Page 88 of Triumph at Pemberley

Darcy said firmly, “You are, of course, welcome to stay as long as you like. But when you were here before, you said Pemberley was the last place you would come for safety from Napoleon because he was hunting for me. Would you not be safer in Scarborough, as you said last time?”

“Nowhere is safe anymore, but from what I hear, the Corsican bastard no longer cares about you, at least for now. His only interest is capturing the mysterious Captain Jack.”

“Captain Jack?” Better to plead ignorance than to say too much.

“The powerful mage who had come out of nowhere to lead our soldiers. Everyone says he is King Arthur come back to life to save England. You must have heard of him.”

“A little,” he said dryly. This was not the time. He caught Elizabeth’s eye.

She said briskly, “We can hear more about that later. You have been through a dreadful experience and must be exhausted from your travels. Come in, and when you are rested and refreshed, we can talk more.”

Darcy was still puzzled when Elizabeth came downstairs from helping their guests settle in.

“I put the baby in the small room next to theirs for now,” she reported. “It would make sense to move him to the nursery eventually, but I did not think Jane could handle the shock of hatchling dragons sharing her son’s quarters yet. I would like little Thomas to be friends with Jenny.”

It would be good for Jenny, too, to interact with a human baby rather than just a dragon one. “Indeed. Did your sister say more about what happened at Longbourn?”

Elizabeth shook her head. “She knew nothing of it until Bingley told her they had to leave immediately.”

“It makes no sense that the French would target Longbourn, unless they are after your family. If Napoleon has lost interest in me, he still might have somehow heard you are a dragon companion. But why would he be following that lead now when his attention should be on the invasion?” Darcy rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I will ask Bingley more when he emerges. I do not like this new interest in your family.”

“Nor do I.” Elizabeth shivered. “I am trying to remind myself there is little they can do against my father unless they bring a powerful mage of their own, but as far as I know, no one is aware of the extent of my father’s abilities.”

At dinner, Jane turned to Granny. “It is such a delightful surprise to see you again. Are you living here now?”

Granny snorted. “Charming as Pemberley may be, I intend to return to my own home as soon as that stubborn dragon of mine will let me. I have other great-grandchildren there whom I have not seen for too long.”

Her dragon was keeping her here? That was news to Elizabeth, and from his expression, to Darcy, too. “I had not known Sycamore had such a strong opinion on the subject! Perhaps I should thank him for allowing me to enjoy your company a little longer,” she said lightly.

“He is fussing over nothing, as usual. While you were off in Ysmeina’s Tower, I had a heart paroxysm, just a tiny one, hardly worth mentioning. Coquelicot took care of it, and now my idiot dragon insists I should stay near her in case it happens again. He would wrap me in cotton-wool if he could.”

“Who is Coquelicot?” Jane asked. “An apothecary?”

“Darcy’s dragon,” Granny said succinctly. “As soon as she discovers we have new arrivals here, she will insist on healing you, too, even if you have nothing more than a hangnail.”

Elizabeth glanced at Darcy, whose eyes were already unfocusing. No doubt he was getting Coquelicot’s version of the story. A tiny frown turned down the corners of his mouth, not enough for anyone else to notice, but she knew him well.

Apparently the heart paroxysm had not been as small as Granny wished them to believe.

“I keep myself busy enough while I am here, though,” Granny said.

“So she does!” Elizabeth exclaimed. “She is training half of the people here in magecraft – Darcy, Jasper, our midwife Mrs. Sanford, and sometimes even Lady Anne Darcy, although she might not admit she is the student. Darcy and I have learned so much about being dragon companions from her. And her dragon Sycamore is enjoying visiting his old Nest after all these decades away.”

“He is glad of the opportunity,” Granny allowed. “I would not be surprised if he decided to return to the Dark Peak Nest after I die. Oh, do not give me that shocked look, all of you! I am ninety-four years old and have outlived most of my children. I am not such a fool as to think I have much time left.”

Jane put her hand over Granny’s wrinkled one. “I hope you will let us treasure every moment of that remaining time, then.” Jane always knew the right thing to say.

“Now, tell me all the news from Longbourn,” the old lady commanded. “What trouble has that father of yours got into now?”

Diplomatically, Jane ignored that particular point. “It is both the same and different. My dear Bingley and little Tommy bring new life to the house, but Mama is as nervous as always, and our father prefers to stay in his library, though he has offered a few times to teach me magery. I hardly see the point of trying, after I failed at learning land Talent.”

“Nonsense,” Granny said briskly. “You had the strongest mage potential of all your sisters when you were young. Magery would come easily to you, child.”

Jane stared at her. “Are you certain?”

“Just like your father. He is a strong mage but a weak land Talent. You are raising a son who will someday show signs of Talent, too. You should waste no time in learning to use your own abilities before then, my girl!”

“And you will never have a better time for it than now,” Elizabeth said with a laugh. “I will not press you, though. I know you need time to consider things!” So often Jane had agreed to one demand or another out of politeness and then regretted it. “What of Lydia? Has she recovered from Lady Anne’s refusal to give her a Season?”