“Alas, I have not. I am from up north and rarely get down to London.” The large man ran his hand down his beard as a footman arrived to serve thesoup.
“Miss Dunn,” Henry Livingston, on her right, spoke up. “Where have youstudied?”
“My father taught me as a child, and then I have been studying with Giles Carter since I was twelve. Have you heard ofhim?”
The Viscount, a nervous, slender man, shook his head. “I have not. So you have not studied with any recognized institution—such as the Royal College ofMusic?”
“I have not. But I hope that does not lessen me in yourestimation.”
“Hmm. We shall see. However, I have not found unschooled musicians fare well asprofessionals.”
“I am not unschooled, My Lord, my instruction was of the very highest quality or my father would never have allowedit.”
The Viscount ticked up his head and turned to the business of hissoup.
Neither gentleman seemed able to provide any stimulating conversation, so Emily spoke across the table to Alice for the rest of thedinner.
During the course of the meal, several gentlemen and their wives appeared and sat at empty spaces. Emily surmised they were the late arriving guests from thecontinent.
But as the meal came near to a close, Emily excused herself before the final course was served and retired to the room where the recital was to take place. She ran scales and worked through several of the more difficult sections of herrepertoire.
Before long, Alice came into theroom.
“Emily, the dinner ran a little late but is ending and the guests will be arriving here quite soon. Do you want to take a break and refresh yourself before therecital?”
“Yes, an excellent idea,” she said as she stood at the pianobench.
“Come with me. There is a secluded toilette where we can retire and you canprepare.”
“Thank you, Alice,” she said, as they left the room and saw the dinner party breaking up—the guests beginning to exit the diningroom.
Alice took Emily to a comfort room and saw hersettled.
“I shall inform Mark where you are, and when he is ready for you I shall come and fetchyou.”
“Thankyou.”
Emily washed her face in the basin and sat down to compose herself. She allowed her hands to finger a difficult passage on herlap.
Finally, Alicereturned.
“They are ready foryou.”
Emily took a deep breath, stood, and followed Alice to the recitalroom.
All heads turned as Emily entered, and the guests began to applaud. Mark was standing at the piano ready to welcome her, and as she approached he whispered, “I know you shall bebrilliant.”
He then turned to the audience and said, “You have already met our performer and now I shall let her introduce her firstselection.”
Emily stood at the piano, announced her first piece would be a Beethoven sonata, and then sat and began toplay.
The program was flawless and the guests cheered loudly at the end of the hour when the recital was finished. Many came forward and crowded around her and Mark as they congratulated her on a most delightful musicalexperience.
Emily was still shaking from the relief of having performed successfully when the crowd subsided. Alice came over and gave her a kiss on the cheek, and said, “Let me just tell you that was as splendid as your performance for Andre—only he was ungracious and treated you unfairly. You were wonderful, my dearfriend.”
“Thank you, that means alot.”
Mark had retired to the side of the room with several gentlemen and was in earnest discussion with them when Alice led Emily to the Duchess, who was still seated in one of the more comfortablechairs.
