The baroness had booked the travelers two cabins side by side, one for Kitty and the baby, one for Maurice and Alec. She was there today to say goodbye, with Risley and with Morgan, who would soon be departing from Southampton as well—for India.
Then Van joined the farewell party onshore. Risley was thunderstruck by the stalwart yeoman’s beauty and did little to conceal his admiration. To his delight, Van accepted his invitation to join him for a drink in town before going back to the farm.
Now the whistle blew to signal imminent departure. The baby squirmed at the shriek. Alec sang to her softly, the first tune he thought of:
Da dada dum, da dada dum,
Alexander’s Ragtime Band.
Da dada dum, da dada dum …
He felt the Elysia move. Singing, he rocked the baby in his arms, gazed through the porthole, and, as he often did, pondered Morgan’s question.
Acknowledgments
In Part II of Alec (“Kingfisher”), the story coincides with that of Maurice. By permission of the Provost and Scholars of King’s College, Cambridge, and the E. M. Forster Estate, I quote from Forster’s work there, mostly in scenes where the lovers appear together or write to each other. The passages, by permission, are not identified in the text, for the sake of continuity. To adjust the point of view, I sometimes, also by permission, weave my own words into the quotations.
The relevant passages occur on the following pages:
52–53
57
59
62–68
70–72
74
76
82–85
89–105
115
* * *
I wish to thank the Forster Estate and King’s College, Cambridge, for granting the necessary permissions, as well as those who guided me in the process:
Sarah Baxter, Contracts Advisor & Literary Estates, the Society of Authors; Kevin R. Casey, Chair, Intellectual Property, Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP; Lisa Dowdeswell, Head of Literary Estates, the Society of Authors; Patricia McGuire, Librarian and Archivist, King’s College, Cambridge; Wendy Moffat, Professor of English, Dickinson College; Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.
* * *
With thanks to my friends, who were first readers and consistently encouraged me:
Barry Ahearn, Peter A. Battisto, Neal Bell, Cordelia Frances Biddle, Joe Byers, Paul DuSold, Robert Hansen, Emma Lapsansky-Werner, Damian McNicholl, and Gary Westerfer.
* * *
With thanks to my professional colleagues, who are now also friends:
Matthew Carnicelli, and my skillful, patient editor, Jonathan Galassi.
* * *
With deepest gratitude to my beloved spouse, James Harrison Anderson.
A Note About the Author
William di Canzio’s plays have been staged in New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Philadelphia; at Yale University and the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center; and at the National Constitution Center. He has taught literature, writing, and theater studies at Smith College, Haverford College, and Yale University. At Yale he was appointed dean of Trumbull College. Most recently he has taught in the Pennoni Honors College of Drexel University. You can sign up for email updates here.
CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Epigraph
I. ST. JOHN’S BONFIRE
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
II. KINGFISHER
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
III. IDYLL
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
IV. THE PLAINS OF ILIUM
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
V. SUMMER SOLSTICE
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
VI. A SENSE OF PRESENCE
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
VII. ELEVENTH DAY, MONTH, HOUR
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
VIII. THE WHITE ROCKS
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
IX. “JERUSALEM”
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
EPILOGUE
Chapter 41
Acknowledgments
A Note About the Author
Copyright
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
120 Broadway, New York 10271
Copyright © 2021 by William di Canzio
All rights reserved
First edition, 2021
Quotations from Maurice appear by permission of the Provost and Scholars of King’s College, Cambridge, and the E. M. Forster Estate.
Ebook ISBN: 978-0-374-72246-3
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