Love, Hate, and a giveaway (with dragons too!)

There are a few love -hate relationships in this little outtake from my latest WIP from my Jane Austen’s Dragons series. Actually it is not quite an outtake, but a little scene I wrote to better understand what was going on in the characters and the world, and wow, did I get a big surprise about a few things!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the series, April is Elizabeth’s particular Friend fairy dragon (see the picture below) who has been with her since childhood. Elizabeth is now Lady Elizabeth Darcy, Keeper of Pemberley, and mother to an infant Anne.

October, 1815,

“I am cold.” April twittered, flapped and hopped on Elizabeth’s writing desk, landing directly on the wet ink from the line Elizabeth had just penned.

Again? It was not as if a larger desk had not been acquired just so Elizabeth could have a sheet of blotter paper next to her work for April to stand upon. “Here, do stand on this blotter so you do not get ink everywhere.” Elizabeth shook the ceramic pounce pot, with a blue Eastern dragon circling the widest point, with a bit more vigor than usual.

April hopped away from the flying sand. “How can you be worried about ink squiggles when I am so cold?”

Elizabeth leaned back in her cushioned writing chair and stretched. Golden rays of sunset poured through the window and kissed the blue velvet dressing room curtains.  How had it gotten so late?

“Do you not think it is cold?”

Elizabeth stood. The cozy room, with its dark paneling and plum walls, was a mite cooler than she would have liked, but not so much her merino wool shawl did not remedy the matter. “There is warm water on the hob. Shall I pour some for a bath for you?”

“I will only be cold again when I get out. I would rather have tea.” April scratched at the blotter paper.

“Very well, I shall make you tea. Why do you not climb up on my shoulder under my shall while it steeps.”

April flittered up and dove under the soft mustard-gold wool. She must truly be uncomfortable to do as she was asked without argument.

“I do wonder that you have not been here all morning.” She stroked April’s back through the shawl. “The Derbyshire winter is colder than either of us is accustomed to.  Mr. Darcy has been good not to resent the extra fuel for the fires to keep you warm.”

April twittered a note of genuine appreciation.

“You know, you could hibernate if you want. All the local fairy dragon harems have tucked in for the winter.”

April poked her head out from under the shawl. “You are bored with me. You just want me to be gone!”

Elizabeth stared at her. “Pray excuse me? What did you say?”

“You heard me.”

“What makes you think you are unwanted?” She wrapped April in her shawl and held her up to look eye to eye with her.

“I am cold.”

“You got cold at Longbourn and never complained of being unwanted there.”

“It is colder here.”

“I can assign someone to make sure you have fresh warm bricks—”

“I do not want warm bricks!” April struggled against the confines of the shawl, but Elizabeth held her fast.

“What do you want?”

“I want you!” She pecked at Elizabeth’s hand.

Elizabeth released the shawl bundle from her bleeding hand. “Me? Whatever do you mean?”

April struggled free and zipped to the mantle above the fireplace and hopped from one foot to the other.

Elizabeth followed, pausing to collect a jam pot from the tea tray. She set it, open, beside April. Fairy dragons were always cranky when hungry.

April turned her back and faced the wall.

Gracious! Never, never had she refused jam.

Elizabeth stepped to the mantle and leaned in toward April on her elbow. “You are my oldest, dearest Friend. Pray tell me what is wrong. I truly do not understand but I very much want to.”

April looked over her shoulder into Elizbeth’s eyes, snorted and scratched at the marble mantle. “Very well, though I doubt you shall even care.”

“Pray sit with me near the fire and tell me what is wrong.” She pulled the large blue floral bergère near the fireplace and curled into its depths. April landed on her knee and she scratched under April’s chin. “Do you not like Pemberley? Has anyone here mistreated you?”

“It is a strange place. But the gardens are very nice. The staff can all hear me.” April resettled her wings along her back.

“But do they listen?”

“Yes, they do.” She twitched her head and flicked her tail as though that did not make her particularly happy.

“And the staff dragons?”

April grumbled.

Ah, that was telling. “Have any of the household dragons been unkind to you?”

“There are so many of them!”

She was right. Not many households could count so many under their care. Oh!

“You are jealous.”

April twittered and covered her face with her wings. “You have so many to take care of now—especially the hatchling.”

“Little Anne? You are jealous of my daughter?”

“My eggs hatched and the hatchlings went directly to their Friends, but yours—”

“It will be many years before Anne will leave Pemberley.” Elizabeth leaned back and sighed. “I suppose I have been rather preoccupied with her. We had thought to have a dragon-hearing wet nurse—”

“Even that nanny dragon the Order sent—she is rude and high-handed. She tells me to keep out of the jam and honey.”

“I have been meaning to speak to her about her attitude toward fairy dragons.”

April pecked her hand again; she deserved it. “How could you allow that crusty old drake to speak to me that way? You know she keeps me from the nursery?”

No, she did not.

“Phoenix lives in the nursery with the Gardiner children. Why do you encourage that but not permit me—” April pouffed up, full and fluffy. She was unfortunately cute when angry. “What harm do you think I will bring to your hatchling? You seemed happy enough to have me there to soothe you when she hatched—”

“Born. Human babies are born nor hatched.”

“Do not change the subject! Since her hatching I have been all but banished.”

That was an exaggeration.

Then then again, perhaps not.

“Nanny forbids me from the nursery, from your chamber when she can, even the parlor when the hatchling is brought out. She only allows the staff dragons in to perform their tasks and then leave as quickly as possible. But at least they are allowed in. But me? She hates me.”

No there was certainly no aggression, that Elizabeth would have noticed immediately. But Nanny was the largest of the household dragons—

Dominance.

It was always dominance with dragons!

“I think I understand now. She is staff. You are my Friend. She should not believe she is dominant over you. A governess is generally above the lower staff, but not above the family. You my dear are family.”

April warbled and lifted her head.

“I am sorry and appalled I did not see it sooner. I will speak to Nanny today. You shall spend as much time with Anne as you like. Nanny has no right to keep you from my daughter nor any room in the house.”

“I can help your hatchling.”

Junior Keeper. But now was not the time to insist on that.

“I can help her to sleep with my song.”

“That would be welcome indeed.”

“And I will help her learn to hear fairy dragon voices and—”

“Of course you will, and you should. I am your Friend. I want Anne to be your friend too.”

April cuddled into her shoulder.

“Why did you not come to me sooner? You have never hesitated before.”

“There has never been a Nanny in the house before.”

April was right. She was the smallest dragon in the house, but even Walker considered her an equal.

“Now, why do you not enjoy your tea and jam and we shall pay a visit to the nursery.” No staff dragon would ever claim dominance over her Friend again.

What do you think? Tell me in the comments.

For more Jane Austen’s Dragons click here.

Read the story of Elizabeth’s and April’s friendship here.

Read about the Dragon Myths of Britain here.

If you haven’t given Jane Austen’s Dragons a try yet, I’m offering a giveaway of the first book in the series: Pemberley: Mr. Darcy’s Dragon.

Add a comment below to enter the ebook giveaway!

Congratulations to Guisselle Silva winnder of this giveaway. The giveaway is now closed.