Caught in the Storm of a Duke's - Abby Ayles Page 0,41
face, she turned to him.
“What do you think?” she asked.
Those green orbs were filled with hope, and, when he felt a hand squeeze around his heart, he knew that he was a fool. A hopeless one.
“You play well,” he said simply, forcing himself to look away in case he lost his mind completely.
“Oh?” she asked again, her voice ever soft, breaking through the walls he had taken time to build as though the barricade meant nothing to her.
Why her? Why was it so easy for her?
He nodded. “You do. You have the skill, Lady Judith. What you need only is the heart. To play the pianoforte beautifully…”
“As beautifully as you do?” she cut in, her smile widening.
He paused, inhaling sharply. Her lips had been full of praises for him ever since he caught her standing there, watching him with emotions she would do well to put into her music.
Emotions he refused to consider.
He had refused to let those praises affect him, refused to give them any thought. Alas, he was only a man and he could not deny that made him … feel.
“You only think I play beautifully because I play from my heart, not my mind.”
“There is a difference?”
He gave a curt nod. “When you play from your mind, you play because you know the notes, you know what keys you must strike. You are doing too much thinking, trying too hard to make no mistake, to be perfect. That is not music.”
“And when you play from your heart?” she asked. Her curiosity seemed genuine.
“You simply feel,” he answered. “You let it all pour from here,” he lifted his hand to the part of his chest where the pain had been hurting him for too long.
Until now.
“Your heart guides your hands. That is how you make music.”
He made the mistake of holding her gaze then, and he felt himself losing his way a little more.
Those eyes looked at him, shining as though he had just shown her the greatest wonder of the world.
“You make it sound so easy,” she said.
“Would you like to try again?” he asked, ignoring the fuzzy feeling filling his insides.
She nodded. She needed no further encouragement. Once again, she started to play.
This time, she closed her eyes, and he could tell that, this time, the music came from her heart.
She moved as one with the music, birthing it in the most glorious way he had ever heard. Soon, unable to resist any longer, he joined her, playing along.
They remained there the whole day, playing song after song, filling the estate with sweet melodies and their hearts with something more.
Chapter 16
The skies began to turn dark before Judith and Stephen realized how much time had gone by.
Judith was beyond awed to find they had shared such a lovely time, making harmonies. It was undoubtedly the best day she had had in a long time and was sad to see it end.
However, as he rose to his feet and offered her his hand, she could not help but wonder if this was indeed the end, or simply, the start of something else.
Something more.
Keeping these thoughts to herself, she took the hand he so graciously offered. When he declared his wish to escort her to her chambers, she accepted.
Side by side, they found their way through the quickly darkening hallways.
No word was said between them; none appeared to be needed.
Thankfully, the silence was not discomforting in any way. If anything, it helped Judith think.
All that time in Dunham, and it was the first day she had spent such ample hours with her host.
At first, she had been wary of him, uncertain about how to take his invitation to play.
However, as they began to play together, she found herself relaxing and enjoying the moment very much. Perhaps too much.
While she had cherished every minute, the events of the day left her more confused about the duke than ever before.
What kind of man was he, truly?
One moment, he was cold and distant. Another, he was harsh and rude. While she tried to contend with that, he suddenly became sweet and endearing.
All day, she had received only warmth and, dare she say, friendship? There had been a new amiableness to him.
They had shared an easy camaraderie, as though they had known each other all their lives.
It had felt so … right.
Still, despite the cheer of the day and its loveliness, she had not failed to notice that he did not smile at her or, at least, would not.