Eternal Melody (27 page)

With a groan, Rebecca sank back down onto the sofa, not feeling well enough to stand.  She desperately needed a cool drink, but she dared not venture out into the main theatre in case it was still night and
there could be some cleaning workers roaming around. 
S
he submitted to the coma-like sleep that assaulted her
again
, crumpling like a ball of yarn on the sofa and laying down her heavy head.

Some time later, she did not know how long, Rebecca
a
woke again, this time with convulsi
ve chills that rattled
her bones.  It was now indisputa
ble that she was plagued with
fever and, alone in the dressing room, she had no choice but to surrender once again to a
tossing
, troubled sleep.

Chapter
Eighteen

“I’m sorry, Luke.
I have not seen her since the last curtain call.” Ryan, dressed in checkered pajamas and matching bathrobe
,
told a frantic Luke.

It pleased Ryan to see how much Luke evidently cared for his sister. 
Luke had nearly woken the entire building that morning, panicked that Rebecca was not in her chamber and that her bed had not been slept in.

“I just pray that no one has hurt her.  I mean, could Greta possibly be on the loose again so soon?  Mr. Graysen assured us that she would be spending the next thirty days locked up.” Luke muttered
, shaking his head despairingly.

“I am sure that no one has done her any harm.”

“Then where is she, Ryan?  I looked for her everywhere last night, hoping to walk her home, but
she eluded me.  What if she has
been kidnapped or raped or…?”

Luke’s anxiety was contagious
,
and Ryan suddenly began to panic, tearing off his robe and striding to the armoire to find some clothing. 
“You and I will search the city for her.  Just give me a m
inute to get some clothes on.  But w
hatever you do, if you see our grandmother, don’t tell her
that Rebecca is missing
.  She has enough to worry about presently.” Ryan said, unbuttoning his pajama top and replacing it with a sage linen shirt.

“What is your grandmother so worried about?” Luke asked
distractedly
, staring towards the door,
primed
to bolt down the stairs and begin the search on his own.

Shoving
his shirt into his pants and buckling a tan leather belt, Ryan replied
sardonically, “Our brother Gregory appears to believe he is a
carefree
vagrant
because he and Ethel abandoned their daughter, Annabelle, yesterday morning.”

Taken aback, Luke said, “Rebecca didn’t
mention
anything about that, and we spent the whole day together.  That’s odd.”

“She probably did not find out until later in the day.  Besides, it’s a private family matter and not one that she would likely discuss with you.”

Luke was affronted.  “Why would you say that?  Rebecca and I have grown very close.”

“Yes, Springwell, you don’t need to remind me of your, how shall I say, intimate connection.  I am her brother and not inclined to discuss such details.” Ryan reminded, running a comb roughly through his red hair.

More offended than before, Luke defended, “I was not referring to our intimate relationship, but rather our friendship. 
Becky and I have spoken at length about our childhoods, life goals, and
many other topics
.”

Luke
neglected
to mention their sensual swim lesson and the singing session that
had
followed.  It tugged at his heart to remember those brief but blissful moments.

Grabbing his key so they could finall
y leave, Ryan apologized, “I’m
sorry, Luke. 
You’re a friend of mine, and I certainly did not mean to offend you.  Listen, if I tell you something dirty about our family, do you promise to keep it to yourself?”

“Of course, I promise.” Luke swore.

Lowering his voice to a
harsh
whisper, Ryan said, “Gregory is a habitual gambler.  He incurred
sizable
debts in Grand Rapids and here
in Vienna.  That is why he had to flee the country with his wife. 
Now, it is up to Rebecca to care for our little niece.”

“Why Rebecca?  It seems that your grandmother is always with the baby.”

“Yes, but Grandmother is old.” He explained, echoing Gloria’s own sentiments. 
“No one has asked Rebecca yet, but it is expected that she will eventually adopt Annabelle.”

Ryan’s last statement jarred Luke, and he took a step backward.  It did not bother him in the least that Rebecca had a
gambling
brother
on the run
.  He would not judge her based on the errors of her family.  But to have
the serious responsibility of raising someone else’s child made Luke
apprehensive
. 
From the inception of their relationship, his meager funds had made him feel inadequate as a man.  If he were to
marry her
, he would have a bab
e to support even before the wedding!

“Have I said too much?” Ryan asked, reading the discomfiture on Luke’s face and dreading his response.
  “Please don’t think any less of my sister for Gregory’s shortcomings.  He has always been the black sheep, so to speak.”

Still wrapped in his own contemplations, Luke tried to dismiss Ryan’s worries.  “Believe me when I tell you that I think as highly of your sister as ever.  She
is as extraordinary a woman
as she is as an opera singer.
  Perhaps even more extraordinary as a woman, if that is indeed possible.
”

“Thank you.  I knew you were a good man, Springwell.” Ryan patted his comrade on the back as they reached the sidewalk.

Luke could not bring himself to meet Ryan’s gaze, as his current troubled thoughts were contrary to what Rebecca’s brother
would expect
.  Ryan might be a free-thinking fellow, but he likely was anticipating that Luke would make an honest woman of his sister and adopt the baby
with her
.  The pressure of such a notion overwhelmed Luke, and he yearned to break free of Ryan.

“Why don’t we go our separate ways?
Independent searches will allow us to cover more ground and find Rebecca sooner
.” Luke suggested hopefully.

Unaware of Luke’s motives, Ryan agreed.  “That’s an excellent idea.  I shall go down towards the
Ringstrasse
, and you can go
towards
the theatre district. 
Does that sound like a plan
?”

Luke nodded a brusque response as the two men set off in opposite directions. 
The moment Ryan was out of sight, Luke ran a nervous hand through his thick hair and blew out an anxious breath.  He wanted desperately to find Rebecca
and hold her in his arms again.  If only matters were simpler, he thought.  Why could they not run away together without cumbersome issues such as financial instability and
abandoned
babies?

While these concerns swarmed in his head, Luke came to the
corner where the theatre was
located.  Ignoring the dilapidated Gothic structure, he turned instead towards a coffee shop where baristas were preparing for the lunch rush.

Poking his head through the door, Luke addressed o
ne of the apron-clad baristas
.  “I’m looking for a young woman in her twenties, average height and slender with bright red hair.  Have you seen her?”

The barista looked perplexed and
repeated Luke’s description to one of the other young employees.  After five minutes of standing there while
the workers
all
said that they had not seen a woman fitting that description, Luke knew he had reached a dead end and proceeded to try another establishment.

For the next two hours, Luke
inquired inside every shoe
shiner
, candy maker, and
dress designer
he could find.  He made other stops
inside the local bank and post office. 
When each search proved fruitless, he circled around to the corner where he had begun,
directly
outside the rehearsal hall. 
Something in his gut told him to go inside, though it seemed
unlikely that Rebecca would be there.

Resolutely, with a weary sigh, he strode towards the familiar building
where he had
first
met Rebecca
.  As he walked through the door into the hollow corridor he silently reminisced about
how she had found him that day
playing the piano.  She had been very shy initially, quite a different picture from the feisty, willful woman she really
was. 
He smiled in spite of his worries, savoring the memory of their first encounter and the tart taste of her personality. 
Rebecca Meadow was like an Independence Day firecracker, blindingly colorful and just the slightest bit dangerous if not handled properly.  But
she had a soft side too
.  The way she had opened up to him about the nature of her parents’ deaths made him feel honored and protective of her.

Winding past the theatre where they performed each night and disappearing into the alcove where a trio of dressing rooms was located, Luke heard a distinct moaning sound.  Halting his footsteps so as not to obscure the noise, he listened closely and was astonished to realize that the moan was coming from Rebecca’s dressing room.  In a fit of panic, he ran to the door and roughly turned the knob.  When it would not open, he began to shake it and then push his entire body against the wooden barrier.

The moaning ceased as Luke tried violently to open the locked door. 
“Rebecca, are you in there?  I’m here to help you!” He shouted, continuing to bang on the door in a mad effort to pry it open and reach her.

A moment later, a very pale, wide-eyed Rebecca opened the door and looked at him gratefully.  “Luke, thank God it is you. 
That was so frightening how you were trying to break into my dressing room.  I thought it was some maniac.”

“And I thought some maniac was already in there hurting you.  I heard you moaning down the hall.” Luke said, aghast that he had scared her.

“What a misunderstanding!  Oh Luke, I fell ill last night and slept here on the sofa.” She explained feebly, walking back to her makeshift sickbed and reclining against the pillows.

“If only I had known that!  Ryan and I have spent the entire morning looking for you.  We split up so we could scour the whole city.  If you’re sick, we should get you back to the apartment.  This drafty building is no place for an ailing woman.” Luke attempted to lead her by the hand, but she resisted.

“No, Luke, I must stay here.  I am not strong enough
to walk
right now.  If you feel my forehead, you’ll see I have a fever.  And I’m terribly nauseated as well.”

Luke surveyed her glazed countenance, hoping that she did not have a case of influenza.  That could last for weeks and ruin the rest of the season for
The Magic Flute
.  Not wanting to alarm her, he refrained from mentioning the possibility of influenza and merely said,
“Just lie
here if you don’t feel well enough to move.  Give me a quarter of an hour and I shall return with some
juice
and other remedies.” Luke promised, caressing Rebecca’s forehead.

“And some cold compresses.” She added, as Luke grinned, amazed that even when sick she made demands.  Rather than finding it offensive, he thought it was the most adorable trait he had ever discovered in anyone.

“Cold compresses coming your way
.” He assured, hurrying out the door to dash to the nearest pharmacy.

When Luke returned
with a brown paper bag in hand, Rebecca was lightly napping.  Hearing the rustling of the bag, she awoke and favored him with a weak smile.

“Thank you for taking care of me.  You know I would do the same for you if you were sick.”

“Yes, I do know.  Wait right here.  There’s one thing I missed.” He said softly, padding down the hallway again and leaving the bag in her hands.

She opened it, finding therein
fresh fruit including an orange and p
ear
, a small bottle of
aspirin,
bread rolls,
and two washcloths. 
As she began to peel back the orange rind, suddenly
ravenous
, Luke returned with a ceramic mug that he offered her immediately, popping open the bottle of aspirin.
  He watched in amusement as she munched on the orange.  Her appetite indicated that she did not have influenza, and Luke was relieved.