"A phase of my life was closing tonight, a new one opening tomorrow: impossible to slumber in the interval; I must watch feverishly while the change was being accomplished."
― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
The rain continued all day. It kept up a steady tattoo against the windows of Bingham Park, the sky occasionally glowing with lightning or rumbling with thunder. Arabella spent the day inside, sewing and trying to learn piano from Nathaniel who, though a patient and good teacher, got nowhere with her.
"Remember," Nathaniel said, moving her finger to the right chord, "put your forefinger on that one and then your middle finger there."
"It's hopeless," Arabella laughed, her left hand hitting the wrong chord, "I shall never learn."
"You will," said Nathaniel, a tinge of laughter colouring his tone. "You just need to practice. It took me at least two weeks of endless practice to be able to play one song well."
"I think you have a natural gift," Arabella tried again, playing the first three chords correctly before stumbling on the fourth and trying quickly to right her mistake.
"Nonsense," Nathaniel nudged her forefinger to the right key. "Just lots of hard work."
"Arabella can sing so well, it's a pity she's so hopeless with instruments. Richard always tried to get her lessons," Oliver said from his seat by the fire where he was stroking Ulysses, the large stray tabby cat the Thorpes had taken in the year before.
"I am not hopeless," Arabella shook her head, trying the simple melody again.
"Too quickly," Nathaniel said, "you can slow down you know, the instrument isn't going anywhere."
"Yoo-hoo!" A woman's voice called out and Arabella turned to see Frances enter the room, her hair and clothes damp with rain. Another woman stood slightly behind her, a woman with dark skin and wide, intelligent eyes.
"Frances," Arabella smiled delightedly and stood up. "Nathaniel's been trying to teach me piano for the past hour and it's been a failure, thank you for rescuing me."
"You don't have the patience for piano," Frances laughed. "But here, this is Ayoka, Ayoka, this is Lady Arabella Thorpe, Lord Nathaniel Lemmings and Lord Oliver Thorpe."
"Pleased to meet you," Ayoka spoke with a clipped accent, making each seem precise and perfectly articulated, almost as if reading off a pronunciation guide.
"It's ever so nice to meet you, Frances has told me all about you. Won't you sit down?" Arabella rang the bell for the footman. "I am only sorry my sister Lilly is not here to meet you."
"Your sister has written a book, yes?" Ayoka asked, taking a seat across from Oliver and smoothing her ochre skirt primly.
"Yes, she has," Arabella said, glowing with pride. "She's awfully clever but so are you I hear from Frances."
"Miss Mortimer is too kind," Ayoka blushed faintly.
The footman arrived with the tea and Arabella served it to her guests and brothers, noting that Oliver's eyes had barely left Ayoka since she entered the room.
"Ayoka has been teaching me all sorts of things I never thought I'd know," Frances said, smiling fondly at the slender, birdlike woman.
"I am pleased to hear it, how long have you been in Norfolk for?"
"Only two months," Ayoka said, "I was in London however for half a year before that."
"What brought you here?" Oliver asked, looking as if he were hanging on to her every word.
YOU ARE READING
An Acceptable Marriage (BOOK 5)
Historical Fiction(sequel to Rushbrooke End) Arabella Thorpe has always dreamed of marriage and becoming the wife of a great lord. When she finds herself in a betrothal with the handsome Bertram Cook, Baron Filbert, she is beyond delighted. As their marriage progress...
