“Not at all. I pleaded fatigue as the only way to stop those two ridiculous males from posturing at each other like a pair of peacocks. Truly, Sycamore should be outgrowing some of this impulsive behavior by now.”
“Outgrowing?” Elizabeth asked. “But he is far from young, is he not?”
“He is well past his century mark, since the Dark Peak Nest does not allow dragons to bond as early as your Cerridwen did. That is still young for a dragon, though. Wisdom comes with age. He is troubled, too, by his worry about me. It is always a hard passage for a dragon when they lose their Companion.”
Elizabeth dropped her fork, her heart sinking. “Is there something you are not telling me, Granny?”
The old lady waved her hand. “Nothing of note, but I am ninety-three years of age, and it would be foolish to think I will be on this earth much longer. Dragon companions are long-lived, thanks to our bondmates’ healing abilities, but even that can only go so far. Sycamore would wrap me in cotton wool to keep me safe, but he knows I will not tolerate it, and it makes him cross.”
Elizabeth took a bite of pheasant pie and chewed it thoughtfully. Would she, too, live to a very old age? “I never thought about what it would mean to Cerridwen if something happened to me. Or if we could not complete the bond.”
“That is what I wished to speak to you about – this unfortunate situation with your husband. His attitude will stand in the way of your final companion vows. Leaving aside the question of the boon, Cerridwen is running out of time. She must either complete the bond to you or return to Wales. If we cannot find a way out of this mess, you may have to choose between giving up your bond to her or leaving your husband.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them. “Is it truly that serious?”
“I fear so. It is too risky for the Nests to allow so much knowledge to someone who is hostile towards them, especially with that odd connection to the High King.”
Her chest tightened. Cerridwen had been her trusted friend all these years. She could not stand losing her, too. And how could anyone expect her to give up being a dragon companion? It was the stuff of her childhood dreams.
But Darcy, for all his faults, was the father of her child. “How long do I have before Cerridwen would have to leave me?” Her voice shook.
Granny appeared to consider this. “Given how stubborn Cerridwen can be, perhaps six months, or even a year, assuming the Nest allows her to stay here that long. The problem may resolve itself if your husband does not survive this mission of his. Then there would be nothing standing in your way.”
Nothing except a broken heart and a memory of betrayal. If he came back alive, would she have the courage to leave him? Would she ever be able to forgive him if she lost Cerridwen on his account?
Tears filled her eyes. “I am not yet ready to give up. If the problem is his connection to Georgiana, would it help if I convinced her to let the dragons read her? She knows no state secrets.”
“Would she do that? I thought she did not want dragons near her.”
“I do not know, but it is worth a try,” Elizabeth said determinedly. “I doubt my good opinion means much to her, but she loves Darcy dearly. If I can convince her it is in his best interest, she might agree.”
“It cannot hurt to ask. What of your husband? He seems to care for you. I know how hard it is to get a Fitzwilliam man to listen to sense, but can you attempt it? He does love you, you know.”
Elizabeth grimaced. “He says so, but at times like this I wonder if he means it.”
“Oh, he does. His magic would not entwine with yours otherwise.” She took a sip of wine.
“What does that have to do with anything?”
Granny patted her hand. “Entwinement only happens when a mage starts falling in love with a dragon companion. Your stronger Talent pulled his into alignment with yours, like a magnet with iron filings. That is why you can affect his magic.”
“But I could alter his illusions before he ever thought about marrying me!” And then she remembered what he had said about being fascinated with her even before that, when he was so proud and aloof. Could it have been true?
Her anger softened, but just a little. “Well, I will speak to him, but not yet. I would only say all the wrong things and make matters worse. Tomorrow I may be calmer.”
“Perhaps I will try in the meantime.” Granny winked at her. “I imagine Darcy is too well trained to be rude to his elders, even if he wants to.”
Darcy scowled as he strode through the corridor. First Elizabeth was nowhere to be found, and now Lady Amelia had summoned him to her private sitting room, likely for another lecture. And he was in no mood either to be summoned or lectured.
Still, he owed a certain respect to his great-grandfather’s sister, so he did his best to greet her politely. At least her damned dragon was nowhere to be seen. “I hope you have recovered from our excursion earlier.”
“Thank you, yes. Lizzy was kind enough to dine with me here so I could rest.”
So that was where she had been, leaving him to eat with Roderick and a tearful Georgiana, still distressed over the revelation of her great secret. “How may I be of service to you?”
She waved to the chair across from her. “You can start by sitting down instead of looming over me. Then you can tell me why you oppose lettingthe dragons read you. Making them see the attacks are real would benefit us all.”
“Or they might simply find another way to disbelieve me,” he said coolly. “Cerridwen seems good-hearted, but she is very young. Of the four adult dragons who have touched my life, three of them massacred tens of thousands of Englishmen, including my brother, and then your dragon turned on me the instant we met, with threats and curses. You will forgive me if this does not incline me to believe dragons are trustworthy.” For Elizabeth’s sake, he had tried to overcome his hatred of dragons and to believe they could be honorable, but today’s meeting had shattered that possibility.
