Page 17 of The Magic of Pemberley (Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mage #2)

Chapter 17

E lizabeth scowled at the letter she had just received from Lady Anne Darcy. It was full of advice, but not the sort of motherly guidance that she might have welcomed, or even sympathy over the absence of her husband or delight in the news of her pregnancy. Did she have no interest in the prospect of her first, and perhaps only, grandchild?

No, this missive was all about the great importance of Rana Akshaya’s visit to Pemberley, how much depended upon the Indian mage being pleased with her reception, and how disastrous it might be if Elizabeth somehow offended her – along with a list of questions Lady Anne wanted her to ask Rana Akshaya should the opportunity arise. If only she could just throw the letter in the fire!

“Can you believe this?” she exclaimed to Frederica. “She has no faith in my ability to be a hostess, and a moment later she wants me to interrogate my guest!”

Frederica looked up from her own letter from the King’s Mage. “Hah! Apparently Lady Anne told Rana Akshaya that she would accompany her here, and Rana Akshaya refused to allow it. Her own home, even if she had not been here for years! Oh, she must have been furious! She desperately wants to know Rana Akshaya’s secrets.”

“As if she does not have enough power of her own as the King’s Mage?” Elizabeth gave an unladylike snort .

“To be fair, I think it is more that she is afraid of what Rana Akshaya might do. That she will turn out to be someone who misuses her power, like Lady Catherine. She is always terrified of that.” She grimaced. “Knowing now what Lady Catherine did to her dragon, I understand better. Do you suppose Lady Anne will fear me once she finds out about Quickthorn?”

“We will be in the same boat if she finds out I am a dragon companion.” Elizabeth paused, then added, “I do not suppose she mentioned Granny to you.”

Frederica frowned. “Not so much as a word. I imagine Granny is avoiding her, but still, I wish we had some sort of news! Who knows what mischief she might be up to with the War Office?”

The thought had been troubling Elizabeth, too. Granny could be unpredictable, but without Darcy, Elizabeth was in the dark about what the War Office was doing. How could she be an effective advocate for humans with the dragons when she knew so little? If only Granny would write to her!

She looked down at Lady Anne’s letter again. As if she had not already been dreading Rana Akshaya’s arrival! Her hands were full enough already, between learning to run an estate far larger than she had ever known, dealing with the fae running everywhere, trying to convince the dragons to help protect England, and the fatigue natural to her condition.

She had lost the better part of a week to Frederica’s bonding to Quickthorn, which had taken place much sooner than she had expected, just a day after Frederica agreed to it. Happily, Frederica had recovered quickly, but it still had taken time and energy Elizabeth could ill afford.

No, that was not true, either. She was simply nervous about Rana Akshaya’s visit. She had never hosted even an ordinary dinner party at Pemberley, and now she would have foreign royalty visiting for heavens only knew how long, a woman whose traditions she did not know and with whom she had never had a complete conversation. It would have been hard enough if Darcy were still here. Doing it on her own seemed an impossible challenge .

Just the preparations had been burdensome enough. Chandrika had warned her that the great Rana would require a room larger than any of the usual bedrooms, so Mrs. Reynolds had undertaken to convert the huge state parlor into a grand bedroom. If Rana Akshaya was, as Elizabeth guessed, a dragon companion, the parlor would be large enough for a full-size dragon. Then there were the special foods Chandrika insisted the great Rana would expect. It was nerve-wracking.

Even before this aggravating letter from Lady Anne.

As if on cue, a footman appeared. “Forgive me for interrupting, Mrs. Darcy, but there are carriages approaching. Grand ones.”

Elizabeth groaned. “I am coming.” She hurried out to the portico, with Frederica trailing after her.

The footman had not overstated the case. Trust Rana Akshaya to simply appear with no notice! But who else could possibly be in this cavalcade? She hoped the stables would manage to find room for them all.

If only she had some idea of why Rana Akshaya had come to Pemberley! How was she to avoid missteps when she could not even see the path ahead of her?

The first carriage came to a stop in front of the house, and a uniformed footman opened the door and lowered the steps. The first to emerge was a young man dressed in the Indian manner whom Elizabeth recognized as Rana Akshaya’s translator.

Without any greeting, he turned to offer his hand to a shadowy figure inside the coach.

Rana Akshaya emerged slowly, taking each step with care. As before, her face was hidden behind a veil, and her figure was wrapped in flowing embroidered fabric. She paused when her feet touched the ground, raising her head as if studying the sky. Her servants formed a line beside her.

Elizabeth moved forward and made a deep curtsy. “Welcome to Pemberley, Rana Akshaya. We are honored by your visit.”

The Indian woman spared her a glance. At a time like this, we must all stand together. It was a sending, not speech .

Did she mean they must stand together as dragon companions? “Indeed we must. I believe you are already acquainted with Lady Frederica Fitzwilliam, who is also a guest here.”

As Frederica came forward, Rana Akshaya murmured something in her own language. Her translator said, “The great Rana is pleased to –”

Rana Akshaya silenced him with a wave, and spoke in her own resonant, lightly accented voice. “Is the King’s Mage aware that you have bonded?” Apparently she could tell simply by looking at Frederica.

“I have not told her, and I do not believe anyone else has,” said Frederica. “It only just happened.”

“You are to be congratulated.”

Frederica curtsied. “It is the greatest honor of my life.”

Elizabeth girded herself to do her duties as the hostess. “You must be fatigued after your long journey. Pray permit me to invite you inside. We have prepared rooms for you according to Chandrika’s suggestions.”

“Your companion is already on her way. I will await her here.” Rana Akshaya gestured in the direction of the Nest, which no one had shown her. It was a reminder of how much her powers outstripped Elizabeth’s own.

What was the proper protocol for standing outside with foreign royalty who declined to follow the usual rules? Should she order chairs and refreshments to be brought out? It could take a quarter of an hour for a falcon-shaped dragon to fly from the Nest to Pemberley, but if Cerridwen was already in flight, it might be less. “As you wish.”

As one, the Indian servants stepped forward and arranged themselves into a neat half circle around the mage. A moment later, the welcome sight of Cerridwen in kestrel form appeared overhead. She shifted shapes in midair and glided to the ground as a dragon.

Thank heavens! Cerridwen’s presence was bound to distract Rana Akshaya. Not that Elizabeth disliked the Indian woman, but she was barely an acquaintance, and the Indian mage said the most unpredictable and mysterious things.

Rana Akshaya made her slight bow to Cerridwen. A shiver ran down Elizabeth’s arms – there was magic in use. The Indian mage must be sending to her dragon. What was she saying?

A small leather bag appeared in Cerridwen’s talons, and she held it out to Elizabeth. “The message is for Rana Akshaya, but it is keyed to you. The Eldest wishes you to hear it, too.”

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. It contained a familiar heavy silver sphere, like the one that had called her to the Nest along with Darcy. A sharp pang of missing her husband stabbed through her. But she had a task now, and she would do it. She poured the Artifact into her gloved hand.

Nothing happened. Cerridwen spoke in her head. It must touch your skin .

Of course. She had not been wearing gloves that first time, in Darcy’s study. Quickly she stripped off one glove and set the intricately engraved globe in her palm.

The last time the illusion that rose from the sphere had been tiny. This time it was much larger, an image of the eldest nearly as large as Elizabeth herself. She almost expected her hand to sink under the weight of it, but of course it was completely insubstantial.

And then the illusion spoke in the familiar echoing tones of the Eldest. “Greetings, Rana Akshaya. I am the Eldest, the voice of the Dark Peak Nest. We look forward to learning more about you. Under ordinary circumstances we would joyfully invite you into our Nest, but given recent events, we must be cautious. Therefore, we ask you to remain within the boundaries of Pemberley, the estate of Companion Elizabeth, and present your business to our young dragons, who will then communicate it to us. We intend no rudeness by this; but until we know what has led to the destruction of the Nests in Europe, we must take precautions. Cerridwen will direct you to our anchors at Pemberley. May our meeting be the beginning of an auspicious new era.”

The illusion faded, leaving her hand tingling .

Rana Akshaya straightened, seeming to grow an extra inch or two. “What is this about Nests being destroyed?” Her voice reverberated with outrage.

Cerridwen spoke. “Three Nests burnt and empty. They were home to the dragons who attacked the armies. None are left alive.”

This time Rana Akshaya definitely swelled with size, impossible as it might be. “Then I must meet with your dragons immediately.”

Elizabeth’s mouth went dry. What might this powerful, angry mage do to her if she said the wrong thing? Lacking any other answers, she fell back on her best manners. “Do you not wish to refresh yourself first? It is a long journey you have had.”

“Immediately,” snapped Rana Akshaya.

That was clear, at least. “Very well,” Elizabeth said. “I will take you to the Dragon Stones. It is a long walk up a steep hill, nearly half an hour.” Perhaps that would give the older woman pause.

“ You will remain here. This is a matter for dragons, not mortals.”

Suddenly a whirlwind of dust formed around Rana Akshaya, seemingly out of nowhere, starting at her feet and moving up to encompass her entire body. It thickened until it hid her completely, and then just as quickly as it had appeared, the dust settled to the ground.

Rana Akshaya was gone. In her place was a large falcon.

Elizabeth stared, open-mouthed. It could not be.

“Lead the way, Nestling.” Rana Akshaya’s voice came from the falcon, only slightly distorted. She spread her wings and leapt into the air.

Cerridwen’s edges blurred and then she took flight as a kestrel, heading towards the Dragon Stones.

It was utterly impossible – and apparently true. Rana Akshaya was not a dragon companion, but an actual dragon.

Dizziness swept over Elizabeth, making her stagger. Everything was spinning. Was it the shock or some strange foreign magic?

Frederica found her voice first. “I thought dragons could not take human forms convincingly. ”

Chandrika spoke from behind Elizabeth. “The great Rana is an ancient and very wise dragon. She spent many years mastering this skill.”

Of course. Rana Akshaya always wore a veil, covering her body with flowing fabrics that would disguise any mistakes.

It still made no sense. Elizabeth said slowly, “But only young dragons can travel far from their nests.”

“True. The great Rana has paid the price.”

“But how?”

Chandrika shook her head. “Only the great Rana can tell you that. She has loosened the bindings on me so I may answer your questions, but that magic is beyond my knowledge.”

And it was Elizabeth’s terrifying task to play host to this powerful Indian dragon.

The ground was still showing a distressing tendency to move under her. If only she could sit down! Then Chandrika’s hand came under her elbow. “Mrs. Darcy, pray permit me to take you inside.”

Everyone was watching her, the semi-circle of Rana Akshaya’s servants and the grooms by the line of four carriages.

“Yes, let us go in,” she said weakly. Somehow she managed to raise her voice to reach the others. “Mr. Hobbes, the butler, will direct you as to unloading your baggage, and the housekeeper will take you to your rooms.”

Then she let Chandrika lead her inside.