Encore! (Tudor Saga Book 1) (10 page)

Daniel had a late afternoon interview, with one of the local classical radio stations, and was mentally preparing himself while waiting on Neil to pick us up. I rather enjoyed sitting, watching him work and answering questions. He was on a different professional level than Damien, Angus or Amadeus. His world was unique and I was drawn into it.

The interview over, we were brought back to the hotel, the evening ours. Tomorrow it would be business as usual, once again. Daniel, always practicing, brought out his violin as I looked at my phone before heading into the shower. I needed to get my head together and the cobwebs cleared out before facing my mother. I stood under the warm water, letting it cascade over my body. As the water fell, so did my tears. Ten years’ worth of pent up emotions all shed in the privacy of a shower.

I was pulled out of my pity party by the sudden sound of the shower door opening. Daniel. I wasn't surprised. As engrossed as he seemed in his music or how unaware I might think he was of my presence, he never failed to prove me wrong.

"You okay, sweet? You've been in here for a while."

I nodded without looking his way. I felt his warm masculine body behind me, pulling me into him. Never saying a word, he turned me around to face him, pushing my soaking wet hair out of my eyes. I threw my arms around his neck and started sobbing. All the while, Daniel stood there in that shower, with the warm water running down, and let me cry until nothing more would come out, his arms holding me against him.

Finally he whispered, "Tell me what I can do to make it better, angel mine. I hate to see you hurting like this."

"Nothing. You're doing it. Just hold me, Daniel." I kissed his neck, right where the neck and shoulder meet. Then I uttered those words. "I love you, Daniel."

I felt his arms tighten as he bent down and kissed  just below my ear. "I know, angel mine. I know. I love you, too. I've been falling in love with you for months. I just didn't know how to tell you."

I pulled him tighter, but leaned my head back enough for our lips to meet.

I thought the water works were going to start all over, but Daniel had other plans. Turning off the shower, not grabbing a towel, he led us to the bed. The man had a massive erection, I noted, as he covered me with his body. Slowly he entered me, taking his time while we watched each other's expressions. I arched my back so I could have every luscious inch of him inside me. Still, our eye contact never broke. He thrust himself one last time, making sure he could go no further. He leaned over to take my mouth as we slowly consummated our love.

I wanted it to never end. I wanted to stay here in my safe spot with Daniel, the outside world kept at bay.

As we lay there, trying to regain our breath, he held himself over me on his elbows, our eyes locking once again. "I love you, sweet. You have my heart, and no one else ever will."

"Oh Daniel, I…" I was about to lose it again.

"Shhh. I know, I know. I think, however, we need to shower again and get dressed. I'm sure your mother will be calling soon, if she hasn't already." He leaned up and slowly withdrew from me, still hard. "I told you a long time ago, you soothe me. Now you know how much."

"Thank you, Daniel," I whispered as I swung my legs over the bed and sat next to him for a moment.

"For what? Comforting my bestest gal?"

"You know what I mean. And I suppose I should find my phone and see if she's called."

"Who?"

"My mother, that's who, smart butt."

****

I paced the floor as we waited for seven o'clock to come around. Mother called instructing us to come to their suite at that specific time. I was still nervous as a cat. Daniel poured me a glass of wine in hopes of helping me relax.

Finally, at exactly five minutes till, Daniel walked over to the chair I was sitting in and offered his hand. I hadn't dared sit next to him. My body still wanted his intimate touch and I was well aware my mother did not like to be kept waiting. No, we'd have time later.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, as ready as I'll ever be."

"Remember, I'm with you. If you feel you have to leave, just nod your head and we'll go."

"Thank you."

We took the elevator up two floors to the suite my mother and new step-father shared.
Boy, did that sound strange. Step-father and rock ‘n’ roll god, at that - with MY mother, no less. There had to be one interesting story behind that union.

Daniel knocked on the wood door, placing his other hand on my waist. Neither of us said a word, but I was about to jump out of my skin, anxious for someone to answer the door.

A moment later it opened - and there stood my mother, looking much the same as she had the last time I saw her. Her hair still the most gorgeous shade of grey and she looked as though she'd never aged.

She took one look at me, grabbed me by the hand and hugged me. I thought I would smother, she had hold of me so tight. Finally, she let go, her eyes red. "Elizabeth, I can't believe it's really you. Let me have a look at you."

Oh yeah, that's my mother.
She did the look over and beckoned Daniel in from the hallway.

"Mother, this is Daniel Kennedy. Daniel, my mother Grace Tudor-MacNicol.”

"It's so nice to meet you, Daniel. Please call me Grace. Why don't you two come and sit down? Peter is finishing up a call with a couple of his grandchildren."

I felt Daniel's hand on the small of my back as he guided me to a sofa, sitting beside me. As I sat, I noticed my mother watching our every move. Then my mouth engaged. "I want to know how you and Peter met, Mother."

"I know. There is so much we have to catch up on. I don't know where to start."

Neither did I, and she wasn't kidding there was a lot to catch up on. I caught Daniel out of the corner of my eye.

"Aunt Lucy has kept me up-to-date on a lot of the family stuff." Foot in mouth. Now I’d gotten poor Aunt Lucy in trouble.

"You've seen Lucy? Where?"

"Um, I ran into her on the street in London one day recently, while I was shopping. She looks marvelous."

"I know she travels a lot. Seems I can never catch her at home when we're in London."

"She said she’s stayed around London pretty much since Dad died.” I lied.

Her attention shifted. "Daniel, could I get you something to drink? Elizabeth? A glass of wine perhaps?"

"Yes, ma'am, wine would be fine," Daniel replied.

"Wine, whatever you have, Mother."

Peter soon joined us. I immediately took a liking to him and quickly noted that he seemed to have a calming effect on my unusually high strung mother—but not enough to deter her from speaking her mind. There were questions to be answered. I knew that; but I had hoped mother would wait to start the grilling until after dinner. Once again, I saw full-on that side of her I remembered and disliked from so long ago.

"Elizabeth, I have to ask—and there is no easy way around it-- why did you disappear like that? One day you were with us in Seattle, the next you were nowhere to be found."

Everyone was staring at me. Daniel couldn't rescue me with his sensual hand, now. I didn't want to hurt my mother's feelings, because I didn't want this first visit to be anything but happy for her; so I tried to be tactful.

"I was young and dumb, Mother. I knew I was every bit as good as Damien, Angus or Amadeus, but no one would listen to me. They all gave me a hard time, put me down– saying that I was just a girl. So, I started applying to performance schools. I was asked to audition for Julliard and was accepted."

"I still can't get over that you were accepted at Julliard."

Ouch, that stung!
"I know, hard to believe, huh?"

"Your mother says you played both violin and piano." Peter jumped in, trying to smooth things over. "Amadeus is quite talented on the piano, so I can only imagine how well you play if you were accepted at Julliard."

"Yes, I still play the violin as well as the piano. Daniel went there too, that's where we first met."

"That's right!" Peter exclaimed. "I was reading that Daniel was quite the student extraordinaire while at the conservatory."

I liked Peter. He was okay.

"But I understand you've given it up, all that education, for photography.  Is that true Elizabeth?" She spat the words out as though they were poison.

"I haven't given it up, Mother. It just happened that photography was something I was naturally good at. And it paid the bills."

"She is quite good," Daniel added. "She is responsible for all my images for this tour and my new CD." I gazed across the table and noted a proud smile on his face. I flashed him a quick grin.

"Well, speaking of your brothers." Mother changed the subject.
My brothers, really? Oh, of course, let's turn the conversation around to them.
"They are quite excited about seeing you, Elizabeth, Amadeus especially."

Yeah, right, when pigs fly. He was always my best critic and my worst. He may be my twin, but once we got older and he discovered girls and music, bye-bye sister.

"I don't know how we'll be able to do it this trip, Mother. They're touring, too; and as far as Daniel can tell, we aren't anywhere near the cities where they're playing this time around."

Go ahead make my day and shock me, mother. I know you will.

"True," Peter interjected, "but they're trying to rearrange it so you can all meet in Seattle. Your mother and I will be there as well, of course."

I glanced at Daniel.
Please say something.

"We'll be arriving in the Emerald City directly from Portland," Daniel began. "I won't have the leisure of extra time like this. The day after my concert, I will have interviews up until the time we leave."

"I understand, Daniel, if you can't join Elizabeth this time. There will be others." Mother replied.

"Mother, you don't understand. I accompany Daniel to his interviews. Take photos and videos. What you're asking is impossible, I'm afraid."

"Your brothers want to see you, Elizabeth, and are going to great lengths to make it happen. The least you can do is make time for them."

Count to ten; don't say a word. Keep calm. Oh good, Peter to the rescue.

"Well, why don't we all see what develops before we make plans in stone. Agree, Daniel?"

"Yes, of course. If I know ahead of time when they want to meet Mary, I can see if my schedule can be rearranged."

My knight in shining armor!

As we were riding back down the lift to our suite, I took Daniel's hand.

"Welcome to the family! And thank you for having my back, Daniel."

"I was serious, sweet. I'll rearrange my schedule, because I'll not have you thrown into the lion's den without me by your side."

"And if you can't?"

"Then I guess those brothers of yours are going to find themselves with some extra time off."

Chapter Eight

Two hours. Just two hours were all they were getting this first meeting. Daniel's people had gone above and beyond to rearrange his schedule so he could accompany me. He made it abundantly clear to my family, as had I, that the two of us did this together or not at all.

Pulling up in front of the elegant turn-of-the-century home I'd grown up in, I stoically sat in the SUV and stared at the structure. This was Angus' home now, one of the many changes my family had gone through without me.

I opened the passenger door, not waiting on Daniel or Neil. As I emerged, I felt a chill run through my body. Daniel and I had been over and over this the previous night; but still, I felt uneasy.

Daniel followed, turning back to say something to Neil. Neil had been staying on the tour, a friendly face for Daniel as he toured the country.

"What did you say to him?" I inquired as we stood at the foot of the concrete stairs leading up to the front door.

"I told him to go enjoy himself for the next couple of hours and that we'd call when we were ready to leave."

"And his answer?" I asked, noting the vehicle was still sitting in its place.

"He said not to worry. He's got a book and CD's and he'll wait right here for us."

"We need to do something nice for him after this tour is over. He's gone above and beyond his job description, I'm sure."

"He has and we will," he replied guiding me up the steps.
I like how that sounds. We.

"That is, if I'm not consumed by the wolves," I dryly added.

He started to knock on the door when it opened and there stood my sister-in-law, Ashleigh. How she'd put up with Angus for all these years I couldn't even fathom.

"Elizabeth! My God, it really is you!"

"Ashleigh, good to see you, too." We all stood there awkwardly for a second. "Daniel, this is Angus' wife, Ashleigh."

The two acknowledged each other as we walked inside the house and stood in the foyer. No, this was no longer the house in which I grew up. It didn't feel the same.

"Come on, everyone is in the den." She led us through a hallway and into a room I’d always loved. A flood of memories came rushing back. I squeezed Daniel's hand as we entered.

It was awkward. Everyone was standing around. Damien came up and hugged me.
My oldest brother.
He'd suffered a stroke a few years earlier, side railing his career for a while. It appeared all the grueling hard work and rehabilitation he'd put himself through had paid off.

He had always been quiet. Well, except for on stage; but at home, he was reserved. He was holding back, taking in the whole situation. I introduced him to Daniel. Damien was okay with Daniel, I could tell by his body language.

Angus was next. Still the same old Angus, loud and full of bullshit most of the time. But, one thing about Angus, he was loyal to his family and would move the earth if he had to in order to make sure they were safe. He was acting a bit standoffish; I knew he was keeping a lid on his true self, not wanting to scare Daniel off.

Mother, of course, and Peter, as well, greeted us. Mother seeming quite pleased that her entire brood was once again together, all except Anne, who was living in Australia with her military husband, Ken, who was stationed there.