By the time she braved a quick glance back the doorway was empty and her heart—no. She couldn’t be disappointed by his disappearance. She definitely didn’t feel it as a loss.
She turned to Amalia, who was seated at the magnificent piano. ‘You must be here all day every day.’
‘I didn’t know this room even existed until lunchtime today. Felipe instructed the staff to prepare it after he came to the café.’
‘Oh?’ Elsie drew breath, unable to get her head around the size of the labyrinthine palace.
‘Felipe said he’d get any other instruments I want. I just have to let him know.’
That was pretty damn amazing of Felipe, but Elsie frowned. ‘Then what have you been playing on up till now?’ From their conversations at the café she knew Amalia played piano and clarinet at least.
‘I haven’t.’ A sheen muted Amalia’s eyes. ‘Not for ages.’
Not since the accident?
‘And Felipe didn’t know you play at all?’
Amalia just shrugged.
Not until today, then.
Elsie’s heart ached. The girl was so isolated. And this explained her minor explosion at Felipe just before. These see-sawing emotions were grief-based. Because music was inextricably entwined with memory and she knew Amalia’s mother had been her music teacher. And to sit at a piano for the first time now? It would bring so many memories back for her. And Elsie empathised with that so very personally. Amalia sat in a tight bundle with her hands knotted in her lap. Elsie sat beside her.
‘I didn’t play for a long, long time after my mother died,’ she admitted quietly.
There were additional reasons for that. Ones she wouldn’t ever tell Amalia. But she knew grief stole joy. And she didn’t want Amalia to lose her musical expression as well. It would be another grief—one too much to bear when in fact the release might help her.
‘But it heals even as it hurts, I think, sometimes,’ Elsie added as she got her mandolin out of the old case and tuned it to the piano. ‘Why don’t we start with something simple? Just a few bars. I’ll join in with you, or I’ll pick something?’ She drew in a steadying breath and plucked a few notes of an old folk song. ‘It’s been a while for me too.’
It had been for ever. She didn’t want that for Amalia.
But Amalia put her hands on the keys and tested a couple of chords. Then she began. Elsie accompanied her for a little bit but after several bars she stopped and simply listened to the girl. Lost for words. Lost in the music. It was something Elsie hadn’t experienced in so, so long.
‘You have huge talent,’ Elsie whispered, utterly awed, when Amalia stopped, meaning it completely. ‘I can’t teach you anything.’
Because there was natural talent and there was skill and technique. There was hard work and there was a natural feel for musical expression. Amalia had it all. Every bit.
‘Don’t ever stop,’ Elsie whispered. ‘It’s too important for you.’
A wan smile bloomed through Amalia’s silent tears. ‘It feels better.’
But it still hurt. Elsie got that. And the only thing she could do was keep Amalia company and play alongside her. As they did—as they breathed, paused, and played, the emotions veered, passed, changed. They giggled then in almost giddy relief with that hurdle of starting now overcome. Now they could savour it. Be silly with it. Love it. And go so deeply into it the tears stung again.
‘You’ll stay for dinner, right?’ Amalia smiled as she’d finished the repetition of a piece Elsie had adored.
‘Dinner?’ Elsie gaped. Was it that late already?
‘Naturally she will,’ Felipe said from directly behind them.
Elsie spun in fright—having an emotional explosion of her own. She glared first at his feet. The man was wearing boots, yet she’d not heard him arrive. ‘You shouldn’t sneak up on people.’ She raised her stare, attempting to laser his too-handsome face with visual disapproval. ‘How long have you been listening?’
His brown eyes were intensely full of unreadable emotion. ‘Dinner is the least we can offer.’ He avoided her question yet made it very clear he wasn’t taking no for an answer.
That new-to-her defiance rippled through her. ‘I thought you were determined to pay me so you don’t have to “owe me” anything.’
He sighed. ‘Demonstrate some manners for once, will you? Especially in front of the teen.’
Amalia squeaked but Elsie was too far gone on the rebellious reaction he provoked within her.