CHAPTER TWO
Delphie finished painting the foxtrot watercolour. She smiled as she studied the final look of it, the way the vibrancy of the colours enhanced the flow of the couple’s pose and captured the movement of the dress.
Depending on the type of dance and pose, drawn from the old photos in the album, Delphie created each painting using a variety of mediums. The foxtrot suited the watercolour effect. It had a dreamlike quality to it.
Steeped in her artwork, she suddenly blinked and checked the time. She had to get changed out of her painting clothes and into something more suitable to visit Wil’s new dance studio.
Taking a quick photograph of the foxtrot painting that was still taped flat to the board to dry thoroughly, she grabbed her portfolio and her bag, and then hurried over to the farmhouse to get ready.
The traditional farmhouse had changed little over the years and still retained the homely feeling that Delphie loved. She remembered being excited to visit during the holidays. Often her parents stayed to work in Edinburgh and her grandparents would drive to the city to pick her up. She especially loved the farmhouse at Christmastime when she’d help to decorate the tree outside the front door with sparkling ornaments and lights.
She learned to bake cakes in the farmhouse kitchen, and loved to ice them and add sprinkles. Her grandparents were a happy couple, and she hoped one day to have a relationship like that. So far, all she’d had were broken promises and broken hearts.
The kitchen was the hub of the farmhouse, and no matter what time of year it was, it felt comforting and welcoming. Her grandmother’s sewing machine often whirred in the background as she stitched quilts, table covers and cushions to match the decor. Delphie had learned how to sew and knit. She particularly enjoyed knitting woolly hats and scarves. Though she hadn’t knitted anything in years due to her busy schedule, she’d had a notion to pick up a pair of knitting needles and a ball of double knit yarn from her grandmother’s stash.
The spacious farmhouse had other rooms that Delphie could’ve used to set up her art studio, but she loved the idea of using the barn.
And she thought about Wil, standing there in the barn admiring her artwork.
Pushing such thoughts aside, Delphie dashed upstairs to the spare bedroom where she was staying while her grandparents were away. It was comfy, and one of her grandmother’s handmade quilts adorned the bed. The window had a view of the surrounding countryside and fields.
On the wall was a painting she’d done years ago, a landscape depicting the farmhouse and the countryside. Unlike Callum’s landscape, it included people, little figures busy in the fields. An early work, it wasn’t one of her best, but it was one of her most loved, especially as she’d attempted to paint her grandparents standing together at the front of the farmhouse .
Rummaging through her wardrobe, she lifted out a fashionable dress that she used to wear in the city and put it on. Letting her hair down from the ponytail, she brushed it smooth, stepped into a pair of heels, refreshed her lipstick and then hurried out to her car.
On the drive down to the dance studio, she glanced at Wil’s house with the lovely garden. Continuing on, she found herself looking forward to having a peek around the new studio, and to seeing Wil again. Reminding herself that romance wasn’t on her to–do list, she swept the fit, handsome image of Wil from her thoughts and wondered what type of paintings would enhance his studio.
The drive was a short one, eventually taking her past the bakery shop as she pulled up outside the old community hall. An eclectic mix of shops were situated along the street, many with pretty canopies.
Stepping out of the car, armed with her portfolio and a mind full of ideas, she noted that there was nothing on the exterior of the entrance to indicate that a new dance studio was inside. But she reckoned that if Wil had no intention of teaching regular dance classes, it was smart not to advertise it.
She admired the stylish decor of the reception area, and wondered if he wanted any paintings for the walls, or perhaps it was only for the main part of the dance studio. The reception was more of a token gesture rather than a working requirement. Sparse, sleek.
Music filtered out from the heart of the studio and she followed the sound and peeked in.
Wil was in full dance mode, as if he was performing a stage number. The music was upbeat .
‘Hi,’ she said, but her voice was drowned out by the music.
She stood there for a moment, entranced by his strength, artistry and skill.
‘Wil!’ Delphie finally called out to him.
He stopped and spun around at the sound of his name.
For a second, seeing the beautiful young woman in a lovely dress standing there in his studio, he was taken aback. Of course he recognised her, but with her silky chestnut hair worn down, and the jeans and shirt replaced with a dress and heels, she’d caught him delightfully off guard.
‘Oh, sorry.’ He ran over to the music system and switched it off. He wore dark trousers and a white shirt, open at the neck. He’d changed to look extra smart for her arrival, but then ended up dancing while waiting for her.
He suppressed the urge to keep the music playing and take Delphie in hold and waltz with her around the floor. But a non dancer like her might find it daunting being invited to waltz the moment she’d stepped into the studio.
‘Was that a piece from a stage performance?’ she said.
Wil swept his hair back from his forehead and walked towards her with long, fluid strides. ‘No, it’s a new dance routine I’ve been choreographing.’
‘It’s impressive.’ He was impressive too, but she kept that remark to herself.
He gestured around him. ‘First impressions, what do you think? ’
‘The studio is lovely. I can see that the walls have been freshly painted, but they are a little bit bare.’
‘I had them painted cream to lighten the room up, and added mirrors and extra lighting,’ he explained.
Delphie walked to the middle of the dance floor. ‘I like the atmosphere of your studio. There’s an uplifting energy to it. Though perhaps it’s all the energy you’ve whipped up from your dancing,’ she added with a smile.
Wil smiled back at her. ‘When I first viewed the premises, I liked the atmosphere. As you say, there’s an uplifting energy to it. I thought that it would be perfect for dancing.’ He tapped the floor with his dance shoes. ‘And the floor is excellent.’
Delphie saw her reflection in the mirrors, and blinked, seeing herself for the first time standing with Wil nearby. Captured in the background of the image was her Sweetest Waltz painting. Something jolted inside her, and she turned away from the mirrors and showed him her portfolio.
‘I’ve added some sketches of dance figures that I intend painting,’ she said.
Wil looked with interest at her work. ‘Is this how your paintings start?’
‘Yes, everything starts with a pencil drawing, then I use that as the template for a painting.’
He took charge of the portfolio and turned the pages to see the extent of her range. ‘Some of these sketches are pieces of art in themselves.’ He stopped at a sketch that had been inked.
‘I draw in pen and ink as well as paint watercolours, oils and acrylics,’ she explained .
‘These three pen and ink drawings would make a lovely set for the reception wall.’
The idea hadn’t occurred to her, but she tilted her head and viewed them with a fresh eye. ‘Yes, you’re right.’
‘Can I have these?’ He corrected himself. ‘What I mean is, can I buy them?’
‘Of course, but they’d obviously need to be framed.’
‘Callum at the art shop would do that surely.’
‘He would. Warm white or beige frames would suit the pen and ink, and work well with your cream wall decor.’
Wil nodded firmly, liking her idea. He took a deep breath and glanced around. ‘Okay, that’s the reception taken care of. What’s missing in here that would add a dash of colour and class to the walls?’
‘I see you’ve hung up The Sweetest Waltz. I like where you’ve put it.’ She thought for a moment and then showed him the photo of the watercolour painting on her phone. ‘I finished painting the foxtrot. The colours are quite vibrant.’
Wil’s face lit up. ‘I love the colours and the watercolour effect is gorgeous. I’ll buy that one too and have Callum frame it.’
‘It’ll need a border to finish the look of it,’ she advised. ‘But light beige would suit it.’
‘Would you be able to come with me to the art shop to help select the proper borders and frames?’
Delphie smiled and nodded. ‘The watercolour is still in the barn, but I’ll drop it off at the art shop at a time that suits us both. ’
‘Right, what else?’ said Wil, sounding enthusiastic. ‘Do you have any other ideas? There’s plenty of space on the walls.’
The designer in her had an idea. ‘Apart from artwork, you could add twinkle lights to that wall over there. Drape them like I’ve seen in stage backgrounds to create a theatrical effect.’
‘A wall of twinkle lights, yes, that would work. I plan to choreograph dance routines for professional couples and work with some of them online. I’ve set up cameras so I can instruct them, and I’ll invite others to the studio to rehearse. But I still want a few more paintings.’
Delphie referenced her portfolio again. ‘These sketches are rough, but as you can see, they portray various couples dancing.’
Wil leaned close, and she was aware of how tall he was in comparison to her. She barely came up to his broad shoulders.
‘A quickstep,’ he said, correctly naming the first dance pose.
‘Yes, and this is obviously a tango.’ She turned the pages of the portfolio. ‘And this is a scene from one of my grandmother’s dances. A dramatic stage performance.’
‘It’s a classic. And is this your grandmother as a ballerina?’
‘Yes. I paint mainly couples dancing, but I want to include a single ballerina,’ she said.
‘I like that each painting highlights a specific style of dance. This would be perfect for the studio. Can I commission you to paint these for me? ’
‘I’ll paint them, and if you like them, then you can buy them, or buy one or two,’ she suggested.
‘If you’re sure.’
‘I am. It’ll allow me to paint freely, without pressure. I’m trying to get away from that type of lifestyle. Though you wouldn’t guess from seeing several paintings I’m currently working on.’
Wil’s blue eyes gazed at her as if he understood. ‘It’s taking me time to slow down from the fast pace that I was living.’ He shrugged. ‘I couldn’t even wait until you arrived. I had to dance.’
‘We both need time to adjust. Though knowing my nature, I’ll have learned to slow down only when it’s time for me to leave and go back to my busy life in the city.’
‘That’s my problem too. I’ve given myself a year to rethink what I want to do in the world of dance.’
‘I’ve heard that competitive dancers sometimes take time out to rest and recoup. Not that I’m suggesting you’re burned out or anything like that.’
‘I’m not, thankfully. Not physically anyway. Perhaps a little frazzled personally.’ His words trailed off.
‘I don’t know everything about your current situation. But I did take a sneak peek at you online after you left the barn and saw—’
‘The gossip about me breaking up with two of my dance partners?’
Delphie pressed her lips together and nodded.
‘Sienna was my last dance partner. We were never romantically involved, and that was the problem, on her part. ’
Delphie spoke up. ‘I saw you dance with Sienna in Edinburgh. You were performing in a show.’
He felt slightly relieved that she understood his recent break up with Sienna. ‘We danced well together.’
‘You did.’ Delphie’s response was half–hearted.
‘Sienna is an excellent dancer,’ he conceded. ‘What did you think of her performance?’
Delphie hesitated.
‘From an audience member’s perspective,’ he added, encouraging her to tell him.
Tell him the truth, she urged herself. ‘I was too busy watching you dance to fully appreciate her ability. I did think the whole performance, as a couple, was wonderful.’ But it was Wil who’d captured her attention that night in the theatre, not Sienna.
‘People have said that we were well–matched, but my retired dance instructor always thought there was an emotional disconnection between us. He came to watch our stage performances and when we took part in competitions. He said we were certainly good together, but never magnificent.’
Delphie found herself nodding, agreeing with his dance instructor.
‘Sienna left shortly before we were due to compete in a championship event,’ he said. ‘She’d found a new partner, my closest rival. I had no time to find a replacement, and I think I probably lost heart. A bit of both,’ he concluded.
‘I’ve split up with him,’ Sienna announced, strutting into the dance studio looking like a fashion model in a designer dress and heels .
Like a tidal wave of emotional discord, Sienna swept into Wil’s world again, causing a riptide of unwanted memories to flood back.
Sienna was thirty, taller than Delphie, with burnished auburn hair and pale blue eyes that iced the artist to the core.
Delphie glanced at Wil for an explanation, unsure whether Sienna was expected or still part of his life despite what he’d just told her.
Dismissing Delphie, Sienna made a beeline for Wil.
‘Sienna! What are you doing here?’ he said, glaring at her.
‘I heard you’d opened a new dance studio.’ Sienna closed in on him, but he stepped back. ‘I wanted to see what you were up to.’
If Delphie hadn’t been there, Wil wasn’t sure what his reply would’ve been. But thrown by her unexpected arrival, his senses were cast to the wind.
‘Rehearsing a new routine,’ Wil told Sienna boldly, and so assured that even Delphie believed him until he added... ‘With my new dance partner.’
Cold blue eyes iced Delphie. Clearly the last thing Sienna expected was that she’d been cheerfully replaced.
Without hesitation, Wil introduced them, hoping Delphie would go along with the ruse, at least until Sienna had left. ‘Sienna, this is Del—’
‘Delphine,’ Delphie cut–in, giving her full name. It seemed apt to go for the total impact.
Sienna’s eyes showed that the name hit the bullseye .
Wil took a deep breath, knowing that Delphie was prepared to go along with his plan.
‘Delphine is my new dance partner,’ Wil reiterated with a smile.
The ruse looked like it was in danger of being exposed as Sienna’s eyes raked her apparent new rival from head to toe and then shook her head. ‘No, I don’t think she’s a dancer. She wouldn’t know a plié from a pirouette.’
For the first time, Sienna spoke to Delphie. ‘No offence intended.’
Delphie’s city savvy kicked into high gear. ‘Offence taken.’ There was a challenging note to her tone.
Sensing that a standoff was in danger of escalating, Wil swept Sienna aside. ‘Let’s talk privately in reception.’ Then he said to Delphie, ‘I’ll be back in a few minutes.’
Delphie smiled brightly. ‘That’s fine, Wil. I’ll just practise a plié.’ Without faltering for a second, Delphie performed a perfect dancer’s plié. ‘And my pirouettes.’ Then she spun around like a highly trained ballerina, spinning at speed several times before stopping near the mirrors.
The look of surprise on Wil’s face outshone the jealous glare Sienna was sending her.
Turning on her heels, Sienna let herself be swept away by Wil.
Before disappearing into the reception, Wil looked back at Delphie, opened his arms wide and stared at Delphie in sheer amazement.
Delphie smiled sweetly and shrugged .
Wil disappeared into reception with his former partner. His mind was spinning as fast as Delphie’s pirouettes. Delphie could dance! He hadn’t considered this, taken only by her talent as an artist. No wonder her paintings portrayed the dance figures so well. Not only was she using the old photographs, she was able to add authenticity to the poses from her own experience. He was so steeped in surprise that Sienna’s shrill words washed over him.
‘Are you even listening to me?’ Sienna snapped at him.
Clearly he wasn’t. ‘You shouldn’t have come here.’
‘I wanted to surprise you.’ She softened her tone. ‘I thought that we should talk. There’s a competition due. We planned to enter before we broke up.’
‘I’m not interested in competing with you.’
Sienna smiled at him. ‘I think we could win, if we started rehearsing now. If you’re working on a new routine, we could perform that. Your choreography was always great.’
‘No, I have a new dance partner.’
She stepped close. ‘I don’t think that Delphine is quite your type.’
Wil stepped back. ‘I believe she’s my perfect match.’
‘If you’re still mad at me for partnering with someone else—’
‘I’m not.’
‘He was a mistake,’ she said. ‘But I’m back now. This competition is perfect for us. And now that you have your own private dance studio, we could rehearse here.’
Wil shook his head. ‘No. What we had is over.’ Wil knew the competition she was referring to. He kept up to date with everything that was going on in the dance world. But his plans didn’t include competing again, at the moment.
Sienna remained confident. ‘I’m staying in the town’s main hotel for a few days. When you reconsider, you’ll find me there. Or call me. We were always excellent when we danced together.’
‘But never magnificent,’ he added.
Forcing a smile while seething, Sienna strutted away, leaving Wil in no doubt that she still wanted to partner with him.