“Then why are we arguing? Why are you so angry at me?”
“I’m not angry. I’m…” Again, he trailed off. What was it he wanted to say?
“You’re what?” I asked softly, hoping to coax whatever it was out of him.
“I’m tired, that’s all. It was a trying journey.”
Guilt took away any anger I had left. “You’re right. I’m sorry to have kept you out so late.”
“It’s fine. Good night, Fiona.”
“Good night.” I nodded. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
I headed into my room. The small bed had been made up by Gabriella. I could tell by the precise corners of the blankets and sheets. I could never get them as tight. She always changed the sheets on Fridays, whether they needed it or not.
After undressing and donning a light cotton nightgown, I sat on the bed to wait my turn in the bathroom. The sounds of Li washing traveled through the walls. This was too intimate, the two of us here together in such close proximity. Thankfully, Gabriella was on the other side of me. There would be no chance of impropriety. Not that there would be regardless. Li didn’t want me.
I wished Cym were here to help me interpret Li’s actions. His behavior tonight had flummoxed me. He was always quiet, even at home where he was comfortable. Since his arrival here, he’d seemed out of sorts. Tomorrow, I would give him the opportunity to go home. If he wanted to stay only a week or two and then go, that was fine too. It was better for me here without him. At least I knew it now.
The next morningI went out to the sitting room to find Li there, already dressed and standing by the windows. He slowly turned upon hearing my footsteps. I’d slept appallingly late. It was almost nine.
“Good morning,” I said. “I’m afraid I’ve become French these last few months. Staying out all night and sleeping all day.”
“We had a late night,” Li said. “Although I’ve been out already this morning. I took a walk along the river and then stopped at a bakery to pick out a few pastries for our breakfast. Gabriella said she was off to the shops and would return before lunch.”
A pot of coffee, two cups, and several pastries waited for us on the coffee table. I went over to pour myself a cup. Despite knowing Li almost all my life, I was suddenly nervous around him. Perhaps that’s why I’d felt the need to invite the whole gang over last night.
“Did you sleep well?” I settled in a chair and took a sip of the heavenly coffee. “I don’t know why but coffee tastes better in Paris.”
“I slept tolerably.”
Without being obvious, I inspected him. The smudges under his eyes remained. However, he was shaven and his hair had obviously been washed, as it was damp with the ridges from his comb still evident. All in all, he looked much better than he had the day before.
He joined me, sitting across from me on the sofa. “The apartment is fancier than I thought it would be. I imagined you over here in a hovel, all dark and damp.”
“No, Papa made sure he found just the right apartment.” With new eyes, I looked around, seeing the intricate carvings in the mantel and in the doorway arches. I’d already grown accustomed to the brightly colored furniture and fussy decorations.
“Mr. Basset comes this morning, isn’t that right?” Li asked.
“You remembered?” I asked, pleased. “Yes, he comes at ten two days a week. Usually, I like Gabriella to be here with me, but now you’re here so it won’t matter.” Now, in the light of day, I was vacillating on whether he should stay. He seemed better this morning, less angry. Had he been tired and tipsy last night when he’d lashed out at me?
We talked about my lessons for a few minutes. Unlike my new friends, he understood exactly what I was talking about when I described the work we were doing. “The first few weeks I did nothing but breathe. I never thought breathing could be so hard.”
Li scowled. “I remember the voice students at school talking endlessly about breaths.”
“Mr. Basset had to train me out of my bad habits. Or that’s what he calls them. I had no idea I was doing anything wrong.” I set aside my coffee and reached for a plate, then plucked a pastry shaped like a snail and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar from the basket. “Truth be told, I’m not so keen on all this.”
“What? I thought you were getting a lot out of these lessons.”
He could have finished the sentence with, Why else did I come halfway across the world to look after you?
“I am. It’s just that I don’t care as much as I should. I can’t tell anyone but you. No one else would understand. But I don’t want to sing in the opera. All these high, shrill notes—well, I’d rather sing our hillbilly tunes or the blues at the club. As far as jazz goes, there’s nothing he can teach me. He knows nothing about it. Too much of a simpleton.”
He was staring at me, making me feel like a spoiled brat.
“I should be grateful, I know.” I placed my weary head into one hand and pitched my head sideways, peering at him.
“You should be,” Li said. “However, I understand perfectly.”
“I’m still learning a lot, which I’ll use when we get home.” I smiled, thinking of playing again at church. “Won’t they all be surprised to hear me sing a Mozart piece?”
“They will.”
A knock on the door startled me. I’d been so far away in the world of Li and Fiona. “That’ll be him,” I said, lowering my voice. “He’ll seem perfectly charming to you. He always is around men. But he gets nasty the moment we’re alone.”
Guilt made my chest hurt as I walked across the sitting room to answer the door. Usually, I did my warm-up exercises before Basset arrived, but instead, I’d eaten a buttery pastry. He’d chastise me for it, I could count on it. Dairy was forbidden for serious vocal students.
I yanked open the door to find him standing there, tapping his foot. I’d taken too long to answer. He liked everything at a fast tempo.
I greeted him politely and moved back so he could pass by me. He made sure to brush my bottom under my skirt as he did so. However, when he saw Li standing there, he twitched in surprise. Good, I thought. Have him off-kilter for once instead of just me.
“Mr. Basset, may I present to you Mr. Li Wu. He’s my best friend and musical partner from home. I’ve told you about him.”
“You didn’t tell me he was a Chinaman.”