“I am standing down, but on the condition that you help Jane. What have you done to her?”
“We will take care of her,” said Lady Hazelmere, firmly, “but first you must agree to our conditions. You will need to appear in front of the Council, for breaking the rules and forming a healing circle without the Healer’s permission, and using unauthorized, Rogue magic.
She began to argue, to say that she was not part of the Circle, that she had not been using magic at all, but the sight of Jane on the ground stopped her. She would appear before the Council. She would do what was needed, as long as someone took care of Jane.
“Will you give me your word you will Heal Jane?”
“I give you my word.”
“Very well. I will come with you to face the Council.”
***
THE MEETING WAS CALLEDwithout delay, and Elizabeth was brought by the mages to the breakfast room. From across the room, Darcy gave her a questioning look. She had not had the opportunity to talk to Darcy, so he was yet to learn what the meeting was about.
She could not enlighten him. All eyes were upon her, and the meeting was already beginning as Matlock struck the table with the silver handle of his scepter.
“Lady Ashcombe has called for this meeting to be held in order to discuss some serious allegations of rule breaking on the part of Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy. Lady Ashcombe, would you like to state your charges?”
“Yes, my Lords and Ladies. We have come forward to accuse Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy of breaking the rules against performing Healing magic. She was caught red-handed trying to Heal Mr. Bingley.”
There was no mention of Jane. Elizabeth thanked her lucky stars for that.
“Well, Mrs. Darcy, do you have any extenuating circumstances? Do you deny the charges?”
“I have nothing to explain. I deny the charges, not because it is not true, but because the charges themselves do not apply.”
“Explain yourself.”
“I have never been explicitly forbidden from practicing Healing. Tell me when the Council has told me it is forbidden? When I was at the Hall, I was part of the Healing Circles. No one objected then. You cannot accuse me of breaking the rules when no one ever set up the rules to start with.”
“When you came to the Healing Hall, we told you were not welcome.”
“Yes, and I have not been to the Healing Hall. At no point was there any rule set up saying I was forbidden from practicing Healing.”
“She has a point there,” said Grayson. “You cannot hold her to account for a rule that was never established.”
“Should we stand aside and allow her to destroy the mind of one of our finest mages?”
So Bingley was now one of their finest mages? Ha!
“According to your assessment, Mr. Bingley is unlikely to improve. He has shown no signs of improvement. Considering his situation, I do not see how I could make it worse.”
“Quite true,” said Tonkin. “Poor fellow.”
She waited for the next thing they would throw at her, but the Healers were looking at each other. They had nothing more to say.
“Do you have witnesses you wish to bring forward to substantiate this charge?”
Lady Ashcombe nodded. “Yes, I would like to present Miss Caroline Bingley.”
Ah, so it was Miss Bingley who had told the mages about the Healing session, not Lady Mary.
“Did you witness Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy Healing your brother, Mr. Charles Bingley?”
Caroline Bingley looked directly at Elizabeth.
“No, I did not. She was not Healing my brother. She was resting.”
