Chapter Twenty-Eight
When Adam arrived at the opera house, he made his way past the few people hoping to get a glimpse of the goings-on inside. Monsieur Rousset had already dismissed everyone to practice on their own except the ensemble and a handful of other musicians.
Sam Clemens was seated in the back row watching, gathering information for his story, and stood when Adam came in, offering his hand. "I understand you've been conscripted into service."
"That's a strong word. I was asked."
"I'll bet. Let's see. She batted her eyelashes and gave you a cute smile, then looked at you like a puppy."
"Nope. She said 'please.'"
"Uh huh."
"What happened to the other reporters?" asked Adam, nodding to the front door.
"I informed them I have an agreement with the lady. I'm sure they'll write something about her being unapproachable, after all, she doesn't normally speak to reporters, but I'll make sure their papers get a copy of my story." Shiloh motioned for Adam to come up to the stage. "I can't wait to see how this goes," said Sam. "Have you ever been on a stage, Cartwright?"
Adam smiled. "Excuse me, Sam."
Clemens watched as Shiloh greeted Adam, noticing that her welcome was far less enthusiastic than the day before. It appeared that Adam noticed, too, based on the way he looked back concerned rather than with a smile.
After introducing Adam to the rest of the ensemble, the group sat and talked about the piece they would be performing, not only for Adam's benefit, but for the sake of those musicians who would make up a chorus for the third verse of the song.
"This piece is a very old song…only the arrangement is different from what you may have heard. Some of you may not have heard it at all. During the Middle Ages, sometime between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries in England, a fair began that survived into the late seventeen hundreds. There are several versions of the story associated with this piece, but we are going to do the version involving a young man named Remmie and a young woman named Scarlett who has given Remmie a love potion made of parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. The two set out to meet each other, circumstances getting in their way, but in the end, they find each other at Scarborough Fair." Murmurs and smiles spread through the small group. Smiling back, Shiloh continued. "We will be doing this in Renaissance fashion, mostly with strings. There will be a small piano part, only for emphasis of the main notes during the chorus to support the guitar which will carry the majority of the major tune. It will be sung in a delicate voice…imagine a young maiden singing it, if you will. Therefore, the chorus must not be overbearing or bold. We will not use an upper register at all. Does anyone have any questions?" She looked around at the group, then said, "Everyone, please take a fifteen minute break while I go over the music with Mr. Cartwright."
Adam sat down next to the piano and looked over the music. "This seems straight-forward enough," he said, placing his hands on the guitar strings and playing.
Shiloh listened patiently as he stopped and started, making sure he had all the notes correct. Then, he played the piece from beginning to end. When he looked up, she was smiling. "I never expected you to get it in just one try. You do sight read. Now remember, you don't get to play it gently. It will be difficult for the guitar to be heard over the rest of the ensemble, so you'll have to pluck fairly strongly."
Smiling back at her, he said, "I'll remember."
"Everyone," said Shiloh, turning and addressing the ensemble. "Monsieur Rousset will be directing us while we learn this piece, but when we perform, we won't have his help. Pay close attention to the cadence and listen to each other."
That said, the ensemble readied their instruments and work began. By the end of the day, they had almost determined the right balance of volume with the guitar. Tomorrow, they would add the vocals.
While Shiloh gathered her notes and staff paper, Adam waited for her. She turned, hearing him moving around behind her. "You should be going if you want to get home for supper."
"I'll be staying in town tonight. I thought we could have dinner together."
Shiloh looked past him at the dark figure still sitting at the back of the opera hall. "I do need to talk to you about something…but not here," she said, nodding almost imperceptibly toward Sam.
Sam stood. "I get it. Good night," he said and left the opera hall.
The two ducked into Tom's office and said goodnight, then walked in the cold through heavier snow than flurries back to her hotel.
