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Robert looked down at his good suit and was very disappointed to see that it now had mud and dust on it and was soaked through with his sweat. He didn’t know what else to do, though, so he just kept running. He was going to make it to that recital if it was the last thing he did.
He continued on his mad dash towards the estate, and when he was finally within sight of it, he felt relief wash over him. He pulled his pocket watch out and saw that it was five minutes to seven. He only had a few hundred metres more to go and knew he could do it.
He ran faster than he ever had in his life, and when he got to the front door, he was very pleased to see that it was six fifty-eight. He ran through the servants’ entrance and upstairs to his brother’s private bath. He knew that this was a terrible thing to do, as he was about to get it all dirty and muddy, but there was nothing else to be done.
However, as soon as he got in the door, he noticed that there was a suit even nicer than the one he had on hanging from the door. There was a small note attached to it, and Robert tentatively took it off of the suit. It read:
Thought this might come in handy tonight. See you at seven.
It was signed by George, and Robert now had yet another thing to thank his brother for. He changed faster than he ever had in his life, suited himself up, and then rubbed all of the bits of dirt from his face. He ran a bit of water through his hair, and when he was finished, he took the most fleeting glance at himself in the mirror. He may still have been panting heavily, but at least he looked presentable.
Robert flew back downstairs and charged to the great hall where the concert was happening. When he came upon the door, he caught his breath and tried to quiet himself as best he could. Then, he crept inside.
The assembled guests were still taking their seats, so Robert breathed a sigh of relief. He took a seat at the back of the room, where there was an empty chair, far away from his father, sister, and brother.
But as he looked at his family, it seemed as though something had changed. Neither his sister nor his father seemed as uptight as they had when he’d left, and he could have sworn he’d just seen Louisa smile. It was an unsettling thing to see, and at first, Robert feared it was because she had planned something malicious during the performance that her nieces and nephew were about to give. He knew that although she may have been an awful person, she wasn’t that awful, and so he deduced that she must really have been smiling.
And even stranger, she was smiling while she was looking at George, of all people. That was something that Robert thought he hadn’t witnessed his whole life. He couldn’t imagine what could have happened in the short few days that he’d been gone, but whatever it was, he was very happy.
Perhaps this will turn out even better than you thought.
He was looking down at his suit when he heard the crowd erupt in applause, and so he quickly looked up and saw that Anne had taken the stage. He could hardly believe how beautiful she looked. Her red hair was done in curls piled atop her head, and someone (he assumed Eponine) had assisted her in applying some tasteful rouge to her cheeks. She smiled broadly at the audience, and that was when he noticed her dress.
It was a deep red, almost maroon colour, and made her look so breathtakingly gorgeous he could hardly contain himself. It hugged the curves of her body as though it had been custom made for her, and when she walked, the train of it dragged elegantly behind her. He didn’t allow himself to focus on this for too long, but her chest also looked even more magnificent than usual. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have met a woman like her.
And to think, if you are not an idiot, you might get to spend the rest of your life with her.
“Good evening to you all,” Anne began in a voice that he could tell she was trying to project and enunciate as much as she could. “We thank you for joining us this evening. It is my pleasure to present to you your entertainment for this evening: The Graham Children!”
Anne gestured to the side of the stage, and the three children walked out with big smiles on their faces. Andre was first and went to stand behind his harpsichord. Margaret came next and took up her violin with pride. Last came Amelie, who looked a little nervous but still took up her lute with pride. Anne gestured to them to prepare themselves to begin playing, and so Andre sat down, and the girls adjusted their instruments.
When Anne gave the signal, they began playing their first piece. Robert didn’t recognize it, but that meant almost nothing because he knew very little about music. It sounded just lovely. The children were such talented musicians, and he was blown away because it was them playing it.
When he looked over and saw his brother and sister-in-law, he was unsurprised to see they both had tears in their eyes. Robert was so happy that he had made it in time to experience this moment that he didn’t even care about having had to run all the way here. He was here in time, and that was all that mattered.
When the first song drew to a close, he prepared to give the children and Anne a standing ovation, but they moved straight into the next piece. It was even more beautiful than the first, and Robert couldn’t help getting a little choked up himself. Anne looked so radiant standing up there instructing the children that at that moment, he realized just how deeply he loved her and how badly he wanted to spend every waking moment with her for the rest of his life.
There was another song after that one, and then Anne and the children took a brief break before beginning the next piece. Everyone cheered and clapped, but when Robert saw no one else getting to their feet, he took it to mean that the recital was not over. He ended up being very correct.
Anne stepped to the front of the stage once more as the clapping was dying down. “We now have a very special piece that we would like to share with you. It is dedicated to the children’s uncle, Robert, who has been staying with us for the last while.”
Robert’s eyes widened, and his heart started racing. He was so confused and shocked.
How ... how could she be saying this in front of the children? Does that mean that they know? Who told them? Was it George? How do they –
But while Robert’s thoughts raced, Anne kept talking.
“This was a delight for the children, as they haven’t been able to see their uncle for many years. What made it an even greater joy is that he was generous enough to agree to assist the children in learning their arithmetic. And so, although he is not able to be in attendance this evening, this song is for him, and it is called, “Multiply.””
Robert was overwhelmed. He wanted desperately to stand up and say that he was here, but he didn’t dare disrupt the recital. He couldn’t believe that not only had the children dedicated a song to him, but it seemed hey had also written it themselves as well.
But when the children started playing, if Robert hadn’t known that they’d written it, he wouldn’t have been able to tell. It was so melodic, moving, and so special that Robert didn’t know what to do with himself. He remained on the edge of his seat for the whole song, soaking in every note as if it were the most precious thing in the world to him. Which, of course, it was. He longed to be able to live in this moment forever and was both so proud and so sad when it was over.
He could no longer contain himself when Andre struck the last chord. He jumped to his feet and immediately began clapping, and everyone turned around in their seats to look at him. He did not care, though. All that mattered to him was that he was getting to applaud his nieces and nephew for their brilliant dedication to him.
Anne turned around and looked at him at the same time as the children. When she saw him, she looked as though she was the happiest woman in the room. The children also looked incredibly overjoyed to see him, so much so that all three of them tore down the aisle to tackle him for a hug. Robert laughed and laughed as he embraced them, and the crowd broke into applause.
“You geniuses! You amaze me; I am so, so proud of you! That was remarkable. But how ... how did you know who I was?” he asked.
