“Elizabeth, my love,” said Darcy, striding over to her and drawing her into his arms. “Ibegyou not to pursue this foolish direction. It will lead nowhere, and it will injure your credibility even further.”
He smoothed back her hair and ran his thumb down her cheek. She shut her eyes tight. She was tempted to give in. She was tired of fighting everyone, including Darcy. Was it possible she being obstinate, pursuing false leads as she tried to prove everyone else wrong?
Then she thought of Mr. Bingley and the Waltons, and she knew she was not only doing it for herself. She was doing it for them.
“You must trust me to know what is best for you. I am only trying to protect you.”
She was not at all sure she could trust him, not about this. She stepped away, shaking her head.
“I know you want to do your best for me. But this is not just about me. If there is any chance at all that I can save Bingley and his friends, I will do so. Can you not see that? Do we not owe it to them?”
“If there was anything, anything at all I could do for Bingley, do you think I would not pursue it? But you must accept the truth.No onecan do anything for him.”
There was no point in continuing this conversation.
“I will accept it only when Jane has been proven wrong.”
She turned and left the training room.
***
JANE DID HER BEST TOconsole Elizabeth and calm her down, but she could not overcome Lizzy’s resentment at Darcy’s refusal to listen. When it was time for dinner, Lizzy refused to go down to dinner.
“I cannot bear to watch Darcy sitting smugly with the other Council members on the dais. Not today,” she said. “I will have Emily bring me a tray.
Sometime later, there was a knock at the door. Elizabeth smiled to herself. It was Darcy. He had noticed she had not come down to dinner and wanted to apologize.
But when she asked him to come in, she was disappointed to see a footman at the door instead.
“I have a message from Mr. Darcy.” He handed her a sealed note.
Elizabeth took the message and dismissed the footman. So now Darcy was communicating by written notes instead of in person? She was half-tempted to throw the note in the fire, but curiosity overcame her impulse. She wanted to see what he had to say for himself.
She waited for the footman to close the door then unfolded the note.
Dearest Elizabeth, I am sorry. You were right. We do need to spend more time together. Meet me downstairs in front of the door to the cellar at ten o’clock tonight. I have a surprise. D
Her heart leapt as she remembered the last time he had surprised her this way. He had arranged for them to spend time together on the river. It had taken elaborate preparation, but it had brought them a little bit closer.
This time the surprise was a little bit different. She knew what Darcy was planning. He had obtained permission for her to talk to de Riquer. She felt a surge of hope. He may be resistant to her ideas at first, but he at least paid attention to what she was saying. Their conversationhadbeen useful, after all. It was more quarrel than conversation, and Elizabeth regretted pushing him, but it had yielded better results than she had hoped for. She would far rather talk to the French mage than go on a boat ride.
Rising to her feet, she dressed in her warmest clothes, and prepared to meet Darcy.
***
AS THE CLOCK STRUCKa quarter to the hour, Elizabeth made her way downstairs, candlestick in hand.
Darcy was not here yet. She could find no trace of his magic signature, but that was hardly surprising. She had arrived early. She felt silly standing there, holding the candlestick, and hoped none of the servants would see her. She did not know if Darcy meant her to keep the visit secret or not.
The thought had barely crossed her mind when she heard movement behind her, and a powerful blast of magic struck her from behind. A sharp pain shot through her head, between her eyes, and as she bent over, gasping, two men took hold of her.
Through the pain in her head, she struggled to throw them off with a spell, but one of them squeezed her nose and forced her mouth open. As she gathered strength to attack them, they poured a liquid down her throat.
The taste of the tincture was unmistakable. Laudanum! She gagged and did everything to spit it out, to break loose, to see her assailants, to cast a spell, but she was choking and struggling to breathe. They were holding tightly and there was nothing she could do.
Her vision faltered and she went down to her knees as a vast grey nothingness enveloped her. Her last thought was that she had been a fool to think Darcy would send her such a message, and then the world slipped away.
