Page 119 of Triumph at Pemberley

“I suppose we can do that. Let me send for honeyed tea and cake, in case we overdo it.” It was becoming very real that she would be facing Napoleon all too soon. “Say, do you suppose that once we drag Napoleon through the Gate, Jack will come back to his senses? Assuming Napoleon has put him in thrall, that is, and that Jack is still alive.”

“Oh, he is alive,” Frederica said confidently.

“You cannot be sure of that!”

Frederica frowned. “No, I suppose not, but I am certain. Just as I know he is in that direction.” She pointed a finger. “Just west of south.”

“But how can you know that?”

She shrugged. “I have been able to ever since Roderick woke the King’s Bond in Jack. I was touching him during it, and it changed some things for me. I usually get lost all the time, but after that I always knew exactly where I was when I was within his Bond. How annoying it was when I went to Wales and suddenly lost that! It would have been so useful to me there. Quickthorn says it added a new flavor to my Talent, but cannot explain what she means.”

Relief swelled in Elizabeth. The dragons had said Jack must be alive because Gentiane had not returned to the Nest, but this was confirmation. “I must go tell my husband immediately. He will want to know about Jack.”

“Then can we practice with images afterwards?” Frederica asked, but Elizabeth was already halfway out the door.

Chapter 45

Elizabeth fought back tears as she came down the stairs to the breakfast room after saying goodbye to Jenny. The day had finally come. Rana Akshaya and Jane had left a week ago for Napoleon’s headquarters. Last night the Indian dragon had sent word to Frederica that their audience would be today.

In an hour she would be by the Dragon Stones, attempting to open a Gate. Nelly was taking Jenny to Lambton, a safe distance even if the Gate failed spectacularly, but Elizabeth might never see her daughter grow up, the woman she would become. Just in case, Elizabeth had prepared a letter to be given to her when she was older. She had sobbed while writing it.

It was so unfair. The only way she could protect Jenny's future was by attempting to stop Napoleon, but if her Gate went wrong, her daughter would be an orphan by sunset. Children should not have to lose their parents and their home.

She had to stop thinking like this. Nothing must be allowed to distract her from opening the Gate. She straightened her shoulders and strode into the breakfast room.

Darcy and Frederica were there already. Frederica's plate was mostly empty, but Darcy's looked as if he had done no more than move the food about. He gave a little smile on seeing her, though, and it warmed her heart.

Frederica said briskly, “Rana Akshaya says all is as planned; Napoleon is expecting them at eleven, so we should head up the hill once we are done here. Georgiana and Jasper are already rallying the lesser fae.”

Darcy sighed. “If it comes down to fighting, an invisible army will only get in the way.”

“They could still be very valuable,” Frederica replied.

This was an argument that had been made repeatedly, and it annoyed Elizabeth. Especially as the whole plan came down to her. “It hardly matters. Napoleon will either be killed by the Gate or trapped by Ysmeina’s Cuff. And the cuff works perfectly. I tested in on Cerridwen again last night, and it bound her magic instantly.”

“The best laid plans,” Frederica said darkly.

Elizabeth was tired of this. “I am leaving now. I ate in the nursery.” It was not true, but she doubted she could choke down a bite.

Frederica narrowed her eyes. “You will be drawing on every bit of your Talent. You have to eat if you want to live through the day. And the same for you, Darcy. You may only be planning to use land magic, but we cannot predict what will happen.”

Darcy glared at her, but he cut off a piece of ham and made a point of shoving it in his mouth.

Elizabeth knew Frederica was right, so she loaded her plate and sat beside Darcy, brushing her arm against his for the comfort it brought.

And she made herself eat.

Jasper’s fox guarded the entrance to the clearing around the Dragon Stones. At least Darcy assumed it was Jasper’s fox, since it did not run off as he passed by with Elizabeth and Frederica. He could sense his own lynx prowling in the forest nearby.

Even their familiars understood the importance of what would happen today.

The clearing was already busy. Cerridwen, Quickthorn, and Coquelicot were gathered in conference together, their breath steaming in the cool morning air.

Granny, wrapped in a shawl, sat separately in a chair brought especially for her, dwarfed by Sycamore at her side. Georgiana hovered behind her, no doubt surrounded by her invisible lesser fae. Frederica’s one-armed guard Sutton was there, too, his sword already drawn, and her Welsh maid. Even Lady Anne had insisted on coming to do her part in defending her family, although she had reluctantly agreed to let Granny handle the mage work. Even so, Shadow, her fluffy black cat familiar, wound around her ankles, ready to intensify her Talent if needed.

Only Richard, who had reluctantly admitted he was not yet ready for battle, remained at Pemberley. Instead, he would be arranging the final lines of defense for the valley if all else failed.

Jasper leaned against one of the standing stones, flipping his dagger in the air and catching the blade between his fingertips. When he spotted Darcy, he came forward and said, “We have the lesser fae circling the clearing to prevent anyone from escaping, but they are prepared to rush in and fight at any point. Mrs. Sanford came by earlier to report most of the tenants have evacuated to the surrounding villages, but some of them - the ones with traces of land bonds – have remained to support you. I told them to stay by the old keep, since you said the power of Pemberley is deepest there.”