Longbourn: Dragon Entail: A Pride and Prejudice Variation (Jane Austen's Dragons Book 2)

by Maria Grace

“You should have seen her!” Georgiana clapped.

  “She was very impressive.” April twittered, buzzing from Georgiana to Pemberley and back. “I showed her how to dive for prey, and she did very well.”

  Rosings grumbled and turned her back.

  The idea that a fairy dragon could teach a firedrake anything probably offended the very fabric of her being.

  “Have you any idea how long before she will move on to larger prey?”

  Wellsbey’s brow wrinkled, “If she were a minor drake, I would guess perhaps a week, no more than a fortnight. But for a firedrake, I really cannot say.”

  The tip of Rosings’ tail thumped the floor.

  Walker and Cait swooped in and perched above Pemberley, side by side. Cait cheeped and preened between Walker’s wings. He nuzzled her cheek.

  Darcy squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed them with thumb and forefinger. Elizabeth’s advice seemed to have worked—but great heavens, this might just be worse than the two of them constantly bickering.

  “Is it not lovely to see them getting on so well? I am sure this is a nearly perfect—Miss Elizabeth!” Georgiana jumped up and ran to the mouth of the cavern.

  Elizabeth dashed inside, eyes wild, sweat trickling down the side of her face.

  It was the look prey wore.

  “What is wrong? What happened?” Walker glided down to her feet.

  “I ... I ... Collins!” Elizabeth looked over her shoulder.

  “Collins? I do not like a Collins. Where is a Collins?” Pemberley trotted up to Elizabeth.

  Collins broke through the underbrush and into the cavern behind Elizabeth.

  “By Jove! Cousin Elizabeth—those are ... are ... dragons! Get back, I will protect—”

  Cait squawked and flapped from her perch. “From what, you useless, ill-begat—”

  Elizabeth’s jaw dropped. Cait’s voice, it was not a dragon’s voice. She sounded like a parrot!

  “It speaks!” Collins staggered back.

  Rosings turned to face Collins.

  Collins lost all color in his face. Wellsbey edged closer to Pemberley and the women. Good guard dog—rather, dragon.

  Pemberley jumped toward Collins, growling. “No like a Collins!” She spat a small puff of smoke into his face.

  Collins wobbled and fainted dead away.

  Elizabeth wrapped her arms around Pemberley. “You have done a very brave thing to defend me. But you must remember the teachings of the Accords. You cannot harm him just because you do not like him.”

  “You scared. He want hurt you. I can protect.” Pemberley pulled herself up a little straighter. The top of her head reached Elizabeth’s now.

  When had she grown so big?

  Elizabeth scratched her chin. “You are very dear and very brave to protect me, but truly, he would not have harmed—”

  “Forgive me, Lady,” Walker bobbed his head. “But she is right. We can smell the fear on you. What did he—”

  “He renewed his offer of marriage.” Elizabeth looked away. “I should not have come here.”

  “Marriage to that—”

  “Pray, Cait, do not introduce Pemberley to that sort of language.” Darcy glared.

  “Foolish human conventions.” Cait squawked and flapped. “You realize, he is very dangerous now, having seen us.”

  “I breathe fire him?” Pemberley cocked her head, mouth lifted in a draconic smile.

  “No!” Elizabeth took Pemberley’s face in her hands and stared directly into her eyes. “You cannot harm him. I will manage—”

  And by manage, she probably meant marry.

  No. Not while he could intervene.

  Collins stirred, grunting softly.

  “Pray forgive my intrusion, Miss Elizabeth, but this has become a matter for the Blue Order now. They must decide what kind of threat he represents to dragonkind and how to proceed from here.” Darcy approached Collins.

  “Threat to dragons?” Collins rolled to his side. “They are the threat to us! I do not understand why you have not been eaten—why we have all not been murdered in our beds!”

  April flew, chittering, at his face. “You are the threat to us. You are the one who kicked Rumblkins and injured him! We have never hurt you!”

  Collins swatted at April. “That noisy creature is a dragon too? Not a bird?”

  Cait flew to a perch near Collins. “No, you addle-pate, she is not a bird. And she says you hurt one of Longbourn’s dragons!”

  Her parrot voice was decidedly odd, but Collins clearly understood it. Did Aunt Catherine know she was capable of that?

  “There are dragons at Longbourn, too? Is the country overrun with the creatures?”

  “Yes, it is.” Cait leaned closer and sneered.

  “I must tell Lady Catherine!” He scrambled back like a trapped animal.

  “She has served me as Keeper for most of her life.” Rosings grumbled. Cait translated.

  “Preposterous! She cannot be a servant, she is—”

  “A passable Keeper, but not worthy of airs higher than that.” Cait flew to Rosings shoulder as she repeated for Collins.

  “Lies and insults! Her Ladyship—”

  “Enough!” Darcy adjusted his tone to that he used with querulous tenants and interposed himself between Rosings and Collins. “There is a very great deal of which you must be made aware. Walker, would you please bring Fitzwilliam?”

  Walker chuckled. “I am sure he will enjoy this very much.” He took off.

  “Colonel Fitzwilliam is a part of this, too?” Collins ducked as Walker flew very low over his head.

  “Pray, Miss Elizabeth, will you conduct Georgiana and Pemberley back to the house—”

  “That ... that thing has been in the house?”

  “I no thing! I Pemberley!” She flapped and growled.

  To one who could not understand her baby-talk words, she really did look rather menacing.

  Rosings snickered.

  “She has her own guest chamber in the house. I would caution you not to refer to her as a ‘thing’. She is a vikontes, and worthy of the same respect and reverence you offer my aunt.”

  Collins stumbled toward Darcy. “You have certainly been perversely affected by these—”

  Cait shrieked her best terror-inducing tone. Georgiana clutched Elizabeth, pale as her white gown. Collins fainted again.

  “Now might be the best time to make your escape.” Darcy gestured toward the tunnel toward the house.

  “Indeed. Thank you, sir. Since he is the heir to Longbourn, this could—”

  “Fitzwilliam and I will do our best to ensure that this works out for the best. But ultimately, it is in the hands of the Blue Order. They will determine Collins’ fate.”

  And in the course of that decision, hers as well.

  And quite possibly his own.

  “Of course, sir.” She wrapped her arm over Georgiana’s shoulder. “Come, let us return to our chambers, Pemberley. Perhaps we might arrange another tea party with the other house dragons.”

  “Dog and Puppy come?”

  “Of course, what would a tea party be without them? Will you bring their bones along? I am sure they would prefer those to biscuits.”

  Pemberley waddled toward the dogs and bumped them with her nose. She picked up their bones and they followed her down the tunnel toward Rosings manor.

  “My aunt may be quite unsettled by this turn of events. Might I suggest—”

  “That I take a dinner tray in my room tonight? I would like nothing better.” She smiled a little weakly.

  “May I join her, too?” Georgiana whispered still ashen and trembling.

  Pray that this did not ruin all the progress she had made in connecting to dragonkind.

  “I shall make arrangements with the kitchen for all of you.”

  They curtseyed together and headed for the tunnel.

  Once Walker returned, they would need him to summon Uncle Matlock as well. The longer this went without the attention of the O
rder, the more complicated, and dangerous this situation would become.

  Darcy ached down to his bones. Between hunkering down on the cold stone floor, alternately subduing Collins from fleeing and picking him up off the floor when he swooned, it had been a very long evening. Finally, with Fitzwilliam’s assistance and copious amounts of alcohol, they had Collins asleep in a pile of blankets. Between Rosings and Fitzwilliam keeping watch, Collins would be under control.

  Darcy staggered from Rosings’ lair, every joint screaming in the bright moonlight. Darcy laced his hands behind his head and stretched, neck and knuckles popping with the strain. Yes, a brisk walk was just the thing he needed. If only it was a simple walk he was taking.

  Fitzwilliam had sent him to break the news to Lady Catherine, assuming one of the minor dragons had not already done so. The discovery of dragons by the dragon-deaf was no small event. It had been a long time since a true Deaf-Speaker was recognized, and he had been a far more acceptable man than Collins. What was Uncle Matlock going to do with the news when Walker delivered it?

  “Caw!”

  Walker? Bloody hell, how grave the news that he should return so very quickly?

  He landed on Darcy’s outstretched arm, hide pale and dusty, weary lines etched on his face. His wings drooped, and he huffed for breath.

  “Are you well? What do you need? Water? Meat?”

  “Yes, and brandy would be capital.” Walker panted hard, unable to stand upright.

  Walker leaned into Darcy’s shoulder as they hurried to the manor by way of the kitchen.

  In half an hour, they were settled comfortably in his chambers with a pan of raw meat, a dinner tray, and a bottle of brandy. For a quarter of an hour, they ate in silence, the soft nighttime breeze whistling through the window and the crackle of the fire the only sounds between them.

  Darcy poured Walker’s small glass and a snifter for himself. Oh, that was a welcome bit of civilization after a day and night that had been anything but.

  Walker downed his glass and pointed to the bottle. Darcy obliged.

  “Before you finish this one, perhaps it would be wise to share the news from Matlock with me first?”

  Walker shuffled to turn his back on Darcy. “There is official word in the satchel.”

  “Which cannot possibly tell the entire story.” Darcy released the satchel straps and scratched between Walker’s wings.

  He turned this way and that as Darcy tended to the many itchy spots the satchel straps left in their wake. “Lady Elizabeth has finally taught you something truly useful!”

  “I am sure she will be grateful to know that.”

  “You should let her know of your regard toward her.”

  “And that is the urgent news from Matlock?”

  “I think it is related.”

  “How is that possible?”

  “Pemberley.” Walker stuck his head in the brandy glass and gulped.

  Cold prickles coursed down the back of his neck. “What has any of this to do with her? Matlock should be concerned with that bumbler Collins.”

  “That might have been your purpose, but it is not Matlock’s only concern.”

  “Perhaps I should just read the missives.” Darcy reached for the satchel.

  “Matlock asked that I tell you myself first, to soften the blow.”

  Darcy jumped to his feet. “Soften what blow?”

  “Finish your brandy, and I will tell you.”

  Darcy gulped the last of the fiery liquid and slammed the snifter on the small table. “Tell me.”

  “Despite Bennet’s reports—which by the way he wrote strongly in your favor—there are those who still doubt that Pemberley can be properly imprinted upon humans.”

  “What more do they want than Bennet’s word? Cowntess Rosings agrees. Anyone who has seen her pining for Miss Elizabeth can see—”

  “That is rather the problem. They have not seen, and so they doubt. The possibility of a dragon that would readily harm humans is no small matter in the Order. There must be a consensus very soon.”

  There was something very ugly and ominous in Walker’s voice. “Or?”

  “Pemberley’s life is in the balance. Duge Cornwall has declared that she must be ... dispatched if there is any question at all as to her imprinting. She has been called to appear before the Blue Order Court and defend herself.”

  Darcy fell into the nearest chair. “She is an infant! How can she possibly be expected to do so?”

  “You will be permitted to be with her. Rosings will give her testimony as well. And I and Cait, every dragon who has been in contact with her—”

  “Including that ghastly wyvern?”

  “Longbourn has been summoned to appear as well, but his own matters will be his primary concern. And before you ask, it is not something I am authorized to tell you.” Walker looked aside.

  Darcy grumbled under his breath. “When?”

  “The hearing is in five days.”

  “How am I to get an infant dragon to London in five days?”

  “She will still fit in your carriage. If Miss Elizabeth rides with her, she will be fine.”

  “How can I ask her to do such a thing?” He squeezed his eyes shut and pinched his temples.

  “Lady Elizabeth is as solicitous for Pemberley’s well-being as you are.”

  “Perhaps, if Georgiana invites her to stay with us at Darcy House, then it will be a respectable visit.”

  “I am quite certain that after this afternoon, they will both be anxious to get away from the hub-bub at Rosings.”

  “I am sure of it. But will not Miss Elizabeth be necessary to inducting Collins to the world of dragons?”

  “Earl Matlock has remanded the issue to the Blue Order. He does not want to bother designing a course of introductions if Collins is deemed a danger to dragon-kind.”

  “You cannot be suggesting—”

  “I am suggesting nothing; it is a given. If Duge Cornwall deems him unworthy, he will not leave the court proceedings. Collins has been the source of significant concern for quite some time, having Longbourn entailed upon him. But that is not your concern. It is Lady Elizabeth’s. Which returns us to the salient point: tell her how you feel about her.”

  “No, not now. It will sound insincere in the midst of asking so many favors from her.” Not to mention he did not need a dragon meddling in his personal affairs.

  “Why are you so stubborn?”

  “When I want your advice in these matters, I will ask. Keep to the tasks at hand.”

  Walker ducked his head under his wing for a moment, his way of regaining his composure. “You should leave tomorrow as early as possible. Pemberley will need time to acclimatize to London before facing the Blue Order Court.”

  “The household has gone to bed. I cannot—”

  “I will wake your sister and Lady Elizabeth. You can talk to all of them, including Pemberley in the cellar chamber.” Walker took off before Darcy could protest.

  He finished his brandy and let his head fall back against the chair. Dealing with the Collins calamity was bad enough. But this? A summons from the Blue Order to Court, to stand before the Dragon Conclave and defend his dragon and his reputation. He scrubbed his face with his hands.

  At least he would not have to face it alone. With any luck, Miss Elizabeth would be by his side.

  ***

  “Wait just a moment there, young woman.” The words hung like dust motes on the morning light.

  Why did her feet obey Lady Catherine’s commands when her mind screamed run? The hairs on the back of Elizabeth’s neck stood as Lady Catherine’s distinct footfalls approached down the corridor of the guest wing.

  “Where do you think you are going?”

  “I cannot imagine that is actually your question, Lady Catherine, for I know you have had that answered several times.”

  Six times as a matter of fact, the first time at dawn that morning and nearly every quarter hour thereafter.

  “Stop y
our impertinence at once! I have no patience for it now.”

  Perhaps, if that was what she wanted, Lady Catherine should stop asking stupid questions that incited it.

  Elizabeth clenched her fists. “Then pray, detain me no further, your ladyship. Mr. Darcy is impatient to get underway.”

  “I will not have you in a carriage with my nephew!”

  “He is not riding in the carriage. There is no room with a dragon, two dogs and two young ladies.”

  “You know what I mean. Do not pretend that you do not.” Lady Catherine shook a pointing finger in her face.

  “Madam, I must hurry, pray state what you require of me, and allow me to leave.” It would have been so satisfying to stomp like a dragon, but it would have been decidedly unladylike.

  “I require that you stay and marry Mr. Collins. I myself will procure a special license and engage a Blue Order Bishop to be here tonight. You may have the honor to be married from Rosings Park.”

  “Whilst your offer is no doubt generous, I have no intentions of marrying Mr. Collins.”

  “It is your fault he is now aware of dragons. Marrying him is the only way you may right the wrong that has been done ... that you have done.”

  “Lord Matlock’s directive has expressly forbidden any such action be taken until the Order decides what is to be done with him.”

  “Have you no compassion for your own cousin? If they decide against him, it will be your fault. If he is safely married to you, they will be reluctant to make you a widow. Had you accepted him as you should have—”

  “Aunt Catherine!” Darcy’s booming voice filled the corridor.

  She whirled to face him in an angry wind of swishing skirts. “You will not speak to me in that tone, Nephew.”

  “You will allow Miss Bennet to pass and you will cease haranguing her on this issue.”

  “Listen to you taking up for the little light skirt who has distracted you from your family duty.”

  Elizabeth’s cheeks burned.

  Darcy pulled himself up to tower over Lady Catherine. “You will not insult Miss Bennet, who is here doing a favor for Pemberley.”

  “She has done nothing as far as I can tell. You spoil your dragon terribly. Anne would have been able to manage the problem had you merely given her the chance.”

  He turned his back and ushered Elizabeth toward the grand stair. “Pray forgive her. I am appalled—”