It had to be good news. There had been no alarm. It could only mean that they had found him. Or better still, that de Riquer had found Matlock and was negotiating with him.
She had heard nothing from Darcy, who had not bothered to tell her what was happening. Before she went downstairs, Elizabeth sent a note to Darcy that she would not be attending training the next morning. She did not have the heart to spar with him, not when she was still feeling his betrayal so deeply.
He sought her out after dinner, as she was returning to her bedchamber from the Great Hall.
“Thank you for postponing our training session for tomorrow. It was considerate of you to do so. I am still sore from the duel today, and I may need two or three days to recover.”
Odious man. Why did he assume she had sent the note out of consideration? Had he already forgotten that she was upset that he had deceived her?
“I did not postpone it to be considerate. I postponed it because I am upset that you withheld such important information from me.”
He looked uneasily around him. “Let us find somewhere more private. I have news to impart.”
She followed in silence as he went up the stairs and peered into several training rooms until he found one that was empty.
He shut the door and turned to her at once.
“Before you say anything else, you will be very pleased at the latest news. De Riquer is negotiating with my uncle.”
Elizabeth felt a flare of satisfaction. She was vindicated in this matter, at least. If de Riquer convinced Lord Matlock that he wanted to switch sides, Elizabeth would be able to learn his mirror magic. They would have a powerful ally in their fight. But she did not want to get her hopes up too soon.
Meanwhile, she still had problems of her own to resolve.
Sensing her mood, Darcy came and put his hands on her shoulders.
“I am sorry I have not been more forthcoming, Elizabeth. The circumstances would not allow it.”
“Forthcoming?” She stepped away. Of all the ridiculous things he could have said!
“Forthcoming?You are one of the most taciturn, reserved gentlemen I have ever encountered. I do not haveanyexpectations that you will be forthcoming. But this is far beyond that.”
There was no sign of comprehension in his eyes. Of course not. She had accused him in the past of not consulting with her. This was yet another of his betrayals. How many times had he betrayed her since they were married? She was starting to lose count.
She hesitated, trying to find a way to phrase her perspective that would be meaningful to him.
Perhaps it was easiest to start at the beginning. “I was forced to marry you to become aJanusMage, to become your Twin.Marriageitself was only a secondary consideration.”
He nodded. “Naturally.”
“Our marriage was in name only. And despite declarations of love and empty phrases, it is still a marriage in name only. And do you know why? Because the primary reason I am married to you is to be your Twin.”
“Originally, yes.” Darcy’s brow was furrowed in puzzlement. “But afterwards – well, we have developed feelings for each other.”
“True. But these feelings are still only a marginal part of what our relationship is supposed to be. At every occasion when some crisis has come up, those feelings are brushed aside as if they are a mere inconvenience.”
Darcy raked his hair with his fingers in a gesture full of confusion and frustration. “They are not—an inconvenience. They are there, always, but I do not have the luxury—”
“—of indulging myself, yes, I know. And I do not wish to discuss it, because there is no point. I would like to talk about something else entirely.”
She sighed. She still had not found a way of explaining what she meant.
“It is simpler if we deal with more concrete issues. I have a question for you, out of curiosity. If Cuthbert was here instead of me, would you have told him about the duel?”
Darcy’s brow twitched. “If Cuthbert was here? Yes, of course. He would need to know.”
Elizabeth gave a humorless smile and let his remark linger and fill the space between them.
“Then tell me why, even though I am your Twin, you did not think it appropriate to inform me about the duel?”
