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“After all... you had struck him in the head...”

I sigh and shake my head slightly as the door to the Pavilion draws near. I let myself fall onto the velvet sofa, the backrest welcomes my spine as I throw my head back. My hair slides against the nape of my neck, and every breath seems heavier than the last.

“Correspondence has arrived for you, Viscount.”

“From whom?”

“A letter from Lord Richard Brownell, and one from Count Nádasdy,” he replies.

I huff slightly at that name and bring a hand to my face, rubbing my temples and closing my eyes for a moment.

“And...?” I prompt, without opening them.

“A letter from a certain Duke Lestrade, and...”

“And?”

“A letter from Lord Vasiliev Ashford,” he adds calmly.

Lifting my hand from my face, I settle myself better on the sofa. “Has he gone mad, perhaps...”

“Beg pardon, Viscount?”

I hold my hand out toward him.

“Give me the one from Duke Lestriede.”

“Duke Lestrade, Viscount,” he says, showing the envelope in his hands.

He observes the calligraphy. “Damien Lestrade.”

“Him. Give me that one.”

“Do you know him?” he asks, handing it to me.

“No.”

I take the envelope in my hands, the smooth surface of the dark burgundy sealing wax slides under my fingers.

Two intertwined serpents mark the seal; I break the closure and pull out the letter. A scent hits me immediately: too sweet, so strange it makes the skin on my arms crawl.

I fold the paper in my hands, my eyes skimming the words, and with every line, the scent remains, insistent.

My Lord,

I take the liberty of addressing You with the deepest respect for Your art, which many among us have followed with admiration and sincere wonder.

The delicacy of Your touch and the depth of Your compositions have stirred, in me and my most frequent guests, an enthusiasm rarely encountered among connoisseurs of true beauty.

It would be an honor for me to host You at my villa, Hollowcrest Estate, in Brighton, for a private performance intended for a select few admirers who will know how to appreciate the perfection of Your talent. The event shall be conceived with the utmost discretion, within the intimacy of our most elegant halls, so that Your art may unfold without disturbance or confusion.

I fervently hope that You will consider this humble request of mine and honor me with Your presence.

I await Your response with deferential patience; it shall be as welcome to me as Your eventual consent.

With the highest esteem

Damien Dominique Basile Lestrade Duke of Lestrieux