“Why?” Emily asked.What does he mean?
Luke gestured from her to the paper and then to the pianoforte. “Because your mind, your way of thinking. It is unique. I would not see that go to waste.”
Emily’s mouth felt dry. “But what if I am beyond helping?”
“We will not know that unless we try.” Luke’s voice was gentle, and it reminded Emily of her dream.
For a moment, she almost asked him about it. Wanting to know how much of it had been real and how much had been her delirium. The question burned within her, but she bit it back.
“I am sorry.” She said eventually.
“For what?” Luke canted his head towards her.
“For my outburst. Emily made a vague gesture with her hands.I was being… what did you say, prickly? Though I do not understand why.”
Luke shrugged. “I should have been more patient. Should have understood your excitement about the letters and not been so hard on you.”
“You did say that you would make me work hard.” She smiled at him, hoping it would soften the tension.
“I suppose I did.” He smiled back.
“I was so excited. All day I was looking forward to it and then… Somewhere, somehow that turned to something else.” She sighed. “I do not really know how to explain it. I do not understand it myself. I suppose I was little caught off guard by needing to read so quickly.”
“How else would I have understood how much help you would need?” Luke asked, his voice matter of fact.
“Logically, I know what you are saying makes sense. Yet emotionally… I do not know, suddenly I felt like a girl again. All awkward and inadequate.”Judged.She looked into his blue eyes, fighting an urge to run away.
His voice was gentle. “I had no wish to make you feel like that.”
“It would be a rather cruel thing to wish to make someone feel like that. And you are many things, but cruel is not one of them.” Emily said.
There was a beat of silence, the Duke moving so his face was further in shadow.
“What made you play tonight?” Luke asked gesturing to the pianoforte.
“I… I needed to understand my feelings. Needed to get everything out somehow.” Emily explained, unable to stop herself, her head still half caught up in her music. “It has always helped me make sense of things, to work through them and come to some kind of understanding. The notes, they are like old friends.
“And I can match the colour of them to the colour of my emotions.”
“Colour?” Luke’s voice had an odd catch to it.
Well, he already thinks poorly of me. I might as well show him the extent of it.Emily nodded and said, “Music… Well, sometimes it makes shapes and colours. Goodness, I have never told anyone that. I expect you think I am utterly mad.”
To her surprise, she saw a look of mingled surprise and excitement on Luke’s face. “It does the same for me. I thought… I thought there was something wrong with me.”
Her jaw dropped, her heart speeding up as she asked, “Is it just music? Sometimes food does it for me, certain textures or even the sound of someone’s voice.”
“It is why I am so fond of peas. They are exactly the right shade of green.” A mix of pain and happiness crossed Luke’s face. “My mother apparently said the same thing. Perhaps one day they will study this, and we will understand it better.”
“Perhaps. It is rather nice to know that I’m not the only one.” Emily smiled.
“Yes, it is… reassuring.” Luke nodded.
“The colours arewhy I like Thursdays the best. They are the most wonderful colour.” Emily played a few notes on the piano, trying to create the same colours that Thursdays were in her mind.
She caught Luke smirking as she said it and frowned at him. “What is so amusing? You disagree?”
“Yes. Though, that is not what is amusing. I have just realised, this means I am right.” Luke sat up a little straighter, looking like a child who had just discovered the teacher made a mistake.
