Soothed by the goodness she exuded, he felt his anger dissipate. “I agree.” Shifting, he took her by the hand. “Spending time with you allows me to forget. When we are together, I feel like the man I once was.”
“Before the war?”
He nodded. “I used to be social. Now I choose to live alone, surrounded by no one.”
“What about your family? Your friends?” Incomprehension filled her voice. “Surely you must have seen some of them since your return?”
“Only my father, my brother and my secretary,” he confessed.
“Surely your friends must have called on you, to welcome you home?”
Gently, he squeezed her hand. “I was reported missing. When I returned to England, I did nothing to change that status.”
“They think that you are dead.” The words were but a whisper in the dim light of the cavern. “Why?”
“Because it was easier than facing them, of having to explain what happened and subjecting myself to their shocked responses to my altered appearance.” There was another reason as well, of course, but he had no intention of sharingthatwith her.
“I suppose that makes sense,” she said, surprising him with her level of understanding.
That spark of hope he’d felt when they’d first met, and then again last night when she’d mentioned that character was of greater importance than looks, returned. “How long have you been singing?” he asked.
“For as long as I can remember.”
“And this particular style of music?”
“Just a few years,” she confessed. “I visited the opera for the first time with my parents when I was fourteen and was so impressed by it that I could not help but make an attempt at that style of singing myself.”
Her openness impressed him. “It is a pity that nobody else will ever hear you, because in my opinion, you are the best soprano that I have ever had the pleasure of listening to.”
She smiled, clearly pleased by his praise. “Thank you. That is very kind of you.”
He looked her straight in the eye, wanting her to know what he saw. “It is the truth.”
She said nothing in response as she stood there staring back at him, her eyes widening with deep understanding. “This is the strangest thing,” she eventually murmured as if she wasn’t even talking to him but to herself.
“What is?”
Her hands moved, indicating the space between them. “You and me. I never thought that I would meet someone who would actuallyseeme, but I believe that you do. Don’t you?”
Richard felt the atmosphere change around him, aware that they were no longer having a casual conversation. “I can tell that singing is vital to your well-being, that it feeds your soul and that you would suffer without it. I suspect that this is the reason why you are reluctant to marry, because you fear that if you do, you will have to sacrifice your greatest passion.”
“I would have no choice but to do so. No man would allow me, as his wife, to engage in such activity. Not to mention that few men would even consider marrying me if they knew.”
“Then they are fools.” Lord, he’d give anything to be able to listen to her every day for the rest of his life.
She tilted her head a little. “Do you not realize how scandalous it would be if anyone were to find out?”
“Why would they? If you married, then I am sure that you would be able to find a private place on your husband’s estate where you might practice.”
She smiled slightly in response to his suggestion. “And in London?”
He inclined his head, seeing her point. “You might have to refrain while staying in Town, but at least you would have a normal life with children to love and care for.”
“I must admit that foregoing the chance to have children would be my greatest regret, but to choose a life without the freedom to sing whenever I please, seems like an unbearable sacrifice to make.”
He studied her for a moment, frowning as he said, “I doubt that it would be so different from the life you are presently living. After all, finding a place in which to practice whenever you are in London must be just as difficult now as it would be if you married. At present, you have your aunt to worry about.”
She started a little at his words as if he’d somehow surprised her with his reasoning. Blinking, she said, “Of course.”
