Emily stood up from the piano bench and, with her back turned to the others, retrieved the penny. She turned back to the Duke, went over to him, taking his hand and placing the penny init.
“It might work for you, but it seems it does not forme.”
“I did not say it was fast acting. Perhaps the magic works more slowly than one might hope for. Keep it. I know it will work for youeventually.”
“But who knows? The magic might work in some other area of my life and not affect my career atall.”
“But that is the nature of magic—it is mysterious and surprising—just likelife.”
Emily kept the penny and returned it to its safe-keepingplace.
The tea arrived and they sat in comfortable chairs around the teatable.
Alice said as she served the tea, “I am certainly glad I did not invite Monsieur Bellieu to Linfield for our weekend. I was thinking to do it today. But it would have been adisaster.”
Mark appeared to be deep in thought before he said, “Speaking of that weekend, I have a few more chaps I should like to ask down. I have by no means exhausted my sources for the tour. I have several more European contacts. I shall send them invitations—express—and hope a few of them might be free toattend.”
“And what should I do now?” Emily asked. “I have left the trio with the expectation of touring and now I am out in thecold.”
“Let me speak to Silas about some local touring and perhaps I might explore a few otheroptions.”
“Do you think I might need some coaching from someone experienced in training solo performers? I have doubts now about Giles. He might be fine for helping the trio, but he may not be experienced enough in working with soloperformers.”
“Let me enquire around,” Alice offered. “My dear friend, Annika Stafford, who teaches at the Academy, might have a fewsuggestions.”
Emily sighed. “It never ends, does it? The work. The struggle. Theanguish.”
“My dear, the level of rewards you are searching for do not come easy. Certainly, you must understand that by now,” Alice saidgently.
Emily looked at her with the most sorrowful gaze. “I know. I trulydo.”
* * *
“Oh, hello,” Trent exclaimed as he opened the Allen household’s front door. “I did not know you were to visit.” He seemed to think Emily did not appear to be her cheery self. “Come in, you look like you need a hug and a kiss on thecheek.”
“I do,” she said, bursting into tears, and steppinginside.
“Fanny,” Trent called out loudly. “We have a hugemergency.”
“Oh, oh, oh, oh,” Fanny cried out as she galloped to the entrancehall.
They threw their arms around Emily and gave her a series of cheekkisses.
“Now… come tell mama and papa all about it,” Fanny cooed as she led Emily to the parlor by thehand.
It was an unusually cloudy and cool afternoon and they had a small coal fire in the fireplace around which theysat.
Fanny had been reading, while Trent was in the middle of repairing a Wellington boot with a rubber patch. But all was abandoned to focus on Emily’stears.
Emily dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief. She blew her nose and composed herself before telling her friends of her ordeal at the hands of AndreBellieu.
“Contemptible blighter!” Trent exclaimed when she had finished her tale. “Cast the blaggard out. Send him intoexile!”
Emily laughed. “But he lives in France. One can hardly throw himout.”
“Metaphorically speaking, then,” he said with somefinality.
“What are you to do?” Fanny asked. “You have already left thetrio.”
