He went into his own bed chamber and, sitting on his bed, he took off his Hussian boots and tossed them carelessly away. Then, recalling he had no valet to pick up after him, he rose in his stockinged feet and picked them up, arranging them neatly next to each other. He had already noticed that the Royal Mages’ unanticipated arrival meant the housekeeper did not have time to hire the extra servants the castle needed. He did not want to add to their already heavy burden by throwing his things all over the room.
A scream from the room next to his sent his heart thundering. There was no mistaking Elizabeth's voice. Had an Imperial mage attacked her? Sheer terror had him tearing open the door and sprinting to her room.
He tried to open the door, but it was locked. He rattled the door handle, panic setting in, and scrambled for a spell which would blow the door open. As he began to utter the first words, Elizabeth opened the door. She took in his stockinged feet and gave a gasp of dismay.
"Oh, my love! I am sorry I screamed. I did not mean to alarm you."
"What is it?" he said, his eyes raking her face worriedly. "What is wrong?"
Elizabeth looked chagrined. "You will laugh when I tell you."
If she was embarrassed, it could not be something bad. The tension drained from his body. Thank heavens. "What is it, then?"
He stepped into the room, looking around for signs of danger. She was alone.
"I was about to sit on my bed when I saw a spider running across it. I did not even know I had screamed. I am so sorry."
A spider?
Darcy shook his head and chuckled. "I would never have guessed you could be so missish about such a little thing. You have confronted some of the most powerful mages the Continent can boast, yet you are afraid of a tiny spider?"
"It is not tiny. It is a cardinal spider. Almost as big as my palm." Her face grew redder. "Could you please get rid of it for me, Darcy?"
"I am happy to oblige," he murmured. "Let me see what I can do. Where is it?"
“It was on the cover.”
There was no sign of a spider, cardinal or otherwise. Darcy did everything he could to find it. He turned over the sheets and the pillows. He looked under the bed, lifted the worn carpet and even searched under the oil painting of a gentleman with a white wig and sour face. The spider was nowhere to be found.
"How am I supposed to sleep when I know there’s a spider in my bed?"
He could not resist it. “Would you rather have something else – or someone – in your bed?”
She shot him an amused look. “Someone else, rather than a spider? I would very much prefer someone else in my bed. But would it be wise?” Her words echoed his.
Every muscle in his body urged him to follow up on the invitation. “It would not be wise.”
But he could not bring himself to move. All he could think of was what she would look like lying there, her dark hair spread across the pillow.
She must have felt how close he was to throwing caution to the wind, because she jumped up and went to pick up her bonnet. "I had better go and wait for Riquer to contact me." She stopped and looked at him intently. “Would you like to come with me? The weather is still pleasant.”
He would not say no to the opportunity of having her to himself, out there in the dark. "Excellent idea. Shall we go?"
He felt like a truant schoolboy, sneaking out with a young lady.
"Have you forgotten something?"
"What?"
She covered her mouth with her hand, holding back her merriment. "Your boots."
His gaze dropped to his bootless feet as she let out a peal of laughter. He felt his ears burn. "Look what you do to me! If I had known all this was about a spider—”
“Spiders can be dangerous, too.”
He chuckled. “Very dangerous indeed! I had better go and put my boots on."
Next morning, Darcy was indulging in a pleasant dream involving Elizabeth when a heavy knocking on the door forced him to his feet.
