Indulgence 2: One Glimpse by Lydia Gastrell Read Free Book Online Page A

did not get absorbed in music. It simply wasn’t the thing.
    “Shows what you know,” Jane whispered. “Henrietta and Constance are far from amateurs.”
    John rolled his eyes. The sound of tuning instruments was the final warning for the audience to go silent. He waited for the onslaught of scraping strings and pounded piano keys, but was treated to a superb crescendo into one of the lesser-known Mozart sonatas. His surprise must have shown on his face, for he heard a distinct humph of satisfaction from his aunt just as she tapped his arm again.
    The evening was not going to be a total loss after all, he decided as he settled into the beautiful music. Still, he listened and watched with his face a blank mask of disinterest. It was obvious by the time the musicians faded into the sonata’s second movement that most of the men in the audience were following his example of apathy. Either that, or they were genuinely bored.
    But not Shaw.
    As John looked around the room, observing the audience in the great ton tradition, his gaze fell on Shaw and he was struck still. The man sat in the same row on the other side of the center aisle, giving John a perfect view of his profile. His attention was fixed forward in a determined sort of way, but there was no hiding the watery sheen over his eyes. He blinked slowly, purposefully, and his chest rose and fell with the deep, conscious breaths of a man trying to hold himself together.
    My God, he’s weeping.
    John, usually so careful of his behavior, continued to stare. He was not certain why, for at any other time he would have looked away from something so private. But he could not seem to look away. Shaw was…
    Mediocre . His mind spat out the word like a challenge. Shaw was shorter than average, five foot eight or nine at most. His figure, while obviously strong and compact, had that mild softness that suggested a persistent layer of baby fat, and that same trait reached to his face. His features were soft and smooth. They were…kind? And compared to the rows of dismal, bored men surrounding him, Shaw looked absolutely—
    Dark green eyes fixed on John’s, and he panicked. John flinched like a pickpocket caught in the act just as Shaw’s eyes flared and his cheeks turned crimson. Yes, even in the wavering candlelight, John saw the flush crawl over Shaw’s face.
    Damnation!
    John turned his head forward with a snap, causing his aunt to frown at him. He had not meant to stare, and he had certainly not meant to embarrass the man by catching him in a forgetful moment. But it was just music, after all. Wasn’t it a bit much to become so overwrought over some well-played notes?
    Something in John’s stomach twisted. He hadn’t always thought like that. When had he become so jaded?
    Sitting through the rest of the Mozart piece was a unique kind of torture as he struggled not to glance at Shaw. Instead, he managed to give himself a headache trying to examine him in his peripheral vision. Finally, he gave up and focused his eyes on the musicians. When the piece ended, to genuine applause and people rising for the relief of an intermission, John looked across the center aisle.
    Shaw and his sisters were gone.
    * * * *
    “Come here, boy. That’s it. Don’t be afraid.”
    The filthy creature that one could barely discern to be a dog whimpered and made a half step. Its tail was tucked so far between its legs as to almost touch its concave belly. It limped forward another few inches, its misty eyes shifting between Sam’s face and the hunk of warm mutton in his hand.
    “It’s all right, boy. I’m not going to hurt you,” Sam soothed, his voice as soft as goose down. The poor wretch limped another step, renewing Sam’s anger and pity. The pity won out, which was why he was not currently flogging the paperboys across the street with his cane. They had been harassing the poor mongrel when Sam happened by. They must have lured it close enough, probably with food, to tie a brick to