older than Sunil. Putting his arm around his friend, he grinned. Then he too shook Alicia’s hand.
‘Don’t believe a word he says, will you? Sunil’s a philistine about music. No, really,’ he added as Alicia laughed. ‘Truthfully! I’m telling you, he’s completely cloth-eared! What he really means is you are beautiful. Now, although I would agree with that, I thought you played magnificently, as well!’
Ranjith Pieris winked teasingly and Alicia blushed. She opened her mouth to speak but Ranjith continued, making Alicia laugh a little more.
‘As you can see, my friend is unable to speak for himself. Fortunately for me he’s lost his voice! So, may I use this rare opportunity to invite you to the Mount Lavinia dance next week?’
From the corner of her eye Alicia could see Aloysius. But where was her mother? She smiled again, fanning herself, dropping the spray of orchids, which Sunil bent and retrieved for her.
‘Why don’t you come and meet my family?’ she asked him, starry-eyed.
Her mother was deep in conversation with the Director of the Conservatoire. Alicia waved urgently trying to catch her attention. And that was when she saw Frieda. And Thornton and Jacob and Christopher, all together in an awestruck group, all looking uncomfortable. She burst out laughing. Tonight she felt as though she had wings.
Aloysius advanced towards his daughter, beaming. He had noticed Sunil Pereira when he had first walked in. Why, the boy looked as though he was in a trance. Hmm, thought Aloysius. A Sinhalese boy! It could have been worse. His eyes narrowed with interest but he kept his thoughts to himself.
‘Splendid! Splendid!’ he said out loud.
And having kissed and congratulated his daughter, he asked Sunil what he did for a living. Sunil hardly heard him and it was left to Ranjith Pieris to speak to Aloysius.
‘We both work for the External Trade Office,’ Ranjith said.
‘How interesting!’ Aloysius nodded. Civil servants, he thought, pleased. Well, well, how very interesting. I may be an old dog, but I can still spot a winner, when I see one. How fortunate, they were fluent both in Sinhalese and in English.
‘So,’ he asked, casually, ‘you work in our new government, huh? How d’you find it there? Now that the British have gone?’
Christopher frowned. His father was looking shifty. ‘What’s he up to, now?’ he muttered to Jacob.
Aloysius was thinking furiously. Being in the new government meant access to British whisky and British cigarettes. Aloysius was sick of arrack and unfiltered Old Roses. Being in the government meant better rations and a superior quality of rice. With his eyes firmly on the main chance, he watched Sunil talking to Alicia. His daughter, he observed, with a growing sense of well-being, had changed in the last three years. The promise of her childhood good looks appeared to have come to fruition. Until now her life had been filled exclusively with her music. She had spent her days in a dreamworld hardly straying from the confines of her Bechstein. Never mind, thought Aloysius, delightedly, all this was about to change. Tonight had brought the first public recognition of her talent. What else had it brought? Seeing his wife approaching, he waved, excitedly.
‘Darl,’ he cried, ‘come and meet Sunil Pereira.’
And without a moment’s hesitation, before his wife could comment, he invited this courteous young man home. The romance, for clearly it was to be just that, was to be encouraged.
‘He seems very nice,’ Grace admitted later, a little doubtfully. Left to herself she would have waited a while before issuing any invitations. ‘Aren’t we being a bit hasty though?’ sheventured. ‘Perhaps we should find out a bit more about him first? Her future is just beginning and this is only the first one.’
‘Nonsense, she’s the perfect age, darl,’ said Aloysius, looking sentimentally at her. ‘The same age as you were when your father gave me your
‘Don’t believe a word he says, will you? Sunil’s a philistine about music. No, really,’ he added as Alicia laughed. ‘Truthfully! I’m telling you, he’s completely cloth-eared! What he really means is you are beautiful. Now, although I would agree with that, I thought you played magnificently, as well!’
Ranjith Pieris winked teasingly and Alicia blushed. She opened her mouth to speak but Ranjith continued, making Alicia laugh a little more.
‘As you can see, my friend is unable to speak for himself. Fortunately for me he’s lost his voice! So, may I use this rare opportunity to invite you to the Mount Lavinia dance next week?’
From the corner of her eye Alicia could see Aloysius. But where was her mother? She smiled again, fanning herself, dropping the spray of orchids, which Sunil bent and retrieved for her.
‘Why don’t you come and meet my family?’ she asked him, starry-eyed.
Her mother was deep in conversation with the Director of the Conservatoire. Alicia waved urgently trying to catch her attention. And that was when she saw Frieda. And Thornton and Jacob and Christopher, all together in an awestruck group, all looking uncomfortable. She burst out laughing. Tonight she felt as though she had wings.
Aloysius advanced towards his daughter, beaming. He had noticed Sunil Pereira when he had first walked in. Why, the boy looked as though he was in a trance. Hmm, thought Aloysius. A Sinhalese boy! It could have been worse. His eyes narrowed with interest but he kept his thoughts to himself.
‘Splendid! Splendid!’ he said out loud.
And having kissed and congratulated his daughter, he asked Sunil what he did for a living. Sunil hardly heard him and it was left to Ranjith Pieris to speak to Aloysius.
‘We both work for the External Trade Office,’ Ranjith said.
‘How interesting!’ Aloysius nodded. Civil servants, he thought, pleased. Well, well, how very interesting. I may be an old dog, but I can still spot a winner, when I see one. How fortunate, they were fluent both in Sinhalese and in English.
‘So,’ he asked, casually, ‘you work in our new government, huh? How d’you find it there? Now that the British have gone?’
Christopher frowned. His father was looking shifty. ‘What’s he up to, now?’ he muttered to Jacob.
Aloysius was thinking furiously. Being in the new government meant access to British whisky and British cigarettes. Aloysius was sick of arrack and unfiltered Old Roses. Being in the government meant better rations and a superior quality of rice. With his eyes firmly on the main chance, he watched Sunil talking to Alicia. His daughter, he observed, with a growing sense of well-being, had changed in the last three years. The promise of her childhood good looks appeared to have come to fruition. Until now her life had been filled exclusively with her music. She had spent her days in a dreamworld hardly straying from the confines of her Bechstein. Never mind, thought Aloysius, delightedly, all this was about to change. Tonight had brought the first public recognition of her talent. What else had it brought? Seeing his wife approaching, he waved, excitedly.
‘Darl,’ he cried, ‘come and meet Sunil Pereira.’
And without a moment’s hesitation, before his wife could comment, he invited this courteous young man home. The romance, for clearly it was to be just that, was to be encouraged.
‘He seems very nice,’ Grace admitted later, a little doubtfully. Left to herself she would have waited a while before issuing any invitations. ‘Aren’t we being a bit hasty though?’ sheventured. ‘Perhaps we should find out a bit more about him first? Her future is just beginning and this is only the first one.’
‘Nonsense, she’s the perfect age, darl,’ said Aloysius, looking sentimentally at her. ‘The same age as you were when your father gave me your
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