AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 9
An intimate melody reached Eloise’s ears. It didn’t compare to the piano medley from last time, no, this sounded enchanting, homely, nostalgic, almost as if she had heard it once before, long ago. It was as early as four in the morning, and after a stressful night’s sleep, dreading the worst, she woke to the soft strings. Before long, she found herself roaming through dark halls, anxious to locate the origin of the sounds this time.
It was calling out to her, she could feel the music forming a path of memories before her eyes, and she wanted to hold onto them. Through the mazes of the corridors, with a candle in hand, she began hurrying her steps, growing hopeful as the melody grew louder and louder.
Finally, she reached the origin of it all. A room.
Pressing her palms against the door, she pushed against it softly and peeked inside, not wanting to disturb anyone.
“I didn’t mean to wake you, My Lady,” a voice rose from the barely lit chamber as the music gradually faded to a halt. Her eyes squinted until she caught sight of the pianist. It was…Simon?
“Oh, you didn’t, Your Grace.” Silence lingered between them for a good moment as Eloise found herself lost for words. “Can you…play that again?” she asked, slowly stepping inside the cozy room.
He raised an eyebrow in question, before cracking his knuckles, adjusting himself a little, and focusing back on the piano in front of him. The candelabra near him enhanced the sharpness of his jaw and seemed to illuminate the rest of his figure as though he were a mirage. One side of his face had succumbed to darkness, while the other held an orange glow. It allowed her to make out the tiniest of marks on his face, ones you couldn’t see unless you paid close attention to, and one’s that looked vaguely familiar.
After a few moments, he began playing again. Eloise closed her eyes, trying to recall from where she had heard it before. Someplace, somewhere, deep in her past. It was rhythmic and quiet. Enough to make her believe she was someplace else, far away from all her trivial worries and insignificant problems.
“Are you all right?” he suddenly asked.
She hadn’t realized he’d stopped playing, as a faint tear streamed down her cheeks.
“Hmm? Oh, yes, I’m fine. I just… the music, it was beautiful. It…it reminds me of a piece my mother would play for me when I was a child,” she said.
“Oh, I appreciate the compliment. But I must confess, it is a common number in the countryside. And quite an easy piece to learn and play.”
She smiled endearingly. “I suppose. But I don’t know how to play the pianoforte, and it has been quite a struggle trying to learn.”
He didn’t respond. She assumed perhaps he was taken aback by how easily she talked to him after the heat of their last interaction.
“I can help you,” he soon replied, swiveling his body around to face her. “I can teach you. How to play I mean; it’s easy, really, and I’m quite the patient teacher.”
“You would do that? Why would you do that?”
His eyes quickly turned back to the pianoforte as if he were caught doing something he shouldn’t have. Then he turned back to face her again, ignoring her last question, “In fact, we can start right now.”
“Now? I…don’t know. Are you certain?”
He patted the space on the bench next to him, encouraging her. It was all quite suspicious, but if he did truly have a change of heart, this could be her ticket to finally fulfilling the promise she’d made to the masked man at the ball. And with that in mind, Eloise hesitantly shuffled closer, seating herself on the bench, though trying to keep her distance.
“So, what is the difficult part for you? For some, it’s learning the notes. For others, it’s learning the position of the keys, and for some, it is their wrist positioning.”
“Would it put me at a serious disadvantage if it were, perhaps…all of them? What do you mean about the wrist position? I’ve heard that before, but I thought I was doing it right.”
She placed her hands on the pianoforte keys, showing him exactly what she meant.
“Ah, I see. No, that’s wrong. To play easier, you’re supposed to—” he held her wrists gently, positioning them upwards so they didn’t bend. She suddenly found herself breathless. “If you bend them, you can get injured, nor is it practical… You can breathe, you know.”
“It’s a bit difficult to do so,” she uttered. “I mean keeping my hands like this.”
He held them in place, aiding her. “Here, try playing a few notes and see if it feels better.”
Eloise nodded, trying to ignore the familiar burning on her wrists. She hated the fact that she was reacting to this, or that she was affected by his closeness. His hot breath touched her bare neck every time he spoke, making it all the more worse.
But sure enough, as she attempted to move her hands across each key, it was now much easier to do so. It was almost as if her hands slid across each key, allowing her to move more swiftly.
Eloise grinned in elation as if she had discovered a newfound talent. “This is amazing, thank you!”
“Don’t get too excited, that’s just the first step. We have another one-hundred to go through. But,” he said with an edge in his voice, “that would be no fun, would it?”
