“Miss Bennet should go,” said Lady Hazelmere. “She is a strong Healer who can work independently, but she could also form a Healing Circle with Miss Bingley and Mrs. Darcy if necessary.”
“We need more Elemental Mages,” said Grayson. “You cannot expect just the two of us to launch an attack if the French reach our shores, even if we are Janus mages. What if one of us gets injured?”
“I will go,” said Matlock. “I am a strong Elemental Mage.”
Loud objections greeted his statement. “You cannot leave. You are needed here.”
“If Napoleon is attacking, I need to be there, not here, cowering behind four walls.”
“I thought we were in agreement that Napoleon is not attacking.”
It looked like another argument was going to begin. Darcy jumped in.
“We have already gone over this. We are going as a precaution. The Prince has required our presence on the coast and that is what we are doing. Obviously, if we were certain it was a full-scale invasion, we would all be heading to the coast to fight.”
“And if it is a trick?”
“Then you must have faith in our ability to destroy the enemy,” said Matlock. “If that is the case, then this would be the perfect opportunity for us to be rid of those vexatious Imperial Mages who have been slowly wearing away our defenses. If theyall gather in one place, they are also exposingthemselvesto discovery and defeat.”
Everyone seemed satisfied by that statement, and the discussion turned to more practical arrangements: who should travel with whom, how to arrange the different routes, how to make sure they are not followed. They decided to appoint Colonel Fitzwilliam in charge of a group of messengers to stop at each of the relay towers and update everyone with the latest information. Then there was a great deal of fuss about who was to fit in which carriage, and rules of propriety, and a thousand other small complications.
“We have to have a Warder and an Elemental Mage in each carriage.”
“The single ladies must not spend hours in the company of a gentleman.”
Darcy covered his head with his hands and groaned inwardly. This was going to be a very long day.
The date of their departure was fixed. It was to be two days later. Elizabeth was grateful that someone else was taking care of all the details. Her intense work with Mirror magic had taken its toll, and she found herself languishing. Besides, there was an air of unreality about the whole undertaking, and Elizabeth could not quite come to grips with the strangeness of the whole thing. Was Napoleon going to attack, or was it all some kind of hoax? It was impossible to know how to feel about it.
It did not help that she could not share her feelings with Darcy. He was intensely disappointed. His heart had been set on Pemberley, and this new drawback had hit him hard. Since her feelings about going to Pemberley had been mixed, she hesitatedto discuss the issue with him. It was unfortunate that they did not quite see eye to eye on this, but she knew in time they would be able to talk about it more openly.
Instead, she turned to her sister Jane. Now that she was no longer training with Riquer, she had some time to spare, which meant she was able to join her sister for breakfast in the Great Hall.
As usual, Jane was pleased to see her, but when Elizabeth sat down, her sister gave her a worried look.
“You are looking very tired, Lizzy. You need some rest.”
“Well, we were supposed to rest in Pemberley,” she replied tartly.
“You cannot pretend it doesn't matter by being facetious, Lizzy. You know it was very important to both of you, even if you were uncertain. How is Mr. Darcy taking it?”
“Badly, of course. It is a bitter disappointment. And to make things worse, I don’t know what to say to him. I was relieved I did not have to make a decision in the end. As it were, the Council made the decision for me.” She gave a little laugh. “As usual, they are against us."
"You know you are being ridiculous, Lizzy."
Elizabeth grinned. "I admit I cannot blame the Council this time. But do you not think it a strange coincidence, that it should happen just as Darcy was about to address the Council.”
“No, I do not, and neither do you. I do not understand why you are being so giddy.”
“I am exhausted, Jane. It has been a difficult time for me. I am relieved that I was able to accomplish what was required of me in terms of Mirror magic. I honestly did not think I would acquit myself. I am worried about Riquer, but I am not supposed to talk about that. And I have spent many sleepless nights thinking about Pemberley. It has been resolved, but I do not want Darcyto be unhappy.” She ran her hand over her face. “Too many things to think about.”
“Well, it has been sorted out now,” said Jane. “So you no longer have to agonize over it.”
Elizabeth nodded. “Yes, but I do not know what would have happened if the Council gave permission for us to leave. Would I have gone? I don’t think going to Pemberley would have been a good thing. Not under these circumstances. I love Darcy very much, but his plan wasn’t realistic.” She paused. "Still, it was nice to dream for a while."
Now that she had unburdened herself to Jane, she felt a powerful pang of regret for something that was not meant to be.
Jane threw her arms around Elizabeth, embracing her tightly. "I know. Poor Lizzy." She gave her a hard squeeze, then pulled away. "But it would have been no good, you know. If it is true that France intends a full-scale invasion, you could never have stayed at Pemberley in any case. You would have been recalled, and then you would have been compelled to travel back immediately."
