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Dejected they returned back home. As soon as she walked into the building, Lily accosted her. “Did you buy the piano?”
Carmen blinked. She was so exhausted that she was certain that she was hearing things. “What are you talking about?”
“A piano arrived a few moments earlier. The men are still setting up. They said that it was to be delivered to your name.”
Carmen’s eyes widened. “I didn’t order any such thing. Where are they?”
“I told them to go down to the hall and set it up there,” Lily said, panic crossing her face. “Do you think it is a sick joke of some sort?”
“We must investigate immediately,” Carmen said rushing towards the hall. Sure enough, two men were setting up the piano. Its smooth surface and the polished woodwork shone under the sunlight streaming through the open slats of the theatre. It was easily a few hundred pounds. Carmen stared at the piano in awe. It was a masterful creation, and she couldn’t help but run a curious finger down its body. She shook herself out of her trance and addressed one of the workers. “This isn’t ours.”
“We were instructed to deliver this to Miss Carmen Black,” one of the men answered. “The piano is paid for.”
Carmen blinked. Who had sent her this? It was really quite puzzling.
“A note came with this,” the other man said to her handing her a piece of paper.
Carmen took it from him. There was a single line written on the note.I saw it in a shop and thought of you. This belongs to you now.Carmen’s heart began to beat fast. She knew exactly who had sent her this.
Her eyes almost filled with tears. She had dreamed of playing her piano in front of the audience and while they had managed to find other musical instruments, they had never been able to afford a piano, not even a used one. But now…
“This is amazing,” Lily breathed. “I can already imagine you playing while we sing together.”
Carmen nodded. Her throat was choking up at his gesture. He had given her something which even she didn’t know she needed.
* * *
Arthur wanted to do more for her but was quite unsure of how he was going to do go about doing it until he chanced upon the piano at one of the shops. Going out had become easier in the last few weeks and he hadn’t had a paralyzing attack in weeks. In fact, now Arthur took every chance that he got to get down from the carriage.
He had gone in to pick up Nora’s pendant from the jewelry shop. His fingers brushed across the smooth surface of the pendant in his pocket and the narrow bump where it was broken. He had tried hard to get it fixed many times, but nobody was able to restore it.
He decided to take a stroll down the street after coming out. Before he was married, he used to come here often and observe the bustle. Later he would go back home and write all about it in his journal. He had resumed that habit again and, in some ways, Arthur almost felt that he was even returning to his old self. When he spied the piano in one of the window’s shops, he knew immediately that he had to get it for her.
There was just one problem. He knew that she would never accept it if he gave it to her. She was too proud for that and that was one of the things that he liked about her.
When he visited Richard’s home, his friend knew almost immediately that something was wrong. They were playing a round of chess on his balcony when he said, “Are you going to tell me why you’ve been brooding for so long?”
“I want to help her in some way,” Arthur murmured.
A knowing smile crossed Richard’s face. “Are you talking about your paramour?”
“She isn’t my paramour,” Arthur protested and yet she was all he could think about. At night he ached for her, in the day his eyes never strayed from her and anytime she walked out of his embrace, he wanted to pull her back and never let go of her.
Richard seemed to get the same idea because he raised his brows. “Isn’t she though?” He already had an inkling of his circumstances with Carmen but if he thought something of it, he didn’t share it.
“I want to gift her a piano,” he said. “But I don’t think she will accept it.”
“Don’t wait for her to,” Richard said. “Have it sent to her. She won’t be able to refuse it.”
“Will that work?” Arthur asked uncertainly. He didn’t want her to take any offense at that.
“Yes,” Richard said with a chuckle. “I’m fairly certain the woman wouldn’t have your head for that.”
Arthur shook his head. “You don’t know her.”
“She’s only your daughter’s tutor,” Richard said. “It should mean little to you what she thinks unless…”
“Unless what?” Arthur asked sharply.
