They walked on for a short time longer, Emily pointing out features in the landscape or commenting on the birdsong, but Mr. Harris barely responded.
Emily was greatly relieved when she saw the Duchess’s carriage coming up the drive and pulling up at the entrance. Emily excused herself from the gentleman and rushed over to greet the Duchess, as she descended from the carriage with Silas right behind her.
“Your Grace, I am happy to see you, and I desperately want to hear the outcome of the flower judging.”
The Duchess’s expression was difficult to read. She did not look heartbroken but, at the same time, Emily could tell she was not triumphant.
The Duchess held out two ribbons. “I won first place for the violets, but alas the roses came in third.”
“Yes, you thought something like that might happen after you spoke to Mark about always winning.”
“Indeed. But the first place for the violets was a bit of a pyrrhic victory, I am afraid.”
“Oh?”
“It was the only entry in its class, so they had to give it first place. Ah, the hollow crown.”
Emily could not help but chuckle. “I am sorry, but certainly the preparation was worthwhile and I am certain you enjoyed your gardening.”
The Duchess nodded. “But now, I am exhausted and need to lie down for a rest.” She turned to Silas. “Escort me, Silas, I need your support.”
Silas offered his arm but Emily could see he was not pleased, and he said to her, “I should like to have a word with you later.”
Emily nodded but was dreading the visit.
After Silas and the Duchess entered the house, Emily was uncertain what she wanted to do next. After such an intense lead-up to her recital, she felt both let down and at loose ends. She wandered around the side of the house toward the back and came upon several young children playing with a ball. They held sticks they had found lying on the lawn, striking the ball to send it to one another. Emily watched from a distance for a few moments before one of the children, a small boy, saw her and waved for her to join them.
“Hello,” the child said. “Do you want to play with us? I have an extra stick.”
Emily was touched that they would include her. “You look like you are having a lot of fun by yourselves. Why would you want an old lady like me butting into your game?”
They laughed. “You are not an old lady, you are young,” one of the girls said.
“But I am old compared to you,” Emily said.
“I know you,” another young boy said. “You played the piano last night, did you not?”
Emily sat down on the grass to be closer to their level. “Yes, I did. Did you like it?”
“It was loud,” one of the girls said. “I had to cover my ears.”
“Oh, I am sorry. But some pieces of music are loud. Was there anything you did like?”
“It was all too jangly. It should go la, la, la and it went boom, thump, bang.”
“Oh, my. That does sound jangly. I will tell you what. If you want, later this afternoon you come to the room where the piano is and I will make a concert just for you. All songs you know. And I promise no loud or jangly music. What do you say to that?”
The children looked at one another and seemed to agree. “What time?” the first youngster asked.”
“How about three o’clock?”
“That is nap time,” one child said.
“Four?”
They nodded. “See you then,” she said, standing up. And, as she walked away, she went through a list of the children’s songs she knew, as the children resumed their game.
Chapter 23
Emily returned to the house and went to the sun porch for a cup of tea. There were only a few older folks scattered around. One lady was knitting and a gentleman was asleep with a book open on his lap. Emily decided not to try and engage in any conversation and went to a large window overlooking the gardens at the back of the house, before sitting at a table to write out a list of songs to play for the children.
After finishing her tea she started to leave when she heard the gong that announced the meals. She was surprised to realize it was already lunch time.
She picked up her scrap of paper with the list of songs and left the porch.
As she passed down the hallway leading to the dining room, she heard someone call her name and turned to see Mark coming toward her.
“Mark. Thank you for that most successful meeting this morning. I am truly pleased and excited.”
“As am I.”
“How very kind of you to offer to go to Germany to finalize the tour with Herr Darmstadt.”
“Not at all. I enjoy travel and it has been awhile since I have been out of England.”
“I expect I shall need to begin assembling a list of works for the tour. You will probably want to take that to Heidelberg with you.”
Mark nodded. “And Emily, there is something else. I wonder if I might ask a favor of you.”
“Absolutely, of course. Especially after all you have done for me.”
“My father was too ill to attend the recital last evening and I wondered if you might be able to come with me to his room this afternoon and perform just a few pieces for him. He is such a devout lover of music.”
“I would be honored. How long should the presentation be?”
“No more than twenty or thirty minutes. He will tire if it is longer.”
Emily began to laugh.
“What?”
“That makes two concerts for this afternoon.”
“What is the other?”
“I was besieged by children playing outside who scoffed at my recital last evening. ‘Too loud and jangly,’ they said. And I promised them a concert of songs they might like at four o’clock.”
“I like that. I shall make it known to all the parents with kids that there will be a recital just for them. However, do not be surprised if many of the parents attend too. Your playing was a huge success last evening. I have been getting glowing comments from the guests all morning.”
Emily smiled at that. “Then, when shall I play for your father?”
“Perhaps three o’clock if he is not asleep? Would that suit you?” Emily nodded. “Let us meet in my study just before three and I will take you to his rooms. And I shall invite the Duchess, as well. Father would like it if she was there.”
By now the guests were pouring into the dining room for lunch. Mark and Emily followed.
Two footmen rolled a small piano into Jacob’s room. He was sitting up in the bed, having been groomed by the nurse. The draperies were open and the room was bright and cheery, the glaring sun having moved away by now.
Mark escorted The Duchess and Sophie to chairs that had been added for the additional guests. Emily sat down at the piano and, after lifting the lid, ran a few scales to warm up her hands.
Emily could not help but notice Mark and Sophie deep in conversation before she was ready to play. The Duchess had been accompanied by Baggs, who stood behind the Duchess’s chair, ready to hand her a handkerchief or the mints she so loved to suck on in the afternoons before tea.
Mark turned to his father and they conversed for a moment before Mark stood and came over to Emily. He put his hand on the piano and smiled. Emily could see Sophie’s back straighten as he said, “What will you be playing this afternoon?”
“I thought it should be different from what I performed last evening and I have selected a Mozart sonata, a Schubert Impromptus and, lastly, a few of the songs I shall be playing for the children later.”
“That sounds lovely.” He turned to his father from the piano and told him her selection.
“Oh, I like that,” his father said. “Please begin, Miss Emily.”
Emily played the pieces without interruption, but during the middle of the Schubert, Silas slipped into the room and stood by the door during the rest of the performance.
When complete, Emily stood to acknowledge the applause coming from everyone but
Sophie. Even the nurse beamed—her red face lit up with a large grin.
The Duchess waved her handkerchief, indicating she wanted Emily to come over.
“Darling Emily, how charming the children’s songs. That was totally unexpected but delightful. Thank you, dear.”
“My pleasure, Your Grace.”
Jacob reached out his hand from where he was propped up in the bed and beckoned for Emily to come to him.
“Child, how very lovely. You have no idea how starved I have become for music. My music box has become stale by now, so you can imagine what a treat this has been for me,” he said.
Emily had not met Mark’s father before, but she could see the family resemblance. “Is there anything else I can play for you?”
The old man blinked several times and let his hand drop to the bedcovers.
“I wish I could listen, but I tire easily, and I am afraid I must conclude this gathering. But thank you.”
Jacob waved for the nurse to come over and he whispered to her. Then she turned and announced. “His Grace needs to rest now. So if you would excuse him, he must ask you all to leave.”
Mark helped the Duchess stand and he then turned to Sophie and offered her his arm.
Emily stood before Sophie and said, “Thank you, Miss Sophie, for attending the performance. It was a pleasure to have you here.”
Sophie cast a quick glance to Mark, who was watching her closely and she said, “I can see why Mark takes such an interest in your work. It seems all he talks about these days is Emily this… Emily that. If I did not know better I might become jealous.” And she tightened her grip on his arm.
Mark said before he escorted Sophie away, “You said the children’s program was at four?”
“Yes, in the room where the recital was last night.”
“I will step in to hear a portion of it.”
Emily nodded to Jacob, but his eyes were already closed, so she followed the Duchess, Mark, and Sophie.
As she was leaving, Silas apprehended her. “What prompted the children’s songs?” he asked.
She told him of her encounter with the children that morning.
“I see. How charming. And might you consent to have tea with me before your next performance?”
Emily hesitated. She did not want to create a scene, but at the same time, she did not appreciate his constant attentions—with only one thought in mind.
“I will have tea with you on the sun porch if you like, but I promised to perform for the children at four o’clock.
Silas consulted his pocket watch. “Very well. Shall we go then? We have about twenty minutes.”
Emily could see Mark and Sophie disappear down the hallway as Silas led the way down the staircase and to the sun porch.
It was the time in the afternoon when many of the guests were having tea and it was difficult to find a free table.
“Here we are,” Silas said, as he secured a corner table at the back of the porch. “Would you like something to eat with your tea?” he asked, still standing after Emily was seated.
“Perhaps a tea cake or a few small sandwiches.”
The tea was buffet style, so Silas went to fetch the refreshments.
Returning, he served her and himself and sat opposite her.
Emily kept her eyes lowered, not wanting to invite one of his forceful conversations. However, it did not deter him and he said, “This has been a most successful weekend for you, has it not?”
“Yes, it has.”
“Mark told me about the meeting with the gentlemen this morning. Brava. It looks like you are about to achieve what you wished for.”
“It would seem to be so. But I still have a way to go, and there can always be upsets along the way.”
“But not for you, Miss Emily, with a benefactor such as me to guide you.”
Emily did not like his use of the word benefactor—especially when she considered Mark to be her champion in building her career, not Silas. But she needed to remind herself that Mr. Skeffington had helped her family considerably, and he had been the benefactor of the trio and had facilitated her removal from the trio by finding Linton to replace her.
Linton… she thought and realized that in the scurry of preparing for this weekend’s recital, she had given him little thought. But it was a comfort to know that he would, most certainly, be there for her when she returned home to London.
Then, coming out of her thoughts, she realized that Silas had been talking to her, but she had not been listening.
“Emily, what do you think about that? Emily?”
She blinked and wiped her mouth with her napkin. “I beg your pardon,” she said, “My mind wandered, and I missed what you just said.”
“I was telling you about the exquisite marquetry inlay on the fine spinet at my home in Chipping Ongar, and I was asking if you might like to see it? It is a very fine harpsichord and I have not heard you play on such an instrument. Do you think you might like to try it out? It truly is quite magnificent.”
The idea of going along with Silas to his house did not appeal to her one bit, so she responded, “That would be charming. And I know Alice would love to see it and maybe even try the instrument herself. When were you thinking of taking us to your home?”
Silas was silent. She had been correct; he had other intentions besides the harpsichord and was stymied by the thought of Alice coming with them.
He leaned forward and said softly. “It was not my intention to invite Mrs. Savoy. There is something else I want to show you and I am afraid Alice might feel excluded as it is solely for you.”
Emily placed both of her hands on the edge of the table and said politely, but also firmly. “Mr. Skeffington, you have been most gracious in your support of my family—and most especially, my sisters, by helping the trio to continue without my participation. However, somewhere in that process, you have gotten it into your mind that I have some sort of obligation to you that, to me, is unwarranted and unwelcome.”
Silas sat back in his chair and studied Emily before speaking, but then said, “Ah, Miss Emily… how little you understand of the way things work in the hard cruel world of professional music. It is one thing to be a talented amateur, but quite another to be a top class professional performer. To get to where you want to go, you incur obligations. Obligations that one may not dismiss so lightly.
“Not everyone is as open and generous as His Grace. What he does, he does out of the kindness of his heart, and you might see him as your protector, but do not delude yourself, Miss Emily. Mark is--or will shortly be--engaged to be married. Once he turns his attention to marriage and family, he will abandon you and you shall be on your own. And who is the one person you can count on to shepherd you to success? Why, me, of course. But at a price.”
He leaned forward across the table and took one of Emily’s hands and squeezed it tightly.
“Do we understand one another now, Miss Emily?”
Emily withdrew her hand and stood up.
“How dare you, Mr. Skeffington. You are a vile and disgusting human being. I shall never have anything further to do with you in any capacity. Let me make that perfectly clear—neither professionally nor personally. You can be quite certain of that fact. And now, I have a concert to perform.”
She turned to leave, but was stopped by Silas saying, “Miss Emily, you are forgetting just one thing.”
She turned back. “What?”
“I made the London Trio and I can unmake it. It is entirely up to you. By all means go play your little children’s songs, but remember you are now also playing in the grownup world. And if you wish to play successfully, you must also play by the rules—my rules. I shall expect you to be ready to accompany me to my house for the rest of the afternoon after your concert—unaccompanied by Mrs. Savoy. Am I perfectly clear?”
Emily was greatly agitated as she headed to play for the children. She stopped outside the door to the room where the concert was to be held. Parents and children were
already seated waiting for her to play. Several of the children were still running around and had not yet settled down. Emily calmed herself, took a deep breath, and went inside to the piano.
Her hand shook slightly as she pulled her list of songs out of her dress pocket.
“Good afternoon,” she said, as the children settled. “I hope you will enjoy the songs I shall play for you this afternoon. And, please, if you feel so inclined, sing along with any of the songs you know and want to bellow out.”
A Dashing Duke for Emily Page 20
