Page 38 of The Dragoneers of Longbourn and Pemberley
Cordially,
Mr. Bennington Pemberley
Dragon Lord of Pemberley
Chapter twenty-nine
There were several letters sent from Longbourn that day.
The first was from Papa to Uncle Haupter. He explained that Valeraine wanted to come to visit him for an indefinite amount of time. He implied this was because she wanted to learn about the newspaper business, or that there was something incompatible now with Valeraine and Longbourn. It was a letter that had mastered the art of saying nothing, and Uncle Haupter received it with grace and the ability to read between the lines. He wrote back to say he would send a coach for her, to escort her to Kinellan City.
The post was depressingly prompt in delivering these letters, and it was only four days from when Papa had told Valeraine she would leave to the time that she would be going.
Alyce also sent a letter during those days. She wrote to Nethenabbi, inviting him to tea at Longbourn. The letter was promptly delivered — confirmed by the servant who had taken it there. This was the advantage of being neighbors: you knewexactly how long your correspondence was being ignored. No response came.
Mamma campaigned for Alyce to go to Netherfield anyway, unannounced and uninvited. “As soon as he sees your face, he will be smitten. Perhaps he only misplaced your letter.”
Alyce knew better. All the sisters knew the terrible truth: Pemberley had told Nethenabbi of Valeraine’s racing, and now he wanted nothing to do with Longbourn. Before this scandal, it had been of some question if Longbourn was a respectable dragon house (the question hanging on if you believed that their single, dying dragon really counted as a dragon). Now, Longbourn was decidedly unrespectable. Nethenabbi couldn’t marry a woman from a disreputable house with no real dragons. He must think Alyce a fool to even attempt to contact him.
When Mamma sent another letter herself, she received a response from the Netherfield housekeeper: the Nethenabbis would be going to Kinellan City for an indefinite amount of time, for the end-of-summer balls, and perhaps the autumnal ones as well. Their dragons and eggs would (for now) be watched over by another dragon house, or brought to Kinellan City. Longbourn had not been asked to assist in this duty, despite being easily the closest and most able of the neighbors.
It seemed Netherfield house was no longer interested in being neighbors with them, either socially or geographically.
Alyce was far too polite to show the depth of her disappointment to Valeraine. Valeraine understood her far too well to miss it. They both knew this was Valeraine’s fault. Alyce would give her false smiles, and say something about how she hadn’t really loved Nethenabbi anyway, so it was not a great loss. Valeraine was far too smart to believe that. She was also too polite to tell her sister that.
The balance of not-upsetting each other was so terrible that Valeraine was almost glad the day of her departure was comingupon her. She could get away from Alyce, who was the most depressing sort of trying-to-be-happy. She could get away from Merna and Selaide, who were sad Valeraine’s derby adventure was at an end. She could get away from Papa, who sent apologetic looks her way, but never actually apologized. He would not lift Valeraine’s looming banishment, no matter how she pleaded.
Mamma had her own schemes, and they involved inserting Alyce into the orbit of Mr. Nethenabbi once again, to rekindle their flirtation. Nobody had told Mamma of the scandal of Valeraine’s riding (who wanted to poke that hornets’ nest?) and so she still believed this was all some misunderstanding. And so it became the plan that not only would Valeraine be sent to Kinellan City, but Alyce as well, so she could chase her lost love.
It was sad how this seemed to give some sort of hope to Alyce.
Chapter thirty
Tomorrow, the coach would be at Longbourn to take them away.
In the dark of the night, Valeraine went to the nest. Her father was accurate when he said he could not keep her from her dragon. There was always a time she could sneak away. She didn’t dare take a flight, when the nest’s large doors were so creaky, but she did say goodbye. She laid her hand on Lelantos’ snout, and cried for him.
“I’ll be back. I’m not going because I want to. I’ll be back.”
She didn’t know if he understood her words, but he at least understood her pain, and leaned against her in comfort. She felt a small echo of loneliness come from him, laced with confusion.
Then, the dawn was breaking, and it was time to go to Kinellan City.
It had been years since Valeraine had visited Uncle Haupter in Kinellan. He had always come to them in the countryside. His townhouse (they had been reassured) was considered large andgrand by the city’s standards. By the standards of Longbourn manor, it was cramped and ill-kept. Valeraine and Alyce would be sharing a room and a bed.
The townhouse was situated above the offices and press ofThe Dragoneer’s Journal, owned by Uncle Haupter. While he was not from a dragon family himself, the Haupters had gathered enough consequences among the dragoneers that his sister (Mrs. Longbourn) could marry into that world. He was in a peculiar state of being half accepted into the world of derbies and hatchlings — as it was his business to know everything about it — while having no practical business with actual dragons.
Kinellan City was a place of wondrous balls and parties. It was where the dragon houses clustered — particularly in the autumn and spring, when the derbies happened less frequently in the countryside — to find marriage matches. Now, as September rolled in with the morning frosts, the social season was mounting. It was nearly routine that the Nethenabbis had come to Kinellan now. If one ignored the suddenness of their flight from Netherfield and their lack of response to Alyce’s letters, one could imagine nothing was amiss.
The city, full of opportunities for revelry and romance, held little for Valeraine and Alyce. They received many invitations (mostly through Uncle Haupter, as everyone wanted theJournalto take an interest in their lavish balls), but attended few. There was only one connection that Alyce desired, and none that Valeraine did.
Alyce wrote to Mr. Nethenabbi’s townhouse several times, inviting them to a luncheon, a tea — anything.
There was no reply.
After the fifth letter, Alyce had given up. At least Mamma couldn’t fault her for not trying. It was painfully clear Nethenabbi wanted nothing to do with Longbourn house.
Alyce busied herself with giving Uncle Haupter’s townhouse the womanly touch it needed: new decorations, updated furnishings, fresh paint. Their uncle was grateful for the help, and gave her a budget.
