Elizabeth looked up from her needlework at that, another of the Talent-imbued handkerchiefs she was racing to make for Darcy to use in France. It was such a relief to be on good terms with him again! “I have wondered why I was chosen. Surely it would have been simpler to select someone local as a companion.” She hesitated. “Cerridwen says it was deliberate.”
“Ah, yes. That was my idea.” Granny’s eyes went distant. “The dragons needed a better understanding of what was happening in England. Even fifty years ago, it was easy enough for a Welsh Nest to stay hidden, to frighten away or lay spells of confusion on any Englishmen who tried to enter their territory. But the English are more organized now, less superstitious,and much greedier. They believe there may be wealth in the mountains of Gwynedd, and they are determined to find it. The dragons do not understand that they will not stop coming this time.”
Roderick added, “Their naïveté is understandable, given how many centuries they have been in hiding.”
“True, but it does not serve them well now. I suggested that if one of their nestlings lived among Englishmen for a few years, she could provide useful insight in dealing with them. That required an English companion, preferably one among the gentry who would expose Cerridwen to English society. One of your sisters was the obvious choice.”
That stung. “You wanted one of my sisters, but not me?”
“That was your father’s insistence that it should not be you, so originally we tried for your sister Mary. But none of the nestlings we brought to meet her felt the connection needed for a bond. Then Cerridwen noticed you, since you were in the garden with Mary, and made it clear you were her choice. I tried to discourage her for your father’s sake, but Cerridwen was determined. She said if she could not have you, she would take no companion. It is not unusual for a dragon to feel a strong affinity with a certain human, but she was particularly insistent. I suppose it should not have been a surprise when she refused to break the bond years later.”
She caught her breath. “My father knew Cerridwen was a dragon?”
She snorted. “Of course he did. Ridiculous boy. He was under a binding against speaking of it, naturally, but he opposed the idea from the beginning. He knew dragon companions, adult ones, had to live near a Nest, and he wanted you to stay at Longbourn. He thought if he kept you away from the Nest long enough, Cerridwen would be forced to break the bond. Such a fool, planning to kill his own golden goose.”
That sounded ominous. “What do you mean?”
“Why, he valued you for your land Talent, but the reason you are powerful is that you are a dragon companion. Without Cerridwen, your Talent would be little greater than his.”
“But…my land Talent is not my own?” How mortifying! She had worked so hard at it, prided herselfon it.
“It is both yours and Cerridwen’s, your joined Talents strengthening each other.” The old woman sighed. “Fortunately, Cerridwen was stubborn, and you escaped in time. That is good, since her growth is already stunted from her time away.”
Her chest grew tight. Her dearest Cerridwen had suffered because of choosing to stay with her. And her own father had caused it. “Will she grow once she is part of a Nest again?
“It may take some time once you have taken your final vows, but yes.” Granny’s expression softened. “It should do her no long-term harm.”
She was about to ask another question when Darcy strode into the room, his face grim.
He closed the double doors behind him. “Another dragon attack,” he said harshly, tossing a newspaper onto the tea table.
“What?” cried Granny. “Impossible!”
Roderick jumped to his feet and grabbed the newspaper, his eyes rapidly scanning the headlines.
Elizabeth found her voice. “Is it certain?”
“Over half the Austrian army killed, and this time there were many witnesses. Now everyone will know that Napoleon can command dragons. There will be panic.”
Half the Austrian army lost! Hundreds of thousands of men who would never go home again, gone in one fell swoop. Her chest grew tight.
“Roderick, what does it say?” demanded Granny.
“Five dragons. They flamed the Austrian army when it took the field, ignoring the massed French troops. Thousands of eyewitnesses.” He glanced at Darcy. “Have you heard anything else?”
“A letter from the War Office confirming it, with one other detail. Napoleon has demanded an unconditional surrender, and the Austrians have agreed. What choice do they have, the poor devils?” Darcy rubbed his hand over his eyes.
Elizabeth blinked hard. She knew what he was not saying. England would be next. Now even more was riding on his mission.
All those dead soldiers, lost to their families. And the dragons, the poor peace-loving dragons in the Dark Peak, who had been so kind to her! They would be devastated, too. Cerridwen would be heartbroken.
Granny had that unfocused look in her eyes, and Roderick was fumbling to remove the pendant Rowan had given him. Cerridwen needed to hear this from her, not from other dragons.
Elizabeth swallowed hard and reached her mind out to Cerridwen, finding her much closer than expected, sitting in a tree outside the music room window.
We are listening, sent Cerridwen, with an image of two other birds perched near her. Young dragons in disguise, most likely.They enjoy Georgiana’s music.
Could it only have been a day ago that they had heard Cerridwen reproduce that music?
