The first movement ended on a clean, triumphant chord. The applause rose in layered waves, bright and brief, before dissolving into the rustle of intermission. Christopher did not join in. He had learned that stillness often drew more notice than enthusiasm.
Beside him, Serena's gloved hands came together once, twice, the gesture graceful and automatic. Then she froze, gaze fixed across the hall. He followed the line of her eyes.
Opposite them, in the box bearing the insignia of Suffox, a man stood at the railing, the light from the stage cutting along the line of his jaw. Charlton Daniel. Christopher recognised him at once; one didn't forget the Grand Duke of Suffox, nor the quiet authority that clung to him even in repose.
