‘He would be wasted on me,’ she said. ‘Please, he’s yours.’
Nico nodded. ‘It would be my honour.’
‘Alexandra!’
The call was sharp, frantic even.
‘Alexandra!’
Nico looked at her and she bravely lifted her palm to touch his cheek. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered, before stepping out of the stables and seeing Thalia running towards her, her skirts gathered up as she hurried across the grass.
‘There you are! Come quickly, your father is looking for you. It’s time to go.’
Alexandra looked back one last time, committing the stables and the towering trees, the green field and sprawling outdoor arena to memory, before letting Thalia take her hand and rushing back with her towards home.
Her only regret was that she hadn’t been able to visit her mother’s grave before they left. But she knew in her heart that her mother would have wanted her last goodbye to be for Apollo.
7
PRESENT DAY
Ella stood at the door to the gallery, shielding her eyes from the sun.
‘I hope you’ll have more to tell me about your family mystery next time I’m in. It’s mad to think you have such a big family secret that no one’s known about until now.’
‘I know, right? It’s more fiction than real life, and to think my grandmother went her entire life without knowing.’ Ella sighed. ‘It’s kind of sad.’
Daisy gave her a hug. ‘You know, I think I might be able to help you with the musical clue.’
Ella let her go and leaned against the door. ‘You do?’
‘I have a friend who plays the violin in the London Symphony Orchestra. I actually have tickets for this Friday night, but I can’t go. Would you like them?’
Ella’s eyebrows shot up. ‘You’re offering me your tickets?’ It had been years since she’d been to a live performance.
‘I am absolutely offering you tickets. Will you wait for a bit to see him afterwards? His name is Gabriel. I’ll tell him to keep an eye out for you. He owes me a favour, so perhaps he can look over the sheet of music for you? I’ll email you the tickets.’
‘You’d really do that for me?’
‘Ella, hon, I’d do anything for you! You’ve just earned me enough money to pay my rent for an entire year! You changed my life the day you decided to take a chance on me, so this is the least I can do.’
She was about to tell her that she’d well and truly earnt the money herself without having to repay her, but Daisy was already running down the road as if she were late for a train, her head of dark, tight curls bouncing around her.
Gabriel, eh? Well, it would be very interesting to see what his thoughts were on the sheet of music she currently had in her possession, and whether he could help her to figure out just how old it might be.
* * *
It was Friday night before Ella knew it. The Barbican Centre where the orchestra was playing was wonderfully atmospheric, and she only wished she had someone to share the experience with her. Kate had intended on coming, but had to cancel at the last minute when she’d come down with a bad cold.
The lighting at the centre always made it stand out from miles away, which made approaching it at night all the more special. She queued outside for a short time before making her way into the foyer, and Ella marvelled at the architecture the moment she was inside. But it was when she went to take her seat that she was truly in awe. The theatre was substantial, and it had the most beautiful gold hue inside with all the lights on.
She didn’t have long to admire the interior though before the lights dimmed, and then the audience fell so quiet she could have heard a pin drop. Ella closed her eyes when the orchestra began, the sound almost soft at first before slowly building to a crescendo that reminded her why she loved live music. There was nothing quite like the orchestra.
But as much as she tried to concentrate on the music itself, her mind began to wander and she couldn’t stop thinking about her grandmother’s birth parents. Had one of them sat like this and listened to the other play? Was that what the note was about? Or had they both been musicians, writing little messages on each other’s sheets? And had her grandmother even known any of this? Had she played an instrument in her younger years, or felt a connection to music without knowing why? Ella was burning with so many unanswered questions, and it only made her angry all over again that her mother was so uninterested in finding out the answers.
Everyone began to clap then, and Ella brought herself back to the present, not wanting to miss any of the concert. She squinted as she tried to make out each musician on stage, looking at the violinists to see if she could guess who Gabriel might be. She should have googled him before coming to make it easier to find him afterwards, but she hadn’t thought to ask for his last name.
Ella waited outside after the concert, surprised by the coolness of the wind. She’d been in such a hurry to get to the concert that she’d forgotten to bring her jacket, and she shivered absently as she looked at the crowd slowly dissolving around her. Part of her wondered if she shouldn’t waste Gabriel’s time; he’d just spent hours on stage performing and quite likely just as long rehearsing beforehand. Surely the last thing he wanted was to pretend he was interested in her little clues. She moved closer to one of the outdoor tables, running her fingers across the top of it and deciding it was probably safer to stay there, closer to the building.
