Several days rolled by without incident. No more questions were asked, and it was evident Richard was feeling less stressed now that his father had abandoned his quest to find him a bride.

Paul took a day of leave in late April, and, as usual, Aaron and I agreed to cover his work. As it happened, Aaron took ill with a bout of food poisoning on that day, and so I attempted to cover for both on my own. I concentrated on the essentials, like the horses, because I knew that the other chores could wait, but it was still a lot for one person. I ate my meals quickly that day, but when seven o'clock came, I still had not finished all the tasks. I considered going to tell Richard I would be late, but decided it would not take me much longer, and I would just apologise for my tardiness on arrival.

Indeed, I managed to finish around thirty minutes later, and was tidying up when I heard a noise from the doorway. I looked towards the entrance to see Richard leaning against the door with a raised eyebrow and a smile.

"You would rather be with the horses?" he teased.

"Neither Paul nor Aaron were around today," I told him. "I was just finishing."

"Is there anything I can do to help you finish more quickly?" he offered, walking towards me. "I am keen for you to join me upstairs."

"I thought joining you was voluntary?" I pointed out with a smirk as he reached me.

"You have set a precedent now," he grinned, slipping an arm around my waist before I could stop him. His free hand was suddenly moving through my hair and his mouth swallowed any response I had.

Wriggling, I pulled myself free of his grasp.

"Richard!" I hissed, looking round for any sign of company. "Not here!"

I turned and continued to tidy away the equipment that was out.

"You said Paul and Aaron were not here," he remarked casually. "Who else would be in the stables at this hour?"

"I dread to think," I said, astonished at how carefree he could be sometimes. "Just stop causing trouble and wait for me upstairs," I instructed. "I will not be long."

Richard grumbled, but obediently left me to complete my work. I smiled as I thought of the evening ahead, and all the ways I was going to make it up to him.

Both Paul and Aaron returned the following day. Between us, we caught up on everything that I had missed, and my routine stabilised for a few more days.

Soon it was the last Friday of April, and I had just finished dinner with Annabelle after work. My plan was to wash and change and see Richard as usual.

As I left the kitchens, I was approached by a young lady. She was not much older than me and was well-presented in an ankle length green dress with white trim. She carried a dainty brown satchel over one shoulder. Her dark auburn hair fell about her face in natural curls, tied with a white bow, and if I had been that way inclined, I may have found her attractive.

"Good evening," she said with a curtsey. "My name is Katherine."

"Sebastian," I nodded in response.

"Delighted to make your acquaintance," she smiled. "Do you have a few minutes you could spare for a walk with me, Sebastian?"

I hesitated, wondering whether I had enough time. I could probably manage a few minutes with this girl and still meet Richard at seven o'clock, so I offered her my arm and, after she accepted it, walked her towards the gardens. Grey clouds threatened rain, but none had fallen yet.

"So, are you new to the castle?" I asked in casual conversation.

"No," she laughed. "I am just visiting."

"I see," I smiled at her. "Are you visiting anyone in particular?"

"In a way," she replied cryptically as we continued our path through the gardens, in the direction of the stables. "I am the handmaiden of Lady Madeleine of the Collingwood province. I am sure you are probably aware that she has a romantic interest in Prince Richard?"

"Vaguely," I answered dismissively, but my insides grew tight with concern at where this conversation could be leading.

"King Harold told her that Richard had a lover, the identity of whom is unknown. Lady Madeleine sent me to seek more information on the subject," she smiled wryly at me. I shivered but knew that I needed to remain composed.

"So, you have come to me in the hope that I will be able to disclose the identity of Prince Richard's lover?" I guessed.

"Not at all!" she giggled, and then looked around us, as if to ensure we were not being watched. "The reason I am speaking to you is because I already know the identity of Prince Richard's lover."

Adrenaline flooded my system and I felt flushed as I wondered whether this could be some calculated act on her part.

"Perhaps we could find somewhere private to talk, Sebastian?" she suggested.

I could not push any words past the lump that had formed in my throat and so I gestured towards the stables. I had been dreading a moment like this all my life, and Katherine did not look as though she were bluffing. Would I be able to plausibly deny this?

Once inside the stables, I sat on a bale of hay and waved her to sit on the one next to me.

"What is it you think you know?" I challenged, trying to keep any emotion out of my voice.

"Richard has many that are loyal to him, so I knew that asking questions was a waste of time," she explained calmly. "I trusted that if I stayed close to him for long enough, he might reveal something of himself to me."

"You spied on him?" I clarified, agitated.

"I like to think it was down to good fortune that I was in the right place at the right time," she smirked. "Which, as it happens, was in this very stable last Wednesday."

My heart froze at her words, as the memory of Richard kissing me in the stall rushed back.

She knew.

I made a conscious effort to keep the contents of my stomach from emptying over the hay.

She had followed him and seen everything.

She knew.

After eight blissful months with Richard, it was all over. Just like that. I looked away from her so that she would not be able to see the tear that escaped when I blinked.

What had we done?

The silence that followed was formidable.

"What will you do now?" I asked eventually, looking at my hands folded in my lap instead of at Katherine.

"I have come to make you an offer, Sebastian," she said in a manner that was too sickly sweet for my disposition. She extracted a small, brown, opaque bottle from her satchel. "An apothecary from Collingwood made this for me to give to you. It is a cure."

"A cure?" I repeated, holding back the stinging tears that were trying to force their way to the surface.

"For your condition," she explained. "You have a disease, Sebastian. But there is a cure." She held out the little bottle and I took it with trembling fingers. "I have brought one dose for you and one for Richard," she explained, lifting another identical bottle from the bag.

I blinked, looking at her blankly, unable to fully process what she was saying.

"Do you not see? You can both be free of this curse," Katherine smiled sweetly, giving me the other bottle as well. "I will give you both bottles, and I will stay with you while you drink yours. When you experience how effective it is, and how you crave women instead of men, you will be able to go to Richard and persuade him to do the same."

Other than the enforced secrecy of our relationship, I liked being with Richard, and I was not convinced I wanted to be 'cured.'

"I need to discuss this with Richard," I said.

"There is no time for that," she replied. "This is your only opportunity. I must return to Lady Madeleine tonight."

I inspected the bottles, turning them over in my hands. I was not sure what I was looking for; they just looked like ordinary medicine bottles.

"And if I refuse?" I asked.

"Then by tomorrow morning, everyone of any importance will know about your affair," she replied. Her words felt like a knife was twisting through my heart as I considered the consequences of that. "I do not want that to happen, Sebastian. All I want is to ensure that my lady has a fair opportunity to win Richard's heart. There is no reason for anyone to get hurt. You must surely see that I am proposing a solution from which, in the longer term, everybody benefits."

"This is blackmail," I responded accusingly, angry that this impossible decision was being thrust upon me in this manner.

"Perhaps," she conceded, shrugging confidently.

"It would be your word against ours," I reasoned. "You have no evidence."

"You are correct," she said. "However, the apothecary that serves our province is extremely talented. He can make a truth potion, that once consumed, will not allow a person to lie. If you have nothing to hide, there would be no reason to refuse such a potion, of course."

I stared at the bottles, fidgeting with them nervously as I was slowly backed into a corner I did not want to be in.

"Actually, I have an even better idea," she exclaimed with some excitement. "We could suggest that Richard take the truth potion in public, and then ask him about you. He would have no choice but to confess the truth to a large audience. So, there are various ways this could play out." She paused for a few seconds before continuing. "And just in case you are thinking of disposing of me, if I do not return to Lady Madeleine tonight, she knows to come straight to you for a reason why."

My head was cloudy. This hellion had apparently thought of everything. Not that I would have 'disposed' of Katherine, although goodness knows I certainly felt like it.

Was this a good solution? It was hard to think when it was being forced upon me.

One of my tears escaped and splashed onto the glass of the bottle, followed by another landing on the base of my thumb.

"Do you like being the way you are, Sebastian?"

I did not answer. It was true that there were many times in the past that I had wished I was different, but recently, with Richard's help, I had started to become more accepting of it. Katherine continued speaking when she realised I was not going to give her a response.

"Do you not long for a normal relationship? One that you do not have to conceal?" She tilted her head so that she could see my face better. "One that Richard does not have to conceal?" she added pointedly.

The future course of both of our lives was literally being held in my hands. Could I risk exposing Richard and sentencing him to death without even consulting him? Could I watch him humiliate himself publicly, knowing I could have prevented it?

I wrestled with my conscience. I had sworn 'until death do us part,' but death was going to be parting us very soon indeed if I did not divorce us first. It was becoming clear that we were about to be separated one way or the other. Drinking this cure that I was being offered, gave us a way of doing so without humiliation or execution. We could have another chance at life. Perhaps I would be capable of falling in love with Annabelle and we could be married and have children. Even though I was devastated at the thought of losing Richard this way, it was better than the alternative I was now presented with.

Once I was no longer attracted to him, Richard would probably be more easily swayed into taking the other potion. When he no longer loved me or wanted me, he would surely not mind the broken vow and see this as a better option than the punishment we would have faced otherwise.

Curing myself of this disease and then persuading Richard to do the same seemed like the better of the two options I had.

I put one of the bottles into the pocket of my jacket for Richard and took the stopper out of the other one.

"You are making the right decision," Katherine assured me. "If I understood the apothecary correctly, the taste is not pleasant, but you must endeavour to drink it all. It will take a little time to work, perhaps up to an hour. It may take a little time to adjust, but you will be so much happier after this, Sebastian. I will stay with you so that you are not alone when the change happens."

I had never been as nervous in my life as I was then. Shaking, I lifted the bottle to my lips and tilted my head back. The foul liquid poured into my mouth. Katherine had understated the vile taste of this substance, and I was unable to drain the bottle in my first attempt, although I was sure I had ingested at least half of it. I decided I would swallow the rest after I had given my taste buds a chance to recover. I looked up at Katherine, who was smiling and waiting patiently.

As I looked at her, a burning sensation started forming where the liquid had settled in my stomach. My limbs started to feel frail and my body started convulsing as pain shot through me. Katherine's image became unfocussed as my vision became hazy. I tried to ask her what was happening, but no sound came out when I tried to speak. Tight spasms wreaked havoc with my stomach as the pain got worse. Weakness consumed me until I could no longer hold myself upright.

I reached out to Katherine for help, but she simply moved aside as I collapsed on the hay bale.

The last thing I saw was a blurry image of Katherine's auburn hair bouncing as she skipped out of the stables, and then there was nothing.