Charles had to agree. The more they were together, the more he liked even the simplest of gestures like this. “As do I.”
He turned his head to peer out the window on his side. The carriage had slowed down to a walk and from what he could tell, there was a very long line in front of them. There would be no relief until they were farther into London and carriages began to veer off to their destinations.
Ordinarily, he would exit the carriage and walk to his destination. The carriage would come, but a bit later, and by then he would be sitting back in front of a cozy fire. There would be none of that today. She’d just gotten over him disappearing on the estate and he didn’t need to pull another one. So he’d just stay put.
“Who knows? Maybe some of these people have been invited to hear you play.”
“If you’re trying to make me even more nervous than I already am, it’s working,” she said.
“You’re nervous? I find that hard to believe.”
“What has me on edge is the idea that I have no real experience playing private parties. Except for my parents’ soirees, of course.”
“Can you not pretend no one is in the room with you?” he asked.
“That’s what I try to do, but if there are even a few who insist on whispering during my performance, it takes all I have not to stop and reprimand them for being rude.”
Charles burst into a fit of laughter. He could imagine her doing that. Stopping midway through a piece, getting up from the piano, and confronting the offending party.
“I’m glad you think that’s funny,” she said. She was trying not to smile.
“I apologize, but I can see you doing this.”
“That’s because I have.”
“What? Do tell.”
Cathryn smiled and turned to face him better. “It happened at one of my mother’s teas. I was in the middle of a piece by Mozart. An entire table, sitting off to my right, had sat there the entire time I’d been playing, whispering and just being rude. I stopped playing and stood in front of them and told them off. One of the women was a dowager duchess, who I shan’t name. She looked at me like ‘how dare you.’”
“Did you continue? Or did you quit?”
“I went back, sat down, and started the piece from the beginning. And before you ask, no, the duchess and her friends continued on as though nothing had happened.”
“They didn’t!”
“Oh, yes. The duchess even told my mother I was rude and had no manners and that my mother needed to fix my bad behavior before it was too late.”
He snorted. “Sounds like the duchess had the bad manners.”
“Yes. I’ve never seen her since that day. My mother said she’d bought a home in Paris and had moved there.”
“I’d say she’ll get along just fine with the French.”
She nodded, saying nothing for a few moments. Charles could tell she wasn’t feeling well again. He kissed her on the forehead.
“Why don’t you lie down for a while? You look as though you’re not feeling right again.”
“I hate to because we’re so close, and the jerking of the carriage doesn’t help.”
“I can imagine. Unfortunately, we’re going to have to endure it for a while longer.”
“Hmmm.”
She had removed her hat hours ago and laid her head in his lap, kicking her feet up on the seat. Situations like this still made him uneasy. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to act. Running his hand up and down her arm seemed to comfort her.
Finally, as the carriage drove up on to the cobblestones, he felt at ease. They were at least in town and his driver would know alternative streets to use to help speed up the last of their ride.
“Where are we?” Cathryn asked without sitting up.
