“With whom?”
“Lady Millicent. The shape-shifter who helped us stop Ghoulston.”
“Ah,” acknowledged Lord Sussex, “the one who tried to take the relic.”
Queen Victoria paused in her pacing, a fleeting look of hurt passing her features. Then she shook her curls and resumed her course, only the slight tilt of her head in their direction indicating that she still listened.
“And so I could not understand why the spell hadn’t broken,” continued Gareth. “For I knew I loved her truly. So I thought Millicent must love me in return in order to break the spell. I used all my powers of persuasion to make her fall in love with me. And I thought I had succeeded—until Ghoulston’s men killed Nell.”
“Who is she?”
“A firebird, methinks. But perhaps more.” Gareth stretched his back, loosening the bindings around his waist. It hurt. But he had no time for that… or time to puzzle out the origins of Nell. “She is the only person Millicent had ever loved, and when Nell was taken from her, it hardened Millicent’s heart once more. She is… Lady Millicent has a strong sense of self-preservation.”
“Wise girl,” muttered Queen Victoria.
Lord Sussex frowned as he glanced at his niece. “You cannot blame yourself… or doubt your judgment of love because of a potion. It seems to me that Prince Albert had managed to capture your true affections before Ghoulston interfered.”
The queen smiled at that, her eyes suddenly glassy. “He was extraordinarily charming. And handsome.” She blinked at Gareth. “Not as handsome as you, of course—good grief, the drug must still be affecting me.” She started to pace again.
Lord Sussex turned back to Gareth, tiny dots of colored light sprinkled across his heavy features. “You must have been wrong about the shape-shifter. Her love must have been strong enough to break the curse—because here you are.”
Gareth shook his head. “No. I think I had it all wrong. When I was in Lady Yardley’s bedroom—”
Victoria gasped.
“Because Millicent had given her the relic to prove to you the truth of Ghoulston’s plans,” Gareth hurried to explain. “Or, well… yes, to see if Lady Yardley could break the curse.”
“Lady Millicent must love you very much to give the bracelet to another,” said the queen. “That is an unselfish act. She cared more for your happiness than her own.”
“Or she did not love me enough to keep me.” Gareth held up a hand as Queen Victoria opened her mouth to protest. He winced as his bindings pulled with the movement. Anyway, he must become accustomed to pain, and mortality. If he died now, he would never wake again. He grimaced. “At least, that’s what I thought at first. That she had betrayed our love, had betrayed me. And it broke my heart. And in that moment… my world turned upside down, and I felt as scattered as I often do when the relic releases me. And I thought I heard the breaking of my heart.” Gareth glanced down at the moonstone. “But now… I think it was the gemstone, and I believe I was set free at that very moment. Aah… of course! No wonder it did not tighten around Millicent’s wrist. The curse had already been broken.”
“Betrayal.” The Master rubbed his forehead. “What, precisely, did you do to make Merlin curse you into a relic?”
“I seduced his lover. Vivian.”
Victoria stumbled. Lord Sussex nodded with wisdom. “Then it makes perfect sense, Sir Gareth. Merlin did not curse you to find your true love. He cursed you until you were betrayed by your one true love. So you felt the same pain he did.”
“I believe you are right.” Gareth glanced down at the moonstone, ran a finger across the jagged crack in the gem. “Only now do I understand what I did to Merlin, and how deeply my actions hurt him. The old wizard fooled me for centuries. He wanted me to suffer as he had suffered. I had always thought a woman’s love would break the spell. Verily, women have betrayed me before, but none have broken my heart because of it. Only my own pain from the betrayal of my one true love could break the spell… my love for a woman… not the other way around. It just took this long to find the one woman who could wound me so deeply… And I no longer believe Merlin designed the relic to help me. Indeed, I think it just chose women at random, making it harder for me to find my one true love.”
“I find this most distressing,” said the queen. “Now you are free, and yet…”
“And yet, I am not sure if Millicent will have me.”
Lord Sussex snorted. “I lack your tender sensibilities, my dear Victoria. My concern is for the safety of the Crown. Will you give me the relic, Sir Gareth Solimere?”
“Gladly.” Gareth placed the bracelet in the other man’s outstretched hand. “And good riddance. Lock it away in the deepest, darkest recesses of the Hall of Mages. I hope never to see it again.”
“I rather imagine not.” The Master slipped the band of silver over his wrist. “I can still feel the power within it. There may be other uses for it, you know… other than for imprisoning a man.”
“I want nothing more to do with relic magic.”
“I believe you. And yet… although you now appear to be free of the curse, you still present a threat to me and mine.”
“Uncle!” interjected the queen. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
Gareth frowned. “In what way?”
“Your blood, dear boy. It has already proven a danger to my niece.”
“I will hear no more of this,” snapped Queen Victoria. She stepped over to the bed, her footsteps stomping indignantly on the floor. Her skirts stirred the air of the room, making the strings of diamonds ripple, causing the sparkles to dance merrily in dizzying motion. She lifted her chin, and looked down her nose at her uncle. Despite her youth, she radiated authority, and looked every bit the ruler of England. “Is this how we reward our subjects for their bravery? If not for Sir Gareth, I would be married—ugh! This very moment! To the odious Duke of Ghoulston. And although I did not appreciate your thumb in my mouth…” She gave Gareth a grimace. “I now understand the necessity.”
Lord Sussex crossed his arms over his chest. “That is precisely what I mean. You are still under the influence—”
“I am not. Well, perhaps a little. But my head is ruling at the moment, Uncle, and I will not have one of my subjects treated so unfairly. Sir Gareth has been imprisoned for centuries for one small… error in judgment. He has more than paid for that crime, and I will not see him imprisoned any longer. In fact, it is in my mind to reward him for his services.”
“That is not necessary, my lady.”
“I do not wish to hear from you either, Sir Gareth. You have no home, no income… I will rectify that matter. There is a small manor in Ipswitch that needs tending. Hobover House. I don’t imagine a shape-shifting panther used to living in the Underground would be comfortable in London. She will adjust to our world much better in the country.”
Gareth’s chest twisted. “You assume she will have me.”
“Of course.”
“I am not so sure.”
The Master of the Hall of Mages rolled his eyes.
Queen Victoria shot her uncle a glare. “Nonsense. Of course she will have you. You have searched for her for centuries! I refuse to believe you two will not work it out… somehow.”
Gareth felt… ah, he felt hope. How could he not? The spell had been broken. He was no longer a prisoner. He could lead a normal, mortal life. At long last.