He paused, noticing the way her face had fallen, almost imperceptibly.
“What is the matter?” Horror struck him, and he tried to claw back his words. “Oh, please do not take offence at my words. I did not mean to speak out of turn -”
“You do not,” Bess said, quietly. She smiled, but the expression was sad, and Christopher feared that he had been mistaken, deliberately choosing to believe what his sister had hinted at simply because he wished it to be true. “I am - I am glad I could be of some assistance to you, Mr Cluett. You were very generous in sharing your time and expertise with me when you surely have far more skilled musicians to work with -”
“But that is precisely the thing, Bess! I do not care for my colleagues, or companions, or anyone at all save for you.” He had spoken these words aloud quite without meaning to, and he pulled a face. “I suppose I care for my sister a little, but only a very little, in comparison to you.”
Bess’s eyebrows lifted and she looked at him askance, as if she could not quite determine the truth of his words.
“I do not understand you...”
“I mean to say, in the most awkward way possible, that I - I think of you very well, Elizabeth - Bess. It is too small a name to encompass all that you are to me. I once thought I would be incapable of finding love in another person, that my life was to be devoted to my music. When I lost that, it was like losing half of myself. And you have given it back to me again. You have made it more, somehow, for I have found in you the possibility of brighter and better music now and in the future.”
He paused, unable to look at her just then for fear that she would deny him. That after all, he had been right in this. He drew a shaky breath and delivered the last in a rush.
“My life is one of unrest, travelling here and there, performing and writing and working all over the country - and abroad, oftentimes. My sister has always travelled with me and claims to enjoy it, but I know it is a rare woman who cares to give up home and family for such a life. Your family are everything to you, Bess, I have seen it, and been blessed to be welcomed into it for this short time. I shall always be grateful for that. I could not ask you to leave them behind, but my life will not permit me to stay.”
Bess did not say anything for a long moment, and at last, Christopher could bear to wait no longer. He lifted his gaze to hers, surprised to see tears sparkling in her eyes.
“You will not leave right away, though, I believe?” She smiled, tentatively. “You are to be the musician in residence at Castleford for a season. And then, where? London? South to the coast?”
“I expect so.” Christopher nodded, struggling to make sense of her words.
“I believe I should very much like to see the coast,” Bess said, her voice thick with tears. “If I might do so with my new family.”
Christopher did not take her meaning at first, but it swept over him gradually, then all at once, a wave of warm reassurance that she loved him as he did her, and whatever sacrifices she might make in marrying him she would welcome.
“Do you mean it?” he asked, scarcely daring to believe it. “You will accept such a life?”
“If you truly mean to offer it,” Bess said, her smile growing.
“I do,” Christopher murmured, his words barely registering as he leaned close enough to press his lips to hers.
THE LAST NOTE OF THE symphony hung as if suspended in the air until silence gave way to celebration as the rapt audience applauded.
“Bravo!” Edmund shouted, turning a bright smile to Juliet, who could tell from the aching in her cheeks that her face reflected his radiant happiness.
There was so much to be happy about. Bess, sitting between her and Louisa, had scarcely stopped smiling since a certain conversation with a certain musician, although she had blushed so much in the telling that it had taken several cups of tea in the bustling Castleford tea room to reach the truth.
Juliet reached for her sister’s hand and squeezed it, a silent congratulation of her own. She knew, now, that she had been foolish to be so concerned about losing Bess. Her selfishness and fear had been the only things to come between the two sisters, briefly, and she had made a private, personal promise they never would again.
“He did well, do not you think?” Bess asked, leaning close enough that she might whisper into Juliet’s ear and still be heard over the appreciative roar of the crowd.
“The audience certainly seems to think so!” Juliet said, with a grin. “Which I suppose bodes well for both Christopher and Rosemary remaining longer in Castleford?”
Bess nodded, her cheeks growing rosy in the way they now did whenever a reference was made to Christopher Cluett in her hearing.
“I am pleased!” Juliet said, nudging her sister with her shoulder. “We shall all remain here together a little longer.”
Edmund cleared his throat pointedly and Juliet, feeling sure the gesture was directed at her, turned to meet his gaze.
“Are you happy, Mr Gale?” Juliet asked, wondering if her fiancé had ever looked quite so handsome before, and whether she had always been so slow to notice how very much his dark hair became him.
“Very.” Edmund’s smile grew, faltering only when his gaze rested on the empty seat in front of them, one that ought to have been his mother’s, had anyone been able to persuade Mrs Gale to accompany them to the concert. She had claimed to have a headache, but Juliet was not convinced. She knew Mrs Gale well enough to know that she could not rejoice at the news of Juliet and Edmund’s engagement, and suspected that this avoidance was one way of her demonstrating her displeasure to her son.
Juliet’s smile remained fixed, but her mind had already begun to work. There must be some way to win Mrs Gale to her side. She had not managed it yet, but then she had not truly tried.
“Encore!”
This shout came from Nash and was soon taken up by others in the crowd. Even Louisa had forsaken her usual demure smile for a beaming grin, seated as she was with the handsome Nash on one side, and Maddy and Robert on her other.
Louisa. She was adept at bending people to her will and already seemed most likely of all her sisters to have a little insight into winning Mrs Gale’s heart before her wedding. Juliet nodded, privately promising to take Louisa into her confidence and together, hopefully, fashion a solution.
“Encore!” Nash called again, and this time it was heeded. The orchestra resumed their positions and the applauding crowd fell silent as Christopher Cluett played a final piece.
The End
Author’s Note
Thank you so much for reading A Spring Serenade! I hope you enjoyed seeing shy Bess find happiness and Juliet and Edmund finally admit their true affection for one another. Look out for the third and final book in this short and sweet series to find out if their journey to the altar is all plain sailing, and what awaits Louisa Turner when a group of them travel to London in A Summer Scandal...
I’d love to stay in touch - please feel free to join my mailing list or follow me on twitter.
And if you enjoyed this book I’d be super grateful if you’d consider leaving a review or telling a friend! Thank you x
Revisit the Turner family in book three of A Season of Romance
A Summer Scandal
Celebration and scandal...
Edmund Gale and Juliet Turner are getting married, and almost everyone is happy about it. With a much-anticipated visit to London and preparations for their wedding underway, Juliet has but a little time to endear herself to her future mother-in-law, and is determined to succeed, despite all obstacles.
Louisa Turner is happy that all her sisters will shortly be married, although she cannot abide being left the last to wed. A visit in London with the handsome Nash Weston amongst their party will surely change all that - but when his manner towards her changes, will she take a risk too far and ruin everything?
A Spring Serenade Page 13