Lady Amelia’s eyes unfocused briefly. “Sycamore is already on his way here to bind you against revealing it. The Nest here will find out soon enough, but it will be too late.”
Roderick nodded, as if this was exactly what he had expected. “They may still punish Sycamore, even if there is little they can do to you.”
Suddenly she looked every year of her age. “Do you think I do not know that?”
Darcy said slowly, “I could not agree more with the necessity of informing the government, but could not someone else make the journey in your place? Roderick understands dragons and can travel more easily.”
“Roderick could do a fine job if only they would listen to him, even if we could remove the binding that would keep him from speaking of it. But what chance would an unknown Welshman have of getting a hearing? No, it must be a dragon companion, because no one can ignore a dragon.”
“Are there no other companions who could go, then?” Darcy probed. “Surely there must be others.”
She frowned. “Fewer than there should be, and none of them are suitable to speak to the government. There are two decently born Scottish companions, but they have never been to England and would be perceived as barbarians. This is what happens when the Nests value staying hidden over everything else. They end up choosing commoners as companions, who cannot then advocate for them. Lizzy was supposed to be my heir in that regard, and if she had started her training on time, she could do it. But there is no point in crying over spilt milk.”
Darcy sat down next to the old lady and said gently, “It has been a very long time since you visited London. Times have changed. You have a powerful family name, if people believe you are who you say, but no current connections beyond Elizabeth and me. They are, sad to say, unlikely to listen to you.”
“Oh, they will listen. Perhaps not until I have Sycamore destroy Westminster as a lesson to them, but it will be no loss to dispose of that ramshackle mess.” She sounded rather pleased by the prospect. “We will get all the people out first, of course.”
And judging by what the dragons in Spain and Austria had done, it would be well within Sycamore’s power. “Madam, I must protest. That will only lead to your arrest.”
She cackled delightedly. “Dear boy, do use the mind God gave you! I may be physically feeble, but I am a dragon companion who has spent seventy-six years honing my skills. There is no one in London who can begin to match my power. Try to touch me – no, go on, try.”
It was foolishness, but he obeyed her – or attempted to. His hand would not move. It was glued in place. So was his other arm. His legs would not budge, either. Panic swirled in him, but he pushed it down. “What is this?” At least his mouth worked.
Her smile was proud. “I may be aged and frail, but my Talent can still stop a regiment in its tracks.” She lifted her hand, and his invisible bonds vanished.
Deeply unsettled, Darcy spread his fingers, merely to prove he could. “Impressive. Is this the sort of thing Elizabeth will be able to do after her final vows?” This could be important, should the war come to England.
She snorted. “It takes decades of work to control the power. At first, she will merely be a little stronger. If you are like my first husband, you may be in for some surprises, too. If you live that long, and you stay connected to Lizzy.”
His throat tightened at that unpalatable truth. But he should be used to that by now.
Chapter 7
Darcy’s sleep had beentroubled by dreams of Austrian soldiers being cut down by dragons, but he forced those images away as he descended the steps of the portico towards the coach waiting to take Lady Amelia and her party to London. It helped to have his hand entwined with Elizabeth’s, a necessary precaution with Frederica’s presence. It was almost a pity that his cousin was leaving. It would take away his ready excuse to hold his wife’s hand in public.
Not that he would have many more opportunities to do so, with Napoleon likely already heading to Paris.
Elizabeth embraced Lady Amelia, at least as well as she could while holding Darcy’s hand. “I wish you did not have to leave so quickly.”
“No choice,” said Lady Amelia. “I must be gone before the Nest can interfere.”
Elizabeth held up a finger. “I almost forgot. There is a woman in London, Rana Akshaya, an Indian mage. She recognized that Cerridwen was a dragon when I met her there, though I did not know it until later. My maid, Chandrika, used to be in service to her, so I asked her last night if she wanted to go to London with you. She declined, but said it was important that you should call on Rana Akshaya. Frederica can tell you more about her.”
Lady Amelia cocked her head. “An Indian mage who can recognize a dragon in disguise? I wonder if she might be a dragon companion, too. I will indeed want to meet her.”
“I hope your journey will be an easy one. I will miss you.” Elizabeth’s voice trembled. Was she thinking of how unlikely it was that her great-grandmother would live long enough to see her again?
“We will come to visit you, Lady Amelia, whether in Wales or London.” The words came out of Darcy’s mouth without forethought.
Elizabeth gave him an odd look, and he suddenly realized it would not be possible. He would be gone on his mission in a matter of days.
“See that you do. One day you might even break down and call me Granny,” said Lady Amelia briskly. “Now give me your arm, young man, and help me up into this abominably high vehicle.”
As Elizabeth gripped his shoulder, he used both hands to support Lady Amelia’s elbows, bearing most of her slight weight as she stepped into the carriage. When she was seated, he said, “This is the best sprung carriage I own, and you will have four outriders to fetch you anything that will make you more comfortable.” It was the least he could do. Every instinct still shrieked that he should escort the old lady to London himself, even though she had flatly refused his offer, saying she did not want to draw any attention to Elizabeth or Cerridwen.
Inside the carriage, Roderick spread a blanket over Lady Amelia’s lap. After some protest, she had agreed to allow the Welshman to accompany her, although she planned to send him back immediately, claiming he would only harm her ability to portray herself as an English aristocrat.
Darcy stepped back from the carriage as Frederica came forward, a small satchel in her hand. Nodding to her, he said, “I thank you for undertaking this journey and making the introductions in Town. I know you were in no hurry to return to the King’s Mage.”
