“What are the chances of me being able to return? The French will never trust me on a mission here again.”
She had not thought of that.
“Besides, who knows if there will ever be an end to this war?”
His words echoed Darcy's.
An uncomfortable silence followed as they each followed their own train of thought.
“We had better have one more practice session, Mrs. Darcy,” said Riquer. “Just in case inserting the portrait has changed the mirror in some way. It will take too long to try it outdoors, but can practice throwing objects through the mirrors. It will give us a good indication if there need to be some last-minute adjustments.”
They practiced until they heard footsteps in the hallway. Riquer tucked the locket holding mirror under his clothes.
“Riquer! Ready to leave?” said Lord Matlock as he appeared in the doorway, with Darcy beside him.
“I am at the Prince Regent’s command.” Riquer bowed and gave a lopsided smile.
“You confirmed that it was the Prince Regent’s orders?” said Elizabeth to Darcy, with a smile.
Darcy nodded. “Better safe than sorry.”
“We need to leave. We have delayed enough.” Lord Matlock looked from Elizabeth to Riquer. “Are you certain the miniature mirror works?”
“It is impossible to tell how it will work over such a long distance,” said Elizabeth. “It is not as good as a regular mirror, but it is the only chance we have of escaping detection. From what we can tell, the mirrors seem to be working together.”
"I am satisfied that theyshouldwork," added Riquer. "I cannot promise they will, however."
“We will have to make do with what we have.” Matlock turned his gaze on Riquer. "It is time for you to make your 'escape'. We have set everything up for tomorrow. Is there anything more that needs to be done?"
“Nothing.” said Riquer.
So this was it.
She turned to him and offered him her hand. “We will be communicating from afar,” she said, her throat tightening. “So I will not bid you farewell. We will speak soon.”
Riquer, in typical fashion, took her hand and brought it to his lips. “It has been an honor training with you, Mrs. Darcy. I hope we will have the opportunity to do so again in the future.”
“I hope so, too,” she said, withdrawing her hand.
As Riquer walked out between the two men, Elizabeth wondered if she would ever see him again.
Chapter 10
Darcy awoke with a renewed sense of purpose. He had reached a conclusion in the middle of the night. He could not continue waiting around and hoping for something to change for the better. That was what had brought him to this point. He needed to seize his future in his hands, and bring about change himself. Accordingly, he had decided to talk to his uncle first thing in the morning and request permission to leave.
Now that he had decided to act, the sense of hopelessness lifted, and he was filled with surge of optimism. He walked down the corridor with a spring in his step. Elizabeth may not have agreed to go with him to Pemberley, but when she thought about it, she would be bound to agree that it was the only solution. Then, at last, they would truly be husband and wife, and he would stop feeling as if fate had dealt him a raw deal. A heavy load had been lifted off his back. He felt light and carefree for the first time in years, as if walking on air.
Two passing apprentices grinned when he greeted them.
“Nice hover spell, sir!”
Darcy looked down and was astonished to find he was, in fact, floating on air. It was exceedingly embarrassing to have cast a spell without even being aware of it, but he nodded back at them as if it was deliberate.
“It’s always good to keep practicing,” he said, with an air of authority.
The two apprentices looked at each other, then spoke the words of the spell, trying to rise off the ground. They failed, but they kept trying. What had he started? Soon half the apprentices would be trying to hover in the hallways, and they would say Mr. Darcy had given them permission.
He supposed there were worse things to worry about. It would not do them any harm. It might even hone their skills.
