Strings and woodwinds struck up, signaling the overture. Two wigged men in heavy makeup entered the stage—one younger in a blond wig, and the other older in a full suit of armor.
“Have you seen this one?” Matthew asked.
“No, but I know enough of the story to understand,” Jasmine said. “And I speak Italian.”
“I don’t understand any of it,” Caroline cut in. “Someone needs to translate.”
Seth laughed and narrated as if telling a bedtime story. “That’s Rinaldo and General Goffredo. The General offers Rinaldo his daughter’s hand. He may marry Almirena, but only after he’s won the war against the Saracen King.”
Matthew let out a long sigh. “I know the feeling.”
Jasmine giggled and shushed him. “I’m trying to listen.”
The opera continued with daring fights and swinging swords. Enthralled, guests gasped when a sorceress kidnapped Almirena and imprisoned her. The opera house fell silent as Signora Moreni sangLascia Ch’io Pianga,the lament of a trapped woman who could only weep. On the last note, Jasmine cried a tear of her own, and stood clapping with the rest of the opera house.
In the middle of the second act, the voices of drunken aristocrats reached a crescendo. Duke Kendall roared with laughter, pouring aglass of wine for both Lord Rothwell and Lady Ravenshaw. Jasmine thought to warn her not to drink, but the other woman subtly pressed the wine to her closed lips and didn’t swallow.
Lord Rothwell drained his glass and asked for more. Duke Kendall poured him another and whispered in his ear, looking directly at Jasmine.
Matthew rose from his seat and closed the curtains halfway, blocking the family from view. He returned to her and laced their fingers together.
“A slow start,” he reminded her. “Don’t let them ruin our evening.”
Doing her best to ignore everything else, Jasmine leaned her head on his shoulder as the music played on.
***
After the opera finished, Matthew waited for the crowd to thin and guided his family outside. Duke Kendall’s presence had unnerved him, and he wouldn’t always have a curtain to block him out. By the time he deemed it safe, the streets were empty save for a handful of stumbling attendees.
He stretched his legs and rolled his head from one shoulder to the next while they waited for the family carriage to be brought around.
“I don’t understand how Rinaldo saw through the sorceress’s illusion,” Caroline said. “She looked exactly like Almirena.”
“It’s because he loved her so much.” Jasmine smiled up at Matthew. “He knew the sound of her voice.”
“Says the woman who didn’t recognizemyvoice behind a mask,” he drawled.
She playfully shoved him. “That was before.”
The carriage came about, and Seth helped Cassandra and Caroline inside. As he was about to join them, he paused. His gaze swept the street.
“What is it?” Matthew asked.
“Something feels… strange.” He pursed his lips. “I’m sure it’s nothing, but be careful tonight. It’s dark.”
Matthew surveyed their surroundings. Oil lamps along the road emitted a pale yellow glow. He sighed. They both carried the same sense of unease these days.
“I’ll take care,” Matthew assured him and closed the carriage door. As the family drove away, he offered Jasmine his arm to walk the two blocks to their phaeton.
“May I drive?” she asked.
“That depends. Will you keep all four wheels on the ground this time?”
She grinned. “I won’t make any promises.”
The last time she drove, she tested the limits of the high-flyer, getting them a foot off the ground at breakneck speed. He had admittedly screamed, holding onto the railing, praying for their lives—and he had never had that much fun.
He tugged her close and nipped at her ear. “Seth just told us to be careful.”