28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

A fter Darcy and the others left, Elizabeth sat in the carriage and thought about the best way to travel through the mirror. The prospect of doing this seemed unsurmountable. Firstly, she needed a corresponding mirror on the other side. Secondly, it had to be outdoors. And thirdly, she did not trust herself to travel all the way to Founder's Hall in one go. She did not want to risk getting lost in the mirror and never coming out.

It took her a while to put everything together, but after some thought, she found a way. It was convoluted, and she was very grateful that the weather would allow her to do it, but she believed it would work. She would hop from place to place, and she would use water at each of these locations to act as a mirror. She chose locations where she had looked into the water and seen her reflection, remembering what Riquer had told her about mirrors having a memory of those who looked into them. She would have preferred to test it under different circumstances, but she just had to hope he was right.

She chose a fountain at Rosings, a pond next to the inn at Bromley, another fountain in a village where they had changed horses, and, for Founder's Hall, the river. All these were hardly ideal, and she would arrive soaking wet, but luckily the weather was reasonably warm. In any case, it was the least of her worries. Having finally mapped out her path through the mirror, she stepped out of the carriage and stood in front of Dymchurch Redoubt. It was time to go.

As she stepped into the mirror, Elizabeth thought she heard the sound of galloping hooves. She ignored it. She had to give her full attention to guiding herself through the mirror.

She was quickly enveloped by the fog. It frightened her at first, because it reminded her of what had happened on the beach. She could not afford to think of that, or she would be truly lost while she traveled. She kept a single image in her mind, of her first destination. Rosings.

The mist swirled around her, and a short time later, she gasped as she emerged from the water in the gardens at Rosings. She was tempted to go and see Jane, but she had to find Mary. She paused just long enough for a wave of dizziness to pass, then stepped in the mirror again.

Each time she emerged, the dizziness was worse and it was harder for her to keep her destination in mind. When it came to her last destination, her head was spinning.

Riquer had told her once that travel through the mirror worked best when there was an emotional reason for her to seek a place. Fortunately, that place was Founder's Hall, and her memories of the river were sharp and strong. She thought of the boat moored on the River Thames, next to the Hall, where she and Darcy had first talked properly with each other. She recalled that night on the river — the warm summer day and the fireflies. Darcy rowing as he talked about Pemberley. The silken sound of his voice. She remembered the shimmer of the lantern in the water. The sparkle of the water. That was her mirror.

She landed in a splash in the murky water. For a moment, she was pulled under by the current. She had exhausted herself completely, the magic had drained out of her. She felt as if she was floating.

"Halt!! Who goes there?"

Elizabeth recognized the voice of one of the older apprentices who had been assigned guard duty. "It's me. Mrs. Darcy. I am sure you recognize me."

"Mrs. Darcy?" He peered closely at her. "How do I know it is not an Illusion?"

She understood his suspicions, but now was not the time. Every moment mattered. "Because I am in the water. Magic and water do not mix." That maxim still held true. The Imperial Mages had not managed to overcome it.

He leaned over. "True enough," he said, leaning over and putting out his hand. As he helped her onto the bank, his eyes suddenly narrowed in suspicion.

"But what are you doing in the water? I heard you were on the coast."

"To me!" he cried.

Half a dozen soldiers materialized from among the trees. "We will escort this young lady to the Hall," he said, "We need to verify her identity."

One of Colonel Fitzwilliam's men recognized her. "It is Mrs. Darcy. We know her."

"We cannot be sure. Why would she be in the water?"

He was only doing his duty, and Elizabeth did not blame him but she was seething with impatience. The other soldiers nodded uncertainly, then fell into formation around her. Her vision was turning gray, her battle with fatigue and cold threatening to overtake her.

When they arrived at the hall, her knees were barely able to hold her and she was forced to lean against the wall.

"Sit down on the ground, Mrs. Darcy, while we fetch someone."

He took her elbow and started to help her down, but the world swirled crazily around her, and she fell forward to the ground.

She woke up to the sound of voices.

"How could those dolts not know who she is?"

"They recognized her, but one of the apprentices was convinced she was an Illusion."

"Illusions don't fall to the ground in a faint."

She opened her eyes to find herself on a bed, surrounded by Healers. Lady Hazelmere was sitting next to her, her gray eyes full of concern.

Elizabeth struggled to get up, ignoring her spinning head.

Gentle hands tried to restrain her. "You are not well enough, Mrs. Darcy."

"It doesn't matter how I feel. We need to save the Prince Regent. I came to fetch my sister Mary. She is the only one who can see the Imperial balloons from invading London."

From the way they reacted, it was clear that the Admiralty had sent word already.

"At least eat something," said Lady Hazelmere. "It will help you recover your magic. Then someone can take you to see your sister. Meanwhile, you have to explain what happened when you went to Kent, and what you need us to do."

Mary was in the library, pouring over a thick tome. She pushed back her glasses in a gesture reminiscent of Mr. Bennet, and Elizabeth felt a burning pain in the pit of her stomach as she thought of her father and his bandaged eyes.

"I thought you were in Kent." Mary sent her sister an enquiring look.

"I was at the coast, but I came to ask for your help." Mary looked puzzled, but this was not the time to explain she had used the mirror. "I used the mirror to get here."

Mary sat up straight. "How clever of you, and how thrilling! Tell me about it."

"This is not the time. London is being attacked." Elizabeth quickly explained the situation. Mary's eyes were shining as Elizabeth finished her explanation.

"I would be happy to help again." Her voice was eager. "We had better set out at once." She rose to her feet, then frowned. "That is, providing you are correct, and I can see the balloons."

It had not occurred to Elizabeth that she might not be able to do it.

"Where do we need to go?"

"Carlton House. Darcy and Redmond were going there when I last saw them. We must protect the Prince Regent first and foremost."

"Can you take us through the mirror?"

"I don't think I can take two people. And my magic is already depleted." She sat down on a chair with a thump, deflated. "We need Lydia, with her flying carriage. If only we had not sent her away."

"Oh, but Lydia is here. She came here two days ago. Something about needing to talk to Papa." Mary leaned forward and spoke in a whisper. "But I think she wanted to see Lord Redmond. She was disappointed to discover he wasn't at Founder's Hall."

"Mary, I'm sorry, but I cannot stop and gossip. We have to leave."

"I never gossip," said Mary, with a sniff. "I was merely informing you of a fact. Should I look for Lydia?"

"Better not," she said. "We don't know how bad things are in London yet."

"I will request a regular carriage, then." She looked Elizabeth up and down. "And I think you had better change before you go. You look like you have been dragged through the mud. And you do not want to catch your death of a cold."

It seemed to Elizabeth that catching her death of a cold would be a merciful way to go. It would mean they had survived Napoleon's attack long enough for her to become ill.

Elizabeth went quickly to her bedchamber to change her clothes. It was strange to think she had only been away a few days. It felt like weeks.

The familiar swishing sound of the mirror drew her attention. Startled, she looked into her regular mirror. It had turned milky. Her heart beating, she began to panic as her mind filled with thoughts of a French invasion of mages with the help of Riquer.

Working swiftly, she immediately set up Wards around the mirror to trap anyone who tried to get through.

"Mrs. Darcy, it is me. Please let me through." It was Riquer, and as far as she could tell, he was alone.

"Are you with anyone?"

It was a foolish question. If he was with other French mages, he would hardly tell her.

"I am alone," he said. "My brother is waiting outside. I have come to help. I have a balloon and an Elemental mage at my disposal to take you where you need to go."

Hesitating, she tried to assess the situation, then decided to trust her Wards to hold off any other intruders. Cautiously, she extended the Wards just far enough from the mirror to allow one person to come though.

Riquer stepped out of the mirror, looking strained. His eyes brightened when he saw her.

"Thank Heavens you are safe, Mrs. Darcy! I feared something had happened to you on the beach. After the rest of the balloons traveled inland, I tried to turn back to see if I could rescue you. I tried to use the mirror to reach you, but I could not connect with you." There was no doubting the sincerity in his eyes,

"It must have been while I was traveling through it."

A suspicion crossed her mind. "How did you know I would be here?"

"I did not. I came to warn everyone here at Founders' Hall, in case they had not heard."

One more suspicion niggled at her. "How did you manage to come through the mirror?" she said. "I thought you could not go through exterior walls."

"I walked through the front door. Nobody stopped me. They never changed the Wards to exclude me. It looks like, unlike your husband, many people trust me." He gave her a lopsided grin. "Once I was inside, I went to my chamber and used my old mirror. I sent you through that mirror to your bedchamber, remember? The mirror remembered the way."

She felt suddenly ashamed that she had doubted him. "You have done us a huge service by warning us about the balloons when you did," said Elizabeth, slowly, "although you will be surprised to know, Darcy discovered it at the same time."

Riquer whistled. "Really? He saw the balloons?"

"No. Someone else did. A little boy."

"That is astonishing. Like your sister, Miss Mary."

She nodded.

"And there I was, thinking I would be welcomed like a hero."

She laughed. "You will be. But first we must go to make sure the Prince Regent is safe. Then you can claim that you saved the kingdom."

"Where is your husband now? Is he safe?"

Elizabeth made a choked sound. "Is anyone safe? Your balloons will soon be casting fireballs on the whole of London. The Kingdom is about to fall."

"Not my balloons. More to the purpose, where is he?"

She hesitated. Could she trust Riquer with the information? Darcy had never trusted him. Why would he want to save Darcy?

What did she have to lose in any case? She had trusted Riquer all along. He had told them about the balloons. There was no point in holding back now. She needed to find Darcy, to find out what was happening.

"He is at Carlton House."

"I will take you there," said Riquer. "If you use the mirror, you can transport yourself to my balloon when I reach it. It is floating above Founders Hall."

"I cannot go. I came here to take Mary to London."

"Once you are on the balloon, I will come back and send her to you through your mirror."

Elizabeth nodded. She had an uneasy feeling about Darcy. She wanted to get to him as quickly as possible.

"Very well, Mrs. Darcy. Are you ready to ride a balloon?"

"I am ready to use any means possible, if it will take me quickly to Carlton House."