Page 131 of Life and Death

“Do you play?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Not at all. But it’s really beautiful. Is it yours?”

“No,” he laughed. “Didn’t Edythe tell you she was musical?”

“Uh, she hasn’t mentioned it. But I guess I should have known, right?”

Earnest raised his eyebrows, confused.

“Is there anything she’s not good at?” I asked rhetorically.

Jessamine barked out a laugh, Archie rolled his eyes, and Earnest gave Edythe a very fatherly look, which was impressive considering how young he seemed.

“I hope you haven’t been showing off,” he said. “It’s rude.”

“Oh, just a little bit.” Edythe laughed—the sound was infectious, and everyone smiled, including me. Earnest smiled the widest, though, and he and Edythe shared a brief look.

“Edythe, you should play for him,” Earnest said.

“You just said showing off was rude.”

“Make an exception.” He smiled at me. “I’m being selfish. She doesn’t play enough, and I love to hear her.”

“I’d like to hear you play,” I told her.

She gave Earnest a long, exasperated look, then turned the same look on me. When that was done, she dropped my hand and walked up to sit on the bench. She patted the spot next to her and then looked back at me.

“Oh,” I mumbled, and went to join her.

As soon as I sat down, her fingers started flowing across the keys, filling the room with a piece so complex and full it was impossible to believe only one person was playing. My mouth fell open in shock, and I heard chuckling behind me.

Edythe looked at me casually while the music surged around us without a break. “Do you like it?”

I got it immediately. Of course. “You wrote this.”

She nodded. “It’s Earnest’s favorite.”

I sighed.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m just . . . feeling a little insignificant.”

She thought about that for a minute, and then the music changed slowly into something softer . . . something familiar. It was the lullaby she’d hummed to me, only a thousand times more intricate.

“I thought of this one,” she said quietly, “while I watched you sleeping. It’syoursong.”

The song turned even softer and sweeter. I couldn’t speak.

Then her voice was normal again. “They like you quite a bit, you know. Earnest especially.”

I glanced behind me, and the big room was empty.

“Where did they go?”

“Giving us some privacy. Subtle, aren’t they?”

I laughed, then frowned. “It’s nice that they like me. I likethem. But Royal and Eleanor . . .”