Malou's eyes were draw to the movement of Mr. Prewett's arm, she was aware of every movement he made. Noting everything from the nod of his head, to the shift of weight, to the gesture of his arm. She had no idea why, but she seemed attuned to it almost as she had the night of the Sanditon Resort's disastrous season close event. She had been aware of him them, watching to protect him. Now it seemed almost a habit to be aware of the space he took up, the brush of air near her as his arm indicated the piano. Then there was his laugh so rich as it filled the air around her, it made Malou smile and braved looking up at his eyes. They crinkled at the edges so very different and yet so very similarly to how they had crinkled in worry at Sanditon Resort.

"If it does, I should be happy to help." Malou found herself offering, surprising herself with hoping that perhaps he would take her up on the offer. She would enjoy the time around him, she had slowly been coming to this realization, but now her stomach seemed to agree leaping up at the idea even as she tried to brush it off. It would never come to pass. Men like Mr. Prewett simply did not learn piano, it was not done. Besides it was horribly unconventional. She was sure Mrs. Bagshot would object to the very nature of the idea - except perhaps that it would mean that Malou would spend more time with Mr. Prewett.

She let the question linger there for only the barest of a moment before hiding the suggestion behind other words, throwing them out there to avoid the sting of him actually turning her down. "Until then I shall be quite content to talk of music, if you so desire." Now her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red. That was no less forward than her original suggestion. But he had said that it was a balm to him to speak of after a chaotic day and she well knew that feeling. More nights than she could remember she had slipped into the pew of a church on her way home from work for the same reason. The peace of music and the peace of faith were a quiet balm to her soul. It comforted the parts of her that were exposed at work, the parts that no one could quite understand. Those hard days when she had a patient she couldn't save, the days that brought her own memories brimming back up. Those were the nights she sought music and religion. There were times when she didn't know what was the greater drive, the religion she had been raised with or the music that filled the halls of the city's churches.