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“The king is marrying a girl for love,” she said. “The prince too. Both women aren’t noble. That widens the field for you to find someone you truly care about.”
Instead of setting his mother straight, Zhi swallowed past the lump in his throat. She had the right of it. Just the wrong woman.
“You know that I love your father …”
Zhi gritted his teeth and focused on regaining feeling in his hands. He flexed and closed his fingers, trying to pump life back into them.
“Your father’s sense of duty was bigger than his heart. That was always fine. I had enough love for both of us. But I’d like my son to experience love over duty.”
Zhi didn’t answer. He felt his mother’s eyes on him. He knew if he looked at her, she would see the truth. He wasn’t going to have a love match. Like father, like son, his duty would trump his heart. The difference would be that he would make his wife feel loved, unlike his father had done with his wife.
With the feeling back in his fingers, he joined his mother once more at the keys. They made it so joining the opposite ends of the keys made a new harmony. Much like he’d done with Spin the other day.
As they came to the finish, his mother’s part in the song trailed off until he played the resounding last note. The silence lasted for only a second before applause sounded from the door. Zhi looked up to find Spin holding her phone in one hand while clapping her wrist with the other.
“I hope you don’t mind, I recorded that.”
Zhi’s breath caught in his throat. Recorded it? How much of it?
But one glance at Spin settled his fears. Her eyes shone bright like they had when they’d played together. She’d only heard the music.
“It was beautiful,” she said coming into the room, her gaze focused on the duchess. “May I have your permission to use it in a song?”
Nian’s eyes lit up. “How flattering. Of course, my dear. Do you know, I have a recording of one of my performances.”
“I didn’t know that you performed,” said Spin.
“It wasn’t in public. It was in a recording studio. I fear I was too shy to play while others watched.”
Nian pulled a record from the shelf of music. She moved to the ancient record player in the corner. Spin went to the device with awe. The needle dropped, and a hauntingly beautiful sound began.
Spin’s eyes lit with recognition. “It’s Bach.”
Both Zhi and Nian looked at her in surprise.
“Concerto Number Five?”
Nian nodded, clearly impressed. Zhi had to admit he was too. This woman kept surprising him and throwing his assumptions about her back on their heels.
Spin closed her eyes. “It’s beautiful.”
Zhi couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her joy of the music would forever be ingrained in his mind. He was having trouble reconciling this woman who liked to play harsh, electronic notes with the woman enthralled by his mother’s playing.
“Zhi Wen, dance with her.”
Spin’s eyes slammed open. “Oh, no. I’m not one for waltzing.”
“It’s simple. Show her, darling boy.”
Ever the dutiful son, Zhi stepped up to Spin. He held out his arms. At first, he didn’t think she’d take his offer. But after a moment, Spin put away her phone and held up her hand. He clasped her fingers into his grasp. Electricity zinged into the center of his palm and spread like a storm through his blood.
With his other hand, he placed his fingertips on her waist and felt the same sparks. Spin gasped as he pulled her close. And then they began to move.
It had been so long since Zhi had danced like this. It had been forever since he’d felt like this. All his cares were swept away as he moved her around the floor. He forgot about the pipes. He forgot about his finances. He just took a moment and joyed in moving in synch with the woman in his arms.
Chapter Twenty
Spin had never been swept off her feet. She’d never wanted to be. Couldn’t understand why any woman would. She couldn’t run if her feet weren’t on the ground.
