Forgive me for startling you. There are things I would say to you in private, but not where I might influence you unduly. Will you listen?
Shaken by the absolute foreignness of it, Darcy sent,I will.
Your sister, the one who is here, is not wrong to fear the Wicked King. We cannot protect her from him, but we can teach her how to protect herself, and we can set wards against him at your home. Would you be willing to permit us to do so?
Georgiana, threatened by the High King of Faerie. It was like a cold knife in his ribs. He would take help from his worst enemy for her sake. And this dragon was not his enemy.Yes, I would be grateful.
We will make arrangements, then.
Then he was alone in his own body again, with Elizabeth beside him, tears of pride shining in her eyes.
Chapter 5
Georgiana turned her faceaway as she climbed into the carriage, obviously avoiding Elizabeth’s gaze. Darcy, entering behind her, seemed lost in his own world, but that was hardly surprising after he had been communing with the dragon.
There was so much left unsaid, and Elizabeth suspected that if she left it to Darcy and Georgiana, none of it ever would be spoken. She had no intention of allowing that to happen. “Georgiana, thank you for agreeing to this. I know it was difficult for you.”
The girl kept her head lowered. “It was good to meet them,” she whispered.
Darcy blinked, as if suddenly aware of his whereabouts. “Georgiana, the dragon asked my permission to offer you training in how to protect yourself from the High King. I granted it, but it will be up to you if you wish to take advantage of it.”
Her eyes flickered up at him for a moment before lowering again. “Yes,” she said in a small voice. “I would like that.”
“He also said they could set wards at Pemberley so that he cannot come there. Does that seem like a good idea to you?”
Now she did look up, a disbelieving smile warming her face. “Could they truly do that? It would be wonderful! Then I could stay at Pemberley all the time.”
Darcy’s brow furrowed. “But I thought you liked London.”
She shook her head. “Oh, no. I only wanted to be there to stay safe fromhim. The High Fae cannot come to the city because of all the iron there.”
“Then that is settled,” Elizabeth said briskly, before Darcy could think to ask the next question of why the girl was afraid of being found by the High King. That was not a conversation to have in a carriage. “I would like to know, though, about the lock of hair he used in creating you. Do you know whose it was?” If the old stories were anything to go by, this could be a matter of great importance.
Georgiana’s cheeks flushed a delicate rose. “Lady Anne gave it to him.”
“Shegaveit to him?” Darcy rumbled disbelievingly. “Was it her own?”
“Yes. When she bargained with him.”
Elizabeth’s chin dropped. If there was any message that had been drilled into every child in England from the tales of Faerie, it was never, ever to bargain with the fae. What had Lady Anne been thinking? A sense of foreboding filled her. “What did she bargain for?”
“She wanted a living daughter. It had been years since Fitzwilliam and Jack were born, and she had despaired of having a daughter to carry on her magical work. He kept his word; she bore a daughter. He never promised to let her keep it,” Georgiana said bitterly.
A typical fae trick. “Even so, she must have known it would be dangerous to give him her hair,” Elizabeth argued.
Georgiana sighed. “She made him promise not to use it to harm her or any of her relations, and apparently she thought that was enough.”
Elizabeth said slowly, “But if he used it to create you, was that not hurting her?”
“No, for he could have substituted any fae child for her baby.” But she dropped her gaze.
“He must have had a reason,” Elizabeth prompted. “It makes no difference to my opinion of you, but we need to understand his motives.”
Georgiana’s shoulders sagged. “It meant I can pass as mortal, that I can touch iron safely. He thought the knowledge I would gain of fashionable society and mortal magic might prove useful to him someday.”
Elizabeth exchanged a worried glance with Darcy. “He wanted you to be a spy?” No wonder the girl hated the High King!
“I never agreed to it! I was only a helpless infant who knew nothing of his plans!” she cried. Then, with an obvious attempt to calm herself, she added, “Not a spy for information, more a resource he could use to understand the mortal world. The same reason the Welsh Nest wanted Cerridwen to live in England.”
