Carmilla sat on the left side of the bench, long hair bundled only loosely, so the curls tumbled down her back in seeming haphazard fashion, decorated here and there with jeweled wood anemone. Her dress was ice blue, trimmed in silver and gold, shining in the light streaming through the windows.
The strange part was the way she occasionally looked up and smiled at her tutor as they played - and the way her tutor smiled back.
Aubrey hadn't known his damnable cousin could smile, especially with what suspiciously looked like sincerity.
Gilles's hair was down too, as though neither one of them had thought any sort of formality necessary for the lesson. Even his afternoon jacket had been tossed aside, deep blue lace against the crimson velvet of the chaise. He was beautiful and relaxed and almost friendly looking as they played the complicated duet, exchanging occasional friendly smiles.