The only issue is that Arthur yanked the chain out of the wall that holds up the knight’s sword arm.
“Sorry about that,” he says.
“It’s okay, I’ll talk to Nathan about it tomorrow. We’ll stick with the story about you trying on the armour,” I tell him.
I step back from the knight. “You said there were two things we have to do?”
“Yes. Can you take me through to the library?”
My eyebrows rise. “Um… yes, of course. There’s a staff-only door that’ll take us through.”
I lead him across the room to the door, and we go through into the dimly lit passageway. This time, instead of heading back to the foyer, I turn right, and we emerge in the corridor leading to the museum and library offices.
Hoping we don’t bump into anyone, as I’m not ready to explain Arthur’s presence yet, I lead him into the library’s reading room. It’s dark and quiet; it closes at six most evenings.
“This is where Liza died,” he says, standing in the middle of the room. The tape marking her body has now gone, but he’s right over the spot where I found her.
“Yes.” I’m puzzled as to why he wanted to come here.
He glances around, then takes my hand and leads me to one side. “Stand here,” he instructs.
Trying not to blush at the feel of my hand in his, I do as he bids and wait as he returns to the centre of the room. What’s this about?
To my surprise, Merlin goes with him, as if he’s aware what Arthur is about to do. The dog sits by his side, as Arthur dips his head and closes his eyes.
For about thirty seconds, nothing happens. Merlin sits quietly, and I have the oddest feeling he’s concentrating, too. I don’t move, willing to wait until Arthur tells me to move.
And then, between us, a shape begins to form. At first, it’s just a sort of glittery dust, as if it’s a scene out of Star Trek and someone’s transporting from the Enterprise. Gradually, it turns into a person.
It’s Liza.
I hold my breath. She turns her head and looks at me. Her eyes glimmer with tears. “Thank you,” she mouths.
I can’t speak; I’m so full of emotion. I watch as Arthur stretches out his arms and turns his hands palms up. Merlin stands and faces him. Around the room, the twelve astrological symbols suddenly appear as gold glittery magic on the tiles. Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries… they lift and evaporate, the glitter dispersing into the air.
The last to go is the two arcs ending in circles—the sign of Cancer. It brightens, shining so much that I have to look away, and for a moment, I’m certain I can hear singing.
Then, slowly, the brightness dims and returns to normal. The symbols have gone.
I look back. Liza has vanished.
Merlin shakes himself, then sneezes.
“Where’s she gone?” My whisper sounds loud in the quiet library.
Arthur lowers his arms and opens his eyes. “To where she should have been all along.”
“Heaven?”
He smiles.
I walk toward him and stop a few feet away. “How did you know how to release her?” I ask.
“Someone told me.”
“Who?”
He looks at the Labradoodle sitting in front of us.
“You’re kidding,” I say.
He just smiles again. I glare at Merlin. “I knew you were psychic!” I say, and Arthur laughs.
I study his face, his glowing blue eyes. “Are you an angel?”
He shakes his head.
“But you have a connection to them,” I murmur. “You’re part of their world.”
He doesn’t reply; he just gives me a look that says Sorry, I don’t know.
Merlin stands and pads around the room, sniffing the floor. We watch him, then look back at each other. Arthur holds up his hand, examining the ruby ring.
“Thank you for doing this,” he says.
“You’re welcome.”
He lowers his hand. “I know it cost you lots of money.”
I shrug. “It had to be done.”
“It didn’t. You could have sold the ruby.”
I frown. “I would never have done that.”
“No,” he says softly, taking a few steps closer to me, until we’re only a foot apart. “I know.” He lifts a hand and tucks a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “Your soul is almost as beautiful as the rest of you.” He smiles.
I blush, remembering what Luke said earlier this morning: You might not have been the coolest girl in the school, or the prettiest, but you had this inner poise and determination that most people never achieve.
“You think I’m beautiful?” I say, knowing I’m searching for compliments, but so filled with hope it’s hard to hold it in.
“The most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen,” he says, cupping my cheek.
For a moment, I think he’s going to kiss me. Part of me wants him to. Even though we haven’t known each other long, I feel as if I’ve known him my whole life—well, lives, if I am the reincarnation of his queen. The wife I adored, and who adored me, he once told me. I will just have to win you all over again.
But I have to be careful. I want to believe in happily ever afters, but this is the real world, not a movie, and as a woman, I can’t throw myself into every situation without regard for my physical and emotional safety.
I think he reads my wariness in my eyes, because he doesn’t kiss me. He slowly lowers his hand, and just gives me a gentle smile.
I should walk away, put some distance between us. But then I think of Liza, and of Luke, sitting in their house alone, in the dark, missing her. I think of Mary, crying in her cell, and the way she obsessed over Christian, who will never return her feelings. I think of Imogen—the way she blushes when she looks at Christian, and the fact that hopefully they have a lifetime of discovering each other, and of being happy together.
I move forward, slide my arms around Arthur’s waist, and rest my cheek on his broad chest. And he doesn’t laugh or mock me. Instead, his arms come up to hug me, and we stand like that for a very long time, while Merlin comes to sit beside us, and sighs.
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A Knight on the Town (The Avalon Café Book 2)
A Knight on the Town (Book 2)
A good knight out is always welcome…
When kitchen witch Gwen Young releases King Arthur from the suit of armour in her café, it’s just the beginning of a new adventure, as he accompanies her out on the town, discovering his new world and helping her solve another murder.
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About the Author
Hermione Moon writes cozy witch mysteries with a sprinkling of romance, set in Glastonbury, England. She also writes steamy contemporary romance as Serenity Woods, and is a USA Today bestselling author under that name. She currently lives with her husband in New Zealand.
Website: http://www.hermionemoon.com
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