As they entered the dining room, April noticed the table had been laid out in formal elegance. Her place was set at Theo’s right, but somehow it made her pulse stir.
She sat and reminded herself that this was the order of things now.
As the first course was served, Gregory looked around appreciatively. “Stone Hall looks rather different.”
“April has been overseeing the renovations,” Theo explained. “She has quite the eye for balance and color. You must see the music room—she’s done wonders with it.”
April blinked.He is proud of it?
“Impressive,” Gregory said. “You have taste, Your Grace.”
“I wonder,” Loretta interjected with a light smile, “what is your taste in fashion, Your Grace?”
April sipped her wine before replying. “I favor Venetian styles.”
Loretta’s brows arched. “Oh, charming, I suppose. Though I’ve always found French fashion to be far more… superior.”
April offered a thin smile. “Perhaps. But no one can rival Venice in musical artistry.”
“That depends on who you ask,” Loretta argued. “I hold the view that Venetian musicians are still not superior.”
This woman has no knowledge of music. Perhaps I should truly test her.“Indeed,” April replied, “though one must first know the difference between a sonata and a nocturne to begin the discussion of who the superior musicians are.”
Loretta opened her mouth but faltered, her expression tightening.
April turned her attention to her soup, only to feel eyes on her. She glanced up to find Theo watching her.
Her cheeks warmed. His gaze was unreadable, and when the corner of his mouth curved upward, she felt her breath catch.
Why must he look at me like that?
Gregory’s voice broke the moment. “Do you play, Your Grace?”
“She plays like an angel,” Theo said.
Loretta leaned forward. “And what other talents do you possess, Your Grace?”
“I adore reading,” April replied.
Loretta laughed lightly. “Reading? That is hardly a talent.”
April’s smile did not falter. “Then you ought to take it up. It might broaden your perception of the world.”
Gregory coughed and gave his wife a warning glance. “My dear.”
After the final course, Gregory rose. “You must play for us. The music room, shall we?”
They relocated, April leading the way into the warmly lit room. She sat at the pianoforte and began a piece with light fingers. The melody filled the space.
She was surprised when Theo joined her, taking a seat beside her and playing the lower accompaniment. The harmony between them felt like something unspoken, something long overdue.
Their fingers danced across the keys until the final note drifted into silence.
Loretta clapped delicately. “Theo used to play that for me.”
April turned her head slowly. Her stomach knotted.
Theo smiled faintly.
