"Try Glass's watch. It already contains some magic."
I removed my glove and held one side of the watch while Gabe touched the other. He read his spell, and I spoke one that was close to mine, but not quite right. I switched the order of two words and mispronounced another.
When we finished, both men studied the watch. I studied Payne.
He clicked his tongue as if admonishing a naughty child. "Again. And this time, Miss Steele, say the proper spell."
"That was the proper one."
"It didn't glow. Glass's watch always glowed when the magic worked. I saw it myself. Try again, and this time, if it doesn't glow, I'll quite happily shoot that annoying little cousin of Glass's."
I didn't know which cousin he spoke of, but I didn't dare ask or risk speaking the spell incorrectly again. I opened the watchcase and we touched the watch again. This time I used the correct extending spell.
The watch emitted a pale purple glow, much weaker than when I'd first witnessed Matt use it.
Gabe reached the end of his spell and gasped. He stared at the watch. "It's warm." It was likely he'd never felt any magic other than what he naturally exuded. I almost managed a smile, thinking back to my reaction when I'd first felt magic.
Payne took the watch, snapped the case closed and stood. "Thank you. I'll be back in an hour."
Gabe shot to his feet. "Where are you going?"
"None of your business."
"You can't leave us here! We did as you asked."
"I cannot be sure of that until I try this out on a dying man."
Gabe charged forward, but Payne lifted the gun and aimed it at his chest. Gabe halted and put up his hands.
Payne left, locking the door behind him.
I went to the window and looked out. A few moments later, Payne walked off down the street. "He's gone," I said, leaning my forehead against the bars.
Gabe shouted for help again. He asked me to step aside then tried to wrench the bars free, all the while bellowing. I even joined in, although I knew it was hopeless. Everything was hopeless. We would be trapped here until Payne decided to set us free, and I knew from Matt's stories that he wouldn't let us simply walk away. We were too valuable.
Gabe perched on the back of the sofa and groaned. I felt terrible for him. I felt terrible for my part in his capture. I really ought to help him try to escape to make amends.
"Help!" I shouted. "Help us!"
He bucked up a little and joined in. Together we shouted until our voices became hoarse and our throats dry. I even sipped some of the cold tea to moisten it.
No one came to our aid.
We both sat on the sofa, sending up a cloud of dust. Neither of us spoke for several long seconds.
"We did it, though," Gabe eventually said, his voice full of wonder. "We combined our spells into that watch. Bloody hell." He stared down at his hands as if they had performed the magic.
"Don't be too excited," I said.
"It only works for the watch's owner, I know."
"And we can't be certain your spell worked until the person who owns the watch tries to use it to heal themselves. And since Matt is the owner of the watch…" I choked back a sob.
"But it glowed. My magic did work."
"My magic caused it to glow. I've used that spell on that watch several times and it has glowed each time. The glow has grown fainter in recent days, however. Faint like it was today. My magic hasn't been enough to revive it."
"So you don't think my spell worked?"
"No."
He studied the piece of paper again. "Should I have spoken it differently?"
"Probably, but I don't know how. You said it the way I would have."
"We'll have to tell Payne that when he returns. If we don't…" He swallowed heavily.
We sat in silence, until I could no longer stand it. All I could think about was Matt, and that started my tears again.
"He asked me to marry him." I didn't know why I told Gabe. The words spilled out before I even realized what I was saying.
"Oh?"
"I said no."
"Oh."
My lips trembled and I fought against a fresh wave of tears. "I should have said yes."
"Perhaps you still can. Perhaps he's all right."
"You saw him, Gabe. In your professional opinion, did he have long to live?"
He picked up Payne's watch and opened the case. He studied the dial, keeping his face averted. "The American doctor who saved Mr. Glass, was he related to…to my father?"
It was a relief to talk about something other than Matt. My own thoughts were too awful and I no longer wished to be left alone with them. "They were cousins."
"Did he have children?"
"No. You really are the only doctor magician we could find. My grandfather searched the globe for years. He was rather obsessed with finding one."
He heaved a sigh. "It would have been nice to have cousins."
"I'm an only child too, with no cousins, no aunts or uncles, only my grandfather now, and I don't know where he is. Matt's friends are like my family." I hadn't known them more than a few months, yet that was how they felt—like a family.
"Do you know the circumstances of my birth, India?"
"Yes."
"Would…would you mind telling me?"
I told him what I knew about his father, including the fact he'd kept a mistress despite being already married. I told him about his mother and how I'd met her, and even how Matt had broken into her house and learned about the convent. His crime didn't matter anymore anyway.
I told Gabe about the mystery surrounding his disappearance as a baby, and how Sister Bernadette had rescued him. I did not tell him that she had accidentally killed Mother Alfreda. I'd promised to keep it a secret, and I would keep that promise.
"She told us where to find the couple who took you in," I said. "Your mother seemed very nice. Mrs. Seaford, I mean."
He smiled. "She is. They're good people, and I haven't always been a good son." His smile turned sad. "I should have told them how grateful I am for everything. And that I love them."
"I'm sure you don't need to. Parents just know these things. Adopted ones too, I'm sure."
"It was the magic, you see. I grew up feeling out of place, like I didn't belong with them, or around the artless. It led me to say and do things I later regretted."
"Your adopted father was a magician, wasn't he? Didn't he help you understand it?"
"He tried, but it wasn't the same. He's a silversmith magician. He has his own jewelry shop but never uses magic on the creations he sells, only in things he gave me or Mama. He explained about magic, how it didn't last, and how it must be kept hidden or the guild would find a way to exclude him. My parents told me that I have the power to heal minor wounds through touch alone, but without a spell, I can't do more." He stared at his hands. "My father warned me growing up that I would be compelled to try to heal the sick, and they never stopped me from becoming a physician. They never expected me to take over from my father in the shop. I'm eternally grateful for that."
"He understood your compulsion to heal."