Chapter Twenty-Two
B rilliance wore a dress of solemn charcoal gray and brought Lord Diamond along to meet with Vincent’s solicitor at Lincoln’s Inn. It was an odd way for her father to meet the man she loved.
“My lord!” Vincent said upon realizing it was the earl who accompanied her. He even bowed.
Brilliance smiled at his discomfiture. She had seen the same reaction all her life when people met Lord Diamond. He was an earl with a formidable presence, tall and quick-witted, while retaining a thick head of dark hair, streaked with a little gray.
Vincent inclined his head, but her father stuck out his hand for a proper handshake.
“I understand you have been robbed.”
“Indeed, I have,” Vincent said. “Although intellectual property is trickier than going to the constable and explaining how my horse was stolen.”
“Was your horse stolen, too?” Brilliance asked. Poor Vincent, he was the unluckiest man.
“No, Lady Brilliance, I was just making a point that the intangible is not usually the purview of the police.”
“Isn’t it?” Brilliance was glad her father had come for she feared she was already starting to lose the thread of Vincent’s explanation.
“Lord Hewitt is correct, but a solicitor should be able to put the fear of God and of lengthy litigation into the perpetrator.”
Walking in front of the two gentlemen, Brilliance let a clerk lead them to the lawyer’s office. In a very few minutes, she was explaining the part she played in allowing Vincent’s music to fall into the hands of Mr. Ambrose Castern.
“I used to admire him greatly. After all, what a pleasant name. Ambrose, I mean. It makes me think of strawberry jelly in a ring mold with chunks of real fruit. I’m sure you know the type,” she said to the solicitor, an older man who was watching her with dark eyes and a slightly open mouth.
“Jelly?” he asked. He looked to Lord Diamond and to Lord Hewitt and back again. “What is the meaning of this?”
Brilliance turned to the earl. “Father, you know what I mean, don’t you? That dessert which Cook makes in June? Although I suppose it could be another type of jelly, such as lemon.” She paused and thought of the name Ambrose . “No, definitely strawberry jelly, which is very nice with fresh cream on top and a sliver of sponge cake underneath.”
“My daughter is correct. That is one of my favorite desserts, too.”
Brilliance nodded, glad for her father’s assistance. “And Mr. Castern has an equally nice face to go along with his name,” she continued. “Who would ever imagine he could be as bold as Lord Mayor Brass, stepping onto a stage and playing someone else’s music? I can’t imagine doing such a thing, can you?” she asked the solicitor.
When he didn’t answer, she added, “And yet that is precisely what he did. I was at the concert with Lord Redley as my escort.” She glanced at Lord Hewitt, who might have been under the impression she had gone to the concert with her parents.
Did he mind? Did he care?
“Lord Redley is the eldest son of the Earl, Lord Pettigrain,” she explained to the solicitor.
“A good man,” Lord Diamond said. “I am speaking of the father, mind you, but it goes for the son as well. Pettigrain has doubled his family fortune since claiming the title. And his son, if rumors are true, will double it again.”
“I wouldn’t know about that, Father.” Then Brilliance again addressed the solicitor. “Lord Redley and I have been keeping company for weeks.”
“I fail to see the relevance,” he said.
Brilliance considered and then nodded. “I suppose there is none at all, except I would not have been at the concert if not for him.”
Then she managed to close her mouth and stop talking until the lawyer asked her another question. But she couldn’t help sneaking a glance at Vincent, who looked somber. He sat up a little straighter when he noticed her looking his way.
However, when the meeting was over, he merely thanked her and her father for coming and climbed into his carriage.
“I have been deposed ,” she told her sister Radiance. “It was exciting to have the solicitor listening to me carefully and taking down my true and lawful statement. Only think how my own words may help Lord Hewitt regain his music.”
They were walking along the path beside the three dinosaur islands at the new location of the Crystal Palace, which had recently reopened with an Egyptian exhibit. Both sisters preferred the original structure at Hyde Park to the enlarged one on Penge Peak next to Sydenham Hill.
Regardless, it was a good outing nonetheless with the innovative glass and steel building being the perfect place to promenade on a rainy afternoon.
“I hope Lord Hewitt was dutifully appreciative,” her redheaded sister said. They had taken advantage of a break in the rain showers to tour the massive exterior exhibit featuring extinct animals, designed and sculpted by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins. Ray was intimately familiar with it as the scientist directing Mr. Hawkins was Sir Richard Owen, a dear friend of her husband.
Edward Lockwood, who suited Ray perfectly in Brilliance’s estimation, had invited her to join them weeks earlier to see the Crystal Palace being rebuilt and to watch the dinosaurs being painted in place.
“Can you believe these beasts once roamed all over?” Brilliance asked, changing the subject.
Vincent had been grateful, but it wasn’t as though he had been overly effusive about it. After all, she’d caused the mess in the first place. And even if he had wanted to take her aside and declare his undying gratitude, he couldn’t. Her father had kept a watchful eye on the two of them.
Besides, there had been that embarrassing moment when she had explained to all three men how she’d folded up the pages and lifted her skirts to deposit them in her pocket. She didn’t want her father thinking too much about his youngest daughter’s actions.
“I cannot imagine how these animals were raised. How could there be a stable big enough to hold them?”
Radiance halted and turned to her. “Bri, dear, there weren’t any people at the time of the dinosaurs. They never lived on earth at the same time as us, so we never had to put them in a pen or a stable.”
Brilliance looked past her sister at the large creatures. “I am sure you are correct, because you are smart and know so much, but if no one has ever seen them, then how do we know what they looked like?”
Ray tucked Brilliance’s arm under hers. “I shall tell you about fossils if you tell me how you ended up alone in a room in Lord Hewitt’s country manor.”
Brilliance stumbled. She didn’t want to discuss that. Her sister was far too clever. “Do you know there is a cheese named Brie ?”
“I do,” Ray said. “So, am I correct in thinking you fancy Lord Hewitt?”
Brilliance had not succeeded in distracting her even for a second.
“Brie is soft and creamy and divinely delicious.”
Ray laughed. “Is that how you tell your sister to mind her own business?”
Brilliance sighed. “I admire Lord Hewitt greatly. Quite naturally, we had a falling out when I took his music and had it printed.”
“Naturally,” her sister agreed. “But that one incident, especially since you meant no harm, could not possibly stop true love. At least, it should not, in my opinion.”
“True love?” Brilliance mused. “Honestly, Ray, my heart had firmly decided upon Vincent Hewitt. And I thought he felt the same. However, he set me aside rather easily and so swiftly my head was spinning. I didn’t have time to convince him I didn’t intend any harm. Moreover, he has not given me any indication since meeting again in London that he wishes to take up where we left off.”
She looked at the dinosaur statues. “I suppose he puts me in the same category as his best friend who stole his music and has built a career of fame and fortune on Lord Hewitt’s work.”
“But it’s not the same at all. You didn’t try to benefit from his music. You were only trying to help him.” Ray sighed. “What does Father think?”
“He seemed impressed by him. He invited Lord Hewitt to dinner, not in person, but in writing after we discussed it privately on the way home.”
“Did he?” Ray nodded. “Why, that is a good sign.”
“He thought Mother might like to meet him. But he also said he wants Lord Hewitt to sing for his supper. And to tell you the truth, I don’t believe Lord Hewitt can sing at all.”
“It’s a saying, Bri. You remember, from ‘Little Tommy Tucker’? Did Father mention Mother’s piano?”
“Yes.”
“There, you see? Father probably wants to hear Lord Hewitt play something to make certain for himself that he is truly a composer and not a charlatan.”
“A charlatan! As if I would take up with such a person.” Then she shook her head. “I am greatly relieved about the singing, but I am not at all sure Lord Hewitt will play for his supper, either.”
Vincent hadn’t felt nervous going to a dinner party since ... Come to think of it, he couldn’t remember ever being nervous. After all, why would someone in his position of life have a reason to feel anxious, even at the prospect of dining with an earl? It wouldn’t be his first, nor his last. He had even dined with a duke.
And in the House of Lords, he rubbed shoulders with all his peers.
And yet, this was different .
The Earl Diamond was legendary as was his family, his father and his father before him, and so on. They were always on the right side of history, in favor with the royal family, and generally looked at as altruistic, shining examples of noblesse oblige .
His own family seemed almost shabby in comparison.
“Ridiculous!” he muttered to himself as he dressed.
This dinner was no different from any other meal he’d had in someone’s home. Except, of course, as far as he knew, he was the only guest and would be dining with the parents of the lady who had enthralled him for months. He had been ready to ask for her hand before the debacle.
And now?
She was helping him sort out the disaster she had created. But still, he appreciated it. And more than that, he still found her to be the most intriguing of females. No one since Lydia had made him want to spend huge amounts of time in her company, merely talking, listening, and learning about her.
No one else made him feel quite so hot and protective at the same time, either. Brilliance was like a piece of intricate music he wanted to play over and over, sussing out all her nuances.
And so, despite worrying that her parents might have the wrong idea — for he was no longer ready to jump into marriage or even an engagement with such an impulsive creature as Brilliance Diamond — he couldn’t deny he was still firmly intrigued by her.
Wearing a black suit of worsted wool, he arrived at the Diamond home on Piccadilly and lifted his hand to the brass knocker. The door opened before he could take hold of it.
“Good evening, Lord Hewitt. Please come this way.”
He followed the butler into a drawing room that reminded him of his parents’ own elegant yet comfortable parlor.
Lord Diamond rose to his feet, as did Lady Diamond and her daughter a moment later.
“Good evening, my lord,” Brilliance said, stepping forward so eagerly, Vincent thought she was going to hug him. Instead, she held out her hand, which he took, bowed over, and released, feeling her give his own a little squeeze before she let her arm drop. Encouragement, perhaps.
She looked lovely as usual in the palest lavender, wearing a velvet gown since the evenings had turned chilly. It set off her thick dark hair, which he longed to see completely loose.
“You have met my father,” she said.
He bowed to Lord Diamond.
“Allow me to introduce you to Lady Diamond,” she continued. “Mother, may I present Lord Hewitt?”
Her mother had similar facial features, but the resemblance stopped there. Her vivid red hair was swept up and decorated with a strand of pearls and emeralds that matched her rich green eyes.
“My husband and I are so pleased you accepted our invitation, my lord.” Her hand went out to him, which he hastened to take. “I hear you are as talented as you are good looking.”
“Mother,” Brilliance retorted.
In her gown of royal purple, the countess was like a showy pizzicato piece, whereas her youngest daughter ... Vincent thought Brilliance’s manner and words were more like a smooth arpeggio .
The ladies took their seats once again, and he was offered one next to Brilliance.
“I hope you don’t take offense, my lord, but my parents would very much enjoy hearing you play the piano tonight, either before or after we eat. Would you be so kind? You will be relieved to know you do not have to sing.”
“Sing?” he repeated, still considering her request that he perform, waiting and wondering why the usual irritation didn’t materialize.
Brilliance nodded to Lord and Lady Diamond. “Like Tommy Tucker.”
He couldn’t help his smile. “I see. You mean for my supper.”
“Why, yes,” she stared at him with that look that made him feel invincible. “How clever of you, my lord.”
A sweet nature , he thought. Like dolce music.
The butler returned with a tray of glasses and a full wine carafe.
“Shall we toast to our guest’s health?” Lord Diamond asked. “And most particularly to the successful resolution of his legal case.”
“The solicitor seemed confident of victory,” Vincent said. “Thanks to Lady Brilliance’s testimony.”
She shrugged delicately, looking pleased with herself.
“It is my understanding,” said her mother, “that you burned some of your written music.”
Hearing it out loud was mortifying. “I did. I admit that I wasn’t in my right mind at the time.”
“In your left mind, perhaps,” Brilliance quipped, but by her placid expression, he couldn’t tell if she was making a joke, so he didn’t smile.
“Truly, I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“Crooked thinking,” she murmured and sipped her wine.
“Ah ... indeed. I should have let my anger pass.” Many times, he wished he had. He addressed Lady Diamond. “But as I told your daughter, I have it all still in my memory.”
“Isn’t that amazing?” Brilliance asked. “Why, I can hardly recall what I read in the morning’s paper, and Lord Hewitt remembers entire sonatas.”
“Lately, I have considered transcribing all my lost music again,” he said.
Brilliance tried to clap, but her wine glass prevented her. “That is very good news.”
“The sooner you publish it under your own name, the sooner it is protected under international copyright,” Lord Diamond said. “Are you going to try to regain the authorship of your other pieces, too?”
“I don’t see how I can do that,” Vincent said. “I believe that horse has left the barn.”
“Now what are we talking about?” Brilliance asked.
But her mother ignored her. “I don’t think you should give up. It was wrong of Mr. Castern when he stole your work, and it is just as wrong today.”
“I will think about how I might be able to do that,” Vincent said, hoping they were not going to discuss his messy personal issue any longer.
Luckily, Brilliance was also ready to move on with the evening.
“I don’t believe you answered my request,” she said, “regarding playing the piano tonight.” And her admiring gaze made him feel as if everything might turn out for the best after all.
What’s more, a new sensation of wanting to play for the sheer enjoyment he might bring to this family resounded through him.
“If I am not delaying our dinner, then I would be honored to play for you now,” he said. Surprisingly, he meant it.
Dolce , indeed.