by Barbara Dan
Inviting the young people onto the floor, he played a schottische. Warming to the lively round dances, he moved on to a reel and then, to prove the instrument's versatility, broke into a haunting ballad, tender enough to break a maiden's heart, or bring tears to a mother's eyes.
Next he played his mother's favorite Portuguese ballad. "In honor of little Isobella," he said with a bow toward his wife and child in the front row. He sang the lyrics in Portuguese, and Lydia got goosebumps, remembering the first time he serenaded her with that love song.
Warmed by the crowd's hearty response, he took requests, alternating between songs and dances to satisfy the desires of young and old alike.
Lydia looked on lovingly, her thoughts curiously divided. She was so thankful the war was over. Yet she wondered if her ear drums might not fare better if Bruce could tone down the volume a bit. She sighed, conceding that she loved him, bagpipes and all. She flashed him a bright smile as he whirled on by, coaxing an Irish jig out of pipes that wailed like a soul in serious pain. How could Bruce decimate such a lovely tune from the Emerald Isle?
Mercy! She cringed at another sour note. But what did it matter? Even if she couldn't hide the bagpipes at the Harrises—thereby risking the loss of their friendship, if Christopher persisted in his reckless musical career—Bruce had become her passion, her obsession, the great love of her life. She would do anything to keep him happy.
Bruce strode past her again in his kilt, his dimpled knees winking. Lydia’s heart fluttered with pleasure, and she returned his roguish nod with a wide-eyed, come-hither smile.
Who more than she deserved a long ocean voyage? she rationalized. She vowed never to be separated again by all those nautical miles, even for a day. She had planned to take the family and live with him at sea, after their second baby was born. But why wait?
She glanced down at their tiny daughter, snuggled contentedly against her heart. Isobella's rosebud lips quivered in a secretive smile, as she slept through the bedlam of bagpipes. Suddenly a radical, but truly inspired idea entered Lydia's head: What more divinely romantic music was ever invented by man than the bagpipes?
Lydia raised eyes moist with adoration and met the fervent gaze of the handsome man serenading her in front of friends and neighbors. Her dazzling smile pledged her continued love and loyalty for all time. I really must insist that Bruce give our children a proper musical education, she promised herself with singular devotion.
And then, unobtrusively, she tightened her bonnet strings over her ears. For surely there was no harm in softening the strident melody of her favorite musical instrument . . . just a wee bit.
THE END
About the Author
First published in her teens, Barbara Dan has enjoyed a variety of life experiences including working as an actress, model, night club comedienne, singer/dancer, comedy writer, puppeteer, theatrical producer in Hollywood, screenwriter, publicist, fund-raiser, real estate saleswoman, hands-on builder of houses, escrow officer, co-teacher of couples’ communications workshops with her family therapist husband, as well as publisher, editor, and adjunct college professor. By far her biggest delight and joy has been as the mother of four now grown children, grandma to five grandchildren, and the great-grandmother of three toddlers.
With family roots planted deep in New England history, Barbara Dan is a voracious reader of history, loves quilting, gardening, oil painting, travel, tracking genealogies, and prowling around in old graveyards and musty museums while doing research for her latest novel.
Besides degrees in Theatre Arts and Advanced Accounting, she earned her M.A. in Humanities (emphasis: literature) from California State University-Dominguez Hills in 1988, but feels that life experience is the most valuable tool any writer brings to his or her work. (A good sense of humor helps, too!)
Her novel, Silent Angel, won “Best Historical Novel” in the Colorado Romance Writers’ “Heart of the Rockies” competition in 1992 (available in trade paperback and eBook). She is currently a member of Women Writing the West and Western Writers of America, Inc.
