“I am sorry to hear it. Would you like me to send an urgent message to Napoleon asking him to delay his invasion until you are ready, then?”
The sarcasm in Matlock’s voice added a note of panic to the heaviness inside her. It was all a misunderstanding. Anightmare. She could not do this. They were demanding the impossible.
“You must understand,” said Riquer, evenly, though she could tell that he, too, was rattled, “that Mrs. Darcy is a relative novice. She has learned a huge amount in the short time we have trained, but mastering Mirror magic over large distances is a more advanced skill, and both the sender and the receiver must be very good for it to succeed. You are asking too much.”
“We have no choice. There must be a way to expedite it by focusing on that single skill.” Lord Walworth looked slightly more sympathetic. “From what I’ve heard, Mrs. Darcy is a quick learner. If anyone can do it, it is her.”
She felt flattered by Lord Walworth’s remark, though at this point, being a quick learner seemed more like a curse than a blessing. Just because Elizabeth was good at picking up things, it did not mean she could achieve miracles.
“There are other things to consider,” persisted Riquer. “The first is working out how to smuggle a mirror attuned to both of us past the Imperial Mages. Of course, they will search me, and obviously, I cannot go around carrying a normal mirror.”
“Then you had better start thinking of a solution,” said Lord Walsworth, relentlessly.
“And we need to come up with a plausible story explaining how I was suddenly able to return to France.”
“That is not something you need to worry about,” said Lord Walsworth. “I have several gentlemen working on this. We will inform you of the details when we have them. You need to devote your time to achieving success in using Mirror magic to communicate with each other. Nothing else. To that end, we will put whatever resources are needed at your disposal to accomplish what you need. Now, if that is all, we have other pressing issues to deal with.”
Lord Walsworth gave a quick bow and exited the room, followed by Lord Matlock.
“How very uncivil,” said Riquer, after they were out of earshot. “If they wanted us to focus on long-distance communication, they should have asked us to do it earlier. Though I suppose you could not have done it in any case until you reached a certain level.”
Elizabeth could only agree. It was all very well for His Royal Highness to assume she could connect with Riquer all the way to France. True, her Mirror magic had improved very quickly, but she was woefully unprepared for communicating through mirrors over long distances. They had worked on strengthening her ability to control and travel through the mirror, but they had never even tried to use it as a tool for espionage. She was prepared to work hard, but what if they could not accomplish it in such a short time?
Knowing there was no more than a week to learn what was needed, she and Riquer intensified their lessons. Elizabeth had to practice communicating with him from increasingly large distances. She expected that she would be the one confined to the grounds of the Hall, but it was decided that they could not risk Riquer being found by the Imperial Mages before Elizabeth had completed her training. Consequently, it was Elizabeth who had to leave the Hall each morning, accompanied by Colonel Fitzwilliam, a Warder, Miss Warren, and a lesser Elemental mage, Mr. Enfield.
The afternoons were dedicated to discussing practical issues, particularly the pesky issue of the mirror. They considered something like a quizzing glass, but adding a mirror to it would have made it too obvious. It had to be something easily concealed.
"A pocket watch?"
"That is not a bad idea, but they might notice that it contains a mirror when I open it."
In the end, after some extended discussion, they decided on a miniature with a concealed second compartment holding a mirror.
“No one would suspect a mirror hidden behind a portrait.” Elizabeth felt reasonably certain that it would work.
“If that is what we have decided on, I would be honored if you will give me a miniature of you to put in the locket so I can remember you when I am in danger in France.”
“You are truly incorrigible. How could you use my words against me like this?”
“You have mistaken my meaning. Surely you would not deprive me of the chance of holding you close to my heart?” He put his hand dramatically to his chest.
She laughed at his nonsense. “It would not go well for you if one of your spies recognized me, would it?”
His mouth drooped dramatically. “Very true. Sadly, I will have to abandon the notion.”
“It is truly tragic,” she said, sighing loudly.
It was Riquer’s turn to laugh. “How is it you never take me seriously?”
“Because you are never serious.”
“That is why it is so easy to be around you, Mrs. Darcy. I will be sorry to leave you behind.”
Elizabeth did not want to think about his departure. “Let us stick to the matter at hand. We will need to obtain a miniature. And have a locket designed that will work with my hand-held mirror.”
“Yes. Preferably of a Spanish lady. We do not wish them to think I have any connections here. I will instruct them to find one.”
It was one problem resolved, at least.
