Peter Rakoczy: The Music of My Life

Chapter 8: The Sleigh Ride

Peter spent a restless night, tossing and turning. His mind was wide awake, even though his body was tired enough. He kept thinking back to everything that had happened that Christmas Day. But his main obsession was Lisbeth. He could see her face even when he squeezed his eyes shut. He could hear her voice even after he stuffed cotton balls in his ears. He could smell her perfume even while he buried his face into his pillow.

"Bartholy," he whispered in the dark. "Why do I know that name?"

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, the name faintly rang a bell... but he couldn't quite place it. He would have to ask Judith about it tomorrow. Perhaps she could shed some light on it.

"Lisbeth is related to nobility... how strange...," Peter thought about Nina's words.  "Then again... there's plenty of Romanian noble families that I don't know much about."

Peter remembered Lisbeth's words about him and felt the butterflies stirring in his stomach. He hoped she would stay the entire vacation and not have to return to Bucharest early. He felt a pang of guilt for being so short with Nina, when his niece was only trying to bring him closer to Lisbeth. He decided he would apologize to her the next morning. After that... the day was full of possibilities.

When he finally fell asleep, Peter had a smile on his face. He dreamt about dancing with Lisbeth to the sound of Chopin coming from the piano. In his dream, he was brave enough to kiss Lisbeth's soft lips. She returned his kiss eagerly, and he felt himself drowning in her blue eyes.

The next morning, Peter woke up early. He felt fully energized, even though he had barely gotten three hours of sleep. He jumped out of bed and rushed to wash and dress. He picked a crisp white linen shirt, navy blue breeches and a matching coat, and he donned his black riding boots. He ran a hand through his hair as he peered into the mirror, and decided to shave as well. Peter wanted to look his best when Lisbeth would see him.

He ran downstairs and to the dining room. Breakfast was already on the long table, but only Judith and Erzy were already there. Peter felt a sharp pang of disappointment, but managed to smile at his sisters.

"Peter... come sit next to me," Erzy beckoned him.

Peter kissed her cheek, as well as Judith's, and sat down. Erzy studied him for a long while. He gave her a sideways glance.

"What? Do I have something on my face," he teased Erzy.

"No... I was just thinking about you when you were a little boy. And now, you're a grown man... time certainly does fly, doesn't it, Judith?" Erzy sounded wistful.

Judith nodded while taking a sip of her coffee. "Yes, time doesn't stop for anyone..."

"Any plans for today?" Erzy addressed Peter. "Perhaps you could take the youngsters out for a sleigh ride. There's hardly any snow in Bucharest and I think they would truly enjoy it."

"Sounds like a good idea," Peter agreed while buttering a scone. "Is anyone else awake yet?"

"I haven't heard anybody stirring," Erzy answered. "But you know how teenagers are... they sleep in until noon," she smiled.

"I'm surprised to see you up so early," Judith addressed Peter.

"I couldn't sleep," Peter muttered.

"Excited about the day?" Judith raised her eyebrows.

Peter shrugged. "I guess," he lied. Inside, he couldn't wait for everyone else to wake up. He didn't realize he was tapping his foot impatiently under the table.

Judith and Erzy exchanged a meaningful glance. Peter didn't miss it, but remained silent. He did not want to open that can of worms again. To his annoyance, Judith did not forget their previous conversation.