by Nicky Bright
The master closed the door, leaving Sloan in the corridor wondering what that was all about and what he should do next. The master was hard to understand sometimes. He decided he would get himself ready for the birdwatchers. What he needed was something to tell the master.
Up in her room, Helen was at her window again. She was delighted that a sparrow that she had fed crumbs to had come back after several days away.
‘There, there, Sammy, where have you been?’ She dropped a few crumbs on the windowsill, which Sammy eagerly gobbled up. She looked into the square and saw Sloan emerging from the storeroom. He was carrying gumboots, what looked like ex-army khakis and an army field hat.
‘Dear oh dear, Sammy,’ she muttered quietly, ‘it does look like war has finally broken out.’
Claudia met Julia outside the school gates that Friday afternoon. It had been a quiet day at school. Claudia had been quite surprised when two of Stella’s friends approached her at lunchtime.
‘We just want you to know,’ one said, ‘we had nothing to do with the ink thing.’ Then they just walked off. Claudia was past caring. She had much bigger things to think about. So much depended on her and Julia’s performance this very afternoon at Boar Hill. As they walked they talked a lot about the music that they were going to play, and how they were going to play it. They went down to the canal and crossed a bridge onto Port Meadow.
The meadow seemed to shine in the afternoon sunshine. The sunlight glittered on the Isis, on which several tall sails were moving around as usual, like moths circling a light. Claudia was delighted to see her falcon up in the sky again, and even as she watched it circling around it swooped down, down and out of sight, and then, moments later, up again, higher and higher. It was fabulous. It was her inspiration.
‘It’s about half an hour from here. We had better hurry. We have to go over the Isis at the bridge, then around behind the boat shed, and I think there’s a country lane there that should lead us up the hill.’ Julia had got full instructions from Finn.
They found the country lane, which wound its way past several farms where people picked their own strawberries when they were in season. They made a good progress, considering that they were carrying their instruments. Soon they arrived at a small grove, set in a cleft of the hill. There were only two cottages there, which looked over the valley, at the meadow, and at the spires of Oxford. The sign said ‘Dellwood Lane’.
‘It’s the first cottage,’ Julia said. Claudia was struck with how quiet and secluded it was, and with the trees and hedges that surrounded the old cottage almost obscuring its views of the valley.
As they got closer, Claudia could see that the fence was in bad shape, with some pickets out and others falling off, and the old wooden gate seemed to be hanging on only one hinge.
‘We have to hope that they are there,’ said Julia. ‘The owners of Hedgerow Farm told me that he was sure that they were in on Fridays because he delivers fruit and vegetables to them on Friday afternoon. Look, Claudia, there’s a light in the house!’
‘I can hear something at the back,’ Claudia said. She had very sharp hearing. ‘It sounds like someone tuning a violin.’
‘Ferdinand!’ exclaimed Julia, with an exasperated tone. ‘Let’s just hope that Elaine is there or we’ve wasted our time.’
They set up just inside the creaky front gate.
‘No time to tune up,’ whispered Julia. ‘On the count of three, let’s give it all we’ve got.’
The first piece that they had chosen was the Afternoon of a Fawn. It was one of Claudia’s favourite pieces, and from the first note the sounds rose beautifully, and filled the space around them. Claudia gave her ancient flute its wings, and it didn’t let her down.
Inside the cottage, Ferdinand had been tuning his violin when the sound of music floated in from the front gate. He got up and went into the front room, where Elaine was already standing at the curtain, peering out.
‘They’re at it again, are they? Won’t they ever get the message?’ Ferdinand asked.
‘What message is that exactly, Ferdinand?’ Elaine replied rather sharply. Ferdinand took a backwards step. ‘In any case, it’s two girls. Looks like Julia and someone much younger. I don’t know her, but that certainly is a beautiful flute.’
‘Yes, it is. But they’re really wasting their time.’
After the first piece, the second piece started up. Elaine became very interested.
‘That’s beautiful! It’s one of my favourite sonatas. But there’s something missing. Of course, it’s the harp! Isn’t that nice? They’re inviting me to join them, to make the music complete.’ Elaine looked particularly pleased.
Julia and Claudia played with such passion that they didn’t notice the light in the front room of the cottage, or the curtain being drawn across the window. Not until they had finished the last note, and stopped, quite exhausted, did they notice two figures standing in the doorway hand-in-hand.
The two figures moved towards the young players. It was the first time that Claudia had seen either of them, and she thought they were a very striking couple. Elaine had long, flowing red hair. She was very pretty, and as she got closer Claudia saw that she had beautiful green eyes. Ferdinand was tall and handsome. He had dark features, but Claudia thought he had a brooding, almost unfriendly look to him. Elaine smiled and nodded to Julia, and then looked quite closely at Claudia.
‘And who is this young lady, Julia?’ she asked.
‘Elaine, this is Claudia, a new addition to our orchestra.’
‘That was very beautifully played. Did you play it for me, Claudia?’
‘Especially for you,’ Claudia replied. Elaine gave Claudia a long stare.
‘And why, Claudia?’
‘I just wanted to help my friends, and I’ve also heard how good you are and I wanted to meet you.’
Elaine seemed impressed by this honest answer, and she seemed to soften a little. She turned to Julia.
‘And what about you, Julia? What have you got to do with all of this?
‘Everything, Elaine. Of course, I’m here mainly because we need you. We have a serious problem. But, also, I think you were treated very badly, and everyone realises that now, and they all want you back.’ Ferdinand had been listening to all of this, and he tugged at Elaine’s sleeve.
‘Don’t listen to them, Elaine. Come back inside.’ Elaine ignored him completely. She turned again to Claudia.
‘Yes, that was such a nice sound. I think I would like to play with you, Claudia.’ Elaine turned to Julia. ‘You can tell Elfie that, Julia. I’ll probably come back.’
Ferdinand shuffled and grumbled.
‘And as for you, Ferdinand, if I go, you can come with me – or not. As you wish.’ Ferdinand immediately straightened up and smiled.
‘Yes, of course! I’d be delighted!’ Ferdinand’s whole attitude had changed instantly. Claudia thought that he could turn on the charm when he wanted. Elaine took Julia by the arm.
‘Tell me all about this problem and why I am so needed. Also, I’ve got something private that I want to talk to you about. Let’s walk back up to the cottage.’ The two began to walk back up the path, leaving Claudia with Ferdinand.
They had only gone about halfway along the path when suddenly a huge bird flashed down over Elaine’s head, knocking her sideways. Julia instinctively dropped to the ground. There was a great flutter of wings above the nearby hedgerow, and then a giant red bird flapped its way up into the sky, clutching its prey. As it rose, the afternoon sun streamed through its red-and-white wings and its long red tail. Then it was gone, over the treetops. Elaine stared after the bird for a long minute.
‘What was that?’ called out Ferdinand, who had rushed over to help Elaine. Julia got up.
‘That was almost certainly a red kite. I didn’t know that there were any around here. That was a bit scary.’
Elaine brushed herself off and pushed her red hair back over her shoulders. She was clearly still quite shaken by this strange event. She looked back over the treetops where the bird had gone.
‘It was a sign,’ she said. She turned to Julia. ‘I will definitely be there on Saturday.’
On their way back across the meadow, Claudia asked Julia what Elaine has meant by the bird being a sign.
‘I don’t really know. Elaine can be a strange one. Maybe she was looking for something. Anyway, I really don’t know, but that wretched bird certainly helped us!’
‘What was the other thing that she wanted to talk to you about?’
‘For the moment, that’s just between the two of us. Perhaps I’ll tell you about it some day,’ Julia replied mysteriously. ‘Did I tell you that they were secretly married a little while ago? It’s to do with that, and what Elaine would like to do as a muso. I don’t see a problem but clearly Elaine wants to talk about it. I’ll help her if I can. I’ll talk to Helen Brown.’
The walk back was tiring, and they were both glad when they finally reached the bridge that led them back into Walton Street. Julia was especially pleased that Elaine was coming back. She urged Claudia to get a good night’s rest before the rehearsal the following day.
It was a very tired Claudia that eventually crept into bed at Friday evening. She too was concerned about having to back up the following day. As she dozed off, she saw in her mind’s eye the magic image of a great firebird slowly rising into the afternoon sun.
The Great Red Kite flashed
Down to its prey
Burning the air.
It was called
Back to the sun,
And Elaine was free.
Claudia. MySpace.
11
The Red Harp
Quite the few people attended breakfast in the dining hall of the college on Saturday morning. The orchestra were in for the weekend, there were visitors who had come for the competition, and the master and other staff were also there. The master, when he did come for breakfast, usually liked to sit by himself, but on this Saturday morning he was unusually anxious about the coming events of the weekend. He sat with Dr Sloan, even though he hated having breakfast with him, because Dr Sloan was a slurper and a cruncher and ate noisily. The master looked with some contempt at Dr Sloan sawing his way through a large piece of toast.
‘I say, Sloan, you do have everything in hand for Sunday?’ he asked.
‘Oh yes, Master, we are ready. We’ve been practising every second day. I think I can say with confidence that I’ve got everything in hand.’ Sloan grabbed a glass of water as a piece of toast seemed to get stuck in his throat, and gulped a few mouthfuls.
‘I just don’t want any more mistakes. Do you understand, Sloan?’ Sloan stopped eating and drinking and just stared back at the master. The master was making it very clear to Sloan that he was on a short leash. Just then, Helen Brown walked past the table with her breakfast tray, closely followed by none other than Chin Li. She nodded to the master but completely ignored Dr Sloan. Her mere presence was enough to stir the master up again.
‘See that – see that, Sloan? It’s that Brown woman again, and look who’s with her, look who’s going to have breakfast with her. It’s your star turn, Chin Li!’
Oliver Sloan was himself disturbed at the sight of Helen Brown with Chin Li, and became even more alarmed when they sat down together and began to chat like old friends.
‘Between you and me, she is trouble – that Helen Brown,’ Dr Fennell muttered darkly. The piece of toast suddenly became unimportant to Dr Sloan. He dropped it and gulped some more water. The master was now quite relentless.
‘For goodness’ sake, get onto it, Sloan. Find out what’s going on – and please, please, Sloan, no more mistakes. Get it right!’
Dr Sloan always had difficulty with what the master said. Did he want him to do something? If only he would tell him exactly what to do, instead of making these vague statements.
Helen Brown had made a friend in Chin Li. She had thought he was lonely and unhappy. Since the dinner, they had enjoyed one or two chats over a cup of tea in her room. She was trying to reassure him that he would do well on Sunday and that he should trust his own talent. Of course, she had mixed feelings, because she knew that if the college won it would make things bad for her. However, she knew that Chin Li needed support and, at the very least, a friend in the college whom he could trust.
They were having a pleasant talk about Li’s home town in China, when Helen sensed that there was something or someone behind her. She turned around and there was Sloan, pretending to read the paper but clearly listening in to what they were saying. Helen was angry.
‘For goodness’ sake, Sloan!’ she said. Sloan was a little shocked at this outburst, but he knew that the master was watching everything. He smiled his syrupy smile.
‘Do you mind if I join you?’ he asked, sitting down next to Helen.
‘Yes, I do! I mind very much!’ exclaimed Helen getting up from her chair. She turned to Chin Li.
‘Remember our appointment, Li. Please try not to be late, because I have another appointment after that.’
Helen was giving Li a way out, an excuse to leave Sloan sitting by himself. The master watched in despair, as first Helen and then Li got up and left, leaving Sloan by himself with his newspaper. He put his head in his hands.
In a very different part of Oxford, in Walton Street, Jericho, another small group of people were meeting in a cafe. It was a most unusual cafe. It was an old building, with great stone columns outside the entrance and soaring ceilings inside. It was often used for student parties, because the main room was enormous.
Julia, Elfie and Finn were sitting at a table having coffee, tucked away in a corner well away from everyone else. On the Friday night, Julia had told Elfie about the return of Elaine and Ferdinand. Of course, he was absolutely delighted, but realised immediately that they had to talk to Finn, who had been so loyal to the orchestra. Elfie found the situation quite difficult.
‘The thing is, we can’t underestimate Elaine. She is a superb harpist in her own right, but she also inspires Ferdinand. He’s besotted with her. Now, Finn, you’ve been excellent, and the judges thought so because they gave you an award, but I’m going to ask you if you’ll give way to someone who’s just a little more experienced. I’m only asking, not telling you.’
Finn had been shocked by the news that Ferdinand and Elaine were coming back. He had geared himself up to lead the violin section, but he knew that Elfie was right.
‘Yes, all right,’ he said simply. Julia thought that there was a tear in his eye, and that he was upset. She put her hand on his.
‘You’re very generous, Finn; that’s a wonderful gesture,’ she said. Finn turned his head and looked into Julia’s eyes. For the first time, he saw what a wonderful person Julia truly was. At that moment, Elfie was pretty sure that these two young people meant something to each other.
‘Your day will come soon,’ he said. ‘You can rely on my support, but for the moment will you do second violin?’ Finn nodded in agreement. He was not feeling especially talkative.
‘Can we shuffle things around like this, at this late stage?’ Julia asked.
‘I think so. I’ll check it all out with Helen Brown. She is on top of all these things,’ Elfie replied. Suddenly, Finn seemed to find his voice.
‘I’ve got something to say,’ he said.
‘Go ahead. Say whatever’s on your mind.’ Julia was quite surprised by Finn’s response.
‘Dr Brown – Helen – has kind of lent me a special violin for Sunday. I didn’t know until I got home what it was. It’s a Stradivarius!’ Finn looked embarrassed. He didn’t know what to do at the time, and he knew less what to do now.
‘Well,’ Elfie said after a moment’s thought, ‘that
is between Helen and you. It’s a beautiful instrument, and there’s nothing at all wrong with you playing it on Sunday. Nice of Helen to try and help you.’ Finn nodded in agreement, but Julia could sense that there was something still worrying Finn. They began to talk about the practice that afternoon.
‘We’re going to meet for our final practice in a more secluded place,’ Elfie announced. ‘You all know the bridge at Aristotle Lane? Well, turn sharp right past the garden plots. There’s an old timber gate. Go straight through that and immediately walk straight up the rise. There is high ground there, and it is well protected by shrubs and bushes. We’ll try to keep what we are doing under wraps. As secret as possible.’
‘A very good idea,’ Julia replied. ‘No doubt, spies will be out and about!’ They all got up to leave.
‘Would you like to walk with me down to St Giles, Finn?’ Julia asked. Finn seemed very pleased to be asked.
‘Yes, of course.’ Finn smiled broadly for the first time that morning. Perhaps there was something there, thought Elfie, as they left the cafe. They certainly seemed to get along very well.
Not that far away, Claudia was having breakfast with her mother.
‘I couldn’t get that ink stain out, Claudia,’ she said. ‘We’ll just have to throw the shirt out. It’s a dreadful waste, and what a dreadful thing to do.’
‘I agree. It doesn’t bother me now like it did before, because I can see just how ridiculous and childish it is, but I do think that if she goes on like this she’ll end up in terrible trouble,’ Claudia replied, not really wanting Stella to spoil her breakfast.
‘I couldn’t agree more. This girl clearly has a problem. Anyway, what I wanted to ask you was what’s on today? Actually, what happened yesterday?’ Kate asked. Claudia really didn’t want to answer this question. It was too complicated, and it would take forever. Also, there were still more questions than answers.
‘Kate, could you do me a favour? Please don’t ask me about that for a while? Just trust me. You trusted me yesterday, just trust me this weekend. I can tell you it’s all about music – about my music – and me. Could you do that for me? I promise to tell you all about it later.’ Kate knew when to back off, and she backed off quietly.