The servants had removed Elizabeth’s father to a small parlor, and the local healer, Mr. Mayne, had immediately started a healing spell. She could sense the etheric flow that Mr. Mayne drew upon to bathe the wound in healing energy. Her father shifted uneasily on the fainting couch, conscious but apparently experiencing some pain.
It had been blessedly quiet in the sickroom…and then the rest of the Bennet family arrived. Her mother’s voice echoed through the halls long before she entered the room. “Goblins at balls! What shall we do now? I don’t know when my nerves have ever been in such an agitated state! I experience such flutterings in my chest!” Jane murmured reassuring words, but her mother continued to exclaim. As they entered the parlor, her mother was leaning heavily on Jane’s arm. “We all could have been murdered—eaten! Right there on the dance floor. What is the world coming to?”
And then Mrs. Bennet laid eyes on her husband. “Oh! Mr. Bennet! I knew it!” she shrieked. “I knew you would attempt to fight the goblin!”
Her husband winced at something Mr. Mayne did. “I made no attempt to fight him, my dear. He simply thought I would make a tasty morsel.”
“You were bitten?” Mrs. Bennet cried. “Oh, my nerves!” She collapsed in a heap of petticoats just inside the doorway.
Elizabeth’s father groaned. “You are not in danger of being tossed into the hedgerows yet, Fanny.” Elizabeth could hear the pain in his voice. “Jane, would you find a chair for your mother? And, Mary, perhaps a vinaigrette?”
Jane lowered their mother into a chair in the furthest corner from their father while Mary pulled a vinaigrette from her reticule. Kitty and Lydia did not enter the room, preferring to gossip in the hallway with anyone who passed by. For a brief moment all was calm as Mr. Mayne turned his attention to healing their father’s thigh wound.
Then Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy appeared at the door. Elizabeth suppressed a groan. She was exhausted and had no energy to handle Mr. Darcy’s skepticism. “Bingley took a blow to the head,” he said to Mr. Mayne. “I would appreciate it if you would examine him when you are finished with Mr. Bennet.”
“Certainly,” Mr. Mayne said. “Please have a seat.” The two men arranged themselves on one of the room’s settees.
Not one to let her husband’s grave injury interfere with promising marital prospects, Mrs. Bennet was immediately on her feet, welcoming Mr. Bingley to the sickroom as if it were her own home. But Jane regarded Mr. Bingley with great concern. “Oh no! Have you been injured?”
“A trifling blow to the head. Darcy is just being cautious,” he assured her. “Are you unharmed?” He peered at her anxiously.
Jane blushed. “Quite well. I-I remained in the ballroom where it was safe.”
“I would hardly say ‘safe’!” their mother declared. “Why, the goblin could have attacked at any moment. We were all terrified for our lives!”
“Mama,” Elizabeth said. “The goblin never went near the ballroom. The paladins made sure of that.”
Their mother turned admiring eyes on Mr. Bingley. “You are such a hero!” she gushed. “Fighting a goblin! I don’t know what we would have done if you had not been here!”
Now Mr. Bingley blushed. “I played a small part. Mr. Darcy actually slew the creature, and we profited from Miss Elizabeth’s help as well.”
Mrs. Bennet whirled on her second-eldest daughter. “You fought the goblin?” She would have been less horrified if Elizabeth had shot the king.
“Yes, Mama. I just—”
“In front of everyone? Out in the open?”
“Yes, but it was magic. Not murder.”
“You should leave such things to real mages.”
Elizabeth struggled not to let her exasperation show. “It was a rather large goblin.”
Her mother drew herself up to her full height. “I do not care what size it was, you should have fainted. That is what well-bred young ladies do.”
“Miss Elizabeth’s help was to our advantage as we faced the goblin,” Mr. Darcy said as though it pained him to admit it.
Mary cleared her throat. Oh no. Elizabeth knew what was coming. “Actually, the creatures we call goblins come from several different species that all inhabit one world. Hobgoblins and hogboons are true goblins. But kobolds and tengu are their own species. And trow are more closely related to trolls. In Britain we use goblin as a broad term, but it is not accurate. In Italy they call them—”
“Thank you, Mary,” Elizabeth said. “I am certain that the paladins knew that already.”
“How did you develop such an advanced spell?” Mr. Darcy asked Elizabeth hastily, apparently to forestall additional lecturing.
Elizabeth ignored her mother’s glare. “My father taught me basic magical principles.”
“I had no sons, you see,” her father said jovially from the fainting couch where Mr. Mayne was bandaging his leg. “I needed to teach someone all that I had learned.” He did not mean anything by the joke, but it still rankled.
Intent upon controlling the discourse, Elizabeth’s mother spoke to Mr. Bingley. “Jane is exceedingly appreciative of your efforts to keep her safe,” she said. As if Mr. Bingley had no thought in his head other than protecting Jane. Elizabeth was tempted to laugh. “Of course, Jane does not possess an ounce of magical ability beyond ordinary household magic.” She shot Elizabeth a sidelong glance.
“I was pleased to be of service,” Mr. Bingley said.
Mr. Darcy regarded Elizabeth with great intensity. “I did not know you are a spell crafter,” he said. As if I should have reported that to the Convocation? Elizabeth said nothing in response. “How many spells have you created?”
“I have never counted,” she replied.
***
Ooh, I love this scene! Thank you, Victoris, for stopping by and sharing this delicious excerpt! I'm looking forward to reading more.
About the Author
Victoria Kincaid is the author of several popular Jane Austen variations, including The Secrets of Darcy and Elizabeth, Pride & Proposals, Mr. Darcy to the Rescue, When Mary Met the Colonel, and Darcy vs. Bennet. All of her books have been listed in Amazon’s Top 20 Bestselling Regency Romances. The Secrets of Darcy and Elizabeth was nominated for a Rone award, and Pride and Proposals was recognized as a top Austenesque novel for 2015 by Austenesque Reviews.
Victoria has a Ph.D. in English literature and has taught composition to unwilling college students. Today she teaches business writing to willing office professionals and tries to give voice to the demanding cast of characters in her head.
She lives in Virginia with an overly affectionate cat, an excessively energetic dog, two children who love to read, and a husband who fortunately is not jealous of Mr. Darcy. A lifelong Austen fan, Victoria has read more Jane Austen variations and sequels than she can count – and confesses to an extreme partiality for the Colin Firth miniseries version of Pride and Prejudice.
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* * * GIVEAWAY * * *
It's giveaway time! Victoria is generously giving away one eCopy of Mages and Mysteries to one of my lucky readers! To enter the giveaway, leave a comment below.
- One person will win an eCopy of Mages and Mysteries.
- To enter, leave a comment below.
- The winner will be picked randomly.
- Open Internationally.
- The last day to enter the giveaway is Dec. 14th, 2021, by the end of the day.
Good luck!
Thank you so much for stopping by today, Victoria! Congrats on this new book, and thank you having a giveaway here!
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