Darcy had been looking for the opportunity to speak to Riquer for a while now, but Riquer was, as usual, the center of attention. When he finally saw him alone, Darcy strode over towards him.
“I wanted to congratulate you, Riquer, for the newly acquired estate the prince has granted you. Have you had a chance to see it yet?”
“I have not, but I am planning to go there with my brother Luis soon.”
“I heard your brother Luis is to receive a medal as well.”
“Yes. The Prince Regent has been very generous with us.” Riquer was holding himself very stiffly, clearly uncomfortable with Darcy’s presence.
An uneasy silence followed, during which Darcy decided to dive into the real reason he had come to talk to Riquer.
“My wife tells me I owe you an apology,” he said. He felt immensely awkward, but it was the right thing to do. Riquer was a hero. Together with his brother, he had saved them all. Darcy had been mistaken in his character, and he had the duty to acknowledge it as a gentleman.
Riquer crossed his arms and met Darcy’s eye. “In my experience, Mrs. Darcy is generally right.”
Why did the man have to sound so superior? Did he have to make this even harder than it was?
Darcy took a deep breath. He wanted to get this over. "I do owe you an apology. You put yourself at risk to save my life, and I must thank you. I never fully trusted you, but you have morethan proved me wrong. I was mistaken. I hope you will not hold it against me."
"I do not hold a grudge. I know you had your reasons." Riquer's gaze drifted to Elizabeth, who was talking animatedly to Miss King. "I do not blame you. If she were my wife, I would have felt the same.”
Darcy wanted to deny that jealousy was his prime reason, but as he looked at Elizabeth, he really could not dismiss the possibility.
Fortunately, the conversation did not continue. A young man around Redmond's age came up to them, and Riquer made the introductions.
"When you caught me outside Founder's Hall, this is who I was talking to. This is my younger brother Luis."
Darcy, feeling a sense of guilt that he had been so quick to jump to conclusions, made a strong effort to make the young man feel welcome. He did not want to repeat the past.
The wedding breakfast was very late by now, and the guests were starting to grow restless. Elizabeth could see from Jane’s face that she was anxious in case the Prince Regent never showed up. It would be enough to ruin her wedding, because the guests could never sit down unless he arrived.
She smiled reassuringly at her sister. The Prince Regent was known to be capricious, but would he really fail to show up when he had been so adamant about holding it here? She could not really answer the question. There was no knowing what he might do. Elizabeth just wished he would send his apologies so they could proceed with the celebration, but for now, there was nothing they could do.
Mrs. Bennet grumbled to Elizabeth that it was just like Royals to feel entitled to make everyone else wait. Elizabeth shushed her by saying that there were always spies in Court, and that they would tell the prince what Mrs. Bennet had just said.
After that, Mama kept her thoughts to herself, but she did mumble that her poor lamb – Jane – was starting to wilt from so much waiting around.
Finally, the doors were flung open, and the Prince Regent strode in. He went straight to the head of the table and stood there as everyone hurried to their assigned places.
“We are here to celebrate the nuptials of two well-deserving couples who have played a role in making the Kingdom safe. First, I would like to raise a glass to Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam, and Mr. and Mrs. Bingley. Cheers!”
He threw back his glass in one gulp, then struck his glass to gain everyone’s attention again. “It is the most auspicious occasion possible. We will always remember this day because something monumental has happened.
He stopped and looked down the long table as everyone waited in confusion for his next words.
“We have just received news that Napoleon has surrendered!”
There was a loud roar, and the room erupted into chaos. People stood up and stamped their feet, embracing each other and laughing loudly. Glasses clinked, and cries of ‘Huzzah!” filled the air.
“And now We must apologize most sincerely, but We are required elsewhere. Pray enjoy the breakfast without Us and accept our warmest wishes for your happiness.”
Darcy turned to Elizabeth. “We have done it,” he said. “We have defeated Napoleon’s mages.” His eyes were glistening. “I have lived with this war for so many years, and now it is over! He gambled everything by sending most of his best mages to England, and now they are locked up in the Tower.”
“But surely he would not give up so easily?”
“Easily? With his humiliation in Russia, and now this disastrous attempt to take the Kingdom, his domination of the Continent has come to an end. Some of the mages we captured were his best strategists.”
Darcy took hold of her by the waist and swung her up, high up, in a circle. “It means we have won. And it means something else as well. We can finally go to Pemberley!”
