Beautiful Music Read Free Page B

bench. “Next time somebody calls my name, it won’t be pretty.”
    “Was it ever?”Rahab asked, from across the room, where she was working on her studies, perched on his bed. “And your name is not Daddy!”
    “To her, it is. Yes, Mary, what would you like?” He reached the lake and crouched down gently, to where his temporarily crippled daughter lay in the boat, drifting, relaxing and working as well.
    “Out”
    “Ah.” With the practiced ease of 2 days, he reached down to help her out.
    “Alaric, I thought you kept this tea box stocked?”
    Alaric nearly dropped his daughter to turn to Madeline.
    “Um…” He said, looking around, at Mary and her mess, Rahab and her stuff, Madeline and her belongings. “Ladies, as much as I love all of you…it’s getting rather crowded down here.”
    He was met with simultaneous whining from the children, and a look for his incipient wife.
    “Alright…Not like what I say matters. But bear in mind when a very angry piece is played in Don Juan, you are all the inspiration for it.” His footsteps were light as always as he went back to the organ, but his body language showed otherwise. “I think I need a male down here.” He muttered, and went back to writing.
    ***
    “Ladies” It had been 2 days since Alaric had grumbled and grunted about being so crowded, and he had enjoyed his time alone since then, but had not forgotten his comments. Today, he swooped down into box 5, to find Mary, still on crutches with a fractured bone, and Rahab, much to Alaric’s disappointment, left out of another dance because of her lack of skill, watching the rehearsal below.
    “I wish I could dance this one.” Mary said, watching the particularly beautiful piece being rehearsed.
    “In time. You have to let it heal. Better time off now than never dancing again.” Alaric took a seat in the chair behind them, scanning the stage. “Where’s Mom, Mary?”
    “Auditioning some male dancers for a new role. Backstage left,” Mary said, stretching very slightly as not to injure herself.
    “Didn’t she do that yesterday?”Rahab turned to her friend, and Mary was about to answer when the voice of the supposed angel shattered the semi-quiet. Carol was off to the side, warming up her voice. Alaric leaned forward a bit, and Rahab rose in disgust.
    “Want to stay, Mary? I’m going down to watch the auditions.”
    “You’re being a child, Rahab,” Alaric said, without taking his eyes off the stage. “I do hope the Madame picks a dancer with intelligence.”
    “She’s not going to pick someone based on whether they can be drinking buddies with the Recluse Composer,” Rahab replied, and then shook her head. “Sorry. I don’t think my mood is wonderful.” She turned to leave.
    “We’ll talk later, Rahab” He called.
    “You always say that, but it never happens.” And then she was gone.
    “Do you really like her, Daddy? Carol?” Mary turned around to her father, and Alaric sighed.
    “She has the voice of an angel, and music is everything. Beauty is what I surround myself with, Mary, to make up for...” He trailed off, settling back. He had never really discussed anything deep with his daughter.
    “But why don’t you love Mommy?” She asked. “Why can’t we stay down with you forever, and live like a family?”
    “Because it wouldn’t be like a family.” He replied. “You should almost stay away, Mary, try to grow up normally.”
    “But I love you, Dad!” She protested. “Don’t you love us?”
    It struck him hard. This was echoing Rahab’s conversation with him almost exactly.
    “Oh, Mary.” He reached a gloved hand to her cheek. “Of course I love you.”
    “Then why?”
    And the master of tricks, of magic and seduction, beauty and architecture, intelligence and skill, could not provide an answer to the innocent blue eyes that shone back at him.
    ***
    “I hurt.”
    Alaric barley turned around from the organ. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with anybody, or