The Duke was greeted by Mr. Dunn the morning of the audition. Papa had not gone in to work early, as he wanted to see his daughter off for her most important audition.

Emily was dressed very smartly in a lilac colored, form-fitting dress, a simple set of pearls, a small hat, gloves, and a pale blue shawl.

“Good morning Miss Emily, are you all ready?” Mark asked as he gave Emily a large smile.

“As ready as I can be.”

Papa whispered, “I am so excited for you,” and then gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Emily had found it surprising how quickly her father had come around to accepting her potential new career. He had sat with her each evening as she practiced, encouraging her, and turning pages for her, even though she had all of her pieces for the audition memorized.

“All the very best, my darling,” Mother said, waving her handkerchief as the Duke escorted her to his carriage.

Emily turned to glance at her family before she mounted the carriage. She realized she was on the threshold of a new life and she wanted to have one last glance at her current life before it all changed.

Settled into the carriage, Mark said, “I stopped by to see Alice yesterday, and she is all atwitter about your audition today. Everything is ready for you. She had the piano tuned yesterday afternoon and she has sent the boys to her husband’s parents so there is no possibility for distraction.”

“How generous and kind she is.”

Mark put his hand on Emily’s. “Are you nervous?”

She shot him a glance. “What do you think,” she said with a chuckle.

“Here, I have something for you,” he said, reaching into his vest pocket and pulling out an old penny. “This is my good luck penny. I am giving it to you so that you may send Monsieur Bellieu into a realm of ecstasy from which he will never recover.”

Emily took the penny and examined both sides. “I do not see any magic symbols. It looks like any regular old penny to me,” she said with a smile.

“Ah, but the magic is unseen.”

Emily kissed the penny and slipped it inside her glove. “I have no pockets.”

“But you cannot play the piano with gloves,” he chortled.

“No, but I shall keep it on my person as I play.”

“But if you have no pockets…”

“But a Lady can always find a way to conceal anything,” she said mischievously.

“I best leave that alone.”

Finally, they arrived at the Savoy residence, and Mark escorted Emily out of the carriage. She was carrying a small folio of music in case she was called upon to sight read.

Alice, herself, answered the door.

“My darlings…” she greeted, opening her arms to receive them.

“Is Monsieur here yet?” Mark asked.

“Not yet. But all is ready in the sitting room.” She turned to Emily. “How do you feel?”

“Squared away and ready to play.”

Alice took her arm and led the way to the drawing room.

There was a stunning bouquet of flowers on top of the piano—with several other arrangements around the room.

“How lovely,” Emily gasped as she removed her shawl and gloves, tucking the penny into her bodice, unseen.

“I wanted the room to be festive for you. But will you need the top of the piano up?” she asked.

Emily considered. “Perhaps that would be best.”

Alice went over to the piano and removed the flowers to a nearby table, lifting the top of the piano and propping it open.

Without saying more, Emily sat at the piano and began running scales to warm up her fingers for playing.

Mark stood back, seeming not to want to intrude, but to let her settle into her pre-performance routine. Alice did much the same, standing by with her arms crossed and watching.

Emily began to play a Chopin etude when the front doorbell rang.

The maid showed Andre into the room. He glanced around the room and saw Emily at the piano.

“And you must be Miss Dunn,” he said, going over, taking her hand and kissing it.

“Monsieur Bellieu, what a pleasure,” Emily said.

Andre then nodded to Alice and Mark and turned back to Emily. “Well, I cannot tell you how much I have been looking forward to this meeting. Are you going to enchant me?”

“That is certainly my intention,” Emily said with confidence.

Alice came over and asked, “Would you like some tea, Andre, before we begin?”

“I think after would be better. Let me hear the young lady play and then we can relax. I am quite certain she will be more relaxed after she performs. Is that not so, Miss Dunn?”

“Whatever suits you the best.”

“Excellent. Then shall we begin?”

Alice escorted Andre to a row of chairs that had been arranged for listening. She joined Mark and Andre and they settled in for the concert.

Emily introduced each piece of music she was to play and the audition proceeded smoothly and without any problems. And when she had finally finished, she let the last note reverberate into silence before turning to her audience.

Andre sat with his chin resting on his folded hands staring at her with pensive knitted brows. Alice and Mark’s hands were poised for applause as they turned to see Andre’s reaction. But he was unmoved.

Finally, he said, “Thank you, Miss Emily. That was a splendid effort.”

Splendid effort? Emily was stricken. Had it been that bad?

Mark turned to Andre and trembled as he asked, “Splendid effort? Is that all you thought it was?”

Andre, ever the professional said, “Yes, only a splendid effort.” He went over to Emily and continued, “There is no doubt you are gifted, Miss Emily, but you are not yet ready to be a solo performer on the professional concert stage. I cannot, in a good conscious, offer to book you a European tour at this time. Perhaps in a year or two, after you have acquired more experience as a solo performer. But, as of now, you are not ready. I am so sorry to have to deliver to you this upsetting news. But that is how it is.”

Andre returned to Mark and Alice and said, “Thank you, Your Grace, for this opportunity.” He turned to Alice and took her hand. “Madam Savoy, thank you for hosting the audition. And good day to all of you. I shall not keep you any longer.”

Mark was not yet ready to let Andre leave, and restrained him by the shoulder.

“Monsieur Bellieu, I have to say I do not agree with your assessment of Miss Emily’s performance. I thought it was magnificent.”

“As did I,” Alice added.

Andre acknowledged their comments with a nod. “I am certain you did. However, neither of you are professional concert promotors and I am sorry to say we have a different standard for what we feel is acceptable. Good day, ladies, Your Grace.”

And with that, he took his walking stick and swept out of the room.

The three were in shock and turned to look at each other. Finally, Mark went over to Emily who was barely able to speak as she still sat at the piano uncertain what to do next. He put his arm on her shoulder and said, “We must certainly consider his opinion, as he is, indeed, a professional.”

“But so am I,” Alice spoke up, “And I would venture to say I know every bit as much about professional musicians as he does.”

“But he has much more experience with my situation,” Emily said softly, just now beginning to assimilate the blow. “The two of you have been very supportive, but perhaps biased in my favor. What we have just had was a professional and unbiased assessment.”

“I think we need to examine our other options,” Mark said. “I have many other contacts. Fear not, dear Miss Emily, this is not over yet.”

“I think I should like that tea now,” Emily said. “I definitely need some fortification, and there is nothing like a good cuppa, is that not so?”

Alice laughed, breaking the tension. “I could not agree more.” And she rang the bell for the maid.

Emily stood up from the piano bench and, with her back turned to the others, retrieved the penny. She turned back to the Duke, went over to him, taking his hand and placing the penny in it.

“It might work for you, but it seems it does not for me.”

“I did not say it was fast acting. Perhaps the magic works more slowly than one might hope for. Keep it. I know it will work for you eventually.”

“But who knows? The magic might work in some other area of my life and not affect my career at all.”

“But that is the nature of magic—it is mysterious and surprising—just like life.”

Emily kept the penny and returned it to its safe-keeping place.

The tea arrived and they sat in comfortable chairs around the tea table.

Alice said as she served the tea, “I am certainly glad I did not invite Monsieur Bellieu to Linfield for our weekend. I was thinking to do it today. But it would have been a disaster.”

Mark appeared to be deep in thought before he said, “Speaking of that weekend, I have a few more chaps I should like to ask down. I have by no means exhausted my sources for the tour. I have several more European contacts. I shall send them invitations—express—and hope a few of them might be free to attend.”

“And what should I do now?” Emily asked. “I have left the trio with the expectation of touring and now I am out in the cold.”

“Let me speak to Silas about some local touring and perhaps I might explore a few other options.”

“Do you think I might need some coaching from someone experienced in training solo performers? I have doubts now about Giles. He might be fine for helping the trio, but he may not be experienced enough in working with solo performers.”

“Let me enquire around,” Alice offered. “My dear friend, Annika Stafford, who teaches at the Academy, might have a few suggestions.”

Emily sighed. “It never ends, does it? The work. The struggle. The anguish.”

“My dear, the level of rewards you are searching for do not come easy. Certainly, you must understand that by now,” Alice said gently.

Emily looked at her with the most sorrowful gaze. “I know. I truly do.”

* * *

“Oh, hello,” Trent exclaimed as he opened the Allen household’s front door. “I did not know you were to visit.” He seemed to think Emily did not appear to be her cheery self. “Come in, you look like you need a hug and a kiss on the cheek.”

“I do,” she said, bursting into tears, and stepping inside.

“Fanny,” Trent called out loudly. “We have a hug emergency.”

“Oh, oh, oh, oh,” Fanny cried out as she galloped to the entrance hall.

They threw their arms around Emily and gave her a series of cheek kisses.

“Now… come tell mama and papa all about it,” Fanny cooed as she led Emily to the parlor by the hand.

It was an unusually cloudy and cool afternoon and they had a small coal fire in the fireplace around which they sat.

Fanny had been reading, while Trent was in the middle of repairing a Wellington boot with a rubber patch. But all was abandoned to focus on Emily’s tears.

Emily dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief. She blew her nose and composed herself before telling her friends of her ordeal at the hands of Andre Bellieu.

“Contemptible blighter!” Trent exclaimed when she had finished her tale. “Cast the blaggard out. Send him into exile!”

Emily laughed. “But he lives in France. One can hardly throw him out.”

“Metaphorically speaking, then,” he said with some finality.

“What are you to do?” Fanny asked. “You have already left the trio.”

“Keep at it. The Duke and Alice have arranged a country weekend at Linfield where there is to be an impressive guest list of musical notables. After all, one failure is not the end of the road.”

“How very brave you are,” Trent said, leaning forward in his chair and reaching out his hand.

Emily took his hand and shook it, “Thank you.” But he was reluctant to let go.

“Is there anything we can do?” he asked.

“Not really. Unless you are wizards at arranging a European tour.”

Fanny threw her hands up in the air. “I can barely organize my stocking drawer, let along a musical tour.”

Trent, unable to engage Emily physically any further, sat back in his chair. “By the way, what in deuces has happened to your sister?”

“Ruth?”

“No, the other one—the mousy Teresa. I saw her on our street the other evening and I did not recognize her until she spoke to me.”

Emily chuckled. “It was time to take her in hand. She has taken an interest in the new pianist for the trio, but she was hopelessly plain and needed some intervention. So I helped relieve her of her dowdy manner.”

“But that new pianist—is he not the young man who took you to that café where you both performed?” Fanny asked.

“He is.”

“And I thought the two of you were becoming more than just friends?”

Trent appeared to not like the direction this conversation was heading, and he folded his arms and pouted.

“He is charming and very attentive, but we are just friends right now. I cannot think of any serious romance while I am struggling with my career.”

“Then you are brightening up Teresa to be your substitute?” Trent asked hopefully.

“Not at all. He shows no interest in her. But she needs for him to at least like her, and she certainly needs a more professional appearance for the trio.” Emily turned to Trent. “And you thought Teresa looked better than before?”

He waggled his head. “Somewhat, but she still has those monstrous spectacles.”

“She is getting new ones. They will be much better.” Then Emily teased Trent by saying, “And I thought she might just be the perfect match for you, Trent.”

He looked at her aghast. “Emily, you know you are my only, enduring and true, lifetime love. How could you even suggest….”

She chuckled. “It was just a thought.”

Each sat back in their chairs in silence for a moment as the fire purred.

Fanny suddenly sprang out of her chair, “Oh, Emily, come. Father has installed the most ingenious new gadget in the kitchen. Come see.”

She reached out her hand to Emily’s and pulled her out of her chair.

Trent groaned. “You are not still going on about that meat grinder are you?”

“It is a miracle of modern science,” Fanny shouted back.

“And what was wrong with the knife?” Trent grouched.