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you, ladies and gentlemen,’ said Sir John when the applause had died down. ‘You have worked splendidly this morning, and I am most grateful. I am also happy to tell you that the weather has improved a great deal, and we will be able to continue our work this afternoon at the castle. We have very little time, as you know, so may I ask you, please, to hold very strictly to one hour for lunch. Sandwiches have been provided for those who do not wish to find a nearby eating place. We will begin again at one thirty. Thank you very much.’
    â€˜I, for one,’ I said when we had settled ourselves in the car with some excellent sandwiches and bottles of water, ‘would not have believed it. What happened to turn that surly mob into a well-oiled musical machine?’
    â€˜The music, of course!’ Nigel waved his bottle of water in the air as though saluting St Cecilia, the patron of music. ‘It hath charms to soothe the savage breast, as is well documented.’
    â€˜Hmm,’ said Alan. ‘I remain an agnostic on that point. Certainly it wasn’t doing much charming yesterday, by your account.’
    â€˜Well . . . no. But Graciosa had just joined us. Sometimes it takes a little while to adapt to a group.’
    Graciosa
, I noticed. Not
Gracie
. Nigel had adapted quickly, it seemed. I shot a glance at Inga to see how she was taking this. Her face was unreadable. I changed the subject. ‘You know, I thought I recognized Madame this morning. I’m sure I’ve never seen her perform, but there was something familiar about her, something . . . I can’t put my finger on it.’
    â€˜The universal diva personality,’ said Inga, her tone extremely dry. Nigel gave her a puzzled look and then applied himself to his sandwiches and a study of the music to be rehearsed in the afternoon.
    â€˜Clueless,’ Inga murmured to me.
    I nodded and shrugged. ‘Men,’ I murmured back.
    I would just as soon have skipped the afternoon rehearsal. Though I am ashamed to admit it, an afternoon nap has become more and more appealing with my advancing years. But Alan pointed out that we had only one car, which would have meant delivering Nigel and Inga to the castle, delivering me to Tower, and then going back later to pick them up.
    â€˜You could take me home first,’ I argued, ‘and Nigel could get his own car.’
    â€˜I doubt there’s time for that, if we’re to get Nigel to the rehearsal on time. In any case,’ he said, lowering his voice, ‘I want to be there. There’s thunder in the air.’
    The other two had gone to dispose of our rubbish in a bin, so I was the only one to give him a questioning look. The sky had cleared to a benign June blue, with nary a cloud in sight, and the wind was now the merest zephyr.
    Alan simply shook his head and started the car. ‘Come, you two. Your carriage awaits.’
    I had expected the castle to be as chaotic as before, but Sir John, or one of his minions, had accomplished yet another miracle. The crew had evidently got to work the moment the weather improved, and worked furiously ever since. The pavilion for the spectators had not yet been erected, but all the arrangements for the musicians were complete, right down to music stands that now stayed quietly where they belonged and cables that were decently placed out of traffic areas.
    â€˜It’s a different world!’ I exclaimed as Nigel went off to his assigned spot, Inga determinedly following him.
    â€˜But with the same inhabitants,’ Alan replied.
    I was annoyed. ‘Why are you so determined to be gloomy? It’s a beautiful day, everything is going well. Why borrow trouble?’
    He shook his head. ‘I don’t know. You’re well aware that I’m not subject to premonition, but a policeman learns to be attuned to atmosphere, and I just don’t like the atmosphere around this festival. Nor do I have great faith