All Hallow's Eve (64 page)

Her colour deepened
further
. “
A
ll
.
”

“‘All
’
? As in everything I thought while
it
possessed me?”

“No
.
”
S
he
swallowed loudly.
“
‘All,’ as in from the time you were born.”

“Ah.” Shocked
and unable to support himself any longer, even in a kneeling position
, William sat on the floor at her feet. “I
do not know
why I had not thought t
o ask you sooner, but it had neve
r even
entered my mind
.”
A shudder passed through him. “
Y
ou know
everything
I have ever thought about you?”

She nodded
,
hesitantly this time
.
“Up until
Cher-nog
left your body.”

His mind went back to that time, and a few
almost lurid
thoughts
played out in his m
emory
—beginning with the first moment he had seen her—
suddenly
occupying
his
attention
.

“As I said, some of it was quite flattering
.
And i
f t
here
can only be one benefit,
let us say t
hat I will
never doubt that you had
never before
experienced
deep feelings for another woman.”

She is aware of o
ther women
!
William groaned.
“How can you ever forgive me?”

“
There is nothing to forgive.
You did not even know that I existed then, William.
Since we
have
met
, you
have
not th
ought
twice about anyone else.” She bit her lower lip
,
and her eyes sparkled as she added, “I must admit that it is
interesting
to know
how I had misinterpreted
exactly
what you are thinking when you look at me in a certain way.”

His breath caught
in his throat
. Several moments passed
as h
is eyes caught
on
the revealing neckline of her gown
and lingered there
. William
glanced at the clock, calculating
just how much time they had before the ball began
and
realized
it
was not enough.
“Then you must know that I can never lose interest in you, Elizabeth.”

Her
grin
faded. “
But, y
ou have not looked at me in
that
way since that day.”

William laughed. “
And
I
can
assure you
that
you
have
not observ
ed
my expression at the
right moments
! It is true that I have been attempting to control myself,
my love,
but I can honestly say that
your allure
has
only
strengthened
as
each
day
has
passe
d
.”

She stood. “Then, will you
request
the first two dances?”

He rose from the floor and took her in his arms. “I assumed that you would not be dancing with anyone else
at all
.”

She
smiled saucily
. “You assume too much, Mr. Darcy
.
Charles, Richard, Lord Reginald, and my father have all claimed a
set
already.
In fact, if you do not ask me soon, I might not have room
to fit you
r
name
on my dance card!
”

He spied the card on a table and took it up. “Check again, Mrs. Darcy.”

Looking at the card, Elizabeth noted that he had penciled in his name for the first set, the supper set, and the final set of the evening. She laughed aloud. “When did you do this?”

“I have spent a great deal of time over the past few nights awake, watching you sleep, my love.” He gave her one of
those
looks. “
I have spent much of that time
looking forward to dancing with you—especially the waltz.”

The kiss that followed might have led to something more
had
the clock not chimed
at that moment
, reminding them it
would soon be
time to greet guests.
Mr. and Mrs. Darcy
were the guests of
honour
, after all.

William sighed. “
W
e
should
go down.”

Elizabeth’s eyes widened as she raised
a
hand
to her cheek. “A
fter al
l that crying
,
I must
look a fright
!” She moved to the mirror and restored a few curls to their proper place
s
.

He came up behind her
,
leaned down to kiss her bare shoulder, and then whispered in her ear, “You look beautiful, Elizabeth.” Encircling her waist, he pulled her fully against him.

This time,
she beamed
in response to that phrase
. “Thank you, my husband. Will you please send in Hanna to help me wash my face without ruining my gown?”

He bowed
in
answer
and began to walk away.

Elizabeth giggled
, calling
after him, “William,
after sitting on the floor,
you might
think of having
your valet brush off your trousers
and coat tails
!”

~%~

Before the first dance, Bingley’s staff passed through the crowd with trays handing out glasses of champagne, and Mr. Bennet toasted the marriage of his second daughter to Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley.
All the
previous chatter about the couple
was forgotten
by
the
gossips
in attendance
, who
did nothing b
ut
vie for the attention of Mrs. Darcy
,
bride
to
the
gentleman with at least ten thousand a year.

A few of the gentlemen guffawed and winked at each other when they heard the
new
rumour
that ran through the crowd. It seemed that shortly
before the ball had officially
ended
—
immediately
following the waltz,
strangely enough
—the couple had disappeared, missing
Mr. Bennet’s announcement of Jane and Bingley’s engagement
!

Two days after the ball, the Darcys said goodbye to their family and friends, and
began
their journey to Pemberley, where Elizabeth would meet her new sister, and the High
Priestess
of
Sanun
would train her new
Priestess
of
Imol
.

Chapter 2
4

February 22, 1812

“Elizabeth?” William asked after receiving no answer to his comment.

She squeezed his arm lightly as they continued walking. “You must forgive me for not attending, my love. The closer we get to the meadow, the more preoccupied I become.”

Upon making Pemberley her home, after a short period of adjustment, Elizabeth had found that she was more than capable of managing her new responsibilities. Every moment spent in her husband’s presence had been pure delight. Having spent many hours with William’s sister, Elizabeth now loved Georgiana as dearly as she did her own sisters. If asked, she could honestly say that their Derbyshire estate was unmatched in its beauty, even when compared to her native Hertfordshire.

All circumstances pointed toward perfect happiness in her new life! She knew that she
should
be completely content, but the inability to carry out her duty as High Priestess weighed more heavily on her as each day passed.

Although she was not at all sorry to attend her sisters’ double wedding, upon their departure from Pemberley, the decision to spend time away from searching for a new place to perform the
Sanun
had caused her anxieties to peak at a most uncomfortable level. Along the journey to Hertfordshire, the opportunity to revisit her meadow at Longbourn had been anticipated with both hope and dread—mostly the latter.

That
F
ate had matched her with William without providing for a Thin Place near her new home was almost inconceivable. It was more likely that the recent peculiar happenings had caused her to lose the ability to detect the vibrations of the Otherworld through the barrier.

Now, as they strode toward the meadow, her innards were tightly wound. If her suspicions were correct, even though she had been successful in returning the
Olc
to the Otherworld, the Evil One would have indeed scored a victory against her, leaving her scarred, broken, and unable to perform the
Sanun
ever again! She would be a complete failure as High Priestess.

The tension in her countenance was unmistakable and William decided a distraction was in order. “Bingley mentioned that Henry Stalwood is expected to arrive on Monday. What is involved in the ritual of transferring the title of Keeper of the Sword to his family?”

Elizabeth replied, “It is not a rite, but more like a formality that has been rarely employed in the past, only when the Keeper’s family line should mingle with that of the High Priestess, as has occurred now. Since the circumstance is not expected to happen often, the procedure is fairly simple. As the head of the Keeper’s family, you will speak a few words and then offer the Sword to Mr. Stalwood. He will respond and accept it. He then will hold up the Sword, declaring that you are the Soul Mate of the High Priestess, and you will accept the Sword from him.” She chuckled. “It is almost silly, really. The ceremony is not even necessary to perform. If the decree of secrecy were not in effect, it would have been easier to inform him by post, but I refuse to take such a chance after all we have been through recently. More pomp is involved in proclaiming Jane a full-fledged
Fili
, though that is not quite as
e
labora
te
a ceremony as I had witnessed when my mother became Lead
Fili
.” That she would someday perform the same ritual declaring Jane Lead
Fili
when Mrs. Bennet passed on to the Otherworld was left unsaid.

“I hope the Bingleys will approve of one of the estates that I have arranged for them to see next month. The High Priestess should always have a
Fili
at hand.” William smiled.

Elizabeth had her own reasons for wishing to have a
Fili
close by. Adding to her other worries, she had noticed subtle changes in her constitution lately. Taking into account the number of stops they had been required to make for her convenience while travelling to Hertfordshire, she had become concerned about her health—that is, up until the moment of their arrival at Longbourn. Assuming that her sister had been contacted by the Otherworld, Mary’s beaming smile and careful treatment of her
affirmed that a
happy circumstance might be the cause of her minor maladies. Since she
lacked
the opportunity to speak to Mary alone,
and
she
had not
been examined by her mother or sister, Elizabeth did not wish to share her suspicions with William as of yet, perhaps raising his hopes prematurely.

“Living with a
Fili
all my life, I know enough of healing herbs to manage a number of situations, but I, too, am looking forward having Jane and Charles permanently close by,” Elizabeth answered. “It is nice to see Georgiana more relaxed than I had expected and getting on so well with my sisters. Although it eased her mind considerably knowing that Richard would be here, her apprehension about meeting my family all at once was so great that I was prepared to spend every moment at her side after we arrived. My family’s returning to Pemberley with us after the weddings can only add to her level of comfort with them. Training with my father and practicing with my sisters instead of just
us
two will be advantageous, as well.”

“Yes, that time will be beneficial to us all. With Bingley’s and Richard’s wedding guests to be installed at Netherfield, and the colder weather preventing us from spending our days outdoors, it will have been two weeks without sword practice for any of us before we return.” William’s demeanor changed to one more somber. “I hope Richard’s parents being absent from the wedding in no way mars Richard and Mary’s happiness. It is unfortunate that the earl was previously acquainted with your father’s position as an
Immun
. Lord Matlock is so violently opposed to anything or anyone having to do with the Tribes that Reginald and I could not convince him to witness his son’s nuptials, nor would he permit my aunt to attend. At least Reginald’s attorney was very helpful in making certain that the legacy of his uncle’s estate is iron clad. Lord Matlock cannot carry out his threat of disinheriting Richard.”

“Mary is very disappointed for Richard’s sake, but I do not believe it will affect their long-term felicity, especially now that he has retired his commission and they will settle down. But I am confused. Being a younger son, I had assumed that Richard had joined the army to earn an income.”

“His mother’s brother passed on only two years ago. Though he expected the inheritance, he wished to be doing something in the interim and joined the army. He did not wish to retire when his skills were needed so desperately in France, but now the timing is perfect to take full possession of the estate.”

Elizabeth stopped mid-stride and inhaled sharply, reminding William of the time the
Olc
had been lurking in the woods near the meadow. He unsheathed his dagger and searched the trees with his gaze.

“What is it, Elizabeth?”

As the familiar vibration of the meadow washed over her, she smiled brightly. “I am relieved to say there is nothing wrong. I can still feel the Thin Place!”

~%~

William nervously paced his wife’s bedchamber. When the door to her dressing room opened, he handed a note to Elizabeth’s maid. “I wish to speak to Mrs. Darcy alone. Have someone deliver this to Longbourn immediately!”

Elizabeth took the note from Hanna’s hand. “Thank you, Hanna. I shall let you know when you are needed again. Will you bring the tea we spoke of as soon as it arrives?”

Hanna bobbed a curtsey and hurried from the room.

Pointing to the letter in her hand, William explained, “That is a note sending for your mother. You have been unwell for several days. Whenever I think that you are recovering, the sickness returns the next morning even more severely than the day before.”

Elizabeth failed to suppress her smile. “There is no need, my love.  My mother and Jane have come and gone while you were assisting Charles with his business matters in the study. I am sorry not to have informed you sooner, but I have been...” she raised one eyebrow, “
indisposed
ever since they departed.” She moved toward the fireplace. “Come and sit with me, please?”

Once Elizabeth was comfortably settled on a sofa, William took the chair across from her. “I have noticed your fatigue of late as well. Did your mother determine the cause?”

“Yes, she certainly did, and all is well, William. Mama is sending a blend of tea made especially for me. It should help to settle my stomach.”

“Is there nothing more she can do? You have been easily fatigued and have barely partaken in a meal over the past few days.

“It is true that I have not been able to eat much early in the day.” She chuckled. “But have you not noticed that I consume more than my share in the evening?”

William nodded. “How long does she think you will be feeling so poorly?”

“This shall pass in a few weeks, but it will be several months before I am feeling closer to my former self again.”

William jumped up from his seat. “Months! Elizabeth! I mean no disrespect to your mother, but I must send to London for my physician.”

“Although there are certain conditions where a physician’s advice would be more helpful than a
Fili’s
, this is not one of them. If you did fetch a doctor, his prognosis would be the same. It has always been so, and always will be. One cannot rush these things. Mama says that, just now, I am in a time of transition, but soon my body will become accustomed to this condition and my appetite will return. It is all quite normal, I assure you.”

He searched her eyes and found that they were twinkling with joy.

“Your condition?” William sat next to his wife and took her hands within his. “Elizabeth, are you saying...?”

“Yes, my love. We are to have a child.”

~%~

Soon after the Darcys had first arrived at Pemberley, without giving any particulars, Elizabeth had informed her husband of his mother-in-law’s need to spread a story in answer
the
renewed gossip
in
Hertfordshire
. From the whispers he had overheard in the village the day after they had returned to Hertfordshire, he had come to understand Mrs. Bennet had openly declared that whil
st
she knew the rich could afford to be temperamental at times, she had been thoroughly disappointed by his reticence. With his insistence on a private wedding, he had denied her the right of planning an occasion to which she had been looking forward her entire life.

Since William knew the disposition displayed to the public by Mrs. Bennet was much different from that which she presented in private, at first he accepted it as part of the disguise which would soon slowly disappear. The plan was that since three of her daughters would now be well married, Mrs. Bennet
would no longer worry
about eventually “starving in the hedgerows.” Her manner in society would gradually become more delicate, and her youngest daughters would mature with greater gentility due to their exposure to London society.

Yet, he could not help but wonder if there was some truth to the gossip after witnessing the preparations at Netherfield for Jane and Mary’s wedding breakfast. The grandeur of this celebration would rival that of the ball in December!

More important than his mother-in-law’s frame of mind, he worried that Elizabeth might feel cheated that none of today’s splendor had been a part of her own wedding day.

Though Elizabeth had tried to conceal the emotion, he could feel that she was not completely happy. When asked about the cause, she spoke of the inability to find a Thin Place near her new home. While he knew this to be
partially
responsible for her despondency, he also could not help but feel that she was trying to spare his feelings by blaming her discontent wholly upon a Tribal matter instead of assigning part of the blame to his having disappointed her expectations.

William looked around at the alterations in the appearance of the church. The differences between this day and his wedding day were enormously obvious. Ironically, these transformations were, in part, as a result of
his
efforts.