Page 98 of Triumph at Pemberley

“Then we are done here. England will never accept defeat.” Jack tried to shove his chair backwards, but his body would not obey him. What had the mad dragon done?

It was time for that earthquake. He reached for the Bond.

The land did not answer. It was gone, as if his King’s Bond had ceased to exist.

Napoleon laughed triumphantly. “It is no good, you know. There is an iron plate under the rug.”

Damn him! He tried to run, but his feet seemed stuck to the rug. All Jack had left were his mage abilities, the ones he had never bothered to train or use. He tried to pull energy from the air, as Frederica had instructed him, but could only grab a weak thread. Still, he spun it desperately around his mind, as if that could be any defense against a powerful mad dragon.

Look at me. The voice spoke inside his head.

“Get out of my mind. I am here under a flag of truce!” Why had he never taken the time to build shields for his mind?

Napoleon spread his hands wide. “What are you talking about? I see no weapons here.”

No matter how he fought it, Jack’s eyes were moving without his volition, up to Napoleon’s mouth, his nose, and then finally his intent, metallic blue-grey eyes.

And then he fell into them.

Mme. Hartung smoothed her skirts before following the chamberlain into the imperial presence. She would not allow any of her worry to show. This was a game she knew how to play, even when the stakes were high. She had a good idea why he had summoned her. She could only pray she would come out of this audience with her freedom.

There he was, the man who had destroyed half of Europe and was now adding Britain to his tally. Who had sent her husband to his death. She sank into a deep curtsey, bowing her head.

“Ah, Mme. Hartung, we meet again.” Napoleon’s Corsican-accented French grated on her ears as his hand closed around hers and raised her to her feet. “Or shall I say Mme. Darcy?”

So he knew. The lie she had concocted to save Jack from a forced marriage was going to rebound in her face now, but she would have to play the cards she had been dealt.

Without letting her true feelings show, she let a small, teasing smile play on her face, the sort she knew he liked. “Indeed, Your Imperial Majesty. It is a great pleasure to see a civilized gentleman like yourself again after my time among the barbaric English. I have missed my visits to Versailles.”

“Yet you married one of those barbaric Englishmen.” His tone was not friendly, a harsh change from her encounters with him in past years.

She fluttered her eyelashes at him. “You know I have a weakness for strong, handsome men. My cousin the czar wished me to marry a decrepit old man. If you have seen my new husband, you will understand why I chose him instead.”

His eyes narrowed. “Not because of his King’s Bond?”

How much did he know? “Mon dieu, non! Even he did not yet know of it when we met in France. Had I known, I would never have accepted him. Ever since he discovered it, he has had no time at all for me. No balls, no soirees, only sitting at home alone. The czar is the same way, never a moment for enjoyment,” she pouted. “And my husband does not even have the advantages of royalty to balance it.”

His countenance did not warm at her flirtation. “What of your children?” There was an unpleasant threat in his voice.

She turned over her hands. “I have sent them back to the kaiser. It is hard to start a new life here with young ones clinging to me at every moment.” Thank heavens she was a good liar! As soon as Jack had been captured, she had sent Alexandrine and Friedrich to Pemberley.

Napoleon studied her distrustfully. “Odd. The kaiser tells me they are with you.”

She shrugged lightly. “I do not venture to understand his mind. I imagine he has his reasons for saying so.”

“And where do your loyalties lie now, Mme. Darcy, if not with the kaiser?”

A charming smile with all the warmth she could muster through her fear. “I was born in Hungary, raised in Russia, married a Prussian, and spent most of my adult life in your France. Now I am wed to an Englishman. I have learned to be, shall we say, adaptable. Borders change, and who rules the realm is none of my affair. I would rather spend my time thinking of more pleasant diversions.”

“Adaptable. A wise plan. If you wish to keep enjoying those pleasant diversions, we may need to use your influence over your husband.”

He was still alive! “I expected no less. If you wish me to use my feminine ability to sway him, I will do my best, but I must warn you. My Jack is…how shall I say it? A stubborn man. His mind is not easily changed.”

“We shall see. In the meantime, we must assure your safety. We will assign someone to guard you.”

To spy on her, more accurately. He must hope she would lead him to Jack’s friends and family, or even the English officials. She would adjust to it, as she had in France. “How thoughtful of Your Majesty!”

He studied her through narrowed eyes. “That is all for now, but this is not the end of it.”