***
“I am glad that I thought to bring so many scones!” Elizabeth’s chipper voice filled the void of conversation. Not that she had given much of anyone space to get a word in edgewise thus far. She seemed too excited to stop chittering.
Catherine was hardly able to stay in her seat. It was the polite thing to do, to have tea with Lord Landry and Lord Wentworth, but she wanted to go and inspect her pianoforte. She hoped desperately that it had not been damaged in any way. It was the one thing that had truly broken her heart to lose.
She could not believe that he went through the trouble of retrieving it for her. It could not have been a simple task. Even with how cruel she had been to him that day when it had been taken…He had done this for her.
It was hard to keep from staring at him.
Their alliance was still so new and fragile, but this seemed every bit a testament to his intentions. He was with her. This would work.
“Go on then,” Lord Landry said finally.
Even Elizabeth stopped speaking then.
“Go play it,” he continued, his eyes were only for Catherine. Something was alight in his eyes as she happily scooted back from the small circular metal table where they had been having tea. In through the parted double doors leading back inside from the small patio, where the pianoforte now consumed a large portion of the room.
Catherine’s fingers ran reverently over the polished surface. Small nicks and dings marred the surface here and there, but she could only imagine what those horrible creditors had been doing to it in the time that they had it. She tucked her skirts under her thighs delicately before easing down onto the bench.
She almost did not know where to start. It felt oddly important that she choose the correct piece to play since she now had it back in her possession, but the pressure of it mounted too high. She had none of her sheets of music, regardless. So, she picked something soft and sweet. Something that she could play by memory as her fingers started to move over the keys.
The pianoforte was slightly out of tune. Some of the keys now stuck where they were in need of oil or polishing, but she did not care much. She was merely happy to play. The music filled that angry place in her chest with something bright and soothing. Something that made her think of the sliver of hope she now held onto for the future.
Almost against her will, her focus turned to the man now standing beside her. She had not even heard him approaching. Her fingers nearly fumbled over the notes as they made eye contact. “Has anyone ever told you how mesmerizing you look playing the pianoforte?”
A smile that she could not stop stretched over her features. She could not even remember the last time that she had truly felt happy to this degree. She closed her eyes softly, letting the music wash over her as the song neared its conclusion. She could not help herself.
“Thank you for this,” Catherine said softly, her eyes opening to see the pure joy reflected in his own.
“You can thank me with a walk?” Richard grinned and took a step away from the pianoforte.
“It is improper!”
“Your reputation is ruined already, is it not?” Richard’s brow lifted as he teased her. He held out his hand to her—and lord help her, she took it.
Chapter 14
Rosewood Haven
“I do not consider myself to be a man with a temper,” Richard said as they started the walk down the winding path around her cottage. It would have been overly simple to lose herself in the beauty of nature that surrounded them. The trees overhead and the spattering of sunlight filtering through them made for a beautiful sanctuary.
The scent of flowers and soil as they walked. The soft song of birds singing in the distance would have been diverting enough were she walking with any other man than Richard. It was hard to keep her eyes off of him as it was, but even harder still when he continued to come all of this way simply to spend time with her.
“In fact, I have tried my very hardest to keep from having anything even sort of similar to a temper out of the deep-seated fear that I would ever become anything like my father.” He took a deep breath and continued speaking, “But, when I tell you that I nearly swung on one of those creditors? I need you to understand how rare of a thing that was.”
“You did not!” Catherine exclaimed. “I cannot imagine how that would have gone.”
She tried to imagine the man standing beside her engaged in a fight. Even just a round of fisticuffs seemed improbable. He was large enough, and fit enough, but she could not imagine a scenario where he would ball his fist and actually strikeanyone.
Though she appreciated that he cared so much about the fact that her pianoforte was so important to her. It was a fact that would not easily be forgotten.
It was not as if it did not look like he could take care of himself. He clearly could. He was obviously well-trained in all of the usual arts, fencing, and hunting—possibly even some boxing from the way she had seen him and his friend Lord Wentworth teasing each other and cuffing one another around the ears. However, she could not picture Lord Landry actually becoming enraged enough to actually harm another person.
“It is true.” He nodded. “I was the bigger person and refrained, but it was not a simple thing to accomplish by any means. I almost hesitate to tell you, for I do not wish for you to become distressed, but they manhandled the pianoforte, and I had to save it. A regular hero is what I am.”
Catherine laughed. It feltgoodto be so light on her feet. She did not think that even her mother’s consistent nagging could have possibly brought her down this day. She was too happy to be reunited with her music. Without thinking, she reached for Richard and looped her arm through his, pulling herself closer to him as they walked. He automatically adjusted his gait to match her slower pace.
“Well, I hope that you gave them a good what for! It does not matter what their occupation is. There is simply no excuse to be rough with instruments. Music is one of the great joys in life. It crosses all socioeconomic classes. I have never met a single person who did not enjoy music, regardless of circumstance,” Catherine explained easily, as if it ought to be the most obvious thing in the world. “There is no situation or mood that cannot be vastly improved by music.”
