What a Woman Needs by Caroline Linden

Author:Caroline Linden
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: 0
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

The opera was not the best production Charlotte had ever heard. Between acts Stuart brought wine, but they remained in the box, highly visible. A few men stopped by, but only those who knew Stuart or the duke. Charlotte was relieved when the opera began again, and Stuart resumed his seat beside her.

The prima donna was an Italian woman with strong, heavy features. Charlotte thought she might have heard the woman sing in Italy once, a minor role in Rome. Her inflection was florid and her tone slightly nasal, nothing like the clean pure beauty of Lucia's voice before the cigarettes had stolen it. Letting her mind drift from the overwrought arias, Charlotte wondered what Lucia was doing, and if Mr. Whitley had made enough progress to persuade her to begin singing again. If Lucia came to London with even a shadow of her voice restored, she would be a sensation.

Since she wasn't paying attention to the opera, her ears gradually became attuned to the low voices behind her. Stuart, who had sat in perfect silence through the first acts, had begun a quiet conversation with the duke, who sat behind him. Without meaning to, she began listening.

"I received a notice from Barclay yesterday," murmured Ware.

A long pause. "Ah," said Stuart simply, but Charlotte sensed a great deal of dismay in that small word. Who was Barclay? And why would Stuart be upset by mention of him?

"I expect he simply didn't know where to reach you," added the duke. "He had already sent to Oakwood Park."

A longer pause. "I cannot afford to pay him yet," said Stuart, his voice somewhat strained.

"I understand." A very long pause. "I do not mind," said the duke so softly Charlotte could barely make out the words.

"No," said Stuart more harshly, "I mind. I'll find a way."

The opera ended, and everyone applauded. Charlotte turned her head just enough to see him from the corner of her eye; his face was set, his eyes melancholy. He didn't notice her watching for a moment, and when he did the sadness disappeared at once.

"Simply brilliant," he said, leaning forward to rest his arm along the back of her chair. "What was the story? Ware and I have a wager: is it secret lovers?"

"All Italian opera revolves around secret lovers," said the duke with a faint smile.

"In this instance, you are wrong." The Duke of Ware was the most beautiful man Charlotte had ever seen. Tall and golden-haired, his face appeared sculpted by Michelangelo himself. Charlotte had to remind herself not to stare every time he spoke to her. His eyes were a mesmerizing mixture of blue and gray, but his smile barely touched them. He had been formal and polite to her, and although he and Stuart were clearly old friends, there was a reserve about him that made Charlotte wonder how the two of them had ever gotten along. "The lovers are not secret," she said. "They are to be married. The other characters try to cause trouble between them.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.