My One and Only Earl (Forever Yours #12) - Stacy Reid Page 0,41

and I, for one, will accept no excuses. I will have the music found and sent over so you can remind yourself of the music Kingsley will sing.”

Lady Sanders moved on to the next guests, and James turned to Poppy.

“You sing?” she asked, staring up at him.

“Like a frog. I cannot imagine why she would want to subject her guests.”

Poppy smiled. “I am certain it is nothing of the sort or Lady Sanders would not have trapped you so thoroughly.”

There was a look she could not decipher as he stared down at her.

“Do you really not mind playing for me? The Elf King is a bit of a stinker with all those rumbling broken chords.”

Poppy chuckled, amused with his droll wit. “I rather like it, although it does need a good singer to maintain all that histrionic dread. It is easier to play than Chopin. I suspect he must have had giant hands to make all the stretches.”

James nodded, scanning the crowd. “His portraits do suggest that he had beautiful hands. I wish I had been able to hear him in person. I believe he still performs in Paris occasionally.”

The ballroom was quickly filling up, and although Poppy could see where her family was seated in the second row of the sitting arrangements, they took no notice of her or James and his family. The longer that debacle could be postponed the better in her opinion.

A gentleman she assumed was Lord Sanders climbed the dais and announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, would you please find your seats, the performances are about to begin.”

Daphne’s party sat themselves towards the rear of the ballroom and settled down to listen to the first performers. Poppy was painfully aware that James sat beside her. Every shift, even if a slight one, felt as if heat rippled through her. Did he feel it too, this connection between them? Or was it all Poppy’s imagination?

More glasses of wine were being handed around as a trio of three girls ascended the dais. One seated herself with her music at the piano, and the others clustered around. The seated audience were still gossiping amongst themselves, but Lord Sanders glared at everyone and struck his cane on the floor to silence them.

Poppy noticed that the three girls were similar in appearance and suspected they were sisters. The girl at the piano played and sang a traditional song and her sisters sang along with her. Poppy thought they were lovely and did well despite their apparent nervousness. The three sisters were revealed as the Misses Jepson when Lord Sanders thanked them for their efforts. There was a brief round of applause although it was louder in one quarter of the ballroom where family or friends showed some partiality.

The second performer was an ethereal blonde, dressed in ivory satin. She floated across the dais to the harp and seated herself behind it. Beautiful notes rippled from the strings in harmony and seemed to vaguely describe a melody. Her performance was at least not painful to the ears, however, as her piece continued it was clear the young lady’s sense of rhythm was erratic and that beyond the approximate selection of the strings lacked any real understanding of the music itself. By the end of the piece Poppy was anxious for her and thought she acquitted herself pleasantly.

One young buck stood and scandalously called out, “Bellissima!” and blew kisses to the blonde.

The announcement for the third performer was given after the blonde, Lady Lucinda, had curtsied herself off. Poppy started as she realized the next performer was to be her sister. She looked radiant in a pale blue gown, but Poppy found herself anxious as Rebecca sat down at the piano. Poppy charitably prayed that her half-sister would perform well. As Rebecca began to play a hush fell over the audience, then several of the matrons snapped their fans opened and noisily fluttered them in front of their noses. Poppy glanced around the room. Some people were sitting stoically with pained expressions on their faces, others were wrestling with the desire not to laugh, some even whispered in their neighbors’ ears. Then Poppy noticed that several of the younger men were looking around and studying the ladies and at least two were staring directly at her. Poppy wondered why, because she doubted many would recognize her as Rebecca’s half-sister, they simply did not look alike.

“You are nervous,” James murmured.

“Yes…I…” Poppy smiled ruefully. “I want her to do well.”

“Have I ever told you that

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