“She was able to walk through our very carefully constructed Wards without even noticing.”
Grayson smiled broadly as Devereux opened his mouth in shock. His words evoked a mix of uneasy laughter and loud indignation
Elizabeth thought it a good moment to put in a word. “My sister is good at easing afflictions of the spirit. She has the ability to soothe both animals and people. She is a good Healer. She will be able to provide assistance.”
“Soothing farm animals is hardly useful here,” said Devereux with a sneer. “At the moment, the only person who is ill is Mr. Bingley. Miss Bennet’s ability is not required to soothe Mr. Bingley. He is a happy idiot already. His affliction reflects a weakness of spirit, due no doubt to his imperfect bloodlines. I could have predicted such a thing when he arrived at the Academy.”
Heavens! The man was worse than Lady Alice Enright!
“While we are fortunate that we are not dealing with an outbreak of some sort at the moment, and we have not been attacked recently, surely we need all the Healers we can have.” Darcy was visibly struggling to keep his calm.
“We do not open our doors to all and sundry at the Royal Mages. We are not so desperate as to bring in people from the street. Or from the storm.” He guffawed at his joke. A couple of people smiled in amusement.
“May I remind you,” said Darcy, grinding out the words through a clenched jaw, “that we are talking about my wife’s sister.”
Devereux looked around triumphantly. “Precisely. Are we to be invaded by every Bennet in the country?”
Pickering suddenly looked up from the book he was reading, took off his spectacles with shaking hands, and looked around. “I remember teaching an Edward Bennet. He was a rebel, as was his father before him. The Bennets have always been trouble.”
Lord Matlock sighed. “Then I suggest that we should stick to the adage that it is better to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. I do not know in which of those two roles you will cast Miss Bennet, so let us simply vote on whether to keep Miss Bennet here in Netherfield for the foreseeable future. May I see a show of hands if you think she should stay here?”
Darcy was the only member of the Council to abstain.
“Well, the answer is clear enough. Welcome to Netherfield, Miss Bennet.”
Matlock rose to his feet. The meeting was over.
Elizabeth did not know whether to laugh with joy that she had been joined by her sister, or to cry because poor Jane was now confined to Netherfield like her.
***
AS EMILY HELPED THEyoung ladies prepare for bed later that evening, the maid seemed in awe of Jane.
“Everyone is talking of how she rode through the storm, and right through the Wards, without so much as a by-your-leave. I laughed so hard when I heard it. I would have loved to see those snooty mages’ faces.”
Elizabeth knew it was no laughing matter, but she could not help remembering the astonishment on Matlock’s face, and she burst into laughter as well.
When Emily left, Elizabeth examined Jane’s pale face.
“I am sorry for all you had to go through earlier, Jane. It was very difficult for you to have to defend yourself in that way, and very unfair.”
“I am perfectly at peace with their decision, Lizzy. I understand perfectly why the Council could not allow me to leave after I have discovered their secret. I do not blame them.”
It was difficult for Jane to see the bad in anyone. How did she do that?
“Not even Devereux?”
“I do not think he was as bad as you think, Lizzy.”
Elizabeth had spent ten minutes ranting about him after they had left the meeting.
“Sometimes I envy you your placid nature, Jane. You do not have to suffer the pangs of vexation that I go through.”
“And I envy you because you can find laughter in anything.”
Elizabeth felt a glow of happiness. It was an unexpected pleasure to have Jane here with her. “I hope you will be able to settle in. I think you will find it easier than I did. Everyone will love you when they see what a kind heart you have. Tomorrow we will sort you out and have a bed prepared for you. I will fight them tooth and nail if they try to move you to the Maidens’ Hall.”
“What is that?”
