His niece grinned at him. “That would be so fun.”
“Aye that, lassie.”
He swiped a scone from the sideboard, gulping it down as he went after his grandfather.
When he caught up to Angus, he was surprised to see him standing quietly in the doorway to the music room, just listening . . . to the sound of Kade’s violin, its tones unmistakable. For a moment, irritation flared. Heneverlet anyone touch the rare and expensive instrument.
But irritation quickly gave way to an astonishment that nailed him to the floorboards. His Guarneri was pouring forth a haunting melody that seemed to echo his thoughts and emotions. It was Charlie, of course, playing from his unfinished concerto. Her deft touch was drawing forth the beauty and passion he’d struggled so mightily to convey. Kade could hardly believe they were the same notes he’d written and rewritten with so much frustration.
He quietly joined his grandfather in the doorway to watch.
Sunlight streamed in from the terrace, bathing Charlie in golden rays. Although her gaze was fixed intently on the sheet music on top of the piano, she moved with unconscious grace, as if the music flowed naturally through her body and into the instrument. In her plain white gown, with hair pulled back in a simple braid, he supposed some men might find her merely pretty, or perhaps even somewhat dowdy. Certainly they would think her odd. But to Kade, Charlie seemed lit from within, radiant with life and music. She devastated him, and made his heart ache with a thousand untold dreams.
Angus glanced at him.
“Aye, yer fairly caught now, laddie,” he murmured.
Kade was tempted to laugh. Caughtcouldn’t even begin to describe it. “So it would seem.”
“She’s a bonny lass. Ye couldna do better.”
The notes poured forth in golden tones as Charlie, swept up in the music, played on.
“It won’t be easy,” Kade quietly replied. “Our lives are so different.”
“Anything worth havin’ is nae easy. Just ask yer brothers.”
“Aye, that.”
To gaze at Charlie was to gaze at his future—at least he hoped so. But would the sweet lass be willing to leave the only home she’d ever known? She likely had little idea what she’d be in for with him and his life.
He kept watching her, reluctant to break the spell. Because once that happened, life would come rushing back at them. The problems would all become real.
The first of which was finding her ridiculous brooch.
Angus elbowed him. “Are ye goin’ to stand there all day, just gawping at her?”
“I don’t want to startle her.”
“Good point. She might drop that fiddle of yers, and ye paid a small fortune for it.”
At the moment, Kade would have gladly tossed his fiddle— violin—out the window for Charlie. Still, it was a fair point. He waited till she reached the end of the movement and then cleared his throat.
Charlie froze with the bow suspended over the strings. Then she sighed and put the bow down on the piano before carefully placing the instrument back in its case.
“I’m sorry. You must be appalled,” she said with a grimace. “I had no right to touch your violin. But I couldn’t seem to help myself.”
Kade joined her at the piano. “Not appalled but astonished, actually. That section sounds much better than I thought it would. All credit to you, of course. Your playing was exceptional.”
She eyed him. “You’re very kind, but it was still wrong of me. This is your work, and I had no right to snoop.”
“Charlie, you can snoop whenever you want. I’m not being polite when I say you brought that particular passage to life. I was beginning to wonder if I was on the right course at all.”
“You mustn’t think that way,” she earnestly replied. “It’s spectacular, Kade. It truly is.”
“Och, it was your playin’, lassie,” Angus said as he joined them. “I have nae doubt ye’ll be givin’ Kade more than a wee bit of necessary inspiration.” He winked at her. “He needs it, because he’s been complainin’ about that stupid concerto for weeks.”
“You’re exaggerating, Grandda,” Kade said.
