Chapter Sixteen

Henry smiled at all of his guests, then gestured to his betrothed. "Thank you all for an excellent day of fine company, excellent conversation and good sport." The shooting party had been a grand afternoon's entertainment and the ladies appeared to have enjoyed their afternoon together. The dinner had been superb and now the evening's entertainment had come. "This evening, we are to have a small band of musicians come to play for us. We shall have some dancing, if you wish and – "

"And Miss Tidemore, of course, is going to perform on her violin!"

Henry's smile fixed to his face as he looked around the dinner table, horrified that his mother had spoken so and yet unable to refute what she had said. That would bring nothing but embarrassment to them all. His eyes fell to Edith, noting how her eyes had widened a little, though that was the only reaction she gave to such a pronouncement.

"Oh, how wonderful!" Miss Grifford exclaimed, as her parents nodded in obvious delight. "I should be very glad to hear you play, Miss Tidemore. I have heard that you are quite a remarkable musician!"

Miss Tidemore swallowed and then smiled, though Henry could tell very quickly that it was forced. "That is very kind of you, Miss Grifford."

"Shall we take our leave of the gentlemen, ladies?" The Duchess, clearly pleased given the bright smile on her face. "Gentlemen, we shall leave you to your port." So saying, she rose to her feet and promenaded out of the room, leaving the other young ladies to follow thereafter. Henry, seeing the way Miss Tidemore glanced at him, turned and, after a moment of hesitation, excused himself from the other gentlemen.

"Edith." He caught her arm, pulling her back gently as the other ladies continued on to the drawing room. "Edith, are you quite all right?"

She blinked up at him, her face pale. "Your Grace?"

"I did not – that is to say, I did not know that you were to play this evening." A little embarrassed in case his mother had already made such an arrangement with Miss Tidemore and he had not known of it, Henry dropped his hand. "Was this arrangement spoken of beforehand?"

"I… " Miss Tidemore rubbed one hand over her forehead. "I recall that your mother asked me to play the violin but nothing specific was mentioned." Her smile was a little thin. "Perhaps this evening was what she meant and I did not understand it."

"No, I do not think that was what she meant," Henry said, irritation sending a flush up his chest and into his face. "I am sorry, Edith. She should not have presumed in that way."

Miss Tidemore's eyes flickered but Henry did not understand the cause behind that. With another small sigh, he lifted his shoulders before letting them fall.

"You do not have to play," he said, firmly. "I will simply explain to the guests that there is not enough time before the musicians begin their performance. That will be understood by all, I am sure."

Edith shook her head. "No, Your Grace, please. It is quite all right. I will play for your guests and mayhap my sister will have confidence enough to accompany me on the pianoforte."

Henry reached out to take her hand, a little concerned that she was doing this against her will, having no desire for her to feel obliged. "Please, Edith," he said, quietly. "Please, do not feel obliged. There is no reason for you to be so."

She smiled then and squeezed his fingers lightly. "I would not like to embarrass either yourself or your mother so yes, Your Grace, I shall play." Releasing his hand, she stepped back. "And I should let you make your way back to the other gentlemen. I will go and prepare for my performance."

Henry watched her take her leave, his heart spiraling with a force which knocked the breath out of him. Her hand on his had been no small thing, for when she had pressed his hand back in return, such a heat had rushed through him, it had felt as though his very bones were on fire. It had startled him, shocked him to the very core of his being and when she released his hand, all he had wanted to do was to reach out and take a hold of it again, simply so that he might continue to feel this overpowering reaction. It seemed to jolt him, to knock him with a strength which broke away even more of the shadows and the darkness which had held him for so long. He did not know what to make of it but the desire for more, the urgency to have a closer connection with her grew with ever increasing strength as he watched her walk away.

Whatever is the matter with me? Giving himself a slight shake, Henry turned on his heel and made his way back into the drawing room. He was meant to be assessing Miss Tidemore, not finding himself drawn to her! This was the time for her to prove herself, to prove that she could be loyal, that she was not inclined towards flirtation or the like. He certainly could not let himself become distracted by any sort of emotions! Sitting back down at the head of the table, Henry reached for his already filled glass of port and took a large mouthful, letting the sweet taste distract him from his ever increasing thoughts. With the conversation already flowing, Henry deliberately set all thought of the lady from his mind.

***

Henry could not take his eyes from the lady. Edith's eyes were closed, her whole body moving gently as she played. The music was beautiful, filling every part of the room and so driven by emotion and passion, Henry did not want even to breathe for fear that he would interrupt the beauty of it.

"I did not know that your betrothed could play so well," Lord Bradford murmured, leaning close to Henry. Henry gave him only a small nod, still unable to take his eyes away from Edith and certainly having no desire to speak aloud to Lord Bradford. Lord Bradford murmured something to his daughter, Miss Grifford, though she only nodded but said nothing in response. Everyone, it seemed, was enraptured by the playing. Henry was glad that Miss Amelia Tidemore had been willing to play on the pianoforte as an accompaniment. It added something more to an already incredible performance. Henry let out a quiet breath, shaking his head in wonder as the music came to an end, leaving him longing for more. Miss Tidemore stood quietly, her bow lifted from the strings but her eyes still closed. There was a small smile on her lips and, as she opened her eyes and looked out at the audience, her eyes fastened to his.

It was as though he had been knocked back against the wall. The passion in her eyes, passion which had been present all through the music, still lingered in her hazel eyes and sent fire straight through him. Henry swallowed tightly, unable to look away, unable even to blink such was the power of their shared connection.

And then the clapping of the audience broke them apart and Henry dropped his head, dragging in a long breath as he fought to regain control over his emotions. He too applauded, only to see his mother rising to her feet as though she were in charge of leading the rest of the evening's arrangements.

"I do hope that you will be able to play one more piece for us, Miss Tidemore?" she asked, loudly for everyone to hear, though everyone did, of course, nod in fervent agreement. "I do not think that one piece will be enough to satisfy us!"

Edith glanced to her sister who quickly shook her head. "Alas, I do not think that I will be able to this evening. My sister is not familiar with any of the other pieces I could play and I would not like to take time away from the musicians who are soon to play for us."

Henry made his way to the front of the room, only for the Duchess to spread out her hands wide. "Then play a piece without the piano accompaniment! I am sure it will be just as wonderful."

Edith blinked and opened her mouth to respond, but Henry cut straight through her, coming to stand by his mother. "I do have musicians coming to play and Miss Tidemore is correct, I do not want them to be delayed."

"Ah, but one more piece will not take long," the Duchess insisted as murmurs of agreement came from the group. Turning, she grasped a pile of music from the top of the pianoforte and then shuffled through it. "This one, mayhap?" Holding it out for Miss Tidemore to see, Henry watched the lady in question frown and then shake her head.

"Alas, I fear that would be best played with the pianoforte, for there are sections where – "

"I am sure you will do very well." With a toss of her head, the Duchess turned around and faced the waiting guests. "Miss Tidemore is to play Adagio for us."

The name spiked a memory in Henry's mind and, seeing the way Miss Tidemore now bit her lip, worry etched into her eyes, he found himself stepping forward. "And I shall accompany my betrothed on the pianoforte."

His mother swung around, her eyes as wide as Miss Tidemore's were.

"I have played this piece often," Henry told Edith, smiling at her as he made his way to the pianoforte. "My mother must have forgotten that, over the last few years, I have done nothing but mope and play the pianoforte." With a look towards his mother who, after a moment, forced a laugh and then a smile, he sat down and looked out to the waiting audience. "Though if there are any errors, I can assure you that they will be my fault and my fault alone!"

There came a few smiles from the waiting audience but Henry looked to Miss Tidemore, glad to see that the worry had faded from her face and instead, there was a small smile beginning to light her expression. Lifting her violin, she mouthed a ‘thank you' to him before turning to the music.

Henry set his music on the stand and, after a moment, looked again to Miss Tidemore. He did not feel any nervousness nor worry, glad now to be able to free her from what must have brought on a good deal of anxiety. Miss Tidemore lifted her bow to the strings and Henry began, opening the piece with a few bars of an introduction before she came to join him.

It was a momentous experience. He was lost in it, lost in the music and the moment and everything that came with it. His eyes followed the music, his fingers flowing over the keys as the familiarity with the music drove him. It was the first time he had played this particular piece in some time but that did not seem to hinder him. Being able to play with Miss Tidemore, having the sweetness of the violin combine with the melody of the piano made this the most wonderful few minutes he had enjoyed in some time – so much so that he was disappointed when it came to an end.

The audience broke into thunderous applause but Henry directed their attention to Miss Tidemore, finding himself smiling when she blushed furiously though she did manage a curtsy and a smile. Getting up from the pianoforte, Henry bowed and then stepped away, noting, as he went, that his mother was the only one who was not smiling. Rather, she was watching Miss Tidemore with a steady gaze, a look in her eyes which Henry could not quite make out. There was no time to linger on that, however, for Henry quickly then had the musicians sent in before going in search of Miss Tidemore. He found her putting her violin away carefully, having escaped to the parlor to do so.

"Thank you for doing that, Edith."

She jumped in surprise, turning to face him. "Oh, Your Grace! I did not see you come in."

"Please, do not let me stop you. I only wanted to thank you for what you did in playing for the audience – and for trusting me to accompany you!"

Edith closed the violin case and then turned around to face him, smiling gently. "Your Grace, I should be the one thanking you for what you did in stepping in to play. Your mother may not have understood, but that piece requires a pianist."

"No, I do not think she did," Henry assured her, putting one hand out to her, and then bowing over it. "You did magnificently and it was an honour to be able to accompany you." Before he could stop himself, Henry brushed a kiss to the back of her hand and then lifted his head, a little shocked by his own response to her. He saw the same surprise flare Miss Tidemore's eyes but, clearing his throat, he took her hand and then set it on his arm, not giving the moment an opportunity to become strained. "We should return to the drawing room." Without another word, he led her back to the other guests and then showed her to a seat so she might listen to the musicians as they played. As he did so, however, Henry felt himself happy – and happiness was not something he had felt in a very long time indeed. What changes this Miss Tidemore was bringing to him! And how much more might she bring, if only he could bring himself to trust her!