Eternal Melody (18 page)

“That’s a ridiculous notion, Luke, and you know it.” Rebecca scolded
.

“It’s not the least bit ridiculous.  Don’t you know how beautiful you are?  I’ve never seen a woman who looks like you.  Redheads are so rare, and genuine ladies are even rarer.”
He folded her finely boned hand inside of his bulkier one and gave a gentle but meaningful squeeze.

Rebecca wanted desperately to believe him, but the knowledge that he had bedded Greta made her take pause.  What if this was his way of operating, to bait a
woman with clever conversation and delicious compliments?  What if he simply had a fondness for singers?  The suggestion shook her
with doubt.

“You must say that to all the young sopranos you come across.”

Though the words had been spoken in a
teasing tone, Luke took offense
.  “Rebecca,
I don’t appreciate that insinuation.  I’m a lonely man, and I
have occasionally sought to alleviate that loneliness, but I have
not conquered a string of courtesans
or
virgins, for your information.
”

Hearing his self-reference of ‘lonely’ touched Rebecca and made her instantly regret what she had implied.  “I’m sorry.  I guess we’re even now for when you thought I was a lady of the night!”

His eyes crinkled with amusement.  “Yes, we are even.  I’ll accept that.” Luke squeezed her hand again as they walked towards their apartment building.  When they were just two blocks away, he pointed to a crowded restaurant on the corner.  “Would you accompany me to dinner, milady?” He asked dashingly.

“Yes sir, I will.” He opened the door and followed her in to the back of the restaurant,
choosing a table in
a quiet nook near
picture windows
. 
The other diners were situated several tables away, providing Luke and Rebecca with ample privacy.

“You must order whatever you want.” Luke instructed, as he opened a menu.

Rebecca already had her eye on the cream of pumpkin soup, but she was so tired of subsisting on a liquid diet with crusts of bread interspersed.  If Luke wanted her to enjoy herself, then she would accept that invitation and order something far more satisfying than soup.

“Does the braised beef look good to you?” He asked.

“Yes, but that’s very expensive…”

“Don’t say that Rebecca.  You’ll insult me.  Price is not to be a factor tonight.  Besides, I’m going to be a guest performer in
Munich
.  There’s no telling where that could lead!”

“That’s quite a
happier
tune from the dirge you were crooning last night!”
Rebecca observed, pleased with the turnaround in Luke’s mood, but disheartened that it originated from his having to leave Vienna.

“Everything is new in the morning.”
Luke commented lightly.

“Yes, Ryan told me something to that effect the other night.  I’m glad you share that optimism.”

“It’s easy to be optimistic when things are going your way.  The real test is how one reacts during crisis.  Does one bury
one’s
face in a pillow or punch a wall?  Or does one scoff it off and proceed with diligence?”

She thought how Luke’s words would serve her well during
the meeting she had to call tomorrow with Mrs. Denmaker.

“I’ll tr
y to keep those words resonating in my head, Luke.  I’ve encountered more adversity than I thought
I would
since arriving here.
  I suppose I expected a sort of fairy land.  Any place that is an ocean away from one’s home is easy to idealize.  But
it’s not Christmas Eve,
I’m not Clara
,
and there’s no Sugar Plum Fairy to dance for me.
”
She said reflectively, alluding to her favorite ballet,
The
Nutcracker
by Tchaikovsky.

“That doesn’t mean that there
isn’t
magic in the air.” Luke smiled mysteriously, as his eyes took on an opal glint in the dimly lit restaurant.

When the server arrived to take their orders, Luke commanded the braised beef for Rebecca and trout fished from the Danube River for himself. 
When the platters were served, Rebecca plunged in enthusiastically, savoring every bite of the meal that to her was a delicacy.  When nothing remained on her plate but a few drops of gravy and her fork, she exhaled contentedly, as her belly had not been so comfortingly full since she left Michigan.

“That was scrumptious.  I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed it.” Rebecca sighed.

“Good.  A wisp of a girl like you could use a meal like that once in a while.” He winked.

“Wisp of a girl?  My figure is perfectly regular,” She defended, thinking enviously of the lush roundness of Greta’s body. 
If Luke preferred overstuffed hourglasses, then he would be quite disappointed with her.

“Relax, Becky.  It was not an insult.  You have an elegant shape that I am sure many men admire.”

Rebecca frowned.  “Why are you always talking about other men?  I’m here with you, not anyone else
.”

“Certainly, you are here with me.  But I’m leaving tomorrow and you’ll likely forget all about me.”

“Perhaps you’ll forget about
me
!  I’m sure there are plenty of women in
Munich
who will like you.” What Rebecca wanted to say was that the wenches would
throw
themselves
unabashedly at him. 
Between Luke’s
firm,
Olympic-worthy physique and his refined manner, he was a most desirable bachelor indeed.

“No, Rebecca, I don’t care what women there will be in
Munich
.  I’ll be dreaming of you.” With that
tantalizing admission, he reached into his pocket for some currency to pay for their dinners.  “Shall we leave?” He asked and waited for her to stand before he rose from the table and slid an arm around her waist as they left the restaurant.

*****

In the
moonlit
corridor outside Rebecca’s chamber, both found it impossible to say good night.   Tossing out all notions of propriety, Rebecca daring
ly invited him to come inside.

“Would you like to see my chamber?  I haven’t had the chance to show you
my
prized possessions.”
She said laughingly, feeling strangely inebriated by her bold proposal blended with Luke’s compelling nearness.

“Of course I would like to see your chamber.” Luke raised his eyebrows, intrigued that she had invited him inside.

She opened the door and let out a
sweeping
exclamation of “
Voil
à
!”

“So this is the room where you lay that pretty head every night.” Luke murmured, peering around
, as his gaze rested irrepressibly on her unmade bed
, strewn with linens and a stray pair of
white
culottes
.

Her eyes glowed with pleasure from his compliment as she responded, “Yes, this is where I get a dreadful night’s sleep every night on that rocky mattress!”
Then, registering the disorder of the bed, she blushed and bit her lip.

“Well you must not require much beauty rest then because you always look ravishing.”

“Are you always this flattering, or is it just because you’re in a lady’s chamber?” She asked in genuine curiosity, beginning to wonder if his outpouring of praise was merely a calculated method to
get her in a supine position.  Suddenly, the image of Luke entwined with Greta flashed into her mind, leaving her breathless with
dismay and uncertainty
.

“First of all, I
never offer empty compliments.
Second of all, there are more direct ways to a lady’s bed than flattery.”

“Such as?” She
pursued
, as he opened the circle of his arms and pulled her into an almost painfully tight embrace.

“Such as this.” He whispered against her neck, parting his lips to kiss and then lightly graze the
tender
flesh with his teeth.

Rebecca let her head fall back as her hair cascaded freely
,
and she granted him
generous
access to her upper body. 
Feverishly, already in a heightened state of arousal, he
grabbed fistfuls of her hair
, pulling on it while he ravished her neck and collarbone. 
Unaccustomed to carnal encounters, Rebecca felt instantly aflame with an urgency to be fully possessed by Luke.  Through a haze of passion, she thought how she might not be able to stop him tonight.

Luke moved from her pale neck to her face, reclaiming her lips whose
luscious
flavor he now could taste even in his dreams.  She writhed against him where they stood, mere inches away from the messy bed, sliding her body up and down his
steely chest in an effort to get as close to him as possible. 
When Luke gently lowered her onto the bed and began to undress her, she did not utter the slightest protestation.  Instead, she watched him with hooded eyes, as he peeled off her
stockings, reveling in the softness of the slender legs he uncovered.

He caressed her feet, which Rebecca had always thought were far too large, but he seemed not to care.  She tensed a bit when he slipped an exploratory hand under her skirt to skim her nude thigh.  Then, she allowed herself to relax again and bask in the warmth and rapture of his touch, more flattering than his words could ever be.

When a knock sounded at the door, Rebecca was sure she had imagined it, as she closed her eyes and felt herself swirling around while Luke fondled her thighs.  Then the knocking increased and
was accompanied by the insistent sound of Ryan’s voice.

“Rebecca, are you in there?”

Chapter Twelve

In unison, Rebecca and Luke scrambled off the
bed.  “Yes, Ryan!  Just a minute!”
She called
, frustrated
.

Reining himself in, Luke said, “I’m sorry that your brother is finding me in here.  There’s not even a place for me to hide.”

“Why would you hide?  I’m a grown woman and can have anyone I want in my apartment.” She said snappily, treading over to the door to let Ryan in.

“Rebecca, I’m sorry to bother you in the middle of the night…” He stopped himself, taking inventory of his sister’s bare legs and Luke’s mussed hair and shirt half out of his trousers.  Ryan initially looked shocked, but soon his expression turned to embarrassment and he addressed the wall, “I’m very sorry to be intruding, but what I have to say cannot wait until the morning.  I really wish it could, or else I wouldn’t be standing here…”

“Looking at the wall?” Rebecca supplied
as Ryan’s face turned red
.

Luke spoke up. 
“This is quite embarrassing, Ryan.  I want you to know that my intentions with Rebecca are respectable.”

“I
t’s really none of my affair.” Ryan said uneasily, looking as though he were primed to leap from the window.

“What is it that you needed to say, Ryan?” Rebecca asked, hoping to allay his discomfiture with a neutral discussion.

“Actually, it
, uh,
concerns both of you.  I
, uh,
had some brandy and cigars with Mr. Graysen…he really is a great man, very paternal. 
A widower. 
Has two daughters back in the States. 
Um,
I learned a lot about him tonight.  But I’m deviating.  Anyway, he told me that we,” he nodded towards Luke, “need to be at the rail station by six o’clock tomorrow morning.  So, I came to say goodbye to you now, Becky, rather than wake you before dawn.”

Rebecca felt her heart thudding sickeningly as she realized that Luke would be gone in less than eight hours. 
And her brother was interrupting their last few moments together. 
For the first time in her adult life, she found Ryan irritating.

Fortunately, he
knew he
was in the way and made haste of his farewell business.  “Well, dear sister, I will leave the two of you in privacy. 
Goodbye for now
.  Take care of yourself over the next month, and be very careful in the city.  Spend more time with
Grandmother and the baby
. 
Luke, I’ll see you tomorrow morning.  Good night.”
Ryan stumbled out of the room, tripping over a pile of clothing.

When they were once again in seclusion, Luke
shoved his shirttails back into his trousers and readjusted his tie.  Rebecca observed him, devastated that he seemed to be preparing to leave.

“My brother ruined the mood, didn’t he?”

Luke gave a tight grin.  “Well, he certainly didn’t help the mood.  But I must go and get some sleep now, Rebecca.  You heard how early I have to be at the train station.”