Pamela Sherwood Read Online Free PDF

flattered that you think so.” Sophie felt her smile becoming more relaxed and genuine.
    “I have always loved Mozart,” the viscountess continued. “Especially The Magic Flute . I so enjoyed your rendition of Pamina’s lament.”
    “I’m partial to The Marriage of Figaro ,” Mrs. Sutcliffe chimed in. “I saw you in it last spring and thought you were simply divine as Cherubino. I’m so glad your ‘Voi che sapete’ was on the programme tonight. Was it very difficult, playing a breeches part?”
    She seemed genuinely interested in the answer, so Sophie obliged her. “Oh, it was a bit of a challenge, but marvelously liberating too. Trousers do give one much more freedom of movement than skirts. I have three brothers, and I’ve often envied them their greater independence. And they do have a far easier time of things when it comes to clothes.”
    “I have two brothers, both older, and I feel much the same,” Mrs. Sutcliffe confessed with a smile.
    “Shall you be singing in any more operas?” Lady Ashby inquired.
    “Oh, I couldn’t say at this point,” Sophie replied. “Now that the tour’s finished, I mean to take a short holiday. But my manager will let me know of any offers that seem appropriate.”
    “Well, we all hope to see you again soon,” the viscountess said graciously. “Our congratulations on a wonderful performance tonight.”
    The gentlemen offered their compliments as well, and the Ashby party moved on, leaving Sophie to bask in a warm glow of achievement. It was always enjoyable to receive the accolades of those who actually seemed to care about music.
    Feeling more cheerful, she braced herself for the next rush, which came almost at once. Strangers continued to pour into the green room, some as grand as the Ashbys, others humbler, but all of them congratulatory, even friendly. Nonetheless, the sheer number of well-wishers was overwhelming, the individual faces and voices all swallowed up in a churning sea of humanity.
    Taking advantage of an all too brief respite, Sophie gulped a lungful of air and glanced over at David, only to find he was surrounded as well. But he could at least claim familiarity with his present admirers; although she had met them only once before, she recognized his mother, brother, and sister-in-law.
    “Well done, bach , well done!” Llewelyn, the brother, was saying as he pumped David’s hand. “Practically in tears, the ladies were.”
    They lapsed into a mixture of English and Welsh that Sophie didn’t even try to follow, because by now more people had come up to surround her. She felt a brief pang that no one from her own family was here tonight, but most of them had seen her earlier performance at the Alexandra Palace before she’d left on her European tour in March.
    Still, it would have been lovely to know that there was someone familiar in the audience watching her. This was her first time performing at the Albert Hall, and she couldn’t help but feel that the achievement lacked a certain savor without someone special to share it with.
    “Sophie, darling!” A familiar voice—with a familiar accent—caught her ear.
    Sophie felt her heart and spirits lift as the crowd parted and two people came toward her: a beautiful, golden-haired woman and a lanky but elegant man with brown hair and piercing green eyes, both dressed in the height of fashion.
    Thomas and Amy Sheridan, her closest friends in London. All but family, really—Amy’s twin sister Aurelia had married Sophie’s cousin James, now the Earl of Trevenan.
    “You were wonderful!” Amy said warmly, her blue eyes glowing as she embraced Sophie. “Even better than the last time I saw you.”
    “A triumph, my dear,” Sheridan said, smiling down at Sophie in turn.
    Sophie smiled back without constraint. “Thank you—I’m so glad both of you came!”
    “Wild horses couldn’t have kept us away,” Amy assured her. “Especially since your next engagement is singing at my soiree two