Page 135 of Triumph at Pemberley

Frederica said gaily, “No thanks to me! All the credit goes to my maid Bethan, who believes it is dangerous to let a fae see your eyes. When Napoleon looked my way, she clapped her hands over my eyes. By the time I elbowed her out of the way, he was already distracted by your hole. And I had thought it a foolish superstition of hers!”

“We all owe her our thanks, then,” Darcy said. A variant on why his invisibility protected him, perhaps.

She chuckled. “How an uneducated Welsh farm girl saved the world from Napoleon.” She turned to study the former pit. “What of the dragon nursery? Is it destroyed?”

Elizabeth said, “Let me check.” Her eyes blurred as she reached her Talent in the earth, and then a puzzled look came over her face. “It has collapsed, but…William, do you sense anything unusual about the land?”

He cautiously sent his senses down into the soil he had drained earlier. It rushed to meet him with unusual potency, pouring energy into him until he had to break the connection or be overwhelmed. “Good Lord. What happened to it?”

“Who can say?” Elizabeth answered. “Cerridwen told us the drops of blood she gave to the land had increased its power. Now we have added the lifeblood of two dragons and the High King of Faerie. That must have some effect.”

A memory assailed Darcy. “Her prophecy said the power of Pemberley would be redoubled, and we thought it meant how much stronger it was after Jenny’s land bond. But that was only doubled, and she said ‘redoubled.’ Today’s events must have doubled the power again.”

Her eyes lit up. “I think you are right! Cerridwen will be so pleased.”

“Another prophecy?” Frederica demanded. “And you did not tell me about it?”

Darcy exchanged a glance with Elizabeth. Ruefully he said, “Cerridwen made one at Jenny’s land bonding. I suppose there is no point keeping it a secret now, since it is already coming true.”

Elizabeth recited the prophecy, shifting Jenny to her shoulder. “Even before today’s events, Granny said it was less of a prophecy and more a given.”

Frederica said loyally, “I think it is a very fine prophecy, and one can hardly expect Cerridwen to produce deep, complex prophecies when she is barely more than a nestling!”

“Cerridwen has proven herself by this day’s work. I hope the Dark Peak Nest is regretting their decision to expel her!” Elizabeth said fiercely. “An untested Seer, bah!”

Chapter 50

The sun was low in the sky by the time Darcy and the others were ready to leave the clearing. Quickthorn had returned to help Cerridwen ward the new Gate, and Frederica had asked Rana Akshaya to do the same at the other end. Someday they would need to decide what to do with the new Gate in the midst of human lands, but that could wait. The second Gate Elizabeth created had collapsed on its own, which she did not seem to find surprising.

Darcy could not yet bear to think about Elizabeth creating a Gate that might kill her.

Granny had been taken back to the house in a cart, along with Jenny. Darcy, feeling stronger after he connected to the land again, planned to walk. His lynx would be happier that way, too. Fire Eyes showed no sign of being willing to leave Darcy’s side.

Oddly enough, all the mud had disappeared, and the grass which had wilted when Darcy drew too much energy from the land now was lush and green.

If it were not for Elizabeth’s scraped cheek and torn skirts, it would feel almost as if nothing had happened.

When they reached the house, the butler threw open the door before they even reached the steps of the portico, his normally stony countenance lightened by a small smile. For Hobbes, that was the equivalent of shouting with glee. “Congratulations, sir and madam.”

“You have heard already?” Darcy reached automatically for his hat, but he had lost it somewhere in the day’s events.

“Mrs. Sanford was kind enough to inform us of your triumph when she returned with Lady Anne.” There was a question in Hobbes’ voice. Hardly surprising, since his mother had appeared with an unknown newborn.

Behind him, Mrs. Reynolds pushed forward, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. “I cannot tell you how proud I am of you. To think that the boy we worried over when he barely spoke at age four has now saved England!”

“Is that true?” Elizabeth asked. “You were late to talk?”

Mrs. Reynolds said, “Yes, and then when he finally began, it was in full sentences! He simply did not want to speak until he could do it well, stubborn boy!”

Elizabeth took his hand with an affectionate smile. “I can easily believe that!”

“And look at him now!” the housekeeper said with pride.

Darcy shook his head. “I could not have done anything without Mrs. Darcy. She was the one who made the whole thing possible.”

“And then promptly got myself stuck in a tree!” Elizabeth said ruefully.

Mrs. Reynolds rubbed her hands together. “Well, come in, come in! We have taken the liberty of arranging a small celebration in the drawing room. Colonel Fitzwilliam and Mr. Jasper Fitzwilliam are already there.” She frowned slightly. “And Mr. Jasper’s fox, too.”