Eternal Melody (20 page)

Luke and Greta were going to be performing together for an entire month in Germany, while
Rebecca
was stuck behind in that hole of an apartment.  Rebecca was now compelled to bite her nails out of anger rather than nervousness.  Of course, it was not Mr. Graysen’s fault.  The man did not know that there was a jealous love triangle
unfolding within his orchestra. 
But why had he sent such a weak singer?  Why hadn’t he asked Rebecca instead
of that ludicrous banshee?

Rebecca looked up to see Mr. Graysen standing in front of her curiously.  When had he stopped talking?

“Miss Meadow, are you quite alright?  I just said in my speech that I need to speak with you privately before we begin rehearsing today.”

Had he said that?  Rebecca had tuned out as soon as she heard the awful news that Greta was with Luke.

“I do apologize, Mr. Graysen.  I must have missed that part.” She said sheepishly
as he gave her an understanding smile and sat down next to her.

“That’s
fine
, Miss Meadow. 
I first wanted to congratulate you on your promotion from understudy to lead singer!”

“Thank you, Mr. Graysen.” Rebecca managed.

“I want you to know that from the moment I heard your glorious audition, I envisioned you in this part.  It’s regrettable that
Miss Schiller
is plagued with laryngitis, but it certainly has opened a good door.  When she returns from
Munich
---and this is just between you and me---she will be filling the role of understudy.”

Rebecca
’s eyes bulged, astonished.  “What do you mean, Mr. Graysen?”

“Listen, I want this orchestra to be first-rate, and the only way that will be possible is through having premium performers such as yourself.  When Miss Schiller first auditioned, the orchestra was in its infant stage, and though I knew she was not the most talented, she does have a certain…how shall I say?  A certain stage presence.” Mr. Graysen carefully picked his words, but Rebecca knew he was alluding to Greta’s plentiful beauty. 
“But now that we are in the growing stages, it is time for us to have vocalists who will help us soar.  Finally, I am aware that Miss Schiller has been involved in some personal scandals, and that does not bide well for our professional image.  But I mustn’t divulge any details.” Mr. Graysen quieted himself, and Rebecca wondered if he knew about Greta’s affair with Luke
.

For the moment, Rebecca’s concerns about paying rent had been allayed since she would now be a paid performer.  “I cannot thank you enough, Mr. Graysen!  Truly, I
appreciate this chance you are giving me more than you know
.” She wanted to give the man a hug and peck on the cheek, but she merely beamed at him
through
luminous
eyes.

“You are most welcome, Miss Meadow.”

For the remainder of the afternoon, Rebecca rehearsed with the orchestra and, for the first time that week,
the group
indulged in a dinner break
.  It was quite clear that Greta had been slowing everyone’s progress, and the musicians toasted
merrily
to Rebecca with a sweet Rhine wine inside the restaurant where they sat around several oblong birch tables
.

When Rebecca arrived at her apartment that evening,
tipsy
from too
many glasses of
wine
and exhilarated from hours of singing
, she curled up onto her bed and fell into the deepest night’s rest
she had experienced
since leaving Michigan.

Chapter Thirteen

The
ensuing
weeks
were a hurricane
for
Rebecca
,
who was
constantly engaged
with
rigorous
rehearsals at the hall.  She devoted all of her spare time to Gloria and Annabelle, having daily tea with her grandmother and playing joyously
with the ever changing tot
. 
As she and Ryan had agreed before he left for
Munich
, Rebecca gave Gloria a portion of her wages for the
old lady
to divvy up fairly.  Rebecca estimated that by the time Ryan and Luke’s train rolled back into Austri
a-Hungary,
Gregory and Ethel’s
ship c
ould be sailing out.

The steady flurry of activity in Rebecca’s life was not sufficient, though, to keep her daydreams from wandering to Luke.  He had not written her once since leaving, but neither had her own brother, so she tried not to read too much into it. 
Still,
speculation about what Luke was doing with Greta gnawed at her mercilessly. 
She tried to cling to those final moments and that explosive, devastating kiss, but with each new sunrise the memory faded
a little farther
into the distance.

As the calendar inched closer to September, rehearsals
were becoming
lengthier and more
physically
demanding.  Seamstresses
had been
commissioned to design costumes, and Rebecca assigned her grandmother to help complete the
laborious
task of clothing an entire chorus. 
Sewing helped Gloria to be content and feel useful rather than a burden on her granddaughter.  In addition to the costumes, the set needed to be decorated lavishly, and stage hands from around the city came in every day to
contribute to
the project. 
It was a complex set to design, as the
opera took place in Egypt.  E
ver
y detail was crucial
,
from the paper cutouts of palm groves to the
desert
backdrop against the Pyramids.

Tickets were currently in
production
at the printing press, as
The Magic Flute
was scheduled to d
é
but on the eighth of September and run through the first week of October.  If it opened to good reviews, then it was feasible that the orchestra would be taking the show on the road.  Rebecca held fast to
that
aspiration, determined to give a memorable performance and begin a
career
across
Europe
.

When the calendar page finally flipped to September, the entire ensemble was in a panic about their looming opening night. 
Each day, Rebecca waited for a knock at her door, hoping that Luke would come for her immediately from the train station.  But every day, her fifth floor chamber was silent except for the sound of her own voice. 
Even Mr. Graysen was becoming nervous, as he was counting on Luke and Ryan to perform,
even
though they had missed the majority of rehearsals.  The two young men were so adept at handling their instruments and knew the opera so intimately that they would be able to slip seamlessly back into the orchestra.

By the time the fifth of September dawned
,
and they were a nail-biting three days from d
é
buting, Rebecca’s stomach stirred with butterflies
,
not only from stage
jitters
, but out of fear that something had happened to Luke and Ryan.

That afternoon in rehearsal, Rebecca frantically pulled Mr. Graysen aside.  “Do you have any idea what has delayed Luke and Ryan?” She asked, not bothering to mention Greta.  For all she cared, Greta could have fallen
head first
into another dimension.

Mr. Graysen nodded his head reassuringly.  “As a matter of fact, I
just received
word that they were asked to give encore performances in
Munich
.  That’s why they have
not
returned as scheduled.  But they will be arriving on the afternoon of the eighth.”

“But t
hat’s opening night!  Will they be able to perform?”

“I don’t see why not.  They might be very
tired
, but they’re solid young fellows.  They can fall comatose after giving a stellar performance
, as long as they wake up the next day and do it all over again
!”
Rebecca smiled, appreciative of Mr. Graysen’s humor. 
“Do not worry at all about them.  I want you to concentrate solely on preserving that angelic voice until our d
é
but.  Can you do that
for me
?”

“Yes, Mr. Graysen, yes I can.” Rebecca said, though she doubted it. 
At that moment, Rebecca spotted her grandmother walking into the hall with a bag full of linens.  Rushing over to the woman, she exclaimed, “Grandmother!  Did you come here all by yourself?”

“Don’t look so concerned.  I’ve been cooped up in that hotel room for far too long.  It was a pleasure to escape for a while.”

Rebecca regarded her skeptically, alarmed that the old woman had walked so far in the summer heat.  “But you must be completely dehydrated.  Come, let me fetch you some water.”

“I’m fine, dear.  You know that I’m a spry lady, not an invalid!
” Gloria
shook her head in amusement as
shiny wisp
s
of silver hair draped over eyes that were as china blue as Rebecca’s.

“I don’t believe I have had the pleasure of making your acquaintance, madam.  My name is Christo
p
her Graysen.”

The women whirled around to find Mr. Graysen smiling jovially with an outstretched hand.

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Mr. Graysen.  My granddaughter speaks very highly of you.  I’m Gloria Meadow.”
The two shook hands and exchanged a lingering look.

“The pleasure is mine indeed.  I must thank you for all your hard work sewing costumes for our chorus.  I know it was a helter-skelter, last minute sort of endeavor.”

“Not at all. 
You provided the fabric, and it has been a very enjoyable way to pass my days.  I hope you will be pleased with the results.  This bag contains just a sample of what I’ve sewn.  My grandson will be bringing the rest later, I hope.”

Gloria looked at Rebecca, knowing that Gregory was unreliable.  As far as Rebecca was concerned, transporting a few bags of clothing was the least that the slothful cad could do. 
It still irked her that neither he nor Ethel had lifted a finger since arriving in Vienna.

“Excellent.” Mr. Graysen rejoined, and Rebecca noticed a
sparkle in his eyes that
she had never glimpsed before
.

Glancing over at
Glo
ria, she saw that the old woman’s
eyes were keenly alight.
  Upon closer perusal, Rebecca also noticed that her grandmother was not as frail as she had been back in Michigan.  Despite frequent dinners of
thin
, watery
broth and
stale
bread crusts, Gloria seemed to have gained weight.  Rebecca wondered if she had developed a fancy for the rich cakes and pastries that were available in abundance all across Vienna.  That would easily explain the woman’s new plumpness
that lent her face a youthful glow
.

With uncharacteristic shyness, Gloria said, “Well, Mr. Graysen, I certainly would not want to keep you.  You have an orchestra to conduct, and I have more clothes just waiting to be sewn.”

“Madam, you have not kept me at all.  Thank you once again for your selfless contribution to this orchestra.” As he spoke, Rebecca found it funny that he should say that, as Gloria was being paid a stipend for her work.  But neither one of the silver-haired folks was making much sense in each other’s presence.

“You are most welcome.  I must be on my way now.  Good day, Sir!”

Before she could walk away, Mr. Graysen
kissed her hand, sending her into girlishly convulsive giggles that flabbergasted Rebecca. 
Gloria had not
behaved that way in front of a man since her husband had passed on.  Rebecca had believed those feelings no longer coursed through her
grandmother’s
system, but now she realized how foolish that was.  Passion was perennial as long as breath and blood flowed through one’s body.

As Gloria walked out the door with a flirtatious bounce in her gait, Mr. Graysen stared after her
,
grinning.  “Your grandmother is a most charming woman.  Is she a widow?”

Rebecca wanted to laugh at Mr. Graysen’s candor and transparent attraction.  But, perceiving the earnestness in his face, she replied seriously, “Yes, she is a widow.  My grandfather died when I was ten.”

Mr. Graysen appeared to be doing some mental calculations as his eyes darted up thoughtfully.  “And how old are you now, if you don’t mind my asking?”

Generally, Rebecca would have been scandalized by such a question, but she merely grinned and said, “I am twenty-
two
.”