“She is otherwise occupied,” said Benjamin in a tone that warned him not to make any further inquiries, though it had the opposite effect on David.
“Where is she? I didn’t call yesterday as I assumed she would be resting after the strain of the concert, but I had hoped she would be up to riding out with us today.”
“I assure you, she doesn’t wish to ride out with me,” mumbled Benjamin whilst nudging his friend out of the parlor. Glancing over his shoulder at his friend, David frowned, but when his gaze swept over the parlor once more, something else stole his attention.
“Where is your sister’s piano? I didn’t see it in the drawing room, and I thought it must’ve been relocated back to the parlor, but I do not see it.”
“How can you ask that after her debacle of a performance? Once we arrived home, Mama locked herself in her bedchamber and hasn’t stirred all yesterday or today,” said Benjamin, shepherding him into the corridor and towards the front door, but David planted his feet.
“What does that have to do with her piano being moved?”
When David refused to follow his prodding, Benjamin stepped around him and strode out the front door.
“What does it matter? Katherine is determined to make a mockery of herself and the family. And whenever I attempt to be the slightest bit helpful, she shouts at me.” Pausing on the drive, Benjamin turned and glowered at David as though the rift between siblings was his doing. “I do not know why you bother with her. Katherine is sharp-tongued and rude, forever finding offense when none is meant! The lady is spiteful and ill-tempered!”
David stared at his friend, still uncertain what this had to do with the subject at hand, but Benjamin seemed not to notice as he railed against his sister.
“I was being kind, and she threw it back in my face. I am done attempting to win her over, and I do not blame Mother for reaching the limit of her patience, as well,” said Benjamin, his jaw tightening as he shifted in place. Tugging at his jacket, he straightened it and scowled, but for all that his words were forceful, David didn’t miss that his friend wasn’t looking him in the eye.
“What has happened?” asked David, narrowing his gaze on his friend. “Out with it, Leigh.”
Drawing his hands behind him, Benjamin straightened (though without lifting his eyes from the gravel at their feet). “Katherine is the only one who plays, and my parents won’t allow her to make us a laughingstock any longer.”
David stared at his friend, his brows lowering and pinching together as Benjamin’s meaning clarified in his thoughts. Ice swept through his veins as he turned away and closed his eyes. Pinching his nose, he could well imagine the scene that had played out, and his pulse quickened, sending little sparks of pain through him at what Miss Leigh must have suffered. And still was.
“Your parents got rid of her piano,” he murmured.
“It wasn’t hers. It was the family’s, and it was well within my parents’ rights to sell it,” said Benjamin with a decisive nod.
David’s jaw tightened, and he whirled around to scowl at his obtuse friend.
“You believe it is within their rights to strip your long-suffering sister of the one source of solace she has in that blasted house?” he asked, pointing back at Whitley Court, which stood behind them, looking far too serene. “She loves music more than anything, and you have taken that from her. Can you truly stand there and say she deserves that all because she bruised your family’s pride?”
Straightening, Benjamin lifted his chin in a defiant manner that was so like his sister, though his friend’s gaze darted across the lawn and yard—avoiding David.
“Again and again, she forces herself into the public eye, parading her abysmal talent about and subjecting herself to mockery. Ought we to encourage such destructive behavior?”
“Musicians cannot improve if they remain hidden in their parlors. She chooses pieces that are challenging, and yes, at times she fails mightily, and no, she will never match your eldest sister’s skill. However, your sister is not as poor a pianist as you all believe her to be. Rather than joining in with her detractors, her family ought to applaud her attempts to improve.”
Crossing his arms, he stared at Benjamin. “Did it never occur to you that perhaps others judge her playing so poorly because of your family’s obvious disgust? And perhaps if you all applauded, rather than sneered, others might think kindly of her?”
Raising his brows, David spoke slowly as though explaining it to a child, which his friend was certainly acting like at present. “Better yet, did you never consider that she sacrificed her pride at the concert to save others that pain? And perhaps this was not the first time she has done so?” Not bothering to wait for an answer, he continued, “Ah, no. Instead, you simply dismiss her as the family pariah and punish her, rather than treat her with dignity and understanding. Good gracious, man!”
David threw his arms wide, his voice rising. “You stand there, cloaking yourself in virtue as though you are the injured party, but this has nothing to do with the concert or your family’s overblown pride. I heard all about your matchmaking with Mr. Tryck, and you deserved the tongue-lashing she gave you. Frankly, she showed great forbearance. You toss horrid men at her, expecting her to graciously accept them since she cannot hope for better, and then you act affronted when she is wounded by your low opinion of her.”
Heat suffused the ice, burning it away as the enormity of all that had occurred crashed down upon him. All Miss Leigh had suffered. And all alone. Nary a friend or companion to help her through the past few days. Even the one person in her family who had treated her with a modicum of kindness now sneered at the thought of her.
Miss Leigh was truly alone at Whitley Court. So few in the world spared a passing thought for the poor lady, and she deserved so much more.
Benjamin shifted in place, drawing David’s attention back to the blackguard. The furrows of his brow deepened, and when the young man spoke, his voice was far less certain than before. “Katherine brought this upon herself.”
“If you can say that whilst looking me in the eyes, then I might believe your indifference. But you know you and your parents are wrong on all accounts.”
“I will admit our actions might seem a bit harsh, but you do not understand how frustrating Katherine can be,” said Benjamin, finally deigning to meet David’s gaze.
“You are correct, sir. I do not. I cannot. She is engaging, intelligent, witty, and loyal, and I am honored to count her as one of my closest friends—and you would feel so, too, if you bothered to know her!” David stared at Benjamin for a long moment. “What has she ever done to deserve such poor treatment?”
Letting out a sharp sigh, his friend turned on his heels and marched down the drive. “She makes it impossible! Believe it or not, I care deeply for her. She wasn’t merely a sister to me—until she turned into this harpy.”
