Four
Two weeks flew by in a flurry of excitement as the new Lord and Lady Whittemore moved house and settled into the enormous, sprawling estate that was Whittemore Manor. Before all their things had been brought to the house, Arthur had Cordelia’s piano brought in and installed in a large, beautiful room that had served as a rather neglected library. The books on the walls and wide windows made it feel as if she was in a real performance space and Arthur had already begun affectionately calling it Cordelia’s Conservatory.
For her part, Cordelia regretted ever thinking that playing the piano wouldn’t help her forget her problems. When she went into the room and looked at her new piano, she felt more at home than she had since she’d married Arthur. It made her happy for a change, something that had become harder as of late.
Cordelia had spent most of her time when she was a girl playing the piano and, much to her surprise, the ability that her sister remembered so well had come back to her. The beginner’s music books she had sent over were opened, flown through, and mastered in a matter of days and she had put in an order for some difficult ones in the hopes she would be able to work through them a little more slowly.
She was in the Conservatory playing a simple canon when a knock on the door made her look up. Mrs. Richmond came in, looking severe as usual, with a package in her hands.
“This just arrived for you,” she said, holding it out. “The address is a music store in London. I suppose Lord Whittemore paid for it to come all this way.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Richmond.” Cordelia took the package from her and turned it over. It was thin, but she could tell it was the music she had asked for. The thought made her smile and the older of the two women indulged herself in a tight smile of her own.
“He must love you a great deal to go to such lengths for a hobby,” Mrs. Richmond said. “You and Bridget are very lucky to have been married to two such loving husbands.” She sniffed. “Many women don’t get the luxury of husbands who care so deeply. It’s as if you two were touched by God.”
“Yes,” Cordelia said, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice. “We’re both very lucky indeed.” She must have succeeded in keeping her tone even, because Mrs. Richmond gave her an approving nod and left to go about her business.
Once she was gone, Cordelia sat down at the piano again and opened the package. She tried to force herself to stay calm, but she hadn’t been this excited in days. Being nearly alone in a massive house with no one to talk to, even with her now-beloved piano, had started taking its toll on her. The books that appeared when she set aside the plain brown wrapper breathed life into her and she smiled far more broadly than she had at Mrs. Richmond.
The top book was far too advanced for her, she could tell that just by thumbing through it, but she also knew that if she worked at it she would be able to play it in time. Part of her felt a surge of affection for Arthur in spite of everything. That he would think her capable of something so advanced was flattering. She wished he did love her. She wanted more than anything for him to love her but she knew that was out of her reach, just like the melodies in the book.
The second one was more on her level, and she set the others aside and put it on the stand. The notes were a little more difficult than what she was used to and she played through the first sonata slowly, pensively, getting a feel for them as she did. Her mind worked as her fingers moved as if on their own, reading ahead and hoping that her muscles would know what to do.
Somewhere else in the house, Cordelia could hear someone knocking on the door. She hit a few discordant notes, distracted by thoughts of who had come to visit, but pulled her attention back to the music. She had servants to deal with that sort of thing, and she tried to put it out of her mind while she played on. The notes came more naturally to her with only a few more missed notes and some bars where she had to slow to a crawl, but when she finished the song she smiled broadly at the music. It was perfect. She hoped she would be able to play it at the correct speed soon. It would be even better then.
“Cordelia, if I could interrupt a moment?” Arthur’s voice to her left made her open her eyes and when she did her heart stopped. There was another man with him, the same handsome man she had seen Arthur talking to at the funeral. She could hardly blame Arthur for having an affair with this man, not even a little. Why he would bring him to meet her was beyond Cordelia’s knowledge but if this was his new game she supposed they would play it for the time being. “I’d like to introduce you to our guest.”
“Of course,” Cordelia said, standing up from her seat to join them at the door. The closer she got to her husband’s mystery man, the more handsome he got. Cordelia found herself noticing things about him that she hadn’t at the funeral. His black hair was slightly longer than her husband’s and quite a bit messier. He looked as if he’d just gotten off a horse and hadn’t bothered to tidy himself up. Once again she was struck by the beauty of his eyes. Now that she was able to look into them again, Cordelia realized that they were a shade of blue she had never encountered before. Instead of a plain blue, there was a hint of green there that rendered them almost turquoise. Yes, she could definitely see the attraction for Arthur. “Good afternoon,” she said, nodding her head at him. “It’s good to see you under better circumstances.”
“I very much agree,” the man said, and his voice sent a shiver down Cordelia’s spine. If Arthur noticed, he didn’t say anything about it, instead motioning to his wife.
“Victor, this is my wife, Lady Whittemore,” Arthur said with a smile. “Darling, this is Victor Pembroke, my new solicitor.”
“Oh,” Cordelia said, raising her eyebrows in surprise. Then he’s not one of Arthur’s lovers? “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Pembroke.” She offered her hand to him and he raised it to his lips, brushing them against the back of her hand as lightly as a summer breeze. Cordelia’s cheeks were on fire at once and she fought to control herself before he noticed.
“Pleased to meet you, Lady Whittemore. I’m sorry to have interrupted you,” Victor said, releasing her hand but not her gaze. “We should leave you to your playing.”
“That’s quite all right,” Cordelia said, a bit too quickly. Now that she knew he didn’t prefer the company of men, she wouldn’t have minded having him stay and chat a little longer.
“We have business to conduct anyhow,” Arthur said. “With Father’s passing, I took the liberty of employing a different solicitor.” He motioned to the door. “Come, Victor, let me show you to the study so we can get started reviewing those papers.”
“Of course.” With a slight inclination of his head in Cordelia’s direction, Victor followed Arthur out of the conservatory and left Cordelia looking after them longingly. She wondered if Arthur had employed this particular solicitor because he was so good-looking and found she didn’t mind. If that was the case, he certainly had good taste.
With a sigh, she sat back down at the piano and found to her surprise that the pages of the music book she had set on the stand were open to a different song than the one she’d started. She turned the pages back, unable to believe she’d really played through the entire song already. It didn’t seem that any time had passed at all. Perhaps that other book isn’t so far out of my reach.
Thinking that her mother would be proud of her, she flipped through the pages, humming the notes as she came across them. When she reached the first page of the song, she set her fingers on the keys lightly. Cordelia smiled and began to play the same song she had before, but a little faster. It was an upbeat piece and it lifted her spirits as the others had, and before she realized it she was playing even faster. It made her want to see what she could really do, so she flipped to a random page and started to play.
Cordelia was so lost in her own world that when she heard the clapping coming from the doorway, she actually jumped. She turned quickly, pressing a hand to her chest, and wasn’t surprised to feel her heart racing beneath it.
“Very nice, very nice,” Victor said, still clapping. “You play quite beautifully, Lady Whittemore.”
“Thank you,” Cordelia said, realizing she was blushing again. The lazy way the solicitor was leaning on the doorframe put her in mind of a man about to enter a bedroom and she tried to put the thought out of her mind. “I’ve just taken it up again.”
“You can’t be serious,” Victor said, pushing himself off the doorframe and into the conservatory. Still smiling, he walked toward her with an easy grace. “That’s the sort of music I’d expect to hear from a woman who had been playing for five or ten years. Are you sure you didn’t have any prior training?”
“I took lessons when I was a child,” Cordelia said, standing up. “My sister reminded me of it and I started playing again very recently. It all just seemed to come back to me at once.”
“I can’t believe it,” Victor said. “You must be more talented than I thought. It just so happens that piano music is one of my favorite things, so I consider myself something of an expert.”
“Oh, do you play too?” Cordelia smiled, excited to have something in common with this handsome man who had the ability to set her cheeks on fire.
“Not me,” he said, holding up his hands and shaking his head. “I’m more of a listener than a performer, but I would love to listen to more of your music. If you’re willing to play for me, that is.” Cordelia shook her head even though she really wanted to invite him to sit on the couch near the bookshelves and play something for him.
“I’m nowhere near good enough for a recital just yet,” she said. “Perhaps you should come back in a few weeks when I’ve had more time to practice. I’ll be happy to play something for you then.”
“I’m going to hold you to that,” Victor said, arching his eyebrow at her. The same rakish smile he’d given her earlier tugged at his lips and she felt heat creeping down her neck as well. She was glad she wasn’t wearing anything with a low neckline, otherwise she would have been pink down her breasts as well. Cursing herself for blushing so easily, she managed a coquettish smile.
“Then I shall have to work extra hard to get up to snuff. I wouldn’t want to disappoint you.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Victor said, meeting her eyes. He held her gaze long enough that Cordelia felt as if she would get lost in the oceans beneath his lashes. “I’m easy to please.”
“There you are, Mr. Pembroke,” Mrs. Richmond said, coming through the Conservatory’s doors. “Lord Whittemore wanted me to catch you before you rode off. I believe he had one more question for you.” She turned her piercing eyes on Cordelia, looked her up and down, then turned her attention to Victor. “I didn’t expect to find you in here alone with Lady Whittemore.”
“Just admiring her prodigious musical talent,” Victor said, bowing slightly to Cordelia as he turned to go. His eyes moved over her slowly as he straightened. “Good afternoon, Lady Whittemore.”
“Good afternoon, Mr. Pembroke.” She watched him go, fully aware of the withering look Mrs. Richmond was giving her as she led Victor out of the conservatory and already preparing for the lecture on propriety she was about to get once he was gone. Cordelia wasn’t looking forward to it, but it wouldn’t be the first one she’d heard. Of course, Birdie was usually the one on the receiving end but she’d had to listen to them all the same.
She sat back down and started playing again, thinking about what Victor had said. He’d supported her by buying her the piano and music books, but Arthur had never said much about her playing itself. Patricia had told her once when she brought her tea that she liked hearing her play but other than her, no one else had so much as mentioned it. Cordelia thought she might enjoy playing for other people but she wasn’t sure if they would even want to listen. The way Victor talked, though, gave her hope.
The idea hadn’t left her head by the time she went to dinner, and when she sat at the opposite end of the table from Arthur it had taken on a life of its own. While the serving maids brought around the food and wine, she tried to work up the nerve to ask her husband for another favor. She knew she had every right to ask it and more, but she hadn’t been brought up to ask for too much. Birdie had always been the one who said exactly what she wanted.
“Arthur,” she said, surprising herself when she heard the words spoken aloud, “I was thinking about having a party.”
“A party? So soon after Father’s death?” He looked just as surprised as she felt and she nodded. “What brought this on?”
“I was playing from the books you had sent for me from London and Mr. Pembroke commented that my playing sounded quite a bit more polished than I expected at this point. I remembered giving little recitals for my parents’ friends when I was a girl, and I thought it would be a good idea to try performing for other people.” She cut into her roast and took a bite, watching Arthur’s face as he did the same.
“That would probably be quite nice,” Arthur said thoughtfully. “Though we wouldn’t be able to have it for another week or two at least. It would be best for us to wait a bit longer than a month after Father’s passing, but if it’s a few days give or take no one should bat an eye.”
Apart from Mrs. Richmond, Cordelia thought, taking a sip of her wine. She hadn’t yet received her scolding for talking to Victor alone but she was sure it was coming. Perhaps not as pointedly as it had when she was a girl, but it was coming all the same. At least now she had the luxury of ignoring her so long as she looked like she was listening. All the lecture would really mean was that she’d have to put up with a week or so of reproachful looks from the woman who bemoaned her and her sisters’ lack of manners, and her barely-concealed reprimands.
“I don’t mind waiting a bit,” Cordelia said. “It will give me a bit more time to practice.”
“All right, then. What would you say to Saturday the eighteenth? We can have your sister and her husband, and some of my friends and associates, and you could favor us with a song or two.” Arthur smiled. “Is there anyone you would like to invite? Anyone else from your family? Perhaps some friends from town?”
“How about Mr. Pembroke? After all, it was his comment that inspired me to perform in the first place.” Cordelia hoped she sounded casual, as if she’d only just thought of it, and kept a careful eye on Arthur to see how he responded.
“That sounds like a splendid idea, darling. This house is so big, we should make it a party that’s befitting of the place. I’m sure Father would approve.” His smile was wide enough that she couldn’t see any suspicion in it and Cordelia returned it brightly with one of her own.
“Thank you, Arthur. I’m getting excited already,” she said. “And a bit nervous as well.”
“There’s no need. I’m looking forward to hearing you play,” he said, taking a sip of his wine. “If you keep practicing as much as you do, I’m certain you’ll put Mozart himself to shame.”
“I’m not sure I’ll ever be as good as all that,” Cordelia said almost absently, her mind already on Victor again. She knew full well she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from grinning like a schoolgirl, so she picked up her wine glass and put it to her lips in the hopes of hiding it. The next two weeks were simply going to drag by.