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Zach himself played the role of the commoner, Brendan Smith.
Papers rustled as the actors and actresses took their places on stage and opened their librettos. Zach finally took a seat with the rest of them, opposite Sophie.
“All right, ladies and gentlemen. Let’s begin our first read-through of Love on a Midsummer Night by the Earl of Thornton.”
Sophie’s voice cracked on her first line, but soon her nerves stopped skittering and she became immersed in the enchanting story unfolding before her. Zach had done an amazing job with these words. Perhaps memorizing her part would not be such a problem. She’d been hoping she would sing on this first day, but the read-through went until noon. Zach dismissed everyone for the day right before lunch, telling them to take their music home and work through it themselves. Tomorrow morning, they would break up into groups and practice the music and then do another read-through in the afternoon, including the music.
Sophie shook her head. She was decent at the pianoforte, but this music was difficult. Still, she could play it note by note and learn it this afternoon. It would keep her busy and keep her mind off of Ally.
Zach cornered her on her way out. “Lady Sophie, could I see you in my office, please?”
She bit her lip worriedly. “Yes, of course…Mr. Newland.”
He led her to his office and closed the door. Before she knew it, he had pushed her against the door and clamped his lips onto hers. The kiss was slow and deliberate, loving and caring. But within moments, it became hot and passionate, demanding and searching. Sophie responded in spite of herself, yearning for him, leaning into him, and pressing herself to him.
After several frenzied moments, Zach broke the kiss. He hit his forehead on the wall. “Forgive me. I know you must still be worried and upset about your sister. But ever since I saw you walk into the theatre this morning, I had to have a taste of you.”
Sophie’s breath came in rapid puffs. She nodded, trying to speak, but no words emerged.
“I’m sorry we haven’t had a chance to talk,” Zach said. “How is your sister doing?”
“Better,” Sophie said. “She woke up last night, and I had a chance to speak with her. She seems better. I just don’t know if…”
“Know if what?”
“I don’t know if Evan has told her that she’ll never have more children.”
“She is strong, your sister. She will accept her lot. She has two beautiful babies. She will be fine.”
Sophie nodded, hoping Zach spoke the truth. She bit her lip. “Zach, you know I’ve never performed before…”
“What is it?”
“The music and the libretto—they’re so much…more comprehensive than I expected them to be.”
“Yes, it is a little daunting at first. But realize that, even with a leading role, only about a quarter of those words and music are yours.”
Sophie let out a shaky laugh. “That’s still an awful lot to learn.”
“It is. But I wouldn’t have given you the role if I didn’t think you were more than capable of doing it. You’re a smart young lady, Sophie, with an incredible talent. We’ll be working long and hard on this production, and there will be some late nights for you because I want you to have extra voice instruction.”
“But I thought you loved my voice.”
“I do. The reason for the extra instruction is to teach you how to sing in a healthy way, so you won’t strain your vocal cords. You’re going to be singing for hours and hours each day, and if you don’t do it correctly, you will lose your voice.”
There was so much Sophie didn’t know about all of this. “Who will be instructing me?”
“I’ll handle some of the instruction myself, but I’m also bringing in a female professional singer—she has an amazing voice—who will be able to teach you nuances that I, as a male, cannot.”
“When will these extra voice lessons begin?”
“Probably tomorrow evening, after rehearsal.”
Sophie bit her lip again, worried.
“Is something the matter?”
“Oh, no. It’s just…I’ll be away from the estate so much. And I really did want to keep an eye on Ally.”
