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Chapter Fourteen
The next afternoon, when Arthur strode into the mansion before mid-noon, Ramon was shocked to see him walk through the doors.
“Your Grace, I wasn’t expecting you now,” he said.
Arthur’s brow raised. “This is my house. The last time I checked, I can go in and out as I please.”
“I didn’t mean that, Your Grace,” Ramon sputtered. “The music lesson hasn’t ended yet.”
“I know,” Arthur said. Music,hermusic was what had compelled him to come back in the first place. Without saying anything further, Arthur headed straight for the staircase.
“Your Grace, your coat…” Ramon called out from behind, but Arthur didn’t care. He could hear the faint notes of music in the distance and he chased it. It seemed to come from inside the very heart of the house. Arthur walked up the stairs two at a time as if he couldn’t reach the top fast enough. The music was louder now, all permeating, and her voice like a nightingale at dawn as she sang about her sorrows and her fears and her hopes and her dreams to her daughter. It was an old lullaby, probably passed from mother to daughter over the years.
Arthur was careful to hide behind the doors. He didn’t want either of them to see him, not after the case he had made against music. He stood there and let the music wash over him. Carmen was joined by Nora’s small but equally powerful voice, intermingling to create a symphony so heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time that Arthur was compelled to look at them. He peeped from behind the doorframe, catching a glance at them as they sat side by side, playing on the pianoforte. Carmen was playing the keys as she sang and Nora followed her verses, her voice rising and falling to her tune.
Carmen looked up just for a second. Arthur’s eyed widened and he hid behind the door in a dash. The music stopped abruptly.
“Is everything alright?” he could hear Nora ask her tutor.
“Yes, milady. I-I thought I saw something there. Must only be a gust of wind,” Carmen said. Arthur felt relief rush through him. He hadn’t been spotted thankfully. He had no intention for them to know that he had been there, most importantly he didn’t want Carmen to know. He was already treading dangerous territory. It was best to keep her at arm’s length.
The next day of music lesson, Arthur got dressed but something inside of him compelled him to stay back, and it wasn’t just because of a wave of anxious new thoughts. He wanted to see Carmen, he wanted to hear her play to Nora. He had been so caught up in his fear that he had missed Nora’s blossoming talent. Not anymore.
“Sir, do I need to polish your cuffs or your walking stick before you head out?” Ramon asked, appearing at the door.
Arthur shook his head. “There won’t be any need of that. I won’t be stepping out today.”
Ramon raised a skeptic brow, but he didn’t question him any further. It wasn’t that his fear of music had gone away. He could feel it sneaking inside him, but he found himself able to control it. And it was because ofhermusic. Carmen’s. There was just something about her, something that made him unravel.
Every day after he heard Carmen’s voice stream down the stairs, he would quickly make his way upstairs and listen to them sing from behind the doors. Weeks passed and he hadn’t been discovered. Carmen taught Nora different scales of music and how to play the pianoforte according to them, she taught her about musicians and composers both old and contemporary. And Arthur was there listening.
He had to admit that she was a good teacher but what puzzled him was her knowledge of music. She seemed to know everything about it which was a damn near impossible thing to do when she was just a commoner. It was only when Nora skipped out of the room and bounded down the stairs, startled by the sound, that he came to his senses.
“I know you’re there,” Carmen called out. He froze in his place. “Your Grace, Nora has left. You can come out now.”
Shock written all over his features, he walked out of his hiding space. “How did you—”
“Know?” Carmen said with a smile. “I’ve noticed you every day of the last two weeks. Did you enjoy the lessons?”
“Yes—I mean no, I mean that’s now why I am here.” For the first time in his life, Arthur was at a loss for words.
Carmen smiled at him. It was probably the first time he had basked in her smile. He liked the smile on her face. Her left cheek folded in a dimple, but it was absent in the right one. A strange anomaly just like her.
“Nora plays quite nicely,” Arthur said.
“She’s a fast learner. She probably inherited it from her mother,” Carmen said.
“The late Duchess was an enthusiastic musician but I’m afraid she wasn’t as good as Nora. Her talents exceed far more than either of us,” he said.
“Well, isn’t that even better?” Carmen said. “We want our children to have the best parts of us.”
“You’re right,” he said. She seemed to know a great deal about children, but he knew that no child lived at the music hall. “Miss Black, do you have experience as a governess? I know you denied it at the interview, but the way you play, I suppose now that you do.”
“I wasn’t lying, my Lord. I have taught the women at the music hall, but this is the first time that I’m teaching a child.”
“Who was your tutor, if you don’t mind me asking?” Arthur said. “Your talent is exceptional, so you must have had a great teacher.” She had learned music professionally. That was the only thing that made sense.
Carmen’s face became white as a sheet and a look of utter terror came over her eyes. Her hands began to shake, and she sat down on the bench. Alarmed at this, Arthur rushed. “Are you alright, Miss Black? Did I say something wrong?”
