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For ithadbeen fear. Fear that he’d lose the woman he loved to another brother. Again.
Susan had been right about that too—he did love Lavinia.
What a mess he’d created for them both.
* * *
A few days later, Finch informed Lucas that he’d received word from Allard.Repairs on the farmhouse were proceeding well: the stone foundation hadbeen thoroughly inspected and its weak areas reinforced, as well as the original framework. They were beginning the repairs to the roof, with new shingles scheduled to follow, and the carpenters had begun work on the stairs. The house would be ready for habitation within a week’s time, give or take a few days, depending on the weather or any other unforeseen event.
Cash transfers from Lavinia’s bank had arrived the previous day; she had insisted on repaying Lucas’s father herself. Lucas had accompanied her as she’d approached his father in his study. He’d been very gracious to her, for which Lucas had been grateful, although he’d pulled Lucas aside later in the day andhad questioned her odd insistence—his words—in repaying him thus.
“We all agreed she would reimburse me, although soon enough, the two of you will be wed and I would consider it a moot point,” his father had said. “It is something that can be addressed easily enough in the marriage contracts. There was really no need for her to be part of it when you could have dealt withit easily enough for her. I sometimes wonder at her, Lucas, I must tell you.”
Marriage contracts, Lucas had thought. That was going to be trickier to deal with than pretending to set the wedding luncheon menu with Cook.
“And those relations of hers, Lucas! They’re agreeable enough, I’ll admit, very likable and quite entertaining—that encore performance they gave us the other evening was better than I expected. But they are lacking the discretion one usually expects in the elderly. Just the other day, I actually saw Mr. Drake in the park doingcartwheels, of all things, with Edmund and Isaac Junior. I’m not opposed to theboysdoing such antics, but to seeMr. Drake—his movements were inelegant, and I was deathly afraid he was going to dislocate his shoulder or something equally dreadful. It was most peculiar, watching someone his age going feet-over-head that way, over and over again. Edmund and Isaac Junior thought it a lark, but I must wonder at the old man’s antics.”
“Hmm,” was all Lucas could think to say.
Before dinner that same day, Lucas’s mother had said something similar to him about Delia. “Miss Weston is a curiosity, Lucas, although she seems a dear lady. I am doing my best to keep an open mind. Just this morning, however, she complimented me on my marriage and lovely family—and then proceeded to ask me how I’d managed tosnareyour father.Snare!Her word. As though I hadn’t the qualities to earn your father’s affections otherwise. I have chosen to think she merely wished to hear our love story since we are all in a betrothal state of mind, what with you and Lavinia. But I was rather taken aback, I must say.”
“Perhaps we can chalk it up to the idiosyncrasies of old age,” he’d suggested.
He’d had no intention on either occasion of saying to his parents, “Please forgive Delia and Artie their oddities. They’re actors, you see—have been all their lives. They know nothing else.”
Today, with the arrival of Allard’s letter, Lucas had an excuse to get out of the house for a while and away from his parents’ questions. He wanted to see the progress at Primrose Farm for himself. He also needed time to think. The ride would do him good. Before he left, however, he needed to tell Lavinia what Allard had said in his letter. She would want to know, and she would wonder at his sudden departure.
He found her in his mother’s favorite sitting room, where the ladies had congregated. His mother and Clara and Isobel were busy with their needlework. Susan sat next to the window and was reading a book; she had always loathed sewing of any kind. Rebecca sat at the small pianoforte located in the corner of the room, with Lavinia standing nearby, turning pages for her. Rebecca had always had a gift for music, and it was a pleasure to hear how accomplished she’d become while he was away.
He stepped inside the room and quietly closed the door behind himand then listened and watched as Rebecca filled the room with the sounds ofMozart. Every so often, she nodded slightly and Lavinia turned the page inresponse.
Delia was listening to the music with her eyes closed.
Soon the piece came to an end, and everyone, including Lucas, applauded. “Well done, Rebecca,” his mother said. “You are improving nicely under Mr. Burnhope’s instruction.”
“Thank you, Mama. I like Mr. Burnhope exceedingly well. He is extremely good at explaining the heart of the music to me in a way I understand.” She pulled another piece of music from the small stack sitting next to her. “Do you know this song, Lavinia? It is one of my favorites.”
“I do,” Lavinia replied.
“Will you join me?”
“It would be my pleasure.” Her eyes fluttered briefly in Lucas’s direction.
Rebecca played the introduction, and Lavinia began to sing.
Lucas liked her voice immensely. She had a fine voice, true of pitch, and she seemed comfortable singing before the others, which, undoubtedly resulted from her experience in the theater. But her voice wasn’t extraordinary—at least, not like her physical beauty was. And that made her voice absolutely perfect for her.
Midway through the song, she stopped. “The melody is rather high for me in this key,” she said.
Rebecca stopped playing. “You do seem to be more of an alto,” she said. “Can you sing harmony? Isobel, come sing the melody with us. You’re a soprano. A vocal duet will be such fun!”
Both ladies froze.
Isobel moved first. She calmly set her needlework aside and stood, straighteningher skirt before crossing the room to stand next to Lavinia. The others set their needlework in their laps so they could watch. Susan closed her book.
Isobel nodded at Rebecca to begin.
Rebecca played the introduction again, and Isobel began singing the melody Lavinia had just sung. Isobel’s voice was superior to Lavinia’s, having taken voice lessons throughout her girlhood.
