Chapter Thirty-Two
King’s Theatre buzzed like a hive as Jasmine followed Matthew into Lord Blackmoor’s private opera box. Deep red velvet curtains framed the walls on both sides, insulating from some of the noise.
Caroline skipped to the front and flung both curtains wide.
“We’re next to the royal box!” Leaning over the railing, she whistled. “You can see everything from here!”
“Everyone can see us too, so behave,” Matthew tutted. “Don’t stand so close, or you’ll fall over.”
“As if I truly would.” Caroline rolled her eyes. “Even if I fall, there are hundreds of people who could catch me.”
Jasmine peered below. Commoners stood in the pit, so many they obscured the floor. At the far edge of the oval room was a large stage with backdrops of a walled city and mystical gardens.
The true stage surrounded them. In gilded frames, aristocrats were dressed in bright colors and high feathers, like preening birds.
A few boxes down, Jasmine’s parents hosted the remaining Spanish diplomats, including Don Lorenzo.
He lifted a glass of spirits in her direction and smirked.
Jasmine huffed and turned back to her family.
Matthew and Caroline continued to bicker. Even though Caroline’s hand was on her hip, a smile graced her face—and Matthew’s. Jasmine’s heart warmed at the sight.
Caroline’s eyes widened, and she gasped. “Is that Signora Alessandra Moreni in Uncle Edward’s box?” She raised her opera glasses. “It is! It’s her!” Caroline pointed to a dark-haired Italian beauty with high cheekbones.
“Are you friends with her, Jasmine? Could you introduce us?”
“Well,” Jasmine said sheepishly. “I wouldn’t say we’re friends.”
She had met Signora Moreni on two previous occasions and hadn’t cared for her on either.
The soprano may have earned her haughtiness, but it made her a horrid conversationalist. Jasmine’s dislike of her didn’t justify Caroline missing an opportunity to meet her idol, and it would do Matthew some good to have more time alone with his sister.
“I’m certain my parents will be pleased to make the introductions.” Jasmine smiled at Matthew. “Would you mind accompanying her?”
“Me?” His brows lifted. “What will you do?”
“I’ll wait for Cassandra and Seth. If the servers make their rounds, I’ll request food and drinks.”
“Thank you!” Caroline squealed and linked her arm with Matthew’s. “Come along, brother, before she leaves!”
Caroline tugged a wide-eyed Matthew into the hall. Jasmine sank into a chair and read the libretto they had purchased on the way in. The booklet contained the Italian lyrics of Rinaldo. Precisely what the family needed—an opera with a happy ending.
The door opened and she shifted to greet the newcomer. The space seemed to shrink and drop in temperature as Lord Blackmoor entered. Regarding her carefully, he kept his distance and stood along the wall.
Furrowing her brow, she tried to think of him as family, but struggled to consider him a person at all. Lord Blackmoor was a brick wall. Matthew treated him like a brother, but he was a stranger to her.
She gave him her best smile. “Good evening, Lord Blackmoor. Thank you for hosting us. I never would have guessed you had a private box.”
He grunted. “It’s normally more private.”
She tried again. “I wanted to thank you for helping me at Duke Kendall’s ball.” Fidgeting with her gloves, she whispered, “I appreciate you getting me to safety.”
He gave a half-shrug and a brief nod. “It was nothing.”
Goodness, this is worse than peeling potatoes!
“I didn’t know you enjoyed the opera,” she prompted. “Which one is your favorite?”
“I don’t enjoy the opera.”
“Oh. Then why…?”
“I come here to listen.” Lord Blackmoor lowered his voice. “You can learn much, if you know how to listen.”
Jasmine closed her eyes, focusing on the sounds around her.
A familiar laugh rang out close by, carrying like a sinister song.
A chill ran up her spine. It was the first time she had heard his voice since he had poisoned her.
She lifted her gaze to the box across from them, occupied by Duke Kendall, Lord Rothwell, and Lady Ravenshaw.
Busy with their conversation, they didn’t seem to notice her—yet.
“Lady Lincolnshire.” Lord Blackmoor waited until he had her attention. “Shall I close the curtains?”
Taken aback by his gentleness, she hesitated. With softened features, Lord Blackmoor looked like a younger version of Seth, but more refined. His patient blue eyes held hers with care.
Comforted, she shook her head. “No. I won’t hide from them.”
“Good.” One corner of Lord Blackmoor’s mouth lifted, and he gave her a curt nod. His expression hardened into stone once more, and Jasmine decided she liked him a great deal.
“What do you do for fun?” she asked.
He raised a brow as if he didn’t understand the word, seeming to ponder for a moment. “I spend time with my family.”
Before she had the chance to respond, the door creaked open.
“Ah, there you are Blackmoor!” Matthew clasped his hand on the man’s shoulder. “Thank you for keeping my wife company.”
“Look who else we found!” Caroline called out.
Matthew stepped to the side, allowing Seth and Cassandra into the box.
Jasmine’s family sparkled like gems. Matthew wore a black suit with red brocade, matching Jasmine’s crimson dress.
Caroline sparkled in topaz. Clad in silver, Seth helped a sapphire-cloaked Cassandra into the chair next to Jasmine.
Two servants brought in a tray filled with candied fruits and a bottle of claret. She plucked a cherry from the tray. The sugar dissolved on her tongue. The plum undertones of the wine balanced the flavor, leaving a pleasant sweetness in her mouth.
Strings and woodwinds struck up, signaling the overture. Two wigged men in heavy makeup entered the stage—one younger in a blond wig, and the other older in a full suit of armor.
“Have you seen this one?” Matthew asked.
“No, but I know enough of the story to understand,” Jasmine said. “And I speak Italian.”
“I don’t understand any of it,” Caroline cut in. “Someone needs to translate.”
Seth laughed and narrated as if telling a bedtime story. “That’s Rinaldo and General Goffredo. The General offers Rinaldo his daughter’s hand. He may marry Almirena, but only after he’s won the war against the Saracen King.”
Matthew let out a long sigh. “I know the feeling.”
Jasmine giggled and shushed him. “I’m trying to listen.”
The opera continued with daring fights and swinging swords.
Enthralled, guests gasped when a sorceress kidnapped Almirena and imprisoned her.
The opera house fell silent as Signora Moreni sang Lascia Ch’io Pianga, the lament of a trapped woman who could only weep.
On the last note, Jasmine cried a tear of her own, and stood clapping with the rest of the opera house.
In the middle of the second act, the voices of drunken aristocrats reached a crescendo.
Duke Kendall roared with laughter, pouring a glass of wine for both Lord Rothwell and Lady Ravenshaw.
Jasmine thought to warn her not to drink, but the other woman subtly pressed the wine to her closed lips and didn’t swallow.
Lord Rothwell drained his glass and asked for more. Duke Kendall poured him another and whispered in his ear, looking directly at Jasmine.
Matthew rose from his seat and closed the curtains halfway, blocking the family from view. He returned to her and laced their fingers together.
“A slow start,” he reminded her. “Don’t let them ruin our evening.”
Doing her best to ignore everything else, Jasmine leaned her head on his shoulder as the music played on.
***
After the opera finished, Matthew waited for the crowd to thin and guided his family outside. Duke Kendall’s presence had unnerved him, and he wouldn’t always have a curtain to block him out. By the time he deemed it safe, the streets were empty save for a handful of stumbling attendees.
He stretched his legs and rolled his head from one shoulder to the next while they waited for the family carriage to be brought around.
“I don’t understand how Rinaldo saw through the sorceress’s illusion,” Caroline said. “She looked exactly like Almirena.”
“It’s because he loved her so much.” Jasmine smiled up at Matthew. “He knew the sound of her voice.”
“Says the woman who didn’t recognize my voice behind a mask,” he drawled.
She playfully shoved him. “That was before.”
The carriage came about, and Seth helped Cassandra and Caroline inside. As he was about to join them, he paused. His gaze swept the street.
“What is it?” Matthew asked.
“Something feels… strange.” He pursed his lips. “I’m sure it’s nothing, but be careful tonight. It’s dark.”
Matthew surveyed their surroundings. Oil lamps along the road emitted a pale yellow glow. He sighed. They both carried the same sense of unease these days.
“I’ll take care,” Matthew assured him and closed the carriage door. As the family drove away, he offered Jasmine his arm to walk the two blocks to their phaeton.
“May I drive?” she asked.
“That depends. Will you keep all four wheels on the ground this time?”
She grinned. “I won’t make any promises.”
The last time she drove, she tested the limits of the high-flyer, getting them a foot off the ground at breakneck speed. He had admittedly screamed, holding onto the railing, praying for their lives—and he had never had that much fun.
He tugged her close and nipped at her ear. “Seth just told us to be careful.”
“Seth is not my husband, and I’m in a rush to get home.” She ran her fingertip over her pearl necklace. “Don’t you remember our plans?”
“Oh, I have several plans for you.” His smile matched hers. “The reins are yours, mi amor.”
As they passed an alley, they crossed the shadows of a man and a woman locked together in a messy embrace. The sounds of their coupling broke the silence of the night.