As the evening wore on, I danced a few times with Gilbert, but he wouldn't open up too much about what was troubling him. "It's not that I don't trust you, Miss Rhees," he said, as we stood on the balcony, taking in the warm night air. Fireflies flitted through the dark, and overhead, the moon shone full and bright. "It's just that, well, you'd laugh to hear it."
I took a sip of champagne. "Try me," I invited. "I may surprise you."
Gilbert chuckled. "You probably would," he said. "Very well. You know of Eva Destruction?"
"Who doesn't?" I said. "She's rather famous, or infamous, depending on your perspective."262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnlFVkMk09w
"That she is," Gilbert agreed. "She's got this crazy notion in her head of wanting to take over The Aura League so she can rule the world. A bit mad, if you ask me."
Inwardly I bristled at this, but outwardly, I kept my calm. "Go on," I said.
Gilbert gave me a half-smile. "Very well. I confess to a rather bonkers attraction to her," he said. "She reminds me a lot of my first wife, Freeze Frame." His face twisted with pain momentarily before he smoothed it over. "No surprise, since she confessed to having a younger sister at the time of her betrayal, a sister she swore would avenge her."
I held firm against the pity that threatened to undo my resolve to see him brought to heel for what he'd done. "And?" I prompted.
Gilbert took a deep breath and looked me square in the eyes. "Lately, I've been feeling bad over what happened to Alys," he said firmly. "And I wanted to tell Eva Destruction I didn't intend to execute. I wanted instead to send her into exile, make her foreswear her villainy, and give her a chance to live a normal life. I was so desperately in love with her that I'd have done anything to see her free, even if it meant I never saw her again."
My heart almost slammed to a stop in my chest at this most unusual confession, but I used early training to keep a lid on the emotions which threatened to break free of my iron control. "What happened?" I asked.
Gilbert sighed and looked at his large, capable hands which had whomped me more times than I cared to admit. "My brother betrayed me," he said at last. "I told him I didn't want Alys harmed. I wanted her kept safe so I could get her across the Channel safely. She'd agreed with me that it was for the best, that although she loved me, she felt it better if we never saw each other again. She told me she'd always cherish our lives together, but, well, my brother didn't see it that way. He saw a villain, and to him, she was beyond redemption.
"So he snuck into her room one night and froze her to death."
I caught my breath, reining back the instinctive desire to let my heart show. "What then?"
"I had to sentence him to death," Gilbert said quietly. "He'd betrayed my sworn trust, so I had no choice but to have him executed. And believe me when I say it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, almost as hard as sentencing Alys to exile."
I forced myself back to calm. "Is that why you ... " I stopped short of saying the fatal words.
"Every time I see Eva Destruction, I feel horrible," Gilbert confessed, a tormented expression on his face that nearly shattered my self-control. "And it's even worse, since I really do feel strongly for her, more strongly than I should. But I can't help how I feel about her. So I want to tell her how sorry I am about Alys, and let her know that if I could turn back the clock, I'd do all in my power to prevent my brother from doing what he did."
He was telling the truth; superheroes and villains alike couldn't lie (at least, not directly; sleight-of-tongue was perfectly acceptable), and I knew he was being honest with me about what had happened to my sister. But I couldn't let him know that, of course. Instead, I settled for what I hoped would be a way for him to salve his conscience.
"The next time you see her," I said, "maybe ask for a stay so you can formally apologise to her. It might not be much, but it might help her forgive you, at least a little. I can't say as I know how she'd react, but I'm sure she'd be better for knowing you didn't intend to kill Alys."262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQ8Fi5ijKC
Gilbert's face brightened. "That's an excellent idea," he said, taking my hand and kissing it. "I'd almost say you must be quite close to her, but that's impossible." He chuckled. "I can't reconcile the image of you and the image of her. They don't fit quite right together."
I hid a snort. "Just make it a good apology," I said. "And be direct."
Gilbert nodded. "I think I can see my way clear," he said. "Thank you, Miss Rhees. You've done a great deal in mending my worried mind tonight, and I cannot thank you enough."
I smiled. "Just seeing Mister Impossible Sentinel smiling again is thanks enough for me," I said, and Gilbert chuckled as he offered me his arm.
"Shall we dance?" he asked, as the band inside struck up a rather sweet, but also melancholy tune. It fitted my conflicted mood perfectly, and I laid my hand atop his wrist. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbnfMklr33g
"It would be my pleasure," I said. And I meant it.
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