After the bee had been demolished against his head, Mr. Hanbridge ended the celebration early and retired for the evening, not wishing to lay eyes on another single soul for a while. Andrew was off the hook.
He and Frank stood on the veranda. Andrew tried to take his mind off the questions reeling in his brain by reading. But Frank wasn't keen on letting him be at peace...not yet.
"Lotte Yansson...when you first look at her, she seems ordinary. But when I saw her sad smile, it hit me...finding genuinely kind girls like her is rare," he said.
iLeave it to Frank to be the voice of reason/i
"What about you and Atsuko Kagari?"
iNever mind about the voice of reason bit, what does he know?/i
"You're kidding," Andrew said dismissively.
"Well, at the very least, you didn't kick her out. You did the right thing by disobeying daddy dearest this time."
He knew he meant more by that than just letting the girls stay at the party.
"My father is a great statesman. But my opinions don't necessarily reflect his all the time."
Frank was proud of his friend. He was finally standing up for himself. But that didn't mean he was safe from Frank's teasing...not by a long shot.
"So what you're sayin' is...you're intrigued by that Kagari girl," he needled.
Andrew chose not to answer. In a few ways, yes, perhaps he was...not that he would ever admit it to Frank. He wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
In fact, later that night, Andrew couldn't sleep because she refused to leave his mind. He couldn't stop thinking about how he felt sitting at the piano. He craved the joy...he had missed it so.
Was it Atsuko Kagari that brought it back? Or was it just a stupid enchantment?
He was suddenly afraid. If it was just a side-effect of magic, what if he could never get it back again?
He flung himself out of bed, padding softly in the direction of the foyer. He was relieved to not run into another single soul throughout the house. Everyone would be asleep...he could test himself and find out.
At the top of the stairs, his heart leaped at the sight of the piano, lit by the moon through the tall windows. He was terrified...and elated.
He checked around one last time for any living being, but the house was silent. He sat on the piano bench, and the pedals were as ice cold under his bare feet.
On a moonlit night like this, when he needed to be quiet...it needed a softness.
Claire De Lune...it was the perfect piece.
His fingers shook as he placed them on the cold keys. This was it. Was it a coincidence? Magic? Would he be able to find his way back?
He played the soft beginning notes of Debussy's masterpiece. They didn't come easy like Flight of the Bumblebee. His fingers had flown...now they crawled, as if on their belly, through the thorny earth.
Despite his struggling fingers, he could feel the melody flooding through him. The thorns...his protection and his pain...parted as easily as a gate.
He thought about Miss Kagari's speech about chasing her dream.
There it was. In the garden of his heart...his sanctuary. He hadn't been there in so long.
He couldn't finish the piece for the choked sob that wrenched itself from him without warning. He clamped a hand over his mouth, shook to the core by the tears that poured so freely.
After a while, he regained control over himself and breathed easier. He backed away from the piano, suddenly feeling exhausted. He looked back at it at the top of the stairs.
He was still a Hanbridge, still slated for a role in politics and upholding the family name. But at least he could turn to music, go inward and find his peace. The thorns would always be there, as would the scars and the strength and the pain. But so would the garden.
He would always be able to find his way back now.