Page 7 of A Bewitching Compulsion

'Why, yes…did Virginia tell you?' She wondered uneasily just what Virginia had told him.

He shook his head. 'It's in the way you move. You move to music… you compose with your walk.'

Clare could feel her skin heating, the simplicity of his statement attesting to its sincerity. It was a musician's compliment. 'I always wanted to be a ballerina, but I got too tall and…'

'Shapely?' he murmured helpfully, a glimmer of humour easing his dark expression. 'But you are in very good shape. You still dance?'

'For exercise.'

'And enjoyment?'

She allowed herself a smile, forgetting the effect of the dimple. 'That, too.'

'Then you know how music can move the emotions, can demand the best from us. Clare—Mrs Malcolm—'

'Clare.'

'Clare.' Not a flicker of smugness that he had finally got his own way. 'Music is my life. I have been playing the violin since I was very young, and it has given me more pleasure, more success, demanded more of me than I ever dreamed of in my childish fantasies. I knew that what I had was special, and I knew that there was some inner compulsion in me to play that would direct my life rather than accept any lesser compromise. Natural ability with a musical instrument can be a trap. It's very easy to drift, to 'cheat', if you like, when you're so much better than anyone else your age. Many children who are called 'gifted' musically when they are small children don't fulfil the promise in later years. It is discipline that makes a true musician, as much as talent and instinct… the day to day grind of practice. I was pushed relentlessly by my parents as a child, and although there were times when I resented it quite fiercely, I can attribute the musician I am today to their care and attention. The early years are so important in forming the habits that sustain one through a lifetime of playing, particularly on the violin, which involves specific muscular co-ordination and development. Genius may be born, but its development to its fullest potential is slow and gradual… otherwise we'd all be burnt out by the time we're twenty.'

'You see it strictly from a musician's point of view,' Clare said quietly. 'You're not telling me anything I don't already know. But Tim isn't just a musically gifted child, he's also a six-year-old boy who's interested in mathematics and science. I want him to grow up as a whole person, not an incomplete one, obsessed with just one aspect of himself. There are some educationalists who think that a child shouldn't be expected to specialise until he's in his teens—'

'Ordinarily, yes… for the average child, but Timothy is not average. He has music inside him that needs to be given form and expression. He told me that he's been playing the violin since he was four…'

'Yes. Lee—my husband—gave him a quarter-sized one for his birthday after he'd been fascinated by a busker in the street. It was a kind of a joke…'

'But he's having lessons—obviously you yourself feel that there is a seriousness about him that demands respect rather than mere humouring. Perhaps you are even a little afraid of it, no?' It was the first indication that his thoughts might not be formulated entirely in English. Clare remembered reading somewhere that until he'd gone to school Russian had been his language. Then had come the visits to America and Europe in search of a teacher for the young Deverenko, culminating in his early acceptance at Juilliard. He now spoke five or six languages fluently.

'Afraid, no. Wary, yes. Just because I don't fully understand his gift it doesn't mean I don't fully appreciate it. Tim will have his chance, but not yet. He and his father were very close, and he was severely affected by Lee's death. He withdrew into himself and even now is slow to trust himself to others. I don't think he needs any extra pressures right now.'

'But nor should he be left in isolation—'

Clare stiffened. 'Not everyone has your resources, David. I took this job at the lodge because I needed to work and also be close at hand for Tim.' And she hadn't wanted to take up Virginia's offer to 'help', knowing the tussles of will that her assistance would involve.

'I wasn't necessarily meaning geographical isolation, Clare,' David was quick to reassure her, reassured himself by her automatic use of his Christian name. 'I meant from the company of like-minded children.'

'Tim has enough friends—'

'Ones who share his deep interest in music? With whom he can play and interact without being made to feel self-conscious and 'different'? Are you sure you're aware of his changing needs? I'm sure that the teacher he's with is very competent, but already I can see flaws in Tim's technique which, if not corrected now, will dog his playing for the rest of his life. For example, does he

practise on his own, or does his teacher supervise his practice?'

'Naturally Miss Tyson can't give him time every day—'

'Quite. Of course she can't. Tim is no doubt the best of her pupils, but the others still deserve the attention that their parents are paying for. One person can only do so much. At the music school the numbers are small. All the children have revealed a natural musical ability. We have many teachers, and the children receive individual lessons as well as lessons in ensemble playing, and their daily practice is supervised so that they're not just perfecting their faults. As to Timothy's personal insecurities—as I said, our numbers are small and the atmosphere is very much a family one. I don't think Timothy would find it at all frightening or intimidating. In fact, he seemed to me a very assured individual.'

'About his music, he is. But I don't want him to feel that he is valued only for his musical talent.'

'Ah.' The dark eyes were enlightened. The absent pacing stopped and he came to sit down opposite her again. 'You have been reading psychology of child development, about gifted children, no?'

'I like to be informed. I don't like to rush into things.'

'I don't think there's any danger of that.' He gave her a smile that revealed the charm which had been almost swamped by his emotional intensity. Clare wondered whether he was as intense about everything he did, or whether it was just music that evoked this enthusiasm. 'And I applaud your caution. But there is a point at which caution may become mere stubbornness. Do not discount what I have said merely because you don't like what I have to say. My school does not produce one-dimensional human beings. Music is only a part of the syllabus, although it is naturally a large part. We meet Educational Department standards in all our subjects. Our children range in age from eight to fifteen, and, although we've only been running for ten years, many of our graduates so far have found successful careers in varying fields of music.'

'In a sense, though, it's still rather in the nature of an educational experiment. I mean, how many children have gone the full stretch with you? Surely most of them are admitted at intermediate school level?'

'I wouldn't call it an experiment. I'm not using these children as guinea pigs. We've had withdrawals, but not because of any complaints about our standards or our results—merely children who no longer respond to the musical curriculum.' Antagonism crackled in the air again. David Deverenko didn't take too kindly to any hint of criticism, Clare realised.

'And why eight years old? Why not admit children from the age of five?'

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