Page 22 of Crescendo

The serious woman walking alongside him even smiled warmly at Lydia.

“Adam! Long time no see. Are you organizing the event at the RAH tonight?” Lydia asked excitedly.

Adam laughed. “No, no. I’m still only on programme coordination. Altman has a big show tonight, and she won’t let anybody meddle with her magnum opus,” he said, in a tone that implied he wasn’t yet allowed to reveal details of the event.

“They don’t let just anyone play here,” Eliza muttered to Hannah, more than loud enough for the rest of us to hear.

How she didn’t die from embarrassment sometimes, I didn’t know. Even just the secondhand embarrassment had me hoping the floor would open up and swallow me whole.

Lydia shot her a look. “Don’t mind Lizzy, she’s still learning basic manners and beginner music. I’m sure your work is a little too advanced for her.”

Adam, clearly knowing Lydia more than well enough to pick up on what was happening, nodded, amused, before glancing at Eliza. “Well, I’m sure you’ll get there.”

Eliza’s head looked like it might explode as she fought to restrain herself before saying, “Actually, I’m at Crescendo to work on a piece that could be played here.”

He smiled a little wider, clearly knowing the programme. “Is that right? Well, if you’ve got Lydia teaching you, I’m sure you’ll get there in no time.”

“She’s not teaching me,” Eliza scoffed.

“Oh, no,” Lydia said, serenely. “I’m here as a student.”

Adam did a double take. “What?”

“Eh. I just wasn’tfeelingmy stuff lately, you know how it is. So, when Melinda wouldn’t throw me out the window and launch my cello at me, I decided to mix it up, come here, revisit the basics.”

“Of course you did.” He shook his head. “Nothing surprises me less.”

“Thank you,” Lydia said with a laugh. “Melinda said I should come teach.”

“So, naturally, you came as a student.”

“Yep.”

“That tracks.” He looked at Eliza again. “Either way, if you’re looking to get a piece played here, nobody better to learn from than someone whose musichasbeen played here.”

And that might have been the first thing about Lydia Eliza seemed not to have known already. Seriously, the woman wasintense and probably in love with Lydia—or the idea of her—given how much she seemed to keep up with Lydia’s life.

After a long moment, Eliza sniffed and her accent faltered when she said, “I didn’t think they let just anyone perform here, but I suppose you have the honour of being the worst person to ever have been on this stage.”

I laughed, the feelings from the stage a distant buzzing in the back of my head now. “The Kray brothers were here once, so that’s areallyinterestingmetric if your idea ofworstdoesn’t include notorious gangsters.”

Lydia looked like she’d just won an Oscar as she looked from me to Eliza. “Really have just got me at the top of every one of your lists, haven’t you, Lizzy?”

“Why doesn’t it surprise me that you’re happy to be listed with criminals?”

“Ah, ah, ah. You don’t want to get embroiled in a libel case.”

“Wow. An American jumping straight to suing someone. Why am I not surprised?”

The group, including Adam, laughed, and, again, Lydia’s particular brand of being unbothered had walked the situation back. Eliza looked mildly embarrassed, but not so much that she needed to keep digging.

Especially not when Lydia shrugged and said, “That’s me. American and litigious.”

Adam shot her a knowing look. “Making a splash, as ever.”

“Can you imagine me doing anything else?”

“Not at all,” he replied quickly, and I couldn't help but agree.

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