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"For the third time, I shan't," I say testily.
The house lights flicker in warning that the opera is to begin.
"There you are!" Simon says. He has waited for me. My stomach quivers."Did you find Miss Bradshaw's bracelet?" "No. She remembered that she'd left it in her jewelry box after all," I lie.
Simon's family has a private box quite high up that makes me feel as if I am the Queen herself, lording over all my subjects. We take our seats and pretend to read our programs, though no one's really paying any attention to The Mikado. Opera glasses are used to spy covertly on lovers and friends, to see who is wearing what, who has arrived with whom. There is more potential scandal and drama in the audience than there could possibly be onstage. At last, the lights are dimmed, and the curtain rises on a small Japanese village. A trio of sopranos in Oriental dress and black lacquered wigs sings of being three little maids at school. It is my first opera, and I find it delightful. At one point, I catch Simon watching me. Rather than look away, he gives me the most radiant smile, and I can scarcely imagine how I will tear myself away to enter the realms, for this too is magic, and I cannot help feeling resentful that my duty calls me. Just before intermission, I spy Felicity through my opera glasses. She's looking at me impatiently. I whisper in Grandmama's ear that I must excuse myself to the dressing room. Before she can protest, I slip out the curtains that lead to the hall, where I greet Felicity and Ann.
"There is an unused box upstairs," Felicity says, taking my hand. A wistful aria floats through the opera house as we make our way silently upstairs. Ducking low, we push aside the heavy curtains and sit on the floor just inside. I reach for their hands. Eyes shut, we concentrate, and the door of light appears.
CHAPTER THIRTY
THE SWEET SMELL OF LILAC GREETS US IN THE GARDEN, but things look different. The trees and grass are a bit wilder, as if they've gone to seed. More toadstools have popped up. They cast long shadows across our faces.
"Why, you look lovely!" Pippa shouts to us from her perch by the river. She races to us, her tattered hem flying in the breeze. The flowers in her crown have gone dry and brittle. "How beautiful! Where have you been in your finery?"
"The opera,'' Ann says, twirling in her fancy dress. "The Mikado is still playing. We stole away!"
"The opera," Pippa says with a sigh."Is it madly elegant? You must tell me simply everything!"
"It is dazzling, Pip. The women drip with jewels. A man winked at me."
"When?" Felicity says, disbelieving.
"He did! On the way up the staircase. Oh, and Gemma has come with Simon Middleton and his family. She's sitting in their box," Ann relates breathlessly.
"Oh, Gemma! I am so very happy for you!" Pippa says, giving me a kiss. Whatever misgivings I had about her have just melted.
"Thank you," I say, returning her kiss.
"Oh, it all sounds heavenly. Tell me more." Pippa leans against a tree.
"Do you like my dress?" Ann asks, twirling again for her inspection.
Pippa takes Ann's hands in hers, dancing with her."It's beautiful! You are beautiful!"
Pippa stops twirling. She looks as if she shall cry. "I've never been to the opera, and now I never shall, I suppose. How I wish I could go with you."
"You would be the most beautiful of all, if you were there," Felicity says, making Pip smile again. Ann runs to me."Gemma, try the amulet."
"What's this?" Pippa asks.
"Gemma thinks her amulet is a sort of compass," Felicity says.
"Do you think it will show us the way to the Temple?" Pippa asks.
"We're going to find out," I say. I take the amulet from my handbag, turn it over. At first, there is nothing but the cold hard metal surface reflecting a distorted image of my face. But then, something changes. The surface grows cloudy. I move slowly in a circle. When I am facing two straight rows of olive trees, the crescent eye glows bright, illuminating a faint but obvious path.
"Stick to the path," I mutter, remembering Nell's words. "I think we've found the way to the Temple."
"Oh, let me see!" Pippa takes the amulet in her hands, watches it glow in the direction of the olive trees."How splendid!"
"Have you been that way?" I ask.
Pippa shakes her head. A breeze whistles down the trail between the olive trees, carrying with it a handful of leaves and the scent of lilac. Using the amulet's shimmering glow as a guide, we duck into the cover of the trees, walking for what seems a mile, past strange totems with the heads of elephants, snakes, and birds. We reach an earthen passageway. The amulet flares.
"Through here?" Ann says, panting.
"I'm afraid so," I answer.
