Henrietta - Brittany Tucker (#6)

    Violin.
    The very instrument she hated was in her hands.
    She held the bow loosely, fully prepared to let it fly from her fingertips.
    Henrietta knew it would upset her. That was something she couldn’t bring herself to do.
    No. Her mother, Elaine, loved the violin, and forced her daughter to practice everyday, varying in the minutes. So, for Elaine, she would play. Anyone else, Henrietta would not.
    “Henrietta,” said Elaine in a clear voice, “Play something for our guests, would you, dear?”
    Henrietta adjusted her sheet music. Her sister, Catherine, looked at the piece she picked, found the accompaniment, and nodded for her begin.
    Henrietta briefly glanced at the starting note, taking in the key signature and adjusting the violin in her arms to start.
    The room quieted as they played. The nobles Elaine invited to her gala for once had nothing to say as the room filled with music. Once they were done, the nobles clapped and congratulated Elaine for the entertainment.
    Elaine accepted their praise, nodding for her daughters to begin a new piece. This time Catherine picked the music.
    Henrietta adjusted her gown before picking up the violin again. She threw a glance to her sister, checked the piece, and replaced her sheet music. This time, when they played, the nobles acted as though they weren’t there. Like they were part of the background rather than nobility.
    Henrietta felt herself growing angry, and she was sure it showed in her music. Catherine started to play rougher, attempting to match her sister. The sound grew louder as Henrietta’s anger grew. Catherine was playing as loudly as she could now, listening intently to her sister as her notes went higher.
    As they finished, the nobles turned to them, fake smiles plastered on their fake faces. Elaine frowned even as the throngs of people in the room once again praised her for her daughters’ work.
    Henrietta would be apologizing for how she played later on. That much she knew. To her mother, when she and Catherine play, they become her background noise. Something to fill the quiet. Something to keep her from hearing the awful ringing in her ears that haunted her.
    Despite being part of Elaine’s background, she claimed to love hearing the violin. She said it reminded her of when their father would play a piece for her. So, for Elaine, and only Elaine, Henrietta would play. Nothing else mattered to her more than her mother’s happiness.
    The only thing that might have mattered more was seeing her father again, but even then, it would still be for her mother. To make her happy.
    If the violin made her happy, Henrietta would play. She would master any piece her mother desired to see her with a true smile on her face once more, rather than the smile she wore that didn’t quite meet her eyes.
    Henrietta sent Elaine an apologizing look before picking a new piece and playing it, Catherine joining in a moment later. She subtly nodded to herself. To make mother happy, we will play.