Music in the Dark

Chapter 1: A New Journey

Versailles was only starting to see the first vestiges of dusk, as a small family made their way through the busy streets. Departing the theatre district, the handsome couple and their daughter conversed about the performance they had just seen.

"Did you enjoy the play, Evelina?" The mother smiled fondly at her daughter, recalling her reactions to different parts of the show.

"Oh, yes!" Evelina exclaimed. "What was it like when you performed, Mama?"

The mother's smile faltered at the seemingly innocent question. Her husband responded quickly, sensing the tension building in his wife.

"Your mother was the most fantastic singer! She enthralled most of Paris with her heavenly voice."

"That was a long time ago, Raoul," she solemnly stated.

Evelina started to prod her mother for more information, when a young boy came bounding up to them.

"Excusez-moi, mademoiselle," the boy interrupted. "A gentleman asked that I deliver this to you."

Startled by the unexpected correspondence, Evelina hesitated in grabbing the letter that was handed to her.

"For me?"

His duty done, the boy turned and ran away, without answering. Evelina stared after him and then turned her attention to the folded piece of parchment.

"What does it say, dear?" her mother queried.

"Yes, and who is it from?" her father added.

"It looks like an invitation..." their daughter clarified.

The headstrong girl declined to read it aloud, reveling in what little privacy she could manage. She read it to herself, as her parents respectfully awaited her to finish.

"My dear angel, the time has come for you to return to your beloved Opera House to sing for me once more. I bid thee to perform one last time as both a favor for what was given to you and recompense for what you took from me."

Their daughter's brow knitted in confusion as she read, but they did not pry.

She smiled and looked up at them.

"I think that poor boy had the wrong person. This was most definitely not intended for me."

The family scanned the area, looking for other young ladies for whom Evelina could have been mistaken. There were far too many women to pick through. The three family members all resigned the task, reluctant that there was no definitive way to find the letter's true addressee.

Evelina threw the strange letter into the closest trash bin and made her way back to the hotel with her parents. When they had arrived, her parents resumed packing their belongings, while their daughter watched.

"Mama," she began, recalling the invitation. "What was the Opera like?" Her mother rarely spoke of her days on the stage, which made Aveline crave to hear more of what was kept so guarded.

"It was...beautiful," her mother wistfully sighed. "Opulent and energetic. Mysterious and dangerous-"

"Dangerous?" Evelina interjected. She had never heard her mother use that word to describe anything from her past.

"Well, yes. There are a lot of props, scenery, and...people always bustling about." Her mother blushed and looked at her spouse. Sensing her discomfort, he stepped in to rescue her.

"It's there we were reunited, years after we had played together as children," he smiled fondly.

"I thought you were married while mother was at the Opera, Papa?"