A Note of Madness Read Free

persuaded the whole of the department to come along?’ Harry asked, noticing.
    ‘Don’t be mean. We were lucky to get tickets – the concert’s sold out,’ Jennah replied.
    ‘I hope you realize that I’m sacrificing my Time and Transcendence essay to be here.’
    Jennah laughed and elbowed him playfully. ‘Oh, Harry, are you still on that one? That was due in weeks ago.’
    ‘I know, that’s why I’m so stressed out! I’m barely halfway through. I just can’t find any more bloody examples of time and transcendence in twentieth-century music.’
    ‘You can find examples of time and transcendence anywhere if you try,’ Jennah said, smiling. ‘Why don’t I give you a copy of my essay for you to plagiarize – intelligently, mind you.’
    ‘Really?’ Harry was as eager as a puppy after a bone.
    ‘If it means you’ll shut up about it, then yes.’
    Harry grabbed her shoulder and planted a big kiss on her cheek. ‘You’re a star.’
    ‘Yes, I know.’ Jennah took a deep breath and exhaledslowly. ‘Why is it always overheated in here? I’ll come in a summer dress next time. Flynn’s very quiet tonight.’
    ‘What?’ Flynn reluctantly pulled his eyes away from the gleaming Steinway on the stage.
    Harry and Jennah laughed together. ‘Flynn’s preparing to give André the evil eye,’ said Harry.
    ‘What’s wrong with André?’ Jennah looked outraged, then caught Harry’s eye. She caught her breath suddenly. ‘Oh, I forgot.’
    ‘Stop!’ Flynn said to Harry. ‘I have only praise and admiration for André.’ He tried not to smile. ‘I wish that he’d develop gangrene and his hands would drop off, but that’s all.’
    Jennah laughed and then pulled an apologetic face. ‘Sorry.’
    Flynn shrugged, smiling a little. ‘Doesn’t matter. I gather he’s a
fairly
good pianist.’
    They all laughed and started to clap as the orchestra filed onto the stage.
    André made his entrance once the orchestra was seated, greeted by heavy applause. Although he was only eighteen like them, his stride was purposeful, his chin tilted upwards and everything about him exuded the kind of confidence that only touring five countries and winning the BBC Young Musician of the Year contest could bestow. Flynn knew him only from a distance, but had absorbed a fair bit about him from Professor Kaiser, who taught them both. Despite being head of the keyboarddepartment, Professor Kaiser had only two individual students. In Flynn’s mind that was his tough luck because no one could ever measure up to André Kolov. If it weren’t for André . . . But it was difficult to imagine what life would be like if it weren’t for André. Realistically, although perhaps not very modestly, Flynn suspected that if it weren’t for André he would be the Royal College’s top pianist. He had no other real rival at the moment, although the competition in the strings department was fiercer. If only André played something else – that was another thought that frequently went through Flynn’s mind.
    The Royal College gave out a handful of scholarships each year, one for each instrumental category, which entitled its receiver to a weighty financial award, coupled with considerable prestige. Of course, with André competing in the same category as himself, Flynn hadn’t stood a chance, although Professor Kaiser had gone a bit funny when Flynn had shared this thought with him. The professor had actually gone as far as insisting that this was not the case – probably just to try to get Flynn to work harder. Well, as it turned out, André got the award anyway, just as Flynn had expected. Ironic really, considering that André’s family was loaded and the money meant nothing to him.
    It hurt, though. Professor Kaiser actually seemed genuinely disappointed – presumably that Flynn hadn’t risen to the challenge.
    ‘You didn’t try,’ he told him. ‘You gave up beforeyou even went on,’ he continued, referring to the performance that