Page 87 of The Best of Friends
He took it, then motioned for her to sit on the stool at the pianoforte, which she did. He brought over a small, armless chair and set it beside her, sitting as well, then quickly read the letter.
“After your mother’s earlier letters berating and blaming you for the consequences of their behavior, it is shocking for her to now demand your help.” Toss lowered the letter to his lap.
“My parents haven’t made a habit of giving my feelings much consideration. I’m not surprised Mother is continuing that pattern.”
He held up the letter. “What do you mean to do with this?”
She shrugged. “I’m not certain. It would likely be unmannerly of me to burn it.”
“But, I daresay, very satisfying.” He smiled at her.
“Do you know what Charlie and his brothers did to my father? Charlie has been very tight-lipped, and I’m too afraid to ask the duke.”
“Though I was not present for your father’s ‘consequences,’ as Charlie labels the proceedings, I am told it involved dragging him to his club, standing him on a table, and declaring to all present that Mr. Mullins had been declared a pariah by the Jonquil family and the infamous Duke of Kielder, that Mr. Mullins’ children were above reproach, and that he had been given two days to vacate London.”
“Good heavens.” That must have been a humiliating ordeal for her father. Deserved, yes, but humiliating all the same.
“Your parents will have to leave Town,” Toss said, “but I do believe you and Tobias will not merely be accepted in London but looked on with great approval. With the Jonquils and the Duke of Kielder and his family speaking so highly of you, your footing is as firm as it could possibly be.”
There was some relief in that. Much of Daria’s future was very uncertain. To know she was not to be painted with the same brush of condemnation as her parents was a small bit of reassurance.
She reached out and tapped a few keys of the pianoforte. As the sound echoed and faded, she smiled at Toss. “I do love listening to you play. Your compositions are beautiful.”
“Do you like the one I’ve been playing this evening?”
She leaned her head on his shoulder. “You play it often. I like it very much.”
He kissed the top of her head. “It’s grown from the way you hummed ‘English Country Garden’ the night of your soiree.”
“Truly?”
“I’ve nearly finished it, and I’m quite pleased.” His arm wrapped around her and tucked her nearer to him. “I suspect I’ll always think of it as your song.”
While his words were touching, they didn’t ease her worries or lift her heavy heart. “What are we going to do, Toss? You have no income, and I have no dowry.”
“I’ve been wanting to talk with you on precisely that topic, but there’s not been any privacy.”
Daria glanced around the room. “We have some privacy now.”
He took her hand and urged her to her feet. With her arm through his, he walked with her in a slow circuit around the room. “The duke offered me a succinct list of the options before us. I can return to Cambridge and complete my studies as soon as I am able. I can remain in London and attempt to establish myself without the benefit of completing my education. Or I can seek out a different means of obtaining an income, in the hope that I can do so more quickly than with my music.” Toss’s tone and expression were a little heavy but not to the point of looking defeated. He had such a knack for keeping his chin up, as the saying went. It helped her do the same. “Those are the options I have, and I have been thinking throughout the day what your options are in each of those scenarios.”
“So have I,” she said.
He set his hand on hers where it rested on his arm. “Tell me what you’ve sorted.”
“No matter how you proceed, I will need a place to live for a time, be that years to finish your education or years to establish your music.”
He nodded. “I wish it didn’t have to be years, Daria.”
“So do I.” But she knew it was not an option for them. No matter the path Toss walked, it would be a long one. “I think you need to return to Cambridge and finish your studies there. That would give you the best chance of pursuing your music.” Her breaking heart wanted her to insist he remain with her, that they both abandon any thoughts beyond the now. But music was too much a part of him for Toss to be truly happy if he abandoned it. “I intend to accept Mater’s offer of living with her at the Lampton Park dower house. It would be a peaceful place, and I think she would appreciate having me.”
“And Gillian will be nearby,” Toss said. “That would make it less lonely for you.”
“I will like that.”
“I do not know how much time will be required after my education is complete for the Royal Society of Musicians to accept me,” he warned.
“The waiting won’t be easy,” she said, “but I think we’ve proven these past days and weeks that we can do difficult things.”
