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Arthur looked away. He knew exactly what his friend was referring to. Just this morning, he had had difficulty stepping out of the door, his mind screaming at him not to leave the comfort of his home behind. And thenshehad walked in on him at the worst possible moment. What would she be thinking about him? Would she see him as weak and pathetic? And what did it matter what she thought of him?
He was well-aware of her blatant dislike for him and he felt no different. Besides, there were already rumors in the society about his state of mind and he had done nothing to dispel those, then why did it matter what the music teacher thought of him?
As if Richard could read his thoughts, he said, “You’re letting her get under your skin,” while he moved his queen three spaces to the left. Arthur kept his attention to that as he moved another pawn, but this time to the right and managed to capture one of Richard’s. He chuckled.
“No,” Arthur said flatly. “She means nothing to me. She is nothing, a woman of little consequence.” But even as he said that, he could hardly believe it himself. He had seen the fire in her, he had seen the way she had dared to approach him and demand answers of him with no fear. She was a woman of strong character and integrity, at least. He had to give that to her.
“If that’s true, why do you keep bringing her up again and again in our conversations?” Richard asked.
“I beg your pardon?” Arthur blinked. He wasn’t even aware that he was doing so. “I simply meant to ask you of your advice regarding the situation.”
“There’s little you can do now. Nora likes the woman and she’s a good teacher. If she does turn out to be the devil, as you think, Nora will realize that on her own sooner or later,” Richard said. “And you don’t have to make yourself a villain in an attempt to separate them.”
What Richard said made sense to him. “You’re right,” Arthur said. He just had to be a little more patient.
“I look forward to having you as a chess partner in the days when the woman is in your home,” Richard said with a chuckle. “It gets awfully lonely around here nowadays. With most of our fellows getting married, they never choose their friends over their wives.”
Arthur chuckled. “Then maybe it’s time you got married, my friend.”
Richard made a face. “I would rather fling myself off a cliff before that happens.”
“It’s a beautiful thing, marriage if you get to spend the rest of your life with the right person,” Arthur said. He had never experienced passion in his marriage, but to him, mutual respect was important, and he had found that with Lydia. Their marriage had been short, but it wasn’t the nightmare that other men made it out to be.
“You can’t change my mind, Arthur,” Richard said. “So, I advise that you don’t try. Not everybody has a good marriage like you and Lydia did.”
“I was lucky,” Arthur said, and he didn’t ever hope to find companionship like that again.
* * *
Before heading back home in the evening, he dropped Nora’s pendant to the jewelers to have it polished and the chain repaired. There was a small chunk of it missing, probably worn off with time. When he reached the gates, he waited for a few seconds to ascertain that Carmen had left.
“She’s gone, Your Grace,” Ramon said, appearing at the great doors. He gave a slight bow before taking his walking stick and overcoat at the door.
Relief filled Arthur’s lungs at his words. “Good,” he said loosening the cuffs of his shirt. “How did the lesson go?”
“She was far beyond my expectations. Lady Nora was indeed right. She’s an exceptional singer,” Ramon said. “I sat there watching her play and explain everything to Lady Nora, and I must admit, the woman does seem to know a great deal about the violin and music itself.”
Arthur frowned. He had hoped to hear the opposite. In fact, that was why he had asked Ramon to sit in on the lesson and report back with his findings. “She’s a good teacher then?”
“I couldn’t find a single fault in her, no,” Ramon said. “I’m sorry, Your Grace. It appears Lady Nora was correct. The woman has innate talent.”
Arthur didn’t answer. He had suspected as much. Nora was a clever little girl, and she had a keen sense of things even at her young age. Just as he was thinking this, she came bounding down the stairs, grinning at him.
“Papa,” she said gleefully.
“Nora, you shouldn’t climb down the stairs in haste. You may hurt yourself,” Arthur said in a reprimanding tone.
“Mrs. Cooper said I’m rather quick-footed. Don’t worry, I’m perfectly fine!” Nora insisted.
Arthur sighed. “Of course, you are.” They began walking towards her chambers. “So how was your day?”
“Splendid!” Nora exclaimed. “Miss Black is an extraordinary teacher. I know that it’s only been a day, but I’m certain that I’m going to learn a great deal of things from her.”
“I’m happy for you,” Arthur said gently. At the back of his mind, he had many questions and prominent among them was—how did a near-destitute woman learn to play such instruments and with such ease? These skills were mostly limited to high-born ladies or chamber musicians who had pursued their skills for years. She was neither. Arthur couldn’t help but wonder if she was hiding something.
