“What?” Rebecca asked, feeling her head begin to throb.
“She was in our apartment building last night, and she saw him coming down from your floor.”
“Why was she in our apartment building?”
Ryan averted his eyes from Rebecca and molded his lips into a frown that exuded a guilty conscience.
“Ryan, please tell me she wasn’t with you.” Rebecca pleaded, as they stepped out into the rainy night with a peal of thunder forming overhead.
“I wish I could tell you that, Becky, but she was with me. I’m sorry! I know that she was once entrenched in an affair with Luke, and he’s my friend. I shouldn’t have been with her. I just couldn’t resist her. She kept rejecting me in Munich, and then when we got back to Vienna, suddenly her demeanor changed.”
“Of course it changed!” Rebecca hissed, not wanting their elders to hear their argument. “She’s just using you as a pawn on her evil chess board, don’t you see? It was very clear to everyone when she snubbed your dinner invitation before you and Luke went to Munich.”
Ryan shot Rebecca an uncharacteristically stern look that told her he would not tolerate this kind of treatment from his younger sister. “Don’t speak to me in that tone, sister. I do not have to explain my actions to you or to anyone else. Why should I feel guilty anyway? It’s not my fault that she’s a scorned madwoman on a rampage.”
Rebecca shrugged sulkily, knowing not to trifle with Ryan when he was of this temperament, but still hurt that he had inserted himself into what was now a quadrangle of emotional and physical ties.
“Why Greta? Why not some other girl?” Rebecca sighed.
“She’s quite bewitching, that’s all I can say.”
“She’s quite a witch, that’s all I can say!” Rebecca hurled at him. Then, realizing that she had overstepped her bounds once again, she softened the blow. “I wish your involvement with her didn’t affect my life, but the truth is that it does. Are you going to continue to see her?”
Ryan shook his head derisively. “Of course not! After tonight, I wouldn’t go near her. Besides, she ran out on me as soon as she saw Luke coming from your floor. As much as it hurts my pride to admit it, you’re right that she used me as a pawn. She made it seem as though she was feeling lonesome, as I was, but instead she merely wanted to spy on Luke.”
“Do you think she’s in love with him?” Rebecca asked, afraid of the answer.
Ryan paused and then spoke with bold certainty. “No. She is not in love with him or any other man. She simply adheres to the metaphor that the grass is greener on the other side of the mountain. And Luke is the other side of the mountain. Plus, you know how competitive women are. She cannot stand to be second in line to anyone.”
“Especially me. Second in line in love and career.” Rebecca acknowledged glumly.
At that moment, she heard the unmistakable ring of her grandmother’s voice, hollering behind her, “Rebecca! Ryan!”
The siblings stopped and waited for their elders, who seemed to be enjoying the moonlit stroll in the rain. “Dears, you go on ahead and don’t worry about me. Mr. Graysen has been kind enough to offer to escort me to my hotel room.”
Rebecca looked warily at the old woman, wondering if it was Vienna and not Paris that deserved the reputation as most romantic city on earth.
Ryan looked amused and said, “Alrighty then. Good night to you both and a safe trip out of the rain.”
Once they had gone their separate ways, Rebecca and Ryan stayed silent for the remainder of the walk, each immersed in contemplation. Neither of them imagined that their grandmother would be bold enough to invite Mr. Graysen up to her hotel room, but there certainly was a romance budding between the two.
As she trudged up the stairs, tracking mud into the building, Rebecca watched Ryan slip into his chamber and lock the door. Once he was inside, she stared down the corridor to where Luke’s room was located. Peering through the slat under the door, there was utter darkness until a lightning bolt illuminated it for an instant. With a confident stride, Rebecca ventured to Luke’s room and knocked loudly on the door.
To her surprise, he called from inside, “Come in.” She pushed the door open to find him sitting at his desk, reading a book with a pair of glasses she had not known he owned. Upon recognizing Rebecca, he threw the book down and rushed to her side. “Rebecca, I didn’t think it was you. I thought it was your brother coming to yell at me.”
“Why would he yell at you?”
“For what happened tonight. I’m sure he must blame me.” Luke explained, frowning as he examined the extent of the damage Greta had inflicted. “Have you properly sterilized your wounds?”
At the mention of her injuries, Rebecca’s anger resurfaced. “Interesting that you should ask me that now, Luke. Where did you go after Greta all but mauled me on stage?! Did you go after her?”
Luke looked at her in disbelief. “Of course not. Why would I go after her?”
“Perhaps because you felt sorry for her that she was being treated like a common criminal?”
“Don’t be absurd. If Greta is in jail right now, then she has no one to blame but herself. I only came back here to avoid making a worse scene.”
“What do you mean?”
“I didn’t want our colleagues to conclude that you and I are lovers. It would only make matters even more complex than they already are. I was thinking of your reputation, Rebecca. You are the star of the ensemble and don’t need a scandal tarnishing your career before it’s even had a chance to flourish. But, believe me, I didn’t want to leave.”
She mulled over his reasoning, still smarting from the fact that he had left, regardless of how he tried to explain it away. Why should it matter what everyone thought? They were surely not the only ones embroiled in a relationship. She had noticed more than one wayward glance pass between chorus members.
“I think it would have been kinder had you stayed to look after me. I was looking everywhere for you.”
“I’m sorry, Rebecca, truly. But think of our careers for a second.”
“Do you care for our careers more than you care for us?” Rebecca demanded, feeling a gust of cold indifference from Luke that made her shudder.
“No, Rebecca, of course not!”
“But I cannot understand why you left me there bleeding and crying! Last night, you acted as though…as though,” She stammered, afraid to utter the words, but more afraid to let them boil inside of her, “as though you loved me.” She finished, looking him square in the eyes. When he made no response, she persisted, “Or do you still love Greta?”
“No! What I felt for Greta was never really love. It was infatuation. I thought you understood that.”
On a whim, Rebecca decided to test him, knowing she might regret it, but unable to prevent the words from spilling out. “If you don’t love her, then does it matter to you if she rots in jail?” Against her better judgment, she followed the question with an even more blazing inquiry. “Does it matter to you that she became involved with my brother last night?”
“Involved with your brother? I told Ryan that she was trouble, and he didn’t listen. What a fool.”
“Don’t call my brother a fool!” Rebecca snapped indignantly, not so much bothered that he had insulted Ryan, but that he seemed affected by Greta’s latest partnering.
“What do you call it when an experienced person gives someone sound advice and it goes unheeded? It’s foolish!” Luke retorted with a disdainful snort.
“Why do you care so much that Ryan bedded Greta?”
“Rebecca, I don’t care except that your brother should have known better. I am not going to repeat myself again concerning that woman. If you don’t believe me when I say that I have no interest in her, then it’s the same as calling me untrustworthy.”
She reflected on his point for a few breaths, knowing that he was right, but still seething that he had abandoned her when she needed him. “The point remains that you should not have left me a
ll alone after Greta assailed me.”
“All alone? Hordes of people surrounded you, including your family! Listen, it’s obvious that you need some rest to renew your mind. Could we please discuss this when you’re feeling more reasonable?”
Luke’s calm and collected state only served as a catalyst for Rebecca’s turbulent emotions. “Why can’t you admit that you should have stayed with me?”
“I did apologize, or were you not listening?”
“An apology generally comes with a display of regret, not just the token words.” Rebecca argued relentlessly.
Unexpectedly, Luke softened his harshly held features and took Rebecca into his arms. “Forgive me if I don’t express my emotions very well. I am truly sorry that you had to endure that pain this evening. You certainly did not deserve it. I suppose I feel somewhat responsible for causing it, as she would not have lashed out at you had I never been with her.”
Assuaged, Rebecca replied softly, “You were involved with her before you even knew me. Please let us not speak of her again. There are plenty of witnesses to help prosecute her and we needn’t dwell on this nightmare any longer.” She perched on her toes to give him a kiss, which he returned with the same axis-tilting ardor of the previous night.
With pangs of guilt needling him, he caressed her assaulted neck and shoulders, pulling her into his chamber and closing the door behind them.
“Let’s put some ice on these wounds.” Luke said soothingly as he caressed her delicate cheek and kissed the blood-stained skin.
Chapter Sixteen
The aroma of piping hot bread filled Rebecca’s senses when she awoke the next morning in Luke’s chamber. She squinted in the sun-brightened room and discerned his bulky figure coming towards her on the bed.
“Rise and shine, beautiful.” He greeted, handing her the bakery box.
She accepted the box from him reverently, as though it might have contained the Hope Diamond rather than a starchy morning meal. Inside, she found a colorful assortment of raspberry tartlets and nut breads, along with a dollop of creamed butter to spread.
“Luke, I could get spoiled very quickly from this kind of treatment. No one has ever served me breakfast in bed before.” She sighed, licking her finger where a bit of raspberry jelly had stuck.
“Well I should hope not.” Luke said half jokingly. “I guess there have to be some benefits to living above a storefront.”
“There certainly are.” Rebecca agreed between a mouthful of buttered bread. “I’ve gotten used to living in such close proximity to a bakery. Back in Michigan, the only places nearby were the train station and the steel mill.”
Luke watched Rebecca gobble down the breakfast sweets and wondered how he could have been crazy enough to argue with her. There was not a trace of self-consciousness in the way she ate.
“Do you enjoy watching me eat?” She teased, suddenly noticing that she was being hawked.
“Indeed I do. It’s a most sensual display.” He chuckled as jelly dripped down her chin.
“Perhaps it would be more sensual if I had a napkin.” She said, laughing at herself.
“No, there’s no reason to be tidy around me. Just be yourself, as I told you two nights ago. In fact, that raspberry jam suits you very well. Better I would say than all the shades of lipstick man could concoct.” Luke sat next to her on the bed, arranging the pillows like a reclining chair. “Don’t spend too much time on breakfast, though, because I have a surprise for you today.”
She looked at him with unbearable curiosity. “I cannot tolerate surprises, Luke. You must tell me what you have planned!”
He chuckled again and swept away a stray tendril of her hair. “Very well. You wore me down! I thought that since autumn is almost upon is, it would be nice to take a refreshing swim before the show tonight.”
Rebecca regarded him incredulously, remembering her vow that she would learn to swim during her time in Europe. Hesitantly, she admitted, “I don’t know how to swim. But I have always wanted to learn.”
“Well, I would be honored to teach you, Rebecca. Ever since my leg injury, swimming has been my preferred form of exercise. It’s quite soothing to the joints and for you, as a singer, it should strengthen your lungs.”
“I never thought about it that way.”
Suddenly, Rebecca was in a rush to leave the stifling apartment building, grateful that last night’s rainstorm had given birth to a fresh, sun-drenched day.
Swallowing one last bite of tartlet, she hopped off the bed and announced, “I’m going to fetch my maillot. Wait for me here.” She winked at Luke on her way out, as he stayed on the bed, finishing the crumbly remnants of their breakfast sweets.
Inside her chamber, Rebecca dug deep into her suitcase to retrieve the bathing suit she had packed, not having known that she would ever get a chance to wear it. The royal blue maillot was conservatively cut with a pleated skirt that concealed her hips and thighs. She quickly slipped into it, catching a glimpse of her reflection in the window and blushing mildly. Never before in her life had she gone swimming, not even to sunbathe, and it was a shock to see herself in the tiny, skintight suit. She threw a dress on over the maillot, grabbed a few linens, and went downstairs to meet her muscular swim instructor.
Outside, the air breathed of summer with the golden touch of the sun. “Are you ready to have your first swim lesson in the Adriatic Sea?” Luke asked gravely.
Rebecca tensed, replying, “What are you talking about? We don’t have time to go down by the sea. We’ll miss the show!” No sooner had she spoken did she realize that Luke had been jesting.
His eyes crinkled with wicked amusement as he cajoled, “Don’t get scared, Becky. We’re not going anywhere near the sea. Why would we go to the sea when we have a raging river right here for you to dive into?”
From his lopsided grin, Rebecca knew that he was still joking, but she felt it necessary to explain to him the sensitivity this issue required. “Luke, I know you think you’re very funny, but there’s something you should know. When we went to Salzburg, I told you that my parents died when I was five. Well, what I didn’t tell you is how they died. It was a drowning accident that killed them.”
Luke’s face darkened with remorse for the casual way in which he had talked about her first swim lesson. “Rebecca, I am so sorry. If I had any idea that your parents died in water, I never would have said anything. In fact, I would not have suggested teaching you how to swim either. Are you sure you want to go through with this?” He gulped, feeling a wrenching culpability pump into his arteries.
“Yes, of course I do!” Rebecca replied vehemently. “I very much want to learn how to swim. I just need you to treat this delicately, and I am sure you will now that you have been fully informed.”
“You can depend on me, Rebecca.” He assured. “Actually, we’re just about a block from our destination. There’s a public pool perfect for novices. It’s only about seven feet deep, and you can be sure that the water is very calm.”
Rebecca visibly relaxed and said, “That sounds wonderful.”
When they reached the pool, both were pleasantly surprised to find it empty. “I suppose after August, people start to hibernate!” Luke commented, earning a giggle from Rebecca.
“That’s unfortunate for them. I think this is the most glorious time of year weather-wise.” She said, snapping on a bathing cap to control her tousled mass of waves.
“You’re right, Rebecca, and today is ideal.” His eyes roamed over her figure, willowy inside the loose material of her summer dress. “My first instruction is for you to remove that dress.” He said with a slyly cocked eyebrow.
Obediently, she peeled off the dress and exposed her frilly maillot, which clearly had Luke’s approval and undivided attention. “You should wear a bathing suit all the time.” He said, before stripping down to his swim trunks, a black pair of form-fitting shorts that outlined every sculpted muscle of his physique. “That is, except when you’re wearing your birthday s
uit.” He said wickedly.
“You certainly do look like an Olympic athlete.” Rebecca said admiringly, but Luke made no response.
“Let’s begin by wading on the shallow end.” He took her by the hand and led her to the edge of the pool where they sat and dipped their feet in slowly.
“The water is chilly! I didn’t expect it to feel that way under the sun.” Rebecca complained with a discernable shiver.
“Prepare to be a lot colder, but only for a minute. Once you get completely wet, your body will naturally adjust to the temperature.” Luke set the example by jumping into the pool and dunking his head under water, resurfacing to shout, “See, I’m fine! Now you try it.”
Cautiously, Rebecca slid into the pool, holding onto the edge even though she was only waist-deep in the water. Then, inhaling an enormous lungful of oxygen and pinching her nose, she submerged herself in the water, shooting to the surface a second later to announce, “I’m freezing!”
“Give it a little while, Becky! Your body will adjust.”
She flapped her arms about, instinctively moving to speed the warming process. Soon, just as Luke had promised, her body lost its chill and she began to enjoy the pool’s refreshment. When Luke felt that Rebecca was sufficiently at ease wading, he led her to the deeper end of the pool to commence her lesson.
“There are many techniques in swimming, but the basic two are the breaststroke and backstroke. Which would you like to learn first?”
“The backstroke. It sounds pleasant to just loll on my back and float away.” Rebecca sighed, genuinely soothed by the water and not feeling fearful as she had expected. Perhaps it was the tranquility of the swimming pool or the calming effect of Luke’s presence. Whatever it was, Rebecca decided that she was quite fond of the water.
As though reading her thoughts, Luke smiled and said, “By the time we’re through, you’ll have grown fins and gills!”
He proceeded to demonstrate the backstroke, swimming a few yards while she watched, admiring his powerful but graceful movements. After a few repetitions, he swam to her side and guided her onto her back to float on the water. Supporting the small of her back with one hand, he used the other to gently hold her head above the surface.
Eternal Melody Page 15