to you: The Rochester Academy Healers!" he said, with a wide smile. "The Rochester Healers are the best in England," said Lord Matlock. "I sent for them as soon as I heard from Darcy."

Tears welled up in Elizabeth's eyes as she curtseyed to each of the Healers, the golden stars embroidered on their blue robes blurring.

They were the most welcome sight in the world.