A Song Unheard
Page 38
There really was an orchestra composed of Belgium’s most brilliant musicians, put together and funded by Gwendoline and Margaret Davies—two wealthy heiresses from Wales who are now viewed as among the greatest Welsh patrons of the arts. These sisters—neither of whom ever married—ended up opening a canteen in France in 1917 for the soldiers. After the war, they returned home to Wales and purchased and opened an estate called Greggynog, whose main purpose was to rehabilitate returning soldiers through art. They were soft-spoken, shy, very religious young women . . . who had a profound effect on their “dear principality” that is still noteworthy a hundred years later. I hope and pray I did these sweet sisters justice in my short portrayal of them and their good-hearted love of their neighbors. I tried to stick as close to the known facts about them both as possible. Gwen Davies really did have a Stradivarius violin, for instance, that she could no longer play—and though she didn’t give it away to a poor prodigy in need, I like to think that it’s a loan she would have been happy to make.
My portrayal of the German invasion of Belgium is based on the facts I gleaned from The Rape of Belgium, a great research book by Larry Zuckerman. I tried to weigh each side fairly, especially through Wolfgang Gottlieb, but historians today view the German army’s actions in Belgium as a precursor to their behavior in the next world war. Far too many Belgian citizens passed the war without ever knowing what became of their relatives in the towns that were attacked—I wanted to capture just a hint of this with the De Wildes. My fictional family was quickly reunited, but others lived with the question of whether their loved ones were alive or dead for years.
I’d like to thank the staff at the Belle Vue Royal Hotel in Aberystwyth, Wales, who patiently and promptly answered my emails asking them strange questions about where the back entrance let out and where on the ground floor two violinists would have practiced a hundred years ago. Researching a book is made so much easier by helpful people—so thank you, Harri! And as always, big thanks to my early readers—Elizabeth, my England native, for making sure my dialogue sounds right, and Taylor for checking my violin terminology in the manuscript as well as playing “Willa’s Song” for me!
I have to say that Willa was at times a troublesome heroine to write. So—stubborn! But I hope you enjoyed her story and the further glimpses of the family at Pauly’s pub. I can’t wait to dive even more into their world in Barclay’s story, An Hour Unspent. We’ll meet clockmakers, suffragettes, and pursue one of the strangest bets yet, when Barclay’s family challenges him to steal an hour from Big Ben’s clock.
In the meantime, thank you for traveling with me into the story of a violin prodigy with music trapped inside her. I pray that through her story your ears might be opened to new melodies in your life.
Roseanna M. White pens her novels beneath her Betsy Ross flag, with her Jane Austen action figure watching over her. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two children, editing and designing, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of over a dozen historical novels and novellas, ranging from biblical fiction to American-set romances to her series set in Britain. She makes her home in the breathtaking mountains of West Virginia. You can learn more about her and her stories at www.RoseannaMWhite.com.
Books by Roseanna M. White
LADIES OF THE MANOR
The Lost Heiress
The Reluctant Duchess
A Lady Unrivaled
SHADOWS OVER ENGLAND
A Name Unknown
A Song Unheard
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