There is an enchantment to Christmas Eve, a magic that no other day of the year can boast, full of the dreams, hopes and wishes of a wintry world holding its frosty breath.
‘I want to go home,’ Celeste said quietly to Anna when Hildegard was out of the room. ‘I want to see Maria. And I’m frightened.’
Anna gave her a hug. ‘I too want to go back to Copenhagen,’ she said.
Hildegard came and joined them at the table. ‘Where’s that?’ she said, brightly. ‘I’ve never heard of anywhere called Copenhagen. Is it a puzzle?’
‘Sort of,’ said Celeste. ‘It’s a very hard one to crack.’
Celeste was relieved that Hildegard immediately lost all interest in the subject. Hildegard was worried that no one would come to the pantomime. She talked all through breakfast, talked while they put on their coats and hats and talked to fill the silence left by Celeste.
‘A penny for them,’ said Hildegard at last.
‘For what?’ said Celeste.
‘Your thoughts.’
‘Oh, they’re not worth that much,’ said Celeste. Which wasn’t true, but how could she explain that if she won the game, she might never see Hildegard, Viggo and Peter again? And if she lost? That didn’t bear thinking about.
‘I’m worried,’ said Hildegard. ‘What if it all goes wrong?’
‘If worry was a colour, what would it be?’ said Celeste.
‘Is that a riddle?’ said Hildegard.
‘No,’ said Celeste.
Hildegard thought for a moment. ‘Grey,’ she said. ‘The colour of slush when the beauty of the snow melts.’
They were halfway down the stairs when Anna said, ‘I’ve forgotten something. Wait in the hall,’ she called as she disappeared into the apartment again.
As soon as she was out of sight, Hildegard whispered to Celeste, ‘Anna still hasn’t spoken to Stephan and the Empress is about to sail. That means he might not even come to Peter’s party.’
‘What are you whispering about?’ said Anna as she came downstairs again.
‘You,’ said Celeste, truthfully.
The sun had managed to turn the snow pink and with Quigley’s red and gold swan sleigh parked in it, the street looked as if it were a scene from a Christmas card. Anna and the girls were disappointed to see that again the sleigh had come without its owner. The driver helped them in and covered their legs with thick, warm blankets. They set off, bells jingling, and Celeste tried to remember if she had seen a sleigh like this in Copenhagen.
‘I think it’s good to arrive at the opera house in style,’ said Hildegard.
There was a holiday atmosphere in the streets and, instead of taking the tram, Peter and Viggo walked to work, admiring the shop windows and their displays of Christmas goods.
As they approached the opera house, they saw there was a long queue of people outside.
‘What are they doing here in this freezing weather?’ asked Viggo.
‘They’re buying tickets, I suppose,’ said his uncle. ‘That’s what happens when you have a successful show on your hands.’
‘But how do they know it’s successful if they haven’t seen it?’
‘Word-of-mouth,’ said Peter, sounding unconvinced.
Even the stage door keeper was in a jolly mood. He was surrounded by bouquets of flowers and an eager little lad was carrying them to the dressing-rooms.
‘The power of the press, eh?’ said the stage door keeper to Peter who had no idea what he was talking about.
He and Viggo went onto the stage where the mechanism for the transformation scene at the end of the pantomime was still not working.
‘It must be spectacular,’ said Peter. ‘And it is anything but.’
He saw Mr Gautier coming towards him, waving a newspaper as if it were a flag. Peter assumed the director wanted to talk to him about the problem with the mechanism and started to tell him that all would be well, but Mr Gautier interrupted him.
‘Have you seen this? It shouldn’t have happened but a reviewer from one of the newspapers sneaked into yesterday’s dress rehearsal. Listen…’ and he began to read. ‘“The soprano, Madame Sabina Petrova, has a secret and the secret is finally out. Her daughter, Hildegard, aged thirteen, is the true star of the family. Where the diva’s voice has struggled lately to reach the high notes her daughter has a voice given to her by the angels. Anyone lucky enough to have a ticket to see this production is in for a treat.” And it says a lot more about me, of course, and Quigley, and other things. Oh, and Peter,’ Mr Gautier added, ‘your designs are mentioned too.’
‘The bit about Madame Sabina,’ said Peter, ‘don’t you think it might upset her?’
‘I don’t care, as long as I never have to work with the wretched woman again. Remember,’ he said as he walked away, ‘I want a spectacular transformation for the finale. Make that scenery work.’
The moment he’d gone, Peter sent Viggo to buy a newspaper. ‘I want to read what Mr Gautier left out,’ he said.
Viggo was returning to the stage when he bumped into Celeste. She was waiting at the foot of the stairs for Hildegard.
‘What are you doing?’ he asked.
‘I’m not allowed to go up there,’ said Celeste. ‘Hildegard is having her new costume fitted by Miss Olsen.’
‘Where’s Anna?’
‘Making sure that Madame Sabina isn’t hiding in a wardrobe,’ said Celeste.
‘Madame Sabina will blow her top when she reads this newspaper,’ said Viggo and showed Celeste the article.
‘Oh, my word!’ she said. ‘Did you see that about Hildegard being banished from her mother’s home to live with a governess? It’s not at all sympathetic – in fact, quite the opposite. Who would have told a reporter this? Oh dear, if Madame was angry before, she’ll be furious now.’
‘That’s what Peter thinks too,’ said Viggo.
Just then Hildegard came down wearing her new Columbine costume. Her face was painted white, with rosy cheeks and red, heart-shaped lips. Viggo and Celeste stared at her.
‘What do you think?’ she asked.
‘I think you look wonderful,’ said Celeste.
‘Spectacular,’ said Viggo.
‘You don’t think I look clumsy and fat?’
‘No,’ said Celeste. ‘Absolutely not, that’s a foolish idea. What makes you say that?’
Hildegard handed Celeste a card.
‘It came with a bouquet of dead roses,’ said Hildegard. ‘There is no name on it, but I know who it’s from.’
Without thinking, Viggo said, ‘Do you think Madame Sabina is a witch and we just haven’t realised it?’
‘Even if she is a witch, she’s still my mother,’ said Hildegard.
‘Sorry,’ said Viggo, ‘I didn’t mean… I… er… have to go…’ and he disappeared.
‘Mama is right. I shouldn’t be doing this,’ said Hildegard miserably. ‘I don’t think she will ever speak to me again. Then what will I do? I mean, I can’t live with Anna forever, as much as I’d love to.’
Celeste could see she was on the verge of tears and said, ‘You can’t think about that now. You must concentrate on your performance.’
Hildegard looked down at her shoes, which were shiny and pretty. ‘I don’t have much instinct about things, not like you, but still I have a terrible feeling that Mama is in the theatre.’
‘No one has seen her,’ said Celeste.
‘No one saw her at the dress rehearsal, and yet she ruined my costume and my wig, and the transformation scene.’
‘True,’ said Celeste.
‘Will you stay in the wings the whole time and watch me and make sure…’ Hildegard stopped as she saw Anna coming towards them. ‘Make sure I’m safe.’
‘There you are,’ said Anna, gathering Hildegard to her. ‘They’ve called “Act One beginners”.’