by Maria Grace
“She is who and what she is, Mr. Darcy. Not unlike most dragons. There is no hope of changing them.”
He paused on the steps and caught her gaze. “My aunt is entirely out of order. You have already done so much for us, and yet we have asked even more. I do not even know where to begin in expressing my appreciation ...”
His eyes, they were so striking—especially when he looked at her like that—why had she never noticed?
“Of course,” she looked aside and descended the stairs, her cheeks flushed for an entirely different reason.
***
The carriage waited near Rosings’ lair. Pemberley chased the puppy around it—or was it the puppy chasing her? It was difficult to tell. April zipped back and forth between them as they went. Georgiana stood aside with Dog, her head whipping around to follow them all. With any luck, they would all be tired and ready to sleep on the journey.
“I believe Rosings expects a take leave.” Darcy escorted Elizabeth to the lair. “May we enter, Cowntess?”
Rosings met them at the entrance. “I will see you at the Conclave. I will speak in support of Pemberley. You have convinced me, Miss Bennet, and I will stake my reputation on Pemberley’s fitness to join the dragons of England.”
Elizabeth curtsied deeply. “I am honored by your recognition, Cowntess.”
“As you should be.” The corner of Rosings’ mouth rose. Perhaps she did have a sense of humor after all. “Cait will accompany you to London. You may send her to me should there be need to communicate with Rosings Park prior to the Conclave.”
“You are most gracious, Cowntess. We will welcome her company whilst we travel.” Darcy bowed from his shoulders.
“You are well-mannered, but not much of a liar. We all know she may not be the best of company, but she is loyal to me and to Pemberley. She asked to accompany you.”
Now that was surprising.
“I imagine this is going to be a very memorable journey.” Elizabeth laughed. “Thank you for your hospitality. You have been all things gracious and kind, to me and to Pemberley.”
Rosings nodded and shuffled back into her cavern.
“I believe we have been dismissed.” Darcy quirked an eyebrow. “I fear the coach may be a bit crowded. I hope it is not too uncomfortable for you.”
“It shall be fine. I am accustomed to riding six ladies to a carriage, sir, I am certain this can hardly be more taxing.”
Darcy handed her into the carriage to join Georgiana. It required both he and Fitzwilliam to assist Pemberley into the carriage. She had to wrap her tail tightly around her feet and tuck her wings back a mite awkwardly, but all told, it was more comfortable than squashing up between Kitty and Lydia.
April zipped in and perched on the frame of the side glass. Cait took one look inside and perched on top of the carriage, beside Walker, which was, of course, why she volunteered to join them on the journey. At least she and Walker were getting on well.
Finally Dog and Puppy jumped in and Darcy shut the door with exaggerated care.
“You will like Darcy House very well, Miss Bennet. I know you will.” Georgiana leaned into the side wall. “It is a lovely place, though I find I may not know it as well as I had thought. I never knew there were chambers in the cellars or dragon tunnels beneath.”
“It is rather exciting to learn the entire city of London is connected by such tunnels. All the great houses and important buildings—even the Houses of Parliament are accessible to the dragons.”
“Is your uncle’s house part of the tunnel system?”
“He is an Honored Friend of the Order, but his house is not great enough to be part of the tunnels.”
Pemberley lifted her head. “Uncle drove cart here?”
“Yes, he brought you here.”
“You stay me? You stay me!” Pemberley thumped her tail against the side wall.
Elizabeth patted Pemberley’s shoulder. “You will break the carriage, dearling, pray stop.”
“But you stay me! No go!”
“I will. I will be at Darcy house with you, just as I was here. There is no reason to be so upset.” She stroked Pemberley’s neck.
“I ... I scared.” Pemberley tucked her head under Elizabeth’s arm.
“What are you afraid of?” And who had been telling her frightening tales?
“Big dragons live London?”
“Big dragons, small dragons, and many Dragon Mates. London teems with dragons.”
“They not like me?” Pemberley forced her head behind Elizabeth’s back.
“I feel that way often,” Georgiana said softly. “Whenever I meet new people, I wonder if they will like me or not. It is very ... uncomfortable.”
Pemberley pulled her head out so fast, she nearly knocked Elizabeth out of her seat. “Gigi scared, too?”
“Yes, I am scared, too. I do not want to go, either.” Georgiana stared at her hands, wringing them hard enough to muss her gloves.
“We all feel afraid, sometimes,” Elizabeth said. “It is natural to be afraid, but you cannot allow it to run away with you. So, Georgiana, pray come sit beside me, and Pemberley, put your head in my lap.”
They obeyed. She slipped her arm over Georgiana’s shoulder and cradled Pemberley’s head in her hand. “There that is much better. We will be in London before you know, and I am sure it will be a very busy time, so I want you to close your eyes and rest while we can.”
Georgiana and Pemberley were asleep before a quarter of an hour passed.
The Conclave was in just four days. Time enough for a visit to the Blue Order library. Surely there she could discover what the Conclave needed to see to be secure in Pemberley’s imprinting and insure the court would see it. They had been through far too much together. It would not end in the Blue Order Court.
It could not.
It simply could not.
The journey to London was as uneventful as any might be in a carriage carrying two dogs, two young women and a baby dragon. If they had to do this again—but pray they did not!—both Georgiana and Pemberley might benefit from a dose of the same cordial used by Mrs. Forster’s maid before they next traveled by carriage.
In the mews behind Darcy House, a well-kept garden greeted them, hedges and a stone fence shielding the house from the view of the necessary out-buildings. But even those were clean and tidy.
The carriage pulled up directly to a wide stair leading to an area much like the front service area. Surrounded by a graceful wrought iron fence, wide steps led to a door far deeper than the typical service door. Darcy dismounted and handed his horse off to a waiting groom and unlocked the iron fence with a large key, the head of which vaguely resembled a dragon’s head in profile.
He handed Elizabeth and a nearly green Georgiana out of the carriage. She hurried into the house. Hopefully the housekeeper would have some peppermint tea for her.
Pemberley nearly tumbled arsey-varsey onto the cobblestones. “No like carriage.”
“Get her some water.” Elizabeth looked for a pump.
Darcy dashed off and returned with a large bucket. Pemberley promptly stuck her head in and guzzled the entire bucketful.
“Was it a very difficult journey?” Darcy asked.
She tried to smile, but it was certainly a weak effort. “Two of my sisters do not ride comfortably, so it was not entirely unfamiliar.”
He dragged his hand down his face. “At least we are here with time enough for her to recover before—”
“Yes, before that.” She touched the edge of his sleeve. “It will be well. You must believe that whole-heartedly. If you have any doubt, the Order will see that. Dragons are incredibly perceptive to such things. It is part of their prey instinct, to find the one in the herd that is easiest to run down, the one most afraid, lacking confidence. Your certainty is as important as the testimony we offer.”
He licked his lips and swallowed hard, a bead of sweat forming on his brow. “Of course you are right.”
She stayed her h
and just before she wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Pemberley bounded up to them, splashing them with drips of water from her face. “Better now.”
“Very good. Let us get you downstairs to your chambers. The servants have fitted it up just for you.” Darcy ushered them toward the stairs, wide and deep enough to accommodate a rather large dragon.
“Have you Dragon Friends among your staff?” Elizabeth stepped down the first step, steadying Pemberley as she tried them.
Neither one of them had realized Pemberley had never traversed stairs before. This might be more difficult than expected, particularly with the two dogs underfoot.
“The housekeeper and butler have Dragon Friends. Not as exotic as Blanche and Quincy, they are rather mundane minor drakes. I think they will be pleased with my sister’s newfound appreciation for dragons, though. I suspect they always resented having to keep themselves hidden from her.” He opened the door at the base of the stairs. “The house has no chamber to accommodate both human and dragon together, so Miss Elizabeth will have to stay upstairs.”
Pemberley gasped. “Her not stay? Her leave me?” She wound her neck around Elizabeth’s waist.
“No, dearling, I am not going to leave you. I will simply be upstairs, which is very close to you. It is not at all the same thing as leaving you.” She glanced at April in her hood. “Will you stay with Pemberley so she will not be alone?”
April wrinkled her snout a bit.
“The dragon chamber is very comfortable, and anything you request will be brought to you,” Darcy said softly.
“I am sure the kitchen has some honey ...”
“Indeed it does.”
“Very well.” April flitted to land on the top of Pemberley’s head crest. “I shall stay in the cellar.”
She took Pemberley’s face in her hands. “You know, I do not go anywhere without April. As long as she is with you, you can be certain I am nearby. If you need me, you can send April to find me, and I will come directly.”
Pemberley hung her head and huffed. “But want you.”
“We do not always get what we want. Sometimes even dragons must compromise.”
“But I vikontes.” She stamped a front foot.
“I will not have you behaving that way.” She thumped Pemberley’s nose.
Darcy drew in a sharp breath.
What was he thinking? That this sort of behavior should be coddled? Heavens, what kind of dragon would she grow up to be if they did that?
Pemberley whimpered. “You come visit me?”
“Of course I will. Very often. You will hardly know I have been anywhere else.”
Two knee-high minor drakes scurried up, a livery badge with what must be the Darcy crest slung around their necks. Male and female and, given the way they looked at each other, they must be a mated pair. Drakes without such a bond rarely lived together.
“Miss Elizabeth, Pemberley, may I present Amber and Slate, Dragon Friends to the housekeeper and butler.”
The little dragons stepped forward and bent their front legs, touching their heads to the ground. They must have been named for their sparkling wide eyes which matched the corresponding stones.
“I am pleased to meet you.” Elizabeth nudged Pemberley.
“Pleased, too. You live here?”
Slate, the larger and bolder of the two took half a step forward. “We do. Our Dragon Friends have suggested that, if Mr. Darcy so wishes, we might stay present in the cellar to attend to your needs.”
“You play with me?” The tip of Pemberley’s tail wagged.
“If ... if ... the Master desires.” Amber glanced at Darcy, eyes wide.
She seemed nervous, but it was not the sort that came from ill treatment. The little drake gazed at him with a mix of respect and an almost canine desire to please. Only a very well-treated dragon looked at a man that way.
“That would be very pleasing.” Darcy nodded and smiled at them.
Both drakes’ tails flicked happily.
“May we take you to your chamber?” Slate asked.
Darcy gestured them on.
Soon they had Pemberley happily established in a clean, spacious dragon lair complete with a well-appointed nest for her and two baskets for her dogs. Amber even pointed out a lovely carved niche where a nesting basket for April might be placed. That mollified April’s bruised pride.
Shortly thereafter, Pemberley instigated some sort of romping game that made sense only to the dragons. Darcy beckoned Elizabeth to another set of stairs and led her up.
After introducing the housekeeper and butler, a couple as bonded as their dragons, he took her on a brief tour of the house. Elegant understatement characterized every room, and though the evidence of dragons appeared throughout, it was subtle and tasteful, rather the exact opposite of Rosings Park. Finally, he showed her to her chambers.
“Your trunk should be waiting for you. The housekeeper has assigned a maid to assist you. She should be up shortly.”
“Thank you. May I ask a small favor? Might I send word to the Gardiners that I am here? I am sure they will understand why I must stay here with Pemberley, but it would be thoughtless—”
“Of course. Would you like to pen them a note? I will have a servant ready to deliver it.”
***
Several hours later, after a light meal, Darcy, Georgiana, and Elizabeth gathered in the parlor—not the formal drawing room, for none were up to anything so proper. The décor was like the rest of the house, quiet and elegant, but mostly comfortable. It was a room where one could relax and feel welcome. Exactly the sort of place she most needed right now.
Georgiana played the pianoforte while Darcy read and Elizabeth added observations to her commonplace book. Though maintaining a perfectly correct posture, his regular glances in her direction shouted his abiding curiosity about the contents of her book.
Perhaps she would offer to allow him to read some of it, only the most recent volume, though. Perhaps after she re-read it herself, just to be sure—
The butler bustled in and whispered a few words to Mr. Darcy who nodded. The butler returned a moment later, “Mr. Gardiner and Miss Mary Bennet.”
Elizabeth jumped, dropping her pen and nearly knocking over her ink. She dashed toward them. “I am so pleased to see you! I had no idea you would come!”
Uncle caught her hands and kissed her cheeks. Mary was oddly more reserved, but Heather peeked out from under the edge of Mary’s bonnet. Phoenix popped out from the other side.
“Georgiana, I have told you about Heather and Phoenix. May I introduce them now?” She held out her hands and they perched on her fingers.
“Perhaps you should introduce your sister first?” Uncle chuckled.
Elizabeth blushed. “Forgive me, Georgiana. This is my sister Mary.”
Mary curtsied. “Pleased to meet you.”
“What adorable little fairy dragons!” Georgiana stared with wide-eyed wonder.
Heather and Phoenix obliged with their cutest looks.
Darcy arranged chairs in a conversational knot and invited them all to sit as the housekeeper brought tea.
“Where is April?” Mary smoothed her skirt over her lap.
“She is downstairs keeping Pemberley company.”
“Pemberley is here?” Uncle asked, his brow knotting in thought.
It probably would not take a great deal for him to work out why that might be.
“May I see April? It has been so long!” Heather hopped and flapped her wings. “And Pemberley too, of course. Is she much grown now?”
“Might I show them downstairs?” Georgiana asked.
“I think Pemberley would enjoy that a great deal.” Elizabeth glanced at Darcy.
“Pray come, Miss Mary!” Georgiana rose with all the charm of a little girl hosting her first tea party.
Mary followed, wearing her tolerant older-sister mien, one she often donned for Kitty.
“I confess, your presence in London is a surprise, bu
t a very welcome one. Might I surmise that it has something to do with the upcoming Dragon Conclave?” Uncle asked.
“We have been summoned here to plead Pemberley’s case for imprinting to the Court.”
Uncle nodded, chewing the side of his lip. “Multiple cases are usually addressed at the Conclave.”
“Multiple cases?” Elizabeth’s face turned cold.
“I have been charged with presenting you this.” He reached into his coat pocket and handed her a letter sealed with a blue wax dragon seal. “It is a summons to appear before the court when they convene with the Conclave.”
“The complaint against Longbourn?” Her hands trembled as she took the document.
“It is a bit more complicated than that. Longbourn has filed a counter complaint against you. You will be required to answer those charges as well.”
She rose on quaking knees. “Charges? Against me?”
“He accuses you of neglecting your duty as his Keeper, refusing to marry Collins and running off entirely thus abandoning your Keep.”
“Abandoning my Keep?” Her voice rose barely above a squeak as she wandered toward the windows. Outside, traffic bustled and children ran past, most of them probably utterly oblivious to dragons and all the drama they caused.
“Pray do not think I support these charges in any way. I am only the bearer of the summons. We did talk about the likelihood that this would happen.”
“Yes, yes, I know we did. Pray excuse me a moment.” She slipped from the room.
Where could she go? It was not as if she knew her way around the house very well. But she could get to the mews.
Quick steps took her through the back doors and into the little garden.
Uncle had warned her to expect this response from Longbourn. Had she been a fool to hope that Longbourn would have owned his transgressions and repented?
Probably.
Definitely.
Soft steps echoed from the stairs. Mary’s. She had heard them too many times in the hall at home to mistake them.
“Pemberley is very sweet, is she not?”
“She has grown a great deal since she left Hertfordshire.” Mary stood just behind her shoulder.