Child Of Music

by Mary Burchell

  'Isn't — I mean, aren't we waiting for Mrs. 'Morton?'

  'No. She has gone ahead to the hotel. Dressing-room adulation isn't much in her line, you know.'

  No, it wouldn't be! Felicity thought. Not enough generosity there for her to be able to admire someone else wholeheartedly. But she kept that thought strictly to herself. And when they had passed the stage-door and negotiated the cheerless stone passages and steps which are in such strange contrast to the glamour usually associated with stage life, they arrived at Anthea's dressing-room.

  She was still in her last-act costume, starry-eyed and slightly flushed with triumph and happiness. There were several people in the room, but when she saw Felicity she held out her hand, while continuing to talk to someone else, and for a few seconds only the clasp of that strong, warm hand told Felicity how pleased she was to have her there.

  The woman to whom she was speaking was small, elderly and unfashionably dressed, but Anthea gave the most affectionate attention to her, even though it was obvious that slight criticism mingled with the admiration she was expressing.

  Then Anthea said, 'Felicity, this is Miss Sharon, my first singing teacher. It was she who encouraged me to go in for the competition where I met Oscar.'

  'No, no, my dear!' Miss Sharon corrected her with some asperity. 'I didn't encourage you. I was against it, if you remember. You were not ready then for anything of the sort. But since you insisted I tried to see to it that you were well prepared. Fortunately Mr. Warrender was sensible enough to see you didn't win, and then he was able to take on your training himself.'

  'Yes. Very unscrupulous of him,' Anthea said with a laugh.

  'Very far-seeing,' retorted the old singing teacher. 'And most fortunate for you. The end justified the means.'

  Then she moved aside and, before Anthea could turn to Felicity, her place was taken by a very different figure, a woman beautiful in a strange, ageless way, and so authoritative that Felicity was not surprised to see everyone draw back instinctively for her.

  'Madame Peroni!' Anthea exclaimed, and for a moment her fingers tightened on Felicity's hand before she released her. 'I didn't know you were in the house.'

  'Didn't you get my flowers, dear child?' Peroni leaned forward and kissed her on both cheeks. 'I made sure they would be in time.'

  'I'm sure they were. Forgive me—' suddenly Felicity realized that Anthea was also talking in the same charming, meaningless way, a little as though they were going through some ritual. 'I haven't had time to look at all the cards. But how sweet of you to come. I thought you were in Paris.'

  'I was. I flew over yesterday. I couldn't stay away. "Adriana" was always a favourite role of mine. Ai - ai—' she had an absolutely matchless way of combining this exclamation with a sigh — 'Oscar and I did it so many times together. He has coached you well, my dear. With a little more experience—' she left the sentence unfinished as though criticism, though called for, must not perhaps be put into words. 'I must go and see Oscar. The usual room, I suppose?'

  'Yes, I think so.'

  'I must ask him why he took the monologue faster than usual. Perhaps he felt those long phrases might prove too difficult—' again she left that unfinished. Then she added, with a charming, tolerant smile, 'It takes a very experienced singer indeed to manage those phrases at the right pace.'

  Then she kissed Anthea again and went her way. And little Miss Sharon said in an awed tone, 'Was that Peroni, Anthea?'

  'Yes,' replied Anthea briefly.

  'Without doubt a very great artist. But not a very nice person.'

  'Not very,' Anthea agreed with a smile. Then, as Miss Sharon took her departure, she turned at last to Felicity and said cryptically, 'You see what I mean?'

  'Absolutely!' Felicity laughed. 'But I don't think you need fear anyone tonight, my dear.'

  At that Anthea's expression relaxed suddenly and she said, 'Hello, Stephen,' to Felicity's companion. And Stephen asked curiously, 'What was it that Felicity was supposed to see about Peroni?'

  'Just a basic likeness to someone we neither of us like,' Anthea assured him lightly. 'I must clear the room now, darlings, and get changed. If you love me, Stephen, go and see Peroni doesn't have a long tête-à-tête with Oscar. And, whatever the blandishments, don't ask her to the supper-party, or I'll never speak to you again.'

  'I promise,' he said with a smile. Then he and Felicity left and went to the conductor's dressing-room, where they found him being very pleasant and rather distant to Peroni, and Peroni being very pleasant and rather intimate to him.

  If he was either relieved or annoyed to have the conversation interrupted he showed no signs of it, and it struck Felicity that he was well able to handle Peroni