Page 18 of Royally Wed
CHAPTER
FIVE
“Asher? Hello?”
Asher blinked, and redirected his attention away from the duke and back to Serena. Except it was no longer just Serena standing in front of him. Jeremy now stood next to her with his arm draped over her shoulders, carefully watching Asher.
“You disappeared there for a minute,” Serena said, once again looking at him as if he were a hermit who’d only recently venturedout into civilization. “Is everything okay?”
“Fine.” Asher gave them a tight smile. “Just a little distracted. It’s not every day we get to mingle with royalty.”
We. He’d saidwe.
He’d meant it collectively, referring to the orchestra in its entirety. But Serena and Jeremy assumed otherwise. Jeremy’s gaze shifted awkwardly to the floor, while Serena’s face went red.
Asher suppressed an eyeroll.Don’t flatter yourself.
“I should probably head on in and get situated.” He gestured toward the auditorium, and again his gaze snagged on the duke, still lingering by the entryway.
What was he doing at rehearsal, anyway?
“Wait, Asher. I’d like to have a word with you before practice begins,” Jeremy said.
Asher’s hand tightened around the handle of his cello case. “Isn’t that what wejust did?”
“We need to speak in private.” Jeremy nodded toward the door situated behind the spot where the duke and his entourage were standing.
Serena excused herself, but first shot a sympathetic look in Asher’s direction.
He didn’t want her pity. He didn’t want sympathy fromanyone.He was fine. One hundred percent A-okay. Aside from his mild case of stage fright, obviously. But that wasnothing. He could handle it. He just needed to get back onstage, and it’d all come back to him.
“If you insist.” Asher shrugged one shoulder, feigning nonchalance.
Jeremy strode across the lobby toward the closed door, and Asher followed. The duke looked even older up close. His female companion seemed to be about the same age, and wore a name badge that readLady Wilhelmina Wentworth, Patron,Cadogan Hall. He wondered if Princess Amelia knew this Lady Wentworth. Then he remembered he had more important things to worry about.
Like saving his career.
“Asher.” Jeremy closed the door behind him, shutting them inside a remarkably small space that seemed to be a storage room of some sort.
Asher nodded. “Maestro.”
Jeremy might be an ass, but he was still Asher’s conductor. As ridiculousas the notion seemed, a modicum of respect was required.
“It’s good to see you working again.” Jeremy raked a hand through his hair, then pushed his glasses more firmly in place on the bridge of his nose. It was the same little ritual of gestures he usually went through immediately before he picked up his baton.
Asher said nothing. He didn’t want to be there. Not in England, not in Cadogan Hall,and certainly not shoved into a small, stuffy room with Jeremy March. The royal wedding gig was a necessity. He’d rather be anywhere else, frankly, and he wasn’t going to lie about it.
Jeremy’s smile faded. “I’ve been concerned about you. We all have.”
“No need. I’m fine,” he said flatly. A muscle in his jaw twitched.
“You left the Philharmonic midseason.” Jeremy tugged at the collar of hisdress shirt. He seemed uncomfortable to be having this conversation. That made two of them. “And there’s the matter of the canceled concerts...”
“Your point being?” Asher lifted a brow.
Just get on with it, already.
He wasn’t going to make excuses. They both knew why he’d dropped out of sight.
