Distant Voices by Barbara Erskine

Author:Barbara Erskine [Erskine, Barbara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780008180911
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2017-01-13T05:00:00+00:00

The Fate of the Phoenix

This story, although complete in itself, was written as a short modern-day sequel to an incident in my novel Child of the Phoenix. There the first part of the story of the jewel is told against a thirteenth-century background of love and passion, betrayal and treachery, emotions which echo through time, to be heard today by any who will listen.

The old man watched the golden cascade of the girl’s hair as she lowered her head over her sketchbook and he heard her pencil scratch the paper. Outside, through the window, he could see her boyfriend’s car. The old man examined the lines of the sleek Porsche. It lacked style in his eyes. It was aggressive and spurious, like the eighties age which spawned it, though the young man himself looked pleasant. He glanced at the girl again. It was as discreet as a widow’s veil, this long hair of hers.

She had written asking if she could sketch the treasures in his collection, her enthusiasm and the freshness of her words leaping off the page at him. ‘I heard so much about your things from Grandmama. She thought you might show them to me.’

Grandmama. The word echoed with mustiness and age. How could his beautiful Julia be a grandmama? If only he had married her when she had danced through his life, laughing. But he had been so wrapped in his studies he could not picture Julia Grant in his life of academe and so he had lost her. He could imagine her voice now, teasing, laughing with this golden child: ‘See if the old buzzard is still alive. See if he is still in love with his stones and fossils.’

‘I’m glad you decided to come.’ He smiled. ‘You are very different from your grandmother. I often wondered if she was still alive.’

‘Of course she’s still alive.’ She giggled. ‘She told me you were lovers.’

Ridiculous, but he was blushing. ‘Not what you would call lovers,’ he corrected gently, ‘and it was a long time ago. I’m surprised she still remembers me. She was so lively, and I was such a fusty old bird, even then.’

The girl smiled. ‘She loved you, you know. Poor old Grandpa knew he was always second best.’

To cover his embarrassment he stood up, gripping his stick. He looked past her to the young man. ‘Let me show you something, Giles, while Vicky finishes her sketches.’ He led the way up the staircase to the gallery where he kept more of his treasures. In the doorway he realised Vicky had followed them and he saw their astonishment. It pleased him enormously when people were impressed by the collection.

‘It’s like a museum,’ Vicky whispered.

‘I’ve always been a collector.’ He led the way across the floor. ‘Julia thought I was quite mad.’

He lifted the lid on a glass-topped case and stared down at the display of car badges. ‘All over eighty years old,’ he said proudly. He saw Giles bend closer and he smiled.

‘Mr Fraser.’ Vicky was examining a selection of carved stones.

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