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Chapter Nine
It was a strange turn of events, one where she had sought the duke of Davenport out to demand answers out of him. She hadn’t found that but instead realized that he had many secrets that swam at the back of his eyes, out of her reach. He had also offered her employment.
Carmen frowned as she walked out of his study. She couldn’t fathom for the life of her why he had chosen to buy the building. Was it only because of the music hall? She didn’t understand what he could possibly have against it.
Her frown turned upside down when she saw Nora sitting by the window. When she saw her, she came towards her. “What did he say?”
“I’m to be your new music teacher,” Carmen said. It was worth saying yes, if only for the smile that lit up Nora’s face following her words. She took her hands and swung around. A giddy laugh escaped Carmen’s throat as they held hands while they twirled together. “That’s splendid news! I told you he would agree to it.”
“Yes, you did,” she murmured. Carmen hadn’t been certain at first. The man seemed to loathe her and as evident from his words already had a lot of prejudices against her. But when it came to his daughter, he wasn’t quite the monster she had made him out to be.
Before visiting the Davenport mansion, she had inquired about the Duke and from what she had found out, the Duke lived a hermit’s life and never ventured out into Society. There were many speculations about him, but she didn’t turn her ear to those. She was determined to find out more but from accurate sources. Once she knew his poison, maybe she would be able to save the music hall after all.
“So, we’re to begin our lessons tomorrow. I’ll be here before noon because, before that, I have other work to complete. Will that be okay?”
Nora nodded. “That works perfectly for me.” And then she added shyly. “Thank you for agreeing to it.”
Carmen took the little girl’s hand and held it. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine that she was her daughter, the one that she had last seen eight years ago only a few hours after she had given birth.
“You remind me of my own daughter,” she said truthfully.
Nora’s eyes widened. “You have a daughter?”
Carmen nodded. She had no idea where she was and how she was, except for the one clue she had received about a year ago that had propelled her to open the music hall in the first place. Once she had enough funds, she would be able to look for the one she had lost. “Yes, I do,” she said sadly. “She isn’t with me.”
“Where is she?” Nora asked.
Carmen realized nobody but Lily knew her truth. But somehow, she felt compelled to tell her. “In a place far away called Ireland.”
“Why haven’t you been to see her then? She must miss you very much.” Her face fell. “Like I miss Mother.”
“Nobody can break the strong bond between a mother and her daughter,” Carmen said, softly squeezing her palm. “Your mother is in a good place now, and I bet she’s keeping an eye on you.”
“Does she know when I’m naughty?” Nora asked with her eyes wide.
“Yes, of course. She can see everything, but hush, your secret is safe with her. She won’t tell your father,” Carmen said, dropping her voice. Nora giggled at that. Carmen felt the tug of a smile on her own lips.
After speaking to her for a few more minutes, she was escorted out by two footmen. She sighed when she left the mansion and the glittering streets of Mayfair behind. She had come here to demand answers and she was walking out by accepting employment. The others wouldn’t be too happy to hear that.
When she walked in through the door, she could hear a flurry of activity in the main hall where all of them slept together. A few peeked out to see her when she came in. Lily was the first among them to reach her, her face pulled into a mask of worry. “Is everything fine?”
Carmen shook her head. There was no point in beating around the bush. “I’ll explain everything. Come with me.” As they walked, Carmen tried to come up with the best way to tell them the truth.
She cleared her throat and every eye in the room turned to her expectantly. “I’m afraid I have both good news and bad news. The good news being that the Duke has allowed us to continue to live here for the foreseeable future, but the bad news is that he has forbidden the construction of the music hall.” Immediately after her announcement, there was a wave of murmurs and angry whispers. Carmen knew what they would be capable of, but there was little that they could do against a duke.
“But we were almost done with it!” Queenie protested. “We were supposed to open our doors in a few weeks.”
Carmen nodded. “I know that, and I also know how disappointed you must be to hear this dreadful news. Please believe me when I say that I tried my best to reason with the Duke, but he continues to be adamant.”
“But why did he change his mind and let us stay here?” Elaine asked. “If he bought this place, I assume that he must want us out of here.”
“I had assumed the same thing, but it appears that he has qualms with the music hall alone,” Carmen said and then she hesitated. “There’s something else.”
“What is it?” Lily asked, grabbing her elbow. “Did he try to harm you in any manner?”
“No, it isn’t that. I have agreed to accept a position at his household as his young daughter’s music tutor,” she said. Silence reined in her words. She could feel the weight of their gazes on her and the air palpable with tension. She knew what they must be thinking of her.
“Rest assure, I did it because he struck a bargain with me,” she explained. “And I had to agree to his terms. There was no other way.”
