Lady Eugenia's Holiday Read Free Page B

wig
neared. “Lady Penelope, Lady Eugenia, may I introduce
Herr Mueller.”
    Herr Mueller clicked his heels, and with a curt nod
of his powdered-wigged head, acknowledged the two young ladies. “Das pleasure ist entirely mine.”
    It was immediately clear to Eugenia, by Lady
Penelope’s unpleasant expression, that her new friend had taken an immediate
dislike to this man.
    “Miss Cynthia tells us you recently played for the
Prince Regent.” Eugenia ignored her friend’s reaction and hoped it passed Herr
Mueller’s notice.
    “Ah, yes, at his Pavilion von evening. His Highness
was so generous.” Herr Mueller placed his hand upon his chest. “Und he did me
the honor of accompanying me on his cello.”
    “Really?” This news awed Eugenia. “You must be a
truly wonderful musician. Miss Cynthia here tells us that you are magnificent!”
    Lady Penelope scoffed, glanced heavenward, and
remained unimpressed.
    “ She ist too kind,” he replied with a gentle smile. He was humble, almost bashful.
    “He is being modest,” Miss Cynthia returned. “Tell
them how you performed throughout most of the Continent.” She turned toward the
ladies, anxious that they should know, and told them herself, “And he has
played with many of the famous composers and for many of the Crown Heads of
Europe.”
    “Please, Fraulein Zinthia.” His downcast gaze,
which had never reached their faces, adhered firmly to the floor. “You are
being too kind.”
    “Mother insists he treat us with several selections
on the harpsichord and violin this very evening,” Miss Cynthia stated quite proudly.
“Please, Herr Mueller, you must relay at least one of your stories to my
friends.”
    “Your friends?” Herr Mueller glanced up at Lady
Penelope, then at Eugenia, and decided to give in to Miss Cynthia’s insistence.
He relayed a tale of his travels.
    One had to pay particular attention when conversing
with the visitor. His thick German accent made him difficult to understand. It
took a great deal of effort for the ones who listened.
    Since Eugenia did not understand a single German
word, with the exception of Hessian, she interrupted and reminded him to
enunciate and slow his speech further. She did not wish to miss a single word
of his interesting travels.
    Herr Mueller was especially difficult to understand
when he decided to pepper his anecdote with native words or phrases. Eugenia
stopped him each time and had him translate for them.
    While in the midst of his discourse, Herr Mueller
gave Eugenia a most peculiar look.
    “It is impolite for a … gentleman to stare at a
lady,” Miss Cynthia enlightened him.
    Eugenia did feel a bit uncomfortable at his
lingering gaze but forgave him because she thought he might not know of their
customs.
    “ Verzeihung , I do not
mean to offend.” He nibbled on the end of one of his fingers. “I think perhaps
I have zeen you zomewhere before.”
    “I really do not think so,” Eugenia said, certain
that she would have remembered someone of his peculiar nature.
    “You see, there.” He pointed across the room. “Und
my patroness beckons me now.” He sharply bowed his head to each of them. “ Entschuldigung Sie , bitte , you must excuse me. Until later.” He clicked his
heels again with a final curt nod and departed.
    “Wasn’t he an odd little man. ”
Lady Penelope squinted in his direction. “Why does he wear that horrid wig?
Doesn’t he know it makes him look positively ancient?”
    “He simply will not part with it.” Miss Cynthia
told them. “I think he believes it makes him appear more respectable. Perhaps
the illusion of being one of the old masters.”
    “It does not signify. He’s definitely a foreigner,
without a doubt,” Lady Penelope uttered in a snobby, entirely unpleasant tone. “And
he is not handsome in the least. He is quite unexceptional.”
    “You are being most unfair and very unkind,”
Eugenia scolded her, keeping her voice soft.
    “As a matter of fact,” Lady