Lily and the Duke (Sex and the Season 1)

“Which I’m sure you’ll be able to fill. Now, what is the going rate for commissioning a piece of music? One hundred pounds?”

“Your Grace, I don’t think…”

“Two hundred then.”

“That’s too much.”

“Nonsense. I’ll pay you a hundred now, and the rest upon completion.”

Cameron paused. Two hundred pounds was a huge amount of money, more than any composition of his could possibly be worth. But with it he could hire someone to care for the farm, and he could devote himself to his music. Better yet, he could leave the farm and take his family to Bath, or even to London. He could find work composing, or at least doing something other than hard farm labor. Perhaps he could eventually send Tricia and Kat to school and buy his family a town home.

“How long do I have?” he asked.

“The wedding will be in five or six weeks. I’ll let you know the exact date as soon as possible. I would like to hear the music before then. Is four weeks enough time?”

“Not for a full orchestration, I’m afraid. That will take months, and I’m really not qualified for the task.”

“I’m sorry, I should have mentioned this earlier. I want the waltz arranged for the pianoforte, not for a full orchestra. I would like for Lily’s sister to play it. She has a remarkable talent, and I think it would mean a lot to Lily.”

“Her sister?”

“Yes, Lady Rose Jameson. You met her when you met Lily, didn’t you?”

“Yes.” Cameron cleared his throat. Lady Rose’s blond beauty had haunted him since that day. “I’ll do my best, Your Grace. I appreciate your confidence in me.”

“Not at all, Price. Thank you for coming.”

As Cameron rose to leave, a gentle knock on the door startled him.

“Come in,” Daniel called.

Rose entered. “You wanted to see me, Your Grace?”

“Yes, Lady Rose. You know Mr. Price, do you not?”

“Of course,” Rose said. “It’s nice to see you, Mr. Price.”

“My lady.” Cameron bowed politely. She was a vision, honey-colored hair plaited and coiled around her head, with wispy golden curls framing her face. Blue eyes the color of sapphires, lips as pink as the roses in his mother’s garden, and skin like pale peach velvet.

“Mr. Price has agreed to write a waltz for Lily’s and my first dance together as husband and wife,” Daniel explained. “It will be written for the pianoforte, and I was hoping you would do Lily and me the honor of playing it.”

“I’m flattered,” Rose said. “But surely the orchestra would do it more justice.”

“I think not,” Daniel said. “It would mean a great deal to Lily, and to me, if you would do it.”

Rose blushed. “I would need time to prepare the piece for public recital.”

“Mr. Price will have the piece ready in four weeks. That will give you a week or so. Is that enough time?”

“I-I’m a decent sight reader,” Rose stammered, “but I’ll need more time than that, especially depending on the complexity of the piece.”

“Then you’ll need to work closely with Mr. Price.” Daniel turned to Cameron. “Make sure that Rose has access to your work in progress.”

Cameron cleared his throat. “That’s not how I normally work.”

“I’ll be happy to compensate you for the extra effort,” Daniel said. “How much more do you require?”

“No, I didn’t mean… You’ve been more than generous already, Your Grace.”