She nodded. “Sycamore behaved badly; I cannot deny that. The shock of your fae connection was the reason, but it is no excuse. What you are presenting is any dragon’s worst nightmare, that someone could force them to become killers, as the High King did to their ancestors. Regardless of your sentiments, we need their knowledge if we are to construct adequate defenses and stop what is happening in Europe.”
“Obviously it would be better to have them as allies, but until I can absolutely guarantee that they will not give my information to dragons sympathetic to Napoleon, it is simply too dangerous.”
“You do not understand. That is the last thing they would do.”
“No, it is you who do not understand. If I knew fewer secrets, it would be simpler. As it is, I cannot permit the dragons free access to my mind; it would endanger far too many people. I cannot in honor do that.” He was tired of explaining this.
“Men! How they always use honor as an excuse to avoid doing unpleasant things. Tell me, is it honorable for you to force Lizzy to break her bond to Cerridwen, after you have already taken her from her home and family?”
He gritted his teeth. “I am not the one insisting on breaking the bond. You must blame the dragons for that.”
“They have offered you a compromise which you have refused.” She shifted in her chair. “What do you think will happen when you force Lizzy to choose between you and Cerridwen?”
He lifted his chin. “She will be unhappy, but I am her husband.” But he did not want her to be unhappy.
“Let us suppose Lizzy insisted you break all ties with your sister, which she would be justified in doing under the circumstances. What would you do?”
He would talk her out of it, but that was not an answer the old lady would accept. “I, too, would be unhappy, but my wife would come first.”
“Would you ever forgive her for driving your sister away?” The words shot out like a knife. “Would you still trust her? Would your marriage still be as loving?”
No. It would never be the same. He opened his mouth to say they would learn to move past it, but the words would not come out.
Of course. The old lady was truth-casting, damn her. He could not speak a lie in front of her.
What could he say that was true? “Elizabeth would never request such a thing unless she had a good reason, and I would try to respect that reason.”
Her upper lip curled. “A nice try. But listen carefully, because this is why Lizzy will choose Cerridwen. If some outside power forced her to choose between you, I suspect she might take you. But Lizzy is clever enough to realize that your marriage can never recover if you force her to make that choice. If you value her affection, you must start acting like a man who deserves her love.”
His mouth went dry. “You think very little of me.”
“I think you were raised by a Fitzwilliam mother who puts a ridiculous sense of abstract duty ahead of everything else, and you learned your lessons too well. She would tell you that your secrets are more important than your wife’s love. I, however, have not yet given up on the possibility that you may have a heart under that overdeveloped sense of duty.”
She was right about that. He did have a heart, and it was breaking.
After leaving her great-grandmother, Elizabeth followed the tinkling tones of the pianoforte to the music room. Now she wished she had spent more time with Georgiana, but as Darcy had warned her, the girl preferred to keep to herself. She rarely spoke much at dinner, although she seemed happy enough to chat with Darcy at other times or with Miss Lowrie. But she had always been reserved with Elizabeth.
It must be hard to keep a secret as monumental as hers.
She waited until Georgiana’s fingers stilled on the keys before she said, “Good evening.”
The girl straightened her shoulders, but she did not lift her eyes from her music. “My brother tells me you know the truth now,” she said flatly.
“A bit, at least.” No thanks to Darcy, who would have kept it a secret as long as he could.
Still avoiding her gaze, Georgiana asked, “Do you want me to leave Pemberley? I have no desire to impose myself upon you.”
At that moment, she bore an undeniable resemblance to her brother, blood tie or no. “Nonsense,” Elizabeth said briskly. “You are my husband’s sister, and this is your home. Nothing has changed.” Nothing she could admit to, anyway. It was disconcerting having a fae in the house, but that was not the girl’s fault.
Georgiana’s fingers danced up and down the keyboard in a rapid series of arpeggios, filling the room with a waterfall of notes. “Yet you clearly have something to say. What do you want of me, then?”
The girl’s bluntness took her aback. “Yes, I came to ask something of you, but it is a complicated matter.” So much to tell, and all of it so strange! Still, she did her best to summarize the events of the day.
To her credit, Georgiana took it calmly, her fingers continuing to move fluently over the keyboard as she listened. “I assume you have a reason for telling me this,” she said.
Elizabeth took a deep breath. “I know you do not like the idea of seeing dragons, but it would mean a great deal to me if you would be willing to speak to them about your heritage. They have certain questions, and my ability to remain as Cerridwen’s companion depends on the answers. That, and more.”
Her playing paused. “I need not avoid them anymore, now that you already know the truth. I was only afraid your dragon would discover it. Does my brother wish me to do this?”
