Lizzy was in such a fine mood that she had not noticed how distracted Mr. Darcy was, and she was still talking about the ball when his attention returned to their conversation.

“Lest you become conceited, William, I shall inform you that you were not the only handsome gentleman there. Viscount Wilston is a fine looking man, and he engaged me for two dances.”

“I like the gentleman, as he takes good care of his sister’s needs with regard to her transformation, but I have never thought of him as being particularly handsome.”

“That is because you are not a woman. But speaking of Nell’s transformation, it is quite a coincidence that she became a werewolf in exactly the same manner you did.”

Darcy looked at her with the most quizzical expression. “Who told you that?”

“Anne did. My impression was that she received that information directly from Nell. Is it not true?”

“No, it is not. What did you and Wilston talk about during your two dances?”

“Oh, no you don’t. You are not going to leave me with a simple no and expect me to be satisfied. You must tell me how Nell came to be a she wolf.”

Darcy let out a sigh. Because he was uninterested in gossip, he failed to understand its attractions for others. However, it was understandable why Lizzy would want to know all about a woman who was vying for the attention of the man she loved.

“Prior to marrying His Lordship, Lady Granyard was married to Lord Boyle, an Irish peer. They have an estate near Macroom in County Cork in Ireland that is adjacent to the Gougane Barra, a wilderness area of remarkable beauty and one of the few remaining places in Ireland where there are wolves—and werewolves.

“The Granyards were visiting the Boyles, who happened to have a son close in age to Nell. Without a chaperone, the two went into this wild woodland and happened upon a wolf’s den sheltering a half dozen pups. While the parents were out hunting, the den was being watched by a werewolf. It is not uncommon for werewolves to live in close proximity to a wolf pack, as it affords the werewolves additional protection because if a werewolf is sighted, it can be explained by the presence of the other wolves. Nell stupidly picked up one of the pups and was bitten by the defending she wolf. When Boyle attempted to beat her off, he was bitten as well.

“There is an organization in Britain that is simply known as the Council. It was organized thirty years ago to provide protection for werewolves and their families. Any encounter between a werewolf and a human must be reported to the Council as soon as possible. If it is determined that a human has been bitten, the Council will write a letter to the family explaining what will happen to the person in the next few months.”

“But who would believe such a story?” Lizzy asked.

“Every particular of the encounter is detailed, and the purpose of the Council as a source of information is emphasized so that it will not be seen as threatening. The family is advised to stay in the area for three months until the first transformation takes place. In that way, another werewolf will be nearby to assist them. Because enough of it rings true, most do as they are instructed. After the first transformation, the family receives additional instructions as to how to make use of all the Council has to offer by way of protection and resources.”

“And this is how you learned the truth about how Nell became a werewolf?”

Darcy nodded. “Of course, being her neighbor, I was contacted by the Council and advised of what had happened to her in Ireland. Teddy was already in my employ at that time, so Nell became the third member of my pack. Any other questions?”

“Actually, I do have one. You have explained that a werewolf can only sire a human child, but when you were at Longbourn, you mentioned that Jane was carrying a ‘lone’ child. You said that you had been thinking about the litter that your Newfoundland had just had, but Wolfie was a male and incapable of giving birth.”

A cloud passed over Darcy’s face, and he looked uncomfortable. When he had said that his Newfoundland had just given birth, it was a lie, pure and simple, and he detested lies. But at that time, there had been no other way to cover up his careless remark. Obviously, if Lizzy still felt it necessary to ask that question, she was in need of reassurance that it was impossible for her to give birth to a litter of lupine pups.

“When I told you that wolves are cousins to dogs, I failed to mention that werewolves are half brothers and half sisters of wolves, and when members of our family are in difficulty, we help them, just as we would provide assistance to our human relations. In June, I received a letter from a friend that a wolf on her property had given birth to six pups, but that her mate had died. They were in grave danger, and so I arranged to have them transported here, where they remained for about three weeks. Without a male to protect her and the pups, the entire family was at extreme risk. That situation prompted my ‘lone offspring’ remark because I had spent so much time with the pups, and they were still on my mind. You should know that since such situations occasionally arise, the services of a sea captain have been retained. The man will do anything for money, and he transported the mother and her six pups to British North America. Two people, both fully human, went with them to make sure that they were safely released into the wild near Hudson Bay.”

Lizzy made no response. There was so much danger in every step taken by those who had provided assistance to the fatherless family, but from the tone of his voice, Lizzy knew that Mr. Darcy was honor bound to do no less.

“You mentioned that this happened in June. So that is the reason you did not come to Longbourn for the entire month.”

“Yes, it was June, and that was the reason.”

“Does such a thing happen often?”

“No. But when it does, there is an organization in place that was formed to protect the native wolf population that responds quickly. A more common scenario would be to provide a place for wolves to stay who have made the decision to leave England, Wales, or Scotland while arrangements are made for transportation to North America.”

“And the reason they are choosing to leave is because they are being hunted down. You are trying not to say it, but I believe the pups’ father died because a human killed him. Am I correct?”

“Yes. The male killed a lamb and was pursued. I am told that he died ten miles from their den. He did the right thing in leading the pursuers away from his family.” After taking her hand, he continued, “Lizzy, you must understand that I have a responsibility to help those in danger. The only thing that would make me hesitate to provide food and shelter for another wolf is if my immediate family was at risk. Otherwise, I must act. But is this what you want to talk about? Should we not be making plans for our wedding? I am hoping that we will marry on the first available date after the full moon.”

In the past few days, Lizzy had experienced emotional highs and lows and everything in between, and what had happened to the male wolf trying to feed and protect his family could easily have reduced her to tears. But she was determined to fight off such dark thoughts, and she arose from the bench, and after stepping in front of Darcy, she pulled him up with both hands.

“Let us return to the house so that we might invite Anne and Georgiana to join in planning our wedding. I shall need all the help I can get as there is so much to think about, including when and how to tell your aunt Catherine that we are engaged.”

*   *   *

On their way back to the house, Darcy and Lizzy roughed out some of the details of their wedding breakfast. Because of the colder temperatures, it would be necessary to have the reception inside, but Darcy assured her that his staff would go to Hertfordshire to take charge of ordering and preparing everything necessary to host such a celebration.

As they entered the drive leading to the house, they had to give way to an express rider. Darcy looked puzzled. He could not imagine what message was so important that it necessitated hiring an express rider, and he wondered if it was another of his aunt Catherine’s ploys to have Anne return to Kent. The last time his cousin had been away for any length of time, his aunt had written a letter stating that there had been a disaster at Rosings. When Anne returned to Kent, she found that the drains had backed up after a storm and the kitchen was flooded, which, of course, she could do nothing about. Aunt Catherine was never happy when Anne was away, and not just because of the obvious selfish reason of not wanting to be alone in that large house, but also because she genuinely feared that she would outlive her daughter. Despite her shortcomings, Darcy’s aunt loved her daughter and worried more about Anne’s health than anything else.

When they arrived at the entrance, Jackson was talking to the rider, and he immediately handed the letter to Mr. Darcy, who opened it as soon as he stepped into the foyer.

“Dear God!” he said as all of the color drained out of his face.

“What is the matter, Mr. Darcy? Is someone ill?” Elizabeth asked, and when he did not answer, she continued to question him. “Is there a death in the family?” What else could account for his shocked countenance?

After handing the post to Mr. Jackson, he explained, “This is a letter from Mr. Underhill. He is the manager of the Council operations on the estate in Scotland where Rupert and Teddy have been staying. Apparently, they were found running around in the woods unclothed.”