Peter Rakoczy: The Music of My Life

Chapter 14: Into the Dark Woods

Peter locked himself up in his bedroom for the remainder of the night. He couldn't face his family after the incident with Stellian. He felt ashamed and brutish. At the same time, he had a sense of satisfaction for proving himself stronger than his brother. Perhaps Stellian would stop teasing him from now on. He could only hope.

The following morning, Peter stayed in bed until well past breakfast time. He heard voices coming from the front courtyard. When he looked out the window, he noticed that Judith and Erzy were talking to Vasile, their driver.

"Yes, we need to go into town today," Erzy said. "Make sure there's plenty of room for extra packages," she instructed Vasile.

To his relief, Peter realized his sisters were going into town to do some costume shopping for the masked ball. That meant his nieces would accompany them too. He wondered whether or not Lisbeth would go.

He washed up and got dressed, taking his time. The bruise on his cheek was turning purple and hurt when he moved his jaw, but there was nothing he could do about that. When he was ready, Peter peered out the window again. Judith, Erzy, Nina, Petra and the twins were all piling into one of the larger carriages. Peter didn't spot Lisbeth in the group. He waited for them to leave before exiting his room. He quietly tip-toed down the hallway and softly knocked on Lisbeth's bedroom door.

Lisbeth cracked the door open. When she saw Peter, she gave him a beaming smile and moved back so he could enter.

"How did you manage to get out of the excursion into town?" Peter asked, once inside the bedroom.

"I told Nina I wasn't feeling well. It truly wasn't that difficult. She was too focused on herself, as usual," Lisbeth grinned.

"Wonderful!" Peter's green eyes sparkled. "So it looks like we'll have most of the day to ourselves. Knowing my sisters, they'll be in town for several hours."

Lisbeth nodded eagerly. "Exactly! What should we do?" She looked excited to be spending time alone with Peter.

"We could take a sleigh ride. Just the two of us... no Bartholy Castle this time," Peter said tentatively watching her reaction.

"That sounds lovely," Lisbeth readily agreed. "It's beautiful and sunny outside."

"To be honest, I don't want to stick around the house much today," Peter admitted. "For obvious reasons..."

"I completely understand," Lisbeth said. "Give me half an hour and I'll be ready to go."

Peter wasn't sure whether or not he could kiss her before going to get the sleigh ready. He didn't want to push his luck. He stood there, hesitating, running a hand through his dark hair. But, to his surprise, Lisbeth took the lead. She approached him and wrapped her hands behind his neck. She then stood up on her tippy toes and pressed her soft mouth against his.

Peter felt elated as he took the stairs down. It was going to be a wonderful day! However, as he passed the family parlor, a man's voice called out to him:

"Peter! In here please!" It was his father.

Peter sighed and tried to compose himself before facing Count Rakoczy. He took a deep breath and strode confidently into the room. His father was sitting in his usual armchair, by the fireplace, reading. He placed the book down on a side table and took his glasses off, and then motioned to Peter to approach him.

"So," Count Rakoczy said. "I think you and I need to have a talk about what happened."

Peter sat down across from his father, holding his gaze steadily. He waited for the older man to speak first.