“Trouble on the way, Petiron?” his mother asked, turning from the window and the brilliant sunset.
“Two lame runner-beasts, because they thought to get home faster,” he said, swinging saddlebags and instrument case to the bench. “You had the safer way to travel.” He came over to her and
gave her a peck on her cheek. “Londik’s voice is gone.”
“I can sing instead, then,” Robinton piped up.
His father, almost as if just realizing his son was in the room too, frowned slightly. “That’s as it may be. But it is way past your bedtime, Robinton, and your mother and I have a lot to discuss. Good night.”
“And you’ve no more welcome than that for your son, Petiron?” Merelan asked in such a tense voice that Robie was startled.
“It’s all right, Mother. Good night, Father,” he said and left,
almost running out of the room in his dismay.
“Petiron, how could you?”
Robie shut the door on whatever reply his father made, glad that
he couldn’t hear anything through the thick wooden panels. He flung himself on his bed and wished he was back at Benden Hold.
Even Lord Maidir was nicer to him than his father was. Why couldn’t he please his own father? What had he done wrong?
Why couldn’t he do something right? He probably shouldn’t have said that he could take Londik’s place. But he could. He knew he could. His mother had said that his voice was every bit as good as Londik’s, and he was the better musician. And she didn’t just say things like that to make you feel good – not about professional matters.
He muffled the sobs he could not control in his pillow. And when he heard some shouting later, he pulled the pillow over his head and pushed it tight against his ears so that he couldn’t hear anything except his own pulse.
He had to audition for the position of solo treble singer in front of all the Masters, which made him a little nervous. The requirement had made his mother furious.
“Are you doubting my professional opinion, Petiron?” she asked when she heard what was proposed. All the windows were open, making it impossible for Robinton to avoid hearing.
“Any singer who is to be a soloist for the Harper Hall has to be auditioned,” his father had answered.
“Only if he hasn’t been heard by all the Masters before,” Merelan had said, tight-voiced.
“I do not wish anyone to think that I am pushing my son into a place that another also qualifies for.”
“There is no other treble as qualified! And everyone but you knows very well that Robinton has a splendid treble.”
“Then there is no problem in following protocol, is there?” “Protocol! Protocol? For your own son?”
“Of course. For him more than any other. Surely you can see that, MerelanT
“I wish, Petiron, I do sincerely wish that I could.”
Robie had flinched when he heard the outer door slam. He felt his throat tighten, and then reminded himself sternly that he had no time for that right now. He was harper-trained and he’d prove -especially to his father – that he was well trained.
Because he was, of course, facing his auditors, he caught the little reassuring gestures they made, and his mother’s encouraging expression as she played the introduction to the music they had decided he should present first. He was to sing two songs, showing off his abilities, an optional piece and then a score he had not seen before.
“That’, his mother had said in an odd voice, “is going to be very difficult because he knows all the music.”
“There will be one he doesn’t know,” his father had said, giving his head the one final nod which indicated this subject was closed.
So he sang the Question Song, and that made all the Masters sit up, including his father. But the song suited his range and showed good phrasing as well as voice control, as he let the final note die away without breaking it off.
“Odd choice,” was his father’s comment after the warm applause had died. Petiron handed him a double sheet. “This would have been Londik’s next solo. Not even he has seen it. You may have a few minutes to look through it.” He held out his hand to take Merelan’s gitar from her and sat on the stool, prepared to accompany his son himself.