Page 52 of The Earl's Christmas Deal
As the ball came to an end, many guests began to gather in the drawing room. Before the carriages came to take those who had travelled to the ball home, a buzz of voices began to stir in anticipation of what was to come.
Emilia watched her mother pleadingly, but Lady Sternwood would not be dissuaded. She was insistent that her daughter would play the piano for everyone, no matter how many people were crammed into the tiny space.
It was by far the largest performance Emilia had done in several years and her shoulders were tense, her palms sweating as she took her seat at the pianoforte.
She knew Adam was in the crowd, could feel his gaze like a physical touch, and drew strength from it as best she could. Every time she sat before the piano, now, it was tinged with sadness and loss. She remembered Lord Julian’s approach, the inevitable realization that she had overstepped, and the horror in the coming days of her reputation being systematically destroyed.
She placed her fingers delicately on the keys, took a deep breath, and tried to still her aching heart. Caroline and Penelope stood at the front of the crowd, watching her with expectant looks on their faces. It was as though they wereanticipating her failure, and Emilia felt a strange certainty rush through her.
They do not know my talentsand have no interest in learning them. I shall show them what talent truly is.
She began to play.
It was a pleasant Christmas tune, and she could feel the atmosphere in the room changing as she played it. Many were nodding their heads, and several of the older members of the crowd clasped their hands and smiled, as it was a well-worn tune she had heard since infancy.
With a jolt, she saw a man step forward out of the crowd. For a horrible, heart-stopping moment, she thought it was the Duke of Elderbridge coming to claim her in front of the world. But her heart leapt in her chest as she saw Adam come to stand beside her.
The room was absolutely silent around them beneath the notes of the piano, and Emilia continued to play, wondering what on earth he meant by this unusual display.
And then Lord Bellebrook began to sing the words that usually accompanied the music. Emilia was playing from memory, and he was singing from memory, too. His voice was beautiful, a melodic baritone that sailed through the room and over the heads of the crowd, exquisitely complementing the level of the music.
Emilia forced herself to remain calm, keeping her hands from shaking as best she could as his voice soared at the crescendo. In a moment of utter madness and delight, she began to sing the soprano along with him.
A single glance was all she needed. Adam looked down at her, and she looked up at him, and at that moment, all pretence fell away.
For Emilia, everything was suddenly very real, and she felt pure, undiluted happiness at the prospect of her future withthis man. Not only had he come to support her while she played, but he could not have given a stronger indication of his affection for her than by doing so in front of so many people.
Emilia could have leapt into the air with the joy of it.
Adam continued to sing, the waves of the music coming back to him all at once. Lyrics he had not sung since childhood weresomehow available to him again as though they had been locked away in a secret place in his mind, and only Emilia held the key.
He had not sung like this since Anastasia was alive, and it feltrightto do it now. He was going to protect Emilia from the fate her parents had laid out for her, and he took great pleasure in doing so. She had looked so petite at the piano, almost afraid, but now they sang in harmony, their voices rising and mixing in the air, perfectly entwined just as it seemed they had always been.
He did not look at Emilia again, too afraid with so many eyes on them that his feelings would be plain for all to see before he had even confessed them to her.
They were together,trulytogether, in that moment, and he felt a smile spread across his face as he continued to sing. Someone in the crowd began to sing, too, and soon, the whole room was alive with voices, brought together by a union he had never expected from a woman he had come to care for in every possible way.
The song soared and wavered and lingered in the air and Adam knew that he would never forget that moment or this day for the rest of his life.
CHAPTER TWENTY
The following morning was Christmas Eve, and Adam woke early, his body feeling alive with excitement and fear.
The ball and the subsequent performance had passed in a blur, and he had had little time to accept or understand the feelings it had raised in him since he had come to bed. His head pounded with a heaviness that had nothing to do with the wine he had imbibed the night before.
He stood before the mirror, looking at his reflection, seeing the colour in his cheeks and the brightness in his eyes. It occurred to him that he looked like himself again. He examined his reflection and saw the man he once was, full of possibility and excitement, with a spark of life at his heels.
Even so, he still felt a bundle of nerves in the wake of all he had experienced. He seemed to waver between happiness at being able to be with Emilia and crushing guilt every time he thought of Anastasia. He was unable to reconcile all that had changed in so short a time. Only a month ago, if anyone had asked him if he would take a new wife, he would have denied it vehemently.
Now, he felt renewed at the prospect.
In an attempt to settle himself, he went to seek out Lionel, his cousin always acting asa steady rudder through any storm.
He wondered where Emilia was this morning, how she might be feeling—what she might be doing.Emilia.It was becoming increasingly difficult for him to think of her as ‘Lady Emilia Sterling’ now.
He walked swiftly through the grand hallway, which was positively bursting with Christmas cheer as the bowers and garlands hung heavy on all of the doorways.
Ahead of him, he saw the library and as he opened the door his shoulders sank back in relief atthe sight of his friend sitting beside the window. The fire crackled pleasantly, the wind blowing outside, sending wafts of snowflakes past the window.
