“You think she was abducted?” I said.
“Abducted, or a traitor, or she was killed, and her drake taken.”
I shook my head. “A newly married wyfe turned traitor seems unlikely.”
Lord Wellington gave me a level stare, and I realized how foolish I sounded. My own dead sister, Lydia, had been precisely that. Although Lydia had been manipulated and drugged. And mad.
But Lydia was no random wyfe. She had extraordinary power over draca.
“Whether the wyfe lived or not,” I said, “the mystery is why the drake attacked. Draca cannot be trained to fight. They are not war horses or hounds.”
The War Secretary’s eyes narrowed, and he gave an annoyed grunt. I was not sure if that was due to my words or because I had dared to speak at all. I folded my arms and stared back.
Lord Wellington resumed. “Grim as this news is, it grows worse. After theDapperwas lost, the enemy sailed close. The lookout saw two flags. One was French. The other was unfamiliar to him—blue with a white crescent. We know that flag. It is raised by privateers who smuggle African slaves to the plantations of Spanish Florida and Texas.”
“A slave ship?” Darcy said. “Why would slavers visit France?”
Mr. Tinsdale answered, each word deliberate. “Nine years ago, when Bonaparte needed funds for his war, he attempted to reacquire Louisiana for French slave plantations. Nelson foiled that plan by routing the French navy at Trafalgar. Now, Bonaparte has allied directly with the American slave states. They provide ships for France’s war, and the French territories pay in slaves.”
“An evil alliance,” Darcy said and caught my eye. Napoleon allied with slavers, like the men who tried to kill me.
“Apowerfulalliance,” the War Secretary said. “One that shifts the balance of the war. The American cutters are light ships, but fast. And, somehow, this pact has enabled our enemies to field an English draca as a weapon. We must strike before there are greater losses. The time has come for England to bring her great power to bear. The Darcy dragon must join the war.”
“No!” I exclaimed. Yuánchi had fought for me once, and dozens had died. The scars of his fury still stained a meadow above Pemberley.
The War Secretary dismissed me with an insulting sniff and addressed my husband. “Mr.Darcy. This is not a matter for debate. This is a matter of duty.”
“Darcy, you must see—” began Lord Wellington.
“Mr. Darcy has noduty,” Mr. Tinsdale boomed. He cleared his throat and continued more mildly. “There is nothing hemustdo. Mr. Darcy, understand that the Council is not unanimous in this request. I oppose this escalation. The loss of theDapperis tragic, but she was caught unawares, and she was a small vessel, not a ship-of-the-line. We are discussing the response to a single firedrake. Bonaparte is a dangerous and capable man. Send a dragon to burn his ships, and what horrors will he unleash in return?”
Darcy was so still that I suspended my anger and turned to him. His hands were gripping the arms of his chair.
When he did not speak, I said, “I quite agree with Mr. Tinsdale.”
“Bonaparte will not hesitate to performanyhorror,” Lord Wellington said. “Our restraint will not slow him.”
“I care less for his horrors than ours,” I said, “I do not support war.”
The War Secretary’s face flushed. “Mrs. Darcy, when Lord Wellington insisted on your presence—”
“How did they convince the drake to attack?” I interrupted. “Thatshould be our concern. Draca do not fight on command.”
The War Secretary barked a frustrated laugh. “Mr. Darcy,youare very quiet. It was you who advised this Council not to attempt the use of draca in war. You declared it impossible to command draca.”
Darcy finally spoke. “I did.”
“And then, your new wyfe bound an extraordinary draca thought to be legend. Has that altered your opinion?” Darcy did not answer. The War Secretary jabbed his finger into the papers on his desk, crumpling them against the tumbler. “When theDapperwas sunk, Lord Wellington sent me this report. Ihave read it, and I am no longer surprised that a dragon was bound at Pemberley.”
Darcy stiffened in his seat. “I know nothing of his report. But Lord Wellington himself informed the Council of Mrs. Darcy’s binding. We did not conceal it.”
“Your wyfe is not the subject of this report,” the War Secretary said. “It discusses your young sister, Miss Georgiana Darcy.”
Darcy’s chair skidded as he rose to face Lord Wellington. “What have you done?”
From his chair, Lord Wellington raised an eyebrow. “Last year, Miss Darcy demonstrated her ability to control draca in a room full of soldiers. I gathered those soldiers’ testimony for the Secretary.”
“Georgiana saved wyves and draca,” Darcy said. “I asked for her help, and she trusted my discretion.Youasked no permission, even though you swore to respect our privacy. You have contrived to avoid your oath.” His lip curled. “That is ungentlemanly.”
