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Elizabeth removed her hand from Jane’s. “I can feel the magic trickling through my skin, sister. I do not require your talents to soothe me.”

Her sister’s shoulders slumped a little. “Forgive me. I had not intended . . .”

“I know. Between Mama and Lydia, you use it too often, so you do not always realise you are influencing our behaviour. Papa sent for a potion from Mr. Jones. Let him and Mrs. Hill manage Mama’s moods as much as possible.

I understand she will require your taming touch from time to time, but your ability should not be the sole means to maintain her balance. ’Tis not fair to you.”

Jane nodded. “Have you seen something of my future I should know?”

With a smile, Elizabeth shrugged a shoulder. “Even if I had, you are well aware I would not tell you. Papa has warned me of the dangers of altering the course of what is to come. That which seems a simple and benign disclosure could have devastating consequences.”

“At times, I wish I could see what will happen.” Jane sighed.

Elizabeth grasped Jane’s hands in hers. “Believe me when I say visions are not as exciting or straightforward as they sound. Many times, I see bits and pieces of the future or even the past. The meaning is rarely clear. I have all these fragments that do not always fit together as a whole.”

“I had not considered it being as such. Papa has never spoken of his, but little surprises him.”

“My sex shocked him,” she said with a laugh.

“And when he was first told I was a girl, he considered that he could have foreseen the birth of a subsequent child—then he saw my birthmark.” Jane had known for years of the four-point star on the inside of Elizabeth’s arm.

Concealment bore no purpose with Jane, who would guard the knowledge with her life.

Her dearest sister would never reveal her identity until the right time.

Her other sisters, however, remained ignorant to this day.

Elizabeth’s stomach churned at the idea of them discovering what she was.

They would tell all and sundry with no regard for the consequences.

They still believed as most did: that the Bennets had no magical heir, that all of the girls had no more than similar talents to most women and those males who were not the heir.

Why would they not? It was how magic had passed through families for longer than Elizabeth’s lifetime or even her father’s and grandfather’s lifetimes.

The last all-powerful woman to exist had been the Lady of the Lake, although most outside magical circles considered her a legend or tale to be told.

Niniane [1] had also been a water fairy, thus, she had not been human.

“I suppose you are correct,” said Jane. “Speaking of Papa, he wishes to talk with you.”

Elizabeth shrugged. “When does he not?”

“How much more do you have to learn before Papa is satisfied?”

She paused after rising. “No limit exists to the magical arts. Papa is constantly learning, and I shall, no doubt, do the same.” Papa would likely continue to teach her until she departed for her own household or he died, whichever came first.

Longbourn was now oddly quiet as she went to the library. No sooner had she knocked than Papa’s warm voice called for her to come. Her father lowered his book, his green eyes studying her over his half-moon glasses. He never took anything at a moment’s glance.

“How was your ramble?”

“The wind is restless. Change is coming.”

He gave a dip of his chin. “I have heard the whispers too.”

“I have endured so many visions of late—the past and the future—that I can hardly make sense of them all.” Her sleep was not restful when foresight came to her in dreams. Last night, she had once again witnessed her birth.

She had never been able to see all of what had occurred that morning.

This time, she had woken up not long after her father had taken her in his arms. She had awakened with her head pounding and her heart racing.

Her walk had helped put her to rights. That said, a slight thrum still echoed within.

Her father set his book upon the desk. “I believe some shift has already occurred. An imbalance has begun, but I am unsure of where it arises. Visions become more frequent during times of change.”

“Is that also why the altar stone is humming stronger than it has in the past?”

Papa sat straighter and furrowed his brow.

“The altar is a conduit for magical power as we approach the solstice and the equinox. A steady stream comes from the vein in the earth, but if the vibration has increased, then the magical presence in the area has altered or will soon, and the stone is anticipating the new power. Only a handful of families could cause the altar to make so noticeable a change.” He said the last in a mumble, almost to himself.

Families had varying degrees of magic, and he was correct that at this time in England, only a small number held the most substantial power.

The non-magical had come to be commonplace while the belief of magic became more of a superstition.

Their abilities faded with their denial—the power reverted back to the earth and the channels that flowed through it.

“Lizzy, I. . .I must admit that I have kept something from you all of these years. You have seen, in visions, the morning of your birth, but we have not spoken of it often. I have also avoided telling you everything.”

“I have seen some. I know a lady was in the room with Mama and the midwife. After Mama rejected me, I was brought here to you. You have explained why she never told Mama of the birthmark, but I know little else.”

Papa cleared his throat. “The lady in the bed chamber with your mother was Lady Anne Darcy. The Darcys and the Bennets have been friends for generations. Lady Anne’s husband, George Darcy, was a gifted mage, and Lady Anne’s family, the Fitzwilliams, have a legacy of magical talent as well.

Since I had foreseen the birth of the heir, George and his wife offered to come to your birth and to welcome the next of the Bennets to carry the mantle.

“When you were born and we knew you to be a girl, we spent the next day going over and over how to protect you once you came of age. As you know, we have delayed your announcement in our circles, which was never questioned since we had no boy child. Our most pressing concern was those who would seek you out and manipulate you once you became of marriageable age. We have delayed to protect you.”

Her spine stiffened. “I can protect myself, Papa. ”

“Yet, the ways to harm you—to bend you to the will of others—are not all known to you. I have taught you of our ancestors—of Niniane’s seduction of Merlin so he would teach her his magic.

How, knowing what Niniane was as well as her plans, Merlin removed any memory of their babe from her so she would not manipulate the child to further her own means as she did with Lancelot.

Merlin loved Niniane, even though he knew she would be the one to bring his end. ”

Elizabeth had heard this story how many times?

The family history was known to her; her father had ensured it.

“Yes, and King Arthur saw the child hidden and gifted him Longbourn—or the land on which our home now resides. You have told me the story countless times. But I must say that I have no intention of falling in love with a water fairy.” One side of her lips quirked.

Her father gave a slight growl. “This is no time to jest. We have enjoyed a pocket of peace these last hundred or so years. We have had some suspicious occurrences but nothing to indicate a true evil—yet that does not mean those who would commit such atrocities are not lurking in the shadows. Those who will seek to harm you will assume you are not as strong as a man—”

“Is that what you believe?” How many times had they practiced, and how much had she learnt? Years and years of education were to prepare her for when her father announced who she was to the world. Could he truly believe she was weaker than a man?

His bushy eyebrows drew down. “No, of course not. The magic that flows through you is potent, quite potent. I believe you will surpass my abilities, but you must understand that others will underestimate you.”

“Is that not more a detriment to themselves?” After all, she could elude them more easily if they believed her weaker than she was .

“It can also be a detriment to you, my dear. George posed a solution at the time, and as much as I was not fond of the idea, his suggestion had merit.”

“I am afraid to ask,” said Elizabeth. Her hands had clasped in her lap, her knuckles almost white with the sudden tenacity of their grip. “Am I to be locked in a tower? Or will you place an enchantment upon me? I wish to face whatever danger would come instead of hiding away like a coward.”

He held up a palm. “And you will, but you will have another by your side.”

Her chin hitched back. “Another? Who and what are you suggesting?” None of her sisters possessed a talent that would be of great aid in a confrontation.

Jane’s nature was to calm those she touched, Mary could press her hand to a book and instantly know its contents, even though she preferred to read, Kitty could make a plant grow or bloom, which did prove useful with potion-making and for food but little else, and Lydia.

. .well, Lydia was a siren of sorts. She could charm a man with a certain lilt of her voice, an ability that could be quite dangerous for a fifteen-year-old young lady if she was proficient.

The effect of Lydia’s charm was not long-lived, however.

Within a good half-hour, most were free of her magic and soon exhausted of her vapid behaviour.

Papa stood and rounded his desk. He took her hands and exhaled. “Lizzy, we planned your marriage.”

“My marriage?” Surely she had heard him wrong! He would not take away her ability to marry for love, would he?

He squeezed her hands. “Forgive me, but before the night of the winter solstice, you will be joined with the only person besides myself I would entrust with your life.”

Her heart began to pound in her ears, and she shook her head. “I do not need to wed anyone to be protected. I will not do it! ”

“Lizzy,” he said in a gentle tone as he placed a palm to her cheek. “I must consider your safety above all else. You have no choice.”