Ravencroft tapped her shoulder with the tip of his bow. “You’re not playing fair.”
Lady Templeton leaned closer and lowered her voice even further, a teasing smile in her tone. “Dear, sweet, little brother. When have I ever played fair?”
Ravencroft’s shoulders rose and fell in a sigh. Instead of replying with words, he played the opening four notes of Beethoven’sFifth Symphony, dramatically drawing out the last note.
As she walked back to the fireplace, Ravencroft, Lord Mansfield, and Mr. Westbrook played the next four notes. Parker and Lord Templeton joined in by singing, “dun dun dun dunnnn.”
“Boys!”
Ashley and Georgia both smothered a laugh. “Are they always like this?” Ashley whispered.
“Sometimes they’re even more childish,” Georgia replied, her quiet voice quavering with barely contained laughter.
“We have less than an hour before Diana will expect us in the dining room,” Lady Templeton said. “Please concentrate.” She tapped the chalkboard and gestured for them to begin.
They played both versions, and Ashley agreed Ravencroft’s version was more melodious. Georgia didn’t even have to voice her opinion, because Lady Templeton wadded up a sheet of music and tossed it at Ravencroft. He batted it aside with his bow.
“You’re right. I’ll recopy the music tonight. Let’s work on the other piece. David, please help Parker out on the high tenor line.”
Lady Templeton started them off. Parker’s voice grew stronger, and the men’s voices were no longer in danger of being overwhelmed by the instruments. Ashley was puzzled, because now it sounded like she heard a violin. With two strong voices singing the high tenor line, a slightly lower tenor, plus the bright tone of the violin, the song seemed top-heavy, despite Lord Mansfield’s bass.
They made it all the way through once. Lady Templeton held the heel of her hand to her forehead, her eyes squeezed shut. “Mansfield, you sound like a bullfrog.”
Ashley was shocked to hear Lady Templeton speak to her brother-in-law this way, but he merely said, “Again?” and shook his head.
“Open up your embouchure to get more warmth in your tone. David, why don’t you sing the bass line with him this time? I’m not sure where we need your voice most.”
Ravencroft saluted his sister with his bow. This time when they played, the bright violin was gone and the deep tone of the violoncello was back, and Ashley realized Ravencroft was playing a seven-string viola da gamba, not a violoncello.
The song sounded much better with the deeper tones, more balanced, though Ashley conceded she was partial to low voices. Only a few measures into it, Parker struggled on the high tenor again. Ravencroft finished the verse with him. On the next verse, Ravencroft sang the low tenor part with Templeton. On the chorus he was back to bass with Mansfield, and on the third verse he sang baritone with Westbrook. For the final chorus he went back to bass, dropping down yet another octave to basso profundo for the first word in each phrase. At no point did he sound like a bullfrog.
Through it all Ashley sat perfectly still, hardly daring to breathe, her heart pounding madly.
That voice!She’d heard that voice before! The mellow tenor, the warm, comforting baritone. The basso profundo that had terrified Sir Rupert into fleeing the gazebo.
Could it be? Her mysterious rescuer was Ravencroft?
Chapter 6
“He’s doing that to annoy Aunt Lydia,” Georgia whispered. “It quite vexes her that he has a range of nearly five octaves even without rehearsing regularly, and she can barely reach one full octave no matter how much she practices.”
Ashley tore her gaze from Ravencroft’s profile, and noted Lady Templeton’s brow furrowed, her eyes narrowed. When the song ended, she cut them off with an abrupt gesture. “Enough of that. Let’s move on toThe Last Rose of Summer.”
Georgia grabbed Ashley’s elbow. “Come! We barely have time to dress for dinner!”
Ashley followed her up the stairs, still in a daze of whirling thoughts at her realization of Ravencroft being her secret rescuer.
“You can have your own guest chamber, of course,” Georgia said as they reached the first-floor landing, looking shy and uncertain. “But I hoped you might want to stay in my room instead.”
At the top of the stairs, Ashley impetuously pulled her in for a quick hug. The close friends she’d had as a child and young adolescent were long married and had families of their own, but once upon a time she had spent a night here and there nestled under the blankets with a friend, whispering and giggling until the wee hours. “Of course! We’ll have fun tonight, long after everyone else has gone to sleep.”
Georgia let out a quiet whoop. Arm in arm they entered her bedchamber, summoned their maids, and quickly dressed for dinner.
Ashley had no time to ponder her revelation about Ravencroft. When she and Georgia entered the drawing room where the family gathered before going into dinner, she was nearly overwhelmed. So many people! She couldn’t imagine having so many relatives. Georgia’s parents, aunt, and uncle greeted her warmly. She had previously been introduced to Georgia’s older siblings and this time recalled their names—Parker and his wife Deirdre, and sister Clarissa and her fiancé, Lawrence Norcross.
Mr. Westbrook was introduced as another friend of the family. His smile reached his brown eyes that twinkled with humor, and his thick, curly brown hair was combed forward, à la Brutus. Ashley found him charming.
Before Mr. Westbrook could engage her in light flirtation, Georgia tugged her arm. “Come, you must meet Great-Aunt Constance. She is the reason I was able to return your handkerchief.”
