by Dawn Brower
Chapter 4
Now that she’d seen what the house was like when it was full of people, Cordelia couldn’t help thinking that this was the way it was meant to be. She stood at the door with Arthur in the beginning, greeting each guest as they walked through with a smile and thanking them for coming. Each face she saw took away a sliver of her hope, though, because she hadn’t seen Victor yet.
She hadn’t been able to ask Arthur if he’d gotten an RSVP from Victor, and she hadn’t seen his name on the confirmed guest list so she had no idea if he was actually coming or not. The thought that he would say he wanted to hear more of her playing then not come to the party was more than a little disheartening, but she tried her best to act like it wasn’t bothering her.
“Delia, this is wonderful,” Birdie said, hurrying over to see her sister as she stood by the window in the conservatory. It overlooked the courtyard so she could see who was coming and going, and there was still enough light out to see anyone who might be coming up the front path. She tore her gaze away from the window and turned to her younger sister with a smile. “The house is just beautiful. Wherever did you find all these flowers?”
“I don’t know, to be honest,” Cordelia said, looking around. There were indeed flowers on just about every surface in the house, but the conservatory was the most spectacular-looking place in the Whittemore estate. “I told Mrs. Richmond what I wanted and she put in an order with a florist in town. They can find just about anything at this time of year, I suppose.” She glanced out the window again and Birdie looked out curiously.
“What’s outside?”
“Oh, nothing,” Cordelia said hurriedly, stepping away from the window. “I was just seeing if anyone else was coming. I wanted to make sure everyone was here before I started playing.”
“The soul of a true performer,” Birdie teased. “You were just this way when we were girls too. Always so excited when you got ready to play.”
“Good evening, ladies,” said a white-haired man who had followed Birdie across the room. Cordelia had seen General Ellison several times since he and Birdie were married and he was quite handsome for an older man. His hair was neatly trimmed, as was his mustache, and he gave the appearance of someone you didn’t want to get on the bad side of. Every time she’d spoken to him, however, he had been quite pleasant and jovial. “Good evening, Lady Whittemore.”
“Oh good heavens,” Cordelia said with a laugh. “You’re my brother-in-law, General. You can feel free to call me by my first name, I’d think.”
“Only if you agree to stop calling me General,” he said, tipping her a wink. He put a hand on Birdie’s waist and she smiled up at him as if he was her entire world, making Cordelia’s heart twist with envy. “Birdie, my dear, would you accompany me to the sitting room for a moment? There’s someone I wish for you to meet.”
“All right,” she said with a quick look at her sister. “I’ll be back in a moment. Don’t start playing without me!”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” She watched Birdie and Richard walk away together, her arm linked through his, and she sighed to herself. He really did care for her, and it made her more than a little jealous to hear him call her by the name Cordelia had come up with when they were children. She supposed it was all part of being married.
“Are you about ready to start playing?” Arthur came up behind Cordelia and put a hand on her shoulder, and she turned to look at him. He was just as handsome as Richard, possibly even more so with his dark blonde hair and blue eyes, but the difference between them was deeper than just their hair colors.
“Not quite. My sister went to meet someone on the General’s behalf and made me promise I wouldn’t start without her.”
“Of course we can’t start without darling Bridget,” Arthur said with a laugh. “She’s the one we have to thank for you rediscovering your talent like this.” He leaned forward and gave his wife a peck on the cheek. Conscious that people were watching, Cordelia smiled as if it were the joy of her life. “Would you like a glass of champagne while you wait?”
“That would be lovely,” Cordelia said. “Thank you.”
“I’ll bring it to you myself,” Arthur said. He went to the door of the conservatory with the intention of going to get a glass of champagne, only to stop suddenly and say hello to someone just outside the door. Cordelia was only mildly curious as to who it was until Arthur turned back and pointed to her. She wondered what on earth he was doing until a man came through the door that stopped her heart mid-beat.
“Good evening, Lady Whittemore,” Victor said as he crossed the room to see her. “I hope you’re well this evening.” He took her hand and kissed the back of it again, the same way he had when they had last met. It must have looked strange to a roomful of people but Cordelia was so happy to have his lips on her skin, even for a moment, that she could have cared less.
“Very well, sir,” she said. Now that you’re here, anyhow. “And yourself?”
“Much better now that I’ve seen your face,” he said, grinning at her. His eyes caught hers and held them as he let go of her hand. “I hope you’ll forgive my lateness. There was an urgent matter to attend to at the office and I’ve come straight over.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Cordelia said, shaking her head. “Everyone’s been coming and going as they please, it’s all very informal.”
“Informal or not, this is quite the party. Please tell me I haven’t missed your piano playing.”
“Oh no,” she said with a smile. “I haven’t even begun.” Before she knew what she was saying, she blurted out the words. “I was actually waiting for you to get here before I did.”
“Were you now?” Victor’s eyebrow went up. “And to what do I owe such an honor?”
“You were the one who suggested I should perform. And I’ve been practicing a few pieces that were quite a bit more difficult than the one you heard me play.” She hoped he understood the implication that she had been practicing them for him, and the way he smiled at her gave her the impression that he did. “I hope you’ll enjoy them.”
“I’ve been looking forward to it since the last time we met.” His eyes moved over her slowly, as if he was drinking her in, and he smiled. “You look absolutely gorgeous tonight, I might add.”
“Thank you,” Cordelia managed. The way he said it made her blush harder than she had in years. “I would have liked to have a new dress made but I was so wrapped up in my music that it slipped away from me.”
“This one looks lovely on you,” he said. “Blue is really your color.”
“Th-thank you,” Cordelia stammered. She hadn’t had so many compliments in one evening since her wedding day, and the fact that they were coming from Victor made them even better. He seemed to either not know or not care that what he was saying was probably indiscreet but Cordelia didn’t care. She wanted him to go on forever. Unfortunately, it was at that moment that she saw Birdie and Richard come back through the Conservatory’s door and she motioned to them. “Well now that you’re here and my sister is back, I suppose I can start.”
“Yes, I should think so.” Victor met her gaze again. “I’m honored that you waited for me.”
“All right, Delia, we’re back,” Birdie said cheerfully as she joined them by the window. She looked at Victor, not bothering to disguise her interest. “Who is this?”
“This is Arthur’s attorney,” Cordelia said, gesturing to Victor with a smile. She hoped she wasn’t blushing. Birdie had always been able to spot when she was flustered, even as a little girl, and teased her relentlessly about it. “Mr. Victor Pembroke, please meet my sister Bridget Ellison and her husband General Richard Ellison.”
“Good evening,” Victor said pleasantly. He shook the General’s hand, and Cordelia was pleased to see that he took Birdie’s hand but only clasped it for a moment and nodded at her. “I hope you’re both looking forward to Lady Whittemore’s recital this evening. She’s quite the pianist.”
“Oh
yes,” Birdie said, still smiling brightly. “She played beautifully when we were children. You’ve heard her play, Mr. Pembroke?”
“Only briefly when I was here on a business call to speak with Lord Whittemore. She was playing something that was far too simple for her, and I made sure to tell her so.”
“I’m jealous,” Birdie said. “I haven’t even gotten to hear her play and I’m her sister.” She stuck out her lower lip in a magnificent version of her childhood pout and Cordelia couldn’t help laughing. “Are you going to play now?”
“Yes, yes, all right!” Cordelia threw up her hands in mock exasperation. “If you’re all going to be on me about it I might as well start, hadn’t I?” She went to the piano in the middle of the room and everyone seemed to grow quiet at the same time. Seeing her in place, Arthur broke away from the conversation he was having and went to her side.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said as if he were announcing a Broadway show, “thank you all for coming this evening. Even though it comes so closely after the death of my beloved father, Lord Whittemore, I’d like to welcome you all to our estate. My beautiful wife Cordelia has agreed to favor us with some music this evening and I’m sure you’re all going to be enchanted with her playing.” He turned to Cordelia. “So if it pleases you, my dear, you may begin anytime.”
“Thank you,” she said, smiling. She wasn’t sure what to say to the partygoers, but her eyes went immediately to Victor and she felt a surge of warmth. Rather than stare at him any further, she cleared her throat and went to the piano.
When she sat down on the bench, a sudden wave of nervousness came over her and she was horrified to see that the hand she was using to open the music book was shaking. She’d played the songs she was about to perform over and over, but at that moment it felt like she’d never even looked at them before. She could feel everyone looking at her and it only made her more nervous. Taking a deep breath, she put her fingers on the keys and began to play.
She started off with something a little slow, drawing the melody out of the air with her fingers on the keys as she pulled her audience in, and as she felt the room open up to her the jittery feeling she’d had faded away. This was what they had come to hear and she intended to give it to them. Somehow she knew Victor was watching her too and she hoped he was enjoying himself. She’d played this song often enough that she didn’t need to turn the pages as she played, and before she knew it the song was over and the room was clapping for her.
She looked around the room and saw that her sister was clapping vigorously, as she’d expected, but was more pleased to see that Victor was doing the same. He was looking at her in a way that she could only describe as proud and she was glad of it. Her practicing had paid off after all.
The next piece was quite a bit faster and she’d only perfected it the day before so she was a little nervous, but as soon as she started she was enveloped in the music and everything else disappeared. Her polite but loveless marriage, the loneliness that crept up on her whenever she was anywhere but the conservatory, and the jealousy she couldn’t hide when her sister spoke of her family. It was all gone the moment her fingers met the keys and she was happier than she’d been in months.
Cordelia was so lost in her own world that the applause she received when she finished the piece startled her a bit. She stood up from her seat to even louder applause and gave a small bow, surprised to feel how hard her heart was beating. Arthur was immediately by her side again, putting a hand on her waist.
“Thank you so much,” he said. “Please enjoy the rest of the evening. I didn’t want to mention it until after Cordelia’s playing, but I’ve taken the liberty of setting up our phonograph in the dining hall if anyone would like to dance.” This created a murmur of interest among the guests and Cordelia looked at him curiously. She hadn’t known they owned a phonograph.
“When did we get a phonograph?” Her voice was soft so that no one else would hear it and Arthur shrugged, taking his hand off her waist.
“I’ve had one for quite some time, I just never took it out. Would you like to go over and listen to it? Perhaps dance with me?”
“All right,” Cordelia said. She didn’t really feel much like dancing with him but she didn’t want to seem rude. For the hostess of the party to decline an invitation to dance by her own husband would be unthinkable, so she took his arm and followed him to the dining hall.
The long dining table with its numerous chairs had been removed earlier that day – Cordelia wasn’t sure where to – and she did remember Arthur saying something about dancing but didn’t recall anything else. She supposed she had been so nervous about playing that everything else had been pushed out of her mind. There was indeed a phonograph sitting in the corner of the room, and the butler was fitting a record onto the spindle.
“I thought this would be more interesting than hiring a band,” Arthur said with a smile. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
“It’s definitely different,” Cordelia said, watching the butler lower the arm on the phonograph carefully so as not to harm the record. A beautiful waltz came from the horn and people moved to the center of the floor to dance. “The sound is excellent.”
“It is, isn’t it?” He held out a hand to his wife. “Would you dance with me, Lady Whittemore?”
“Of course,” she said. She took his hand and allowed him to lead her to the area near the phonograph where people were starting to dance.
Cordelia had always been a very good dancer and at her wedding she had been pleased to find that Arthur was fairly good as well. There was nothing she disliked more at a party than to find that her dance partner didn’t know the steps or pushed her around uncomfortably. They moved around the makeshift dance floor gracefully, Cordelia’s rose-colored dress breezing around her as Arthur spun her and she found herself smiling almost as much as when she was playing piano.
“How many songs are on this record?” Cordelia had very little idea of how a phonograph worked, but was interested in learning more about it. She supposed she could play a bit with it when she was alone during the day.
“I’m not sure,” Arthur said. “They do have quite a capacity, I believe. Mr. Bates will be watching the needle to make sure we have the shortest possible interruption of course.” The song ended and the guests looked around, unsure if they were supposed to clap like they would for a live band. “This is quite amusing,” he said with a smile. “I had no idea.”
“Pardon me,” a voice said behind them, and both Arthur and Cordelia looked to find Victor standing at her shoulder. “I hope I’m not intruding, Arthur, but would you mind if I had this dance with Lady Whittemore?”
“No, not at all.” He released his wife’s hand and Victor took it, inclining his head slightly at Cordelia. “I’m going to speak to Lord Avery, my dear.”
“Tell him I said I hope he enjoyed the music.” She watched him go, then turned to Victor, who put a hand on her hip in a way that was quite familiar but exceedingly pleasant. “And how about you, Mr. Pembroke? Did you enjoy the music?”
“It was fantastic,” Victor said as the next song on the phonograph started its next song. “I didn’t know that you’d attempt something as complicated as the second one so early in your career but I’m rather glad you did.”
“My career?” Cordelia couldn’t help laughing. “You flatter me, sir. There’s nothing even resembling a career for me. It’s merely a bit of fun for me in my spare time.”
“Nonsense. You have the makings of a professional and I won’t hear another word against it.” Victor tightened his grip on her waist, then pulled her closer and stole her breath. “I’d love to hear you play again sometime soon. Perhaps a more private concert.” He smiled, his eyes once again locked onto hers. “Just the two of us.”
“Mr. Pembroke,” Cordelia managed, “that’s rather inappropriate.”
“I know,” he said, sending a blush into her cheeks that she felt all the way down her body. “That’s what makes it enjoyable,
isn’t it?” Before she could even begin to think of a reply, he swept her sideways out of time of the music and spun her around. Cordelia’s eyes widened in surprise and she could feel the looks of everyone else in the room as her feet actually left the ground for a moment. He was strong, far stronger than Arthur, and when he set her back down she discovered that he was a better dancer as well.
“My goodness,” she said, wondering if she would ever stop blushing again. “You should have warned me you were going to do that!”
“What fun would that have been?” Victor leaned in a little closer and Cordelia resisted the urge to meet him halfway. What am I doing? I’m a married woman, I can’t be seen doing something like this. Still, she let him come closer, wanting to hear what he had to say. “You don’t seem to have much fun in your life.”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“I’m saying that I know a bit about your situation and I sympathize,” he said, suddenly much less flirtatious than he’d been before. Cordelia’s heart skipped a beat. Does he mean he knows about Arthur? She wanted to ask him what he meant but was afraid of what he might say.
“You---“ The song ended just as she was about to speak and she fell silent, glad she hadn’t blurted anything out when the music was absent. She was about to lower her voice and find out exactly what he knew when Richard came over with his customary smile.
“Cordelia,” he said, then winked. “See, there, I said it! I just wanted to say how wonderful this party is and ask if you’d be so kind as to favor an old man with a dance.” He turned his twinkling eyes to Victor. “You don’t mind, do you Mr. Pembroke?”
“Of course not,” Victor said, offering Cordelia’s hand to the general in spite of her great desire for him to keep holding it. “I’d like to have a look around this place while I’m here. I got a short tour while I was here the other day but I’m sure Lord Whittemore would be happy to show me about.” He nodded across the room where Arthur, to Cordelia’s dismay, was standing very close to a handsome young man. He was holding a glass of champagne and seemed far too interested in the young man, and Cordelia was glad to see Victor going over to him, if for no other reason than to protect her husband’s reputation. He didn’t seem willing to do it himself now that he’d had a bit to drink.
