Secret Pleasures (20 page)

Melody suddenly took a gasping breath and whimpered instead of screamed
.
She had undoubtedly cried herself into pure exhaustion
.

“I tried to give her the bottle
,
but she just turned her head away and wailed harder.”

“Thank you, Hannah
.
I’m sure you did everything you could
.
Did you give her any of the tincture
?
I know I told you I wanted her to be weaned off her medicine but
—
”

“I tried but she thrashed about so much I feared I’d drop the little bottle
.
She’s very stubborn for such a wee one, Miss.”

Ivy thought Melody had to be stubborn to still be alive
.
Ivy held the child tightly to her breast
.
Melody sucked up her tears, but her little wounded sighs were just as painful to Ivy’s ears.

“I think she does not like to be without her mum, miss.”

Ivy adjusted Melody so she could look into her face
.
Melody sucked in her lip and looked forlornly at Ivy, her eyebrows drawn together as if she were offended Ivy had left her for the evening.

“I think you are right, Hannah
.
I hope I haven’t spoiled her overly much.”

Hannah seemed to brighten that Ivy was not angry with her care
.
“My ma says it gives her hope that a fine lady like yourself would take care of her own babe instead of foisting her off on her servants.”

“Well that is kind of your mother
,
but I have to admit, none of the nannies I hired lasted very long.
”
Melody stared into her eyes as if trying to impart something critical
.
When that failed, she let out a blood curdling scream
.
Ivy pressed her to her chest and started to bounce her.

“Oh no, there she goes again,” said the obviously
exhausted
girl.

“Thank you, Hannah, for staying
.
Why don’t you run downstairs and ask Darien to drive you home before he unhooks the horses.
”

“Thank you, Miss Ivy
.
I have never ridden in a carriage before.
”
The girl darted from the room, and Ivy adjusted Melody, who continued to scream
.
The brown dropper of opium lay beside the full milk bottle
.

Melody had slept so soundly the last couple of nights
.
Ivy detested putting more of the hateful drug into the baby’s system
.
After the recent reminder of her mother’s death, Ivy decided to try rocking her before she resorted to the tincture
.
Juggling Melody, the milk bottle and several baby cloths, Ivy went downstairs into Darien’s darkened front room.

She settled into the wooden chair despite her tight corset and beaded train
.
A square piece
of
cloth thrown over her shoulder was all the protection she had time for, though baby spittle would likely never come out of her raw silk bodice. Melody tried to fight Ivy’s gentle caress
,
but the rock of the chair lulled her despite her resistance.

The brook sounded from an open window in the kitchen
, adding a calming effect
.

After a few minutes,
Melody appeared to drift off to sleep though Ivy didn’t dare move her to find out
.
The silence that settled around Ivy gave her no peace
.
Even in death, did Diana have to be abused, misunderstood, speculated about without a measure of human compassion
?
Ivy prayed the need for more ghastly scandal would not lead to the discovery of Melody
.
Was there someone in London who knew about Melody?

Suddenly Ivy feared the earl might want his child after all
.
He ran his family with an iron fist and she
certainly
did not want that for Melody
.
He would no doubt silence Melody’s cries of outrage
,
or rather just let her scream to no avail
.
Then she wondered, h
ad he actually been distraught by news of Diana’s passing
?
It certainly appeared that way.

Ivy lifted
the babe
from her shoulder, determined for her to finish at least half of her bottle
, coaxing the infant to take the nipple and drink
.
Melody
would need her strength
for their escape
.

On the carriage ride
back
from Westhaven House, Ivy
concluded
that Italy would not be far enough to escape her infamy
.
No, she and her daughter would travel to America
.
Even contemplating the notion spun Ivy into fear and despair
.
But the rash idea would not be squashed despite her best efforts
.
Even d
eath had proved not far enough removed for
poor
Diana to have a moment’s peace
.
To ensure Melody’s future required drastic measures
.
Ivy
could
write to her friend in Cornwall
.
Her American husband had shipping interests and would not only secure her passage but provide introductions for a widow and her child.

Though she had promised Darien that she would stay a month, Ivy feared she would break that promise if anyone came snooping around about Melody
.
She studied Melody’s unhappy face
.
Unfortunately,
the baby
would have none of Ivy’s plans
for taking nourishment
and jerked her head away, refusing to drink
.
Now s
he screamed in earnest
.
Though half the bottle’s contents did disappear, most of the pungent milk
had
landed on Ivy’s gown.

The sad
, sweet
wail of a violin drifted through the open kitchen window and hushed Melody instantly
.
She blinked away tears and turned her head to the strange new sound
.
At first, Ivy thought the forlorn song was a figment of her imagination
.
Diana had loved the violin and her sad spirit seemed to fill the room
along with the music
.
As the tune continued, the player’s skill became most obvious
.
Even Melody continued to listen
, remaining quietly intrigued
.

Ivy realized the musician could only be Darien
.
He must have never stopped playing
.
The knowledge filled her with hope
.
The earl had not completely broken his son’s artistic spirit, no matter how hard he
’d
tried
.
Not only had Darien
apparently
not given up his musical studies, he had gotten
much
better.

Ivy
rose from the chair, then
swayed into the kitchen
in time
to the music, Melody
now
content in her arms
.
She
walked out the front door and eventually
found Darien in the side yard, moonlight shining upon his dark hair, the babbling brook seeming to become more rhythmic in accompaniment to Darien’s song
.
His eyes were closed and he seemed lost in the melody.

He must have heard her slippers crunch a twig because he stopped playing and swung around.

“That’s beautiful,” Ivy said
.
“I don’t recognize the tune
.
Is it Mozart?”

“Far from it.
”
He bowed
.
“Yours truly.”

“Darien.
”
Ivy could not hide the raw emotion in her voice
.
“It’s magnificent
.
I had no idea you had become such an accomplished violinist
.
Have you been taking lessons again?”

“I have been the pupil of moonlight and Irish whiskey for many years.
”
He strode toward her and casually hid the instrument behind his back
.
His father’s ridicule at his passion had obviously taken root in the man
.
“Did I wake her?”

Ivy glanced down at Melody
.
Her eyes wandered to Darien at his approach and she smiled
.
“Not at all
.
I think she loved it
.
She’s stopped crying
.
Play some more.”

“No, that piece is only making me sad.”

She studied his face
.
His eyes were red and strained as if he’d been fighting tears.

“Are you all right?
”
Ivy wondered what had set him off
.
There were so many conflicting memories
,
and too many ghosts to guess which he’d stumbled upon at Westhaven
that had affected him so
.

“I should have done something for her
.
I guessed she was in bad shape but
,
I had no idea she was that ill.”

“Diana?
”
Ivy studied Darien’s sorrow-stricken face
.
“I was not aware that you two knew each other.”

“Lost souls love company.
”
Darien kicked at something in the dirt with the toe of his boot.

“When did you see Diana last?” Ivy clutched Melody, wondering if Darien had any idea he might have a
half-
sister.

“A while ago
.
Let’s not talk of it
.
Our last meeting would not honor her memory
,
nor make me look like anything but an ass
.
Which I am sure you
—
”

Melody, who had begun to fuss in Ivy’s arms, suddenly let out an eardrum-piercing scream.

“Hurry
.
Play something.
”
Ivy bounced Melody.

Darien jumped into action
.
He played a lively jig and hopped in circles to his own tune
.
Melody was not amused and screamed with such force she drowned out the violin.

“No, the other tune
.
Hurry.”

Darien switched to the mournful tune he had been playing earlier
.
The music drifted over them and Melody settled down
.
Ivy
found the steps for the back door leading to the kitchen and sat
, Melody cradled in her arms
.
The sorrow on Darien’s face as he played made the tune all the more haunting
.
Melody stuck her thumb in her mouth and let her heavy eyelids fall against her cheeks
.
She watched as
Darien stared into the utter darkness, playing as if he could drive away the night
.
Ivy did not want to forget Diana, though claiming Melody as her own is what she must do for now
.
Even well-meaning Darien could cause more harm if he suspected Melody’s connection to his father
.
After all, look what losing his brother had done to him
.
He was
grieving
so many losses
.

Ivy
rested
her chin lightly against Melody’s soft head and mourned Diana for both of them
.
She hadn’t had the opportunity to
properly
pay respect to Diana’s passing
.
At least someone else realized the world would be a dimmer place without Diana de Rachelle to shock them from their grey moral fortitude.

Darien’s tune came to a slow sad end.

“I knew Diana, too,” she said, needing to talk about the woman who had given her so much, even the little bundle in her arms
.
Ivy once again had a future
.
A future that could be filled with love and laughter
.