Child of Music (Warrender Saga Book 5) by Burchell Mary

Author:Burchell, Mary [Burchell, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Endeavour Media
Published: 2017-04-01T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIVE

To Felicity a seat in the stalls on what was virtually a gala occasion was still sufficiently a novelty for her to derive a good deal of naïve pleasure from the experience. She arrived at the Opera House early, lingered for a few minutes in the crowded foyer, and then went into the still half-empty house.

With a pleasant twinge of nostalgia she glanced up at the gallery where she had often sat in her student days. Now it was dignified by the name of ‘amphitheatre’, but the hum of conversation which drifted down from it held the same note of shared enthusiasm as in her day.

She felt almost lonely at first in her unfamiliarly exalted position. Then a steady stream of people began to come in from both sides of the auditorium and she watched with interest. But although she noted one or two well-known personalities among them, the one for whom she was looking was not there. So, having failed to discover Stephen Tarkman, she addressed herself to her programme and read the excellent resume of the story which seemed tragic and complicated enough to satisfy any opera-lover.

It was faintly disappointing to have the seats on either side of her occupied by strangers. But she had hardly hoped that Stephen’s seat would be actually beside her, and he had promised to look for her when the evening was over so that he could take her back-stage with him. Until then the performance would be enough to engage every scrap of her interest, she felt sure. And, even as she thought that Oscar Warrender came into the orchestra pit. He threaded his way among music-stands and players to a gathering volume of half affectionate, half respectful applause, took his place at the conductor’s desk and raised his baton.

Even years later Felicity was to look back upon that performance of ‘Adriana Lecouvreur’ with undiminished wonderment and pleasure. For to see Anthea, whom she dearly liked, flower into superb artistic fulfilment was something which moved and excited her beyond measure.

She was not uncritical, even where her affections were deeply engaged. Her musical sense was too highly developed and her natural taste too fine for that. But just because her standards were high she was able to savour to the full the achievement of the girl who had once been her fellow student, and her own generosity of spirit enabled her to assess and enjoy someone else’s triumph as though it had been her own.

It is not unusual, Felicity knew, to hear a beautiful voice. But to hear a beautiful voice which has been developed instead of exploited, nurtured instead of forced, is a joy which warms the heart and enriches the spirit. She looked at the strong, intelligent, rather hard face of Oscar Warrender in the light from the orchestra and she thought, ‘No wonder she loves him if he really did all that for her.’

Then she was lost again in the absorbing drama taking place on the stage, for Anthea

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