Vienna, Austria, 1798

December 7th, 11:52 AM

I woke up close to noon, which was far later than I usually did. Through hazy memories, I remembered my time with Stephen just a few hours ago. It had seemed like a dream until I felt heat rush to my face. Trying to hide a bashful grin, I stuffed my face into a pillow. Just as I was about to start giggling like a little girl, I heard a knock at my door.

"Come in!" I called.

Rebecca peeped her head through the door and smiled. Once she saw that I was awake, she walked in with a tray of morning tea.

"It's nice to see you so well rested, Daphne," she said.

"Why are you waking up so late in the morning, may I ask?"

The shy smile came again, but I didn't hide it this time.

"Oh, dearest Rebecca, you'll never believe what happened with Stephen last night."

Her eyes widened.

"Do tell!"

"I believe I discovered my affection for him. He showed me such wonderful music from the future. We were listening to a particularly gorgeous piece when I looked at him and it was as if he was a whole new person in my eyes. I could hardly believe I hadn't noticed before! How kind and adorably awkward he is! And I must mention he looked so dashing in the moonlight wearing that green tailcoat."

I fanned myself thinking about it.

"My my, Daphne, it seems you fancy him very much indeed. You've no idea how pleased I am to see you this happy. Do you intend on acting on these feelings?"

In the midst of the excitement, I had gotten caught up in the feeling of bliss. My smile was quick to fade as I remembered the reality of the situation. I was engaged.

When I looked back at Rebecca, she was stuttering an apology.

"I'm so so sorry, Daphne. I didn't mean to-to remind you of your upcoming marriage. How foolish I am to say such a thing."

"Nonsense, Rebecca. It was bound to happen, and I need to focus on real life anyways. There's no more room in my life for daydreaming about young men, no matter how charming they may be."

I sighed glumly as I took a sip of chamomile tea. The taste brought me a bit of comfort at least.

"It saddens me to have these feelings but nothing to do about them. It was bad enough that I had to quit music, but now I have to hide my affection for Stephen."

"Perhaps now that your fondness of him is apparent, you could reconsider going to the future with him."

"It still won't work. As much as I like him, I could never leave Mother behind like that. She's not always the most pleasant but she is my mother after all. I'd break her heart."

Rebecca didn't respond. She only bowed her head slightly and left me to finish my tea.

It would've been a peaceful noon to myself, but once Mother heard I was awake, she wanted to start planning the wedding immediately. Not a surprise. I changed from my nightgown into a lilac dress with a pleated bertha neckline and white lace sleeve decoration, and went downstairs, where Mother was waiting for me to eat a quick lunchtime--technically my breakfast.

"So, Daphne," she said between bites of cucumber salad, "where should the venue be? I was thinking the Palais Pallavicini, the Schloss Belvedere, or even the Liechtenstein Garden Palace for something a little less extravagant. Herr Leitner will be here in about an hour to plan with us."

"Mother, I said I didn't want to think about the wedding until after breakfast."

"Darling, this is lunchtime. It's not my fault you woke up far too late for an engaged woman."

I sighed and looked down at my own cucumber salad. I couldn't believe that this was my life now. Being forced to discard my dreams in order to get married and bear children. And not to mention my hopes of being with Stephen were crushed before I even had them.

Oh, Stephen, I thought as if he could hear me, how pitiful it is that you may never know of my feelings for you.

Just as I finished my breakfast/lunch, there was a knock at the door.

"That must be Herr Leitner!" exclaimed my mother.

"How strange of him to be here so early."

I opened the door, and sure enough, there he was. Wearing a green tailcoat. It was almost insulting. Still though, I forced a smile.

"Herr Leitner, how nice it is to see you today," I greeted with a curtsy.

He bowed.

"And you as well, Fraulein Schmidt. Forgive me for arriving so early. I just was so excited to see my lovely fiancée, and to start making preparations for the wedding."

My mother beamed as she welcomed him and led him to the living room. Knowing that Mother would be most unhappy if I didn't, I sat next to Herr Leitner on the loveseat.

We began by deciding on a date for the wedding. Mother thought it would be better to have a spring wedding than a winter wedding so that we could have nicer weather. I, personally, liked winter weddings, but I agreed with her in this case. Only because it meant I could have more time to avoid my destiny.

Mother, Herr Leitner, and I talked and talked about the wedding for hours. I thought of Stephen the entire time. By the end of our planning session, we had decided the wedding would be on the fourteenth of May at the Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg. I had to admit, the Schloss Leopoldskron sounded like quite a beautiful place, and I had always wanted to visit Salzburg. After all, that was where Amadeus Mozart was born.

When Herr Leitner left, it was about three in the afternoon, which meant it was almost time for my last lesson with Herr Adler at four o'clock. After today, I would have to say goodbye to my precious cello and all proof of my musical studies. Mother knew me. She was forcing me to throw out years of hard work so that I could focus on Herr Leitner and the wedding. How fit it was that right after my lesson, I was to have dinner with him and his family.

At last, it was time for my lesson. Herr Adler waited for me in the living room as I prepared my instrument in my bedroom. As I looked from the wooden scroll all the way to the fine tuners of my cello, I realized that I had never seen it look so beautiful before. Every string in place, pressing the bridge into its rightful place. My hand felt right as it wrapped around the neck. I couldn't have this moment forever, though. I had to play my last lesson.

My mother was sitting next to Herr Adler on the couch, giving me a satisfied grin as I made my way down the stairs. I wasn't the least bit satisfied, though.

"Good afternoon, Fraulein Schmidt. Shall we begin?"

I nodded and rested the cello between my legs. A lump was already forming in my throat, and I hadn't even begun to play. When I did though, I made every note count. We started off with some scales, like always. I played them in quarter notes, eighth notes, and sixteenth notes. Then I played two notes per bow, four notes per bow, and then eight notes per bow. Shifting was the hardest part. I always either overestimated or underestimated how much I would have to move my hand. Today, though, I got through the shifts a little better. After scales, we did exercises. I practiced bowing exercises and fingering exercises every week. We ended up spending ten minutes on each one to fix some minor issues, like bow placement and proper fingerings.

At last, it was time to play my last piece. It was Bach's Arioso from Cantata BWV 156. I felt Herr Adler and my Mother staring as I took a deep breath and let myself become surrounded in my music one last time.

While I played the piece, I said a mental farewell to all that I had dreamed for in my life. My heart and hands seemed to take charge as my fingers gently danced along the fingerboard. I no longer felt my bow shake in my hands, and every note echoed in the room. I recited my farewell in my head as I played.

Dearest Dreams,

How unfortunate it is that we have to say goodbye so soon. Every time I got scolded at, or every time I got frustrated with myself, it was all worth it. I would live a century being told of my every mistake if it meant I got to return to the silk voice of my cello. For the rest of my life, I will remember you every morning and every night. And I will remember you every time I go to the opera, and when I hear the string quartet playing at my wedding. There won't come a day where I won't regret having to leave you. You have made my life complete, and I thank you for the many nights of bliss you have given me.

As the last cadence played, I let the vibrations echo in the air. They faded away, along with my life as a musician. When my bow left the string, a part of me left as well.

I was brought back to reality by my mother's voice.

"How wonderful, Daphne," she said flatly.

"Now, Herr Adler can take your cello and all of your papers and books of music. We can't be late for dinner."

I stood and headed back to my room to gather my things.

A single tear traced my cheek as I took a last glance at all I had worked for.

"You great unfinished symphonies," I muttered to the stacks of books and paper.

At last, I made it downstairs to give Herr Adler all of my musical belongings. He gave me a sad smile.

"You were an excellent pupil, Daphne. I always hoped you'd be able to pursue music, and it saddens me that you won't be fulfilling that wish. However, I do wish you happiness with your fiancé."

I curtsied.

"It was a privilege to have you as a teacher, Herr Adler."

Mother and I said our goodbyes, and he left. She turned to me with a big smile.

"Now that that's over, we can prepare you for your first dinner party as an engaged woman! Isn't that exciting, dear?"

"It sure is," I said with false enthusiasm.

Mother led me to my room and started looking through my gowns since I was told to start my makeup. Sitting at my vanity, I couldn't help but look at the spot where all of my sheet music used to be. It had already been replaced with fine powder, lipstick, and eyeliner.

"Mother, didn't this makeup used to be yours?"

"Yes, dear," she replied without looking away from the dresses, "I just thought you'd have more use for it now. Don't you love the colors I chose for you?"

I stared at the bright red lipstick and subtle pink blush. Dinner party aside, the colors did quite suit my facial features.

At last, Mother had chosen my gown. It was a wide shouldered pink one with a long, wide skirt, white lace decorations across the neckline, and more white lace at the lower skirt being held by big pink bows. I smiled. If I couldn't be with the man I loved, I could at least look stunning at the dinner parties.

Mother left to get herself ready, leaving Rebecca to help me. As she pulled the threads of my corset, I felt her sympathy.

"Rebecca, what's wrong?"

"Oh, Daphne, I just feel such pity for you. I know how much you loved music. And now that Stephen is in your life, it must be even harder for you to be engaged."

Once again, I felt a lump in my throat.

"Well Rebecca, you can't always have the life you want. It does pain me incredibly that not only do I have to let go of my dreams, but also the man who I am so fond of. Alas, it has to be this way. Perhaps in time, I'll even enjoy it."

I sighed and did my best to force a hopeful smile. For the time being, I had Stephen to show me more beautiful pieces and to give me more nights under the stars. That was some consolation.

Rebecca and I spent the rest of our time together talking about other things to get my mind off the engagement. We had a good chat about the riots going on in France and about what it must be like for the king and the queen. It was especially peculiar that His Majesty had tried to flee to our home country a few years ago. Gossipping about another royal family while powdering my face made me feel like even more of an aristocrat. It half made me want to laugh.

When I finished my makeup and Rebecca had finished putting my hair into a braided bun, I relaxed and looked at myself in the mirror of my vanity. I wished Stephen was there to see me. I looked so mature and intimidating.

"There's no doubt Herr Leitner will adore you tonight, even if you don't want him to. I wouldn't be surprised if you managed to enchant some other young men as well."

We both giggled.

"You're so silly. Thank you, though. Now I must go tell Mother I'm ready or else she'll throw a fit from downstairs."