Clementine Rose and the Ballet Break-In 8 Read online

Clementine’s jaw dropped as her eyes followed the dancers all over the stage.

  ‘Where are the ballerinas?’ she whispered. ‘There are only boys.’

  ‘Don’t worry, the girls will be along shortly,’ Aunt Violet whispered back. Sure enough, a group of young women in willowy dresses, and with garlands of flowers in their hair, danced onto the stage.

  ‘Is it a party?’ Clementine asked.

  ‘It’s a birthday party for Prince Siegfried,’ Aunt Violet replied, her eyes not leaving the stage. ‘Now just sit back and watch.’

  Clementine stood up and leaned on the rail, mesmerised as the dancers pranced on and off the stage. She was amazed at how the scenes changed from the palace party to the lake in the blink of an eye. Aunt Violet glanced at the child a few times, wondering if she would lose interest but Clementine was captivated the entire time.

  When the first act ended and the curtain came down, Clementine clapped loudly.

  ‘I love it!’ the child gasped, turning to Aunt Violet. ‘How long until the next part?’

  The old woman looked at her watch. ‘We’ve got about fifteen minutes. I think we should take a trip to the ladies’ room, then get a drink.’

  Clementine nodded. ‘Ballet makes me thirsty.’

  Aunt Violet held Clementine’s hand as they walked down to the bar in the foyer, stopping at the toilet along the way. There were people milling about, drinking champagne and loudly discussing what they’d seen so far.

  ‘She’s lovely but she’s no Anastasia Barkov,’ a round woman declared.

  She was wearing a shimmery black top that billowed out like a tent and standing next to her was a slender man in a checked suit. They were waiting in line for the bartender, beside Clementine and Aunt Violet.

  The woman looked down at Clementine. ‘What do you think, dear?’

  ‘Doris, she’s a child,’ the man scoffed. ‘I’m sure she wouldn’t have any idea what you’re talking about.’ He looked at Clementine. ‘You’ve probably never even heard of Anastasia Barkov, have you?’

  Clementine nodded. ‘She’s my ballet teacher and she lives at the end of our road.’

  ‘Goodness, some children do have vivid imaginations,’ the woman tutted.

  ‘It’s true,’ Clementine said, wondering why the lady didn’t believe her.

  Aunt Violet had only just handed Clemmie a glass of lemonade with a fancy straw when the bells began their ding-dong chorus. They hurried back to their box, and Clementine watched as the theatre-goers made their way to their seats. She saw the lady in the shimmery top edging along a row down below and giggled when she almost landed in a man’s lap.

  The lights dimmed and the spotlight shone on the conductor as he walked into the orchestra pit and raised his stick.

  Clementine couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next. She turned and smiled at Aunt Violet. ‘Do you think it will all work out in the end?’ the child asked. She didn’t want the prince to fall in love with the wrong swan.

  Aunt Violet nodded. ‘I think it probably will.’

  Clementine turned back to the stage and cradled her chin in her hands.

  A little way into the performance, Clementine became distracted by the conductor. He was waving his arms furiously, his wild grey curls flying about. She peered down at the orchestra pit, where the musicians were concentrating hard on the sheet music in front of them. As Clemmie’s eyes wandered back to the conductor, she noticed a page flutter off his music stand. The girl wondered if it was important.

  All of a sudden, the music sped up. As it became faster and faster, the ballerinas and their partners raced around the stage. The musicians were reaching for the pages on their stands and turning them at great speed.

  Clementine frowned. ‘I think they skipped a bit,’ she whispered to Aunt Violet.

  ‘Shh, you mustn’t talk,’ the old woman chided.

  When Clementine spotted one of the ballerinas spinning out of control on the side of the stage she was sure that something had gone wrong. But a minute later everything looked calm again.

  Clementine wondered if the ballet always happened that way.

  The evil sorcerer, wearing a black mask and cape, swept onto the stage. He danced around the lake and the swans, trying to keep Odette and the Prince apart. But it was no use, the pair leapt into the lake together, releasing Odette and the swans from their spell and causing the sorcerer to die. When Odette and her prince were at last united, the curtain fell.

  Clementine clapped loudly and watched as the entire crowd rose to their feet. She looked at Aunt Violet, who was dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.

  ‘Did you love it, Aunt Violet? I loved it so much,’ Clementine gushed, standing up. ‘Is that why you’re crying?’

  ‘Oh, don’t be ridiculous. I’ve just got something in my eye, that’s all,’ the old woman blustered. ‘Goodness knows how long it’s been since they’ve dusted in here.’

  But Clementine didn’t believe a word of it.

  A few minutes after the concert hall began to empty, Tasha knocked on the door and poked her head in. ‘Hello,’ she said brightly. ‘Would you like to follow me, ladies?’

  ‘Where are we going?’ Clementine asked.

  ‘Why don’t we let Tasha surprise us, Clementine,’ Aunt Violet suggested.

  The young woman led the pair downstairs through a series of doors that were off-limits to the general public. It was a frenzy backstage with ballerinas running down the corridors, stagehands carrying equipment, and people with clipboards shouting into headsets.

  ‘Just through here,’ Tasha said as she pushed open another door.

  Clementine held tightly to Aunt Violet’s hand as the pair were ushered inside. A table in the centre of the room was weighed down with cake stands and platters of sandwiches. There was a small pile of plates and, off to the side, tea, coffee and a jug of lemonade.

  ‘Everyone should be here soon,’ Tasha said with a smile.

  ‘Who’s coming?’ Clementine asked.

  Tasha glanced at the sheet of paper in her hand. ‘According to this, you’ll be meeting the main characters and a couple of the musicians,’ she replied.

  Clementine gulped. ‘Is the bad man coming too?’

  ‘Yes, but he’s not really a baddie. That’s just part of the show. He’s the sweetest one of all,’ Tasha reassured her. ‘I’ll wait with you until they arrive.’

  A moment later the door opened and Clementine hid behind Aunt Violet. A man dressed in black smiled and walked over to them. His feathered cape and scary mask were nowhere to be seen.

  ‘Hello there,’ he said. ‘I’m Sean McCrae.’

  ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sean,’ Aunt Violet replied, holding out her hand. ‘That was a marvellous performance.’

  Sean peered over Aunt Violet’s shoulder. ‘And who do we have here?’

  The old woman gave Clementine a little push.

  ‘Hello,’ the girl said shyly.

  ‘You must be Clementine. Ana told me all about you. I’m bringing my wife and boys to your hotel in a couple of weeks’ time. Did you enjoy the ballet?’

  Clemmie nodded. ‘Ana said you were coming to stay.’

  ‘I have to get back upstairs,’ Tasha said. ‘Have fun, Clementine.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Aunt Violet said as the girl disappeared. Just as she was leaving, a group of ballerinas entered.

  ‘Thank you,’ Clementine echoed.

  ‘Hello, you must be Miss Appleby and Clementine,’ said the ballerina who played Odette. ‘I’m Kat, and this is Lydia and Zizi. ‘Sorry we’re late.’

  ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you all,’ Aunt Violet said, and Clementine gave a little wave.

  ‘Would you like some lemonade?’ Kat asked them.

  ‘Yes, please,’ Clementine said. ‘You’re such a good dancer.’

  Kat smiled at the girl. ‘Thank you, sweetie.’

  ‘Please sit down, everyone. Sean’s going to make us all some tea. Aren’t you, Se
an?’ Zizi teased. ‘Don’t you think he should, after he spent all afternoon chasing us around the stage and scaring us half to death?’

  Clementine giggled. ‘He scared me too.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Clementine. I didn’t mean it. It’s just my job.’ The man grinned.

  Zizi offered Clementine a scone with jam and cream. ‘Is this your first visit to the ballet?’ she asked.

  Clementine nodded, sitting down beside Kat and her great-aunt. ‘It was amazing! I tried to watch everyone and now my eyes hurt,’ the child said.

  The dancers laughed. The door opened and a woman with bright red hair walked through. There was another man behind her.

  ‘This is Elaina, she plays the principal violin, and Toby plays …’

  ‘The oboe!’ Clementine burst out.

  ‘Godfathers!’ Aunt Violet almost choked on her tea.

  ‘Aunt Violet, I tried to tell you I saw him in the hole in the floor.’ Clementine smiled at the man.

  ‘You’re the little girl from the train.’ The man grinned back at her. ‘So did you like the performance?’

  Clementine nodded. She took a sip of her lemonade then sat the glass back on the table. ‘Was there a mistake after the intermission?’

  The dancers and musicians looked at each other.

  ‘Clementine, don’t be silly,’ admonished Aunt Violet. ‘This is the Royal Ballet. They don’t make mistakes.’

  ‘What made you think there was a mistake?’ Kat asked the little girl.

  ‘I saw a page fall off the conductor’s stand and then everything went really fast for a minute,’ Clementine said.

  The dancers and musicians exchanged glances and burst out laughing.

  ‘You’re absolutely right,’ Sean said. ‘The maestro missed a whole page and that’s why we were racing about like headless chickens.’

  ‘Really?’ Aunt Violet scoffed. ‘How extraordinary!’

  ‘I looked up and wondered what the old boy was doing,’ Toby said, shaking his head. ‘I don’t know how we kept it together. He didn’t even realise until after the performance, when I picked up the sheet from the floor and handed it to him.’

  ‘How did you know what to do?’ Clementine asked.

  ‘Well, we all sort of scrambled but, luckily, everyone was listening and watching,’ Kat said. ‘The show must go on, after all.’

  ‘The maestro isn’t the first to make a mistake and he won’t be the last, I’m sure,’ Toby said. ‘I think he might be ready for retirement soon.’

  ‘That’s not the worst of it,’ Lydia said. ‘Do you remember the night my hair got caught in Sean’s mask and we couldn’t get separated? We had to dance for ten minutes while stuck together!’

  Clementine giggled. ‘That would be terrible.’

  Sean and the others laughed.

  ‘It wasn’t that funny,’ said Lydia, ‘especially when they had to cut out a chunk of my hair to separate us.’

  ‘Goodness, I had no idea so many things could go wrong onstage,’ Aunt Violet said.

  ‘Most of the time the audience never knows,’ Kat confessed. ‘You’re amazing to have picked that up, Clementine. I think you’re destined for a life on the stage.’

  Clementine beamed.

  The next half hour whizzed by. Clementine told the group about her ballet lessons and what she’d learned so far. Kat asked Clementine for a demonstration, and the girl was thrilled when Kat gave her a lesson on third position to show Ana on Monday afternoon. Clementine was sad when it finally came time to leave.

  ‘Thank you so much for having us,’ Aunt Violet said, standing up.

  Kat rose from her seat and hugged Clementine goodbye. ‘It was our pleasure. Tell Ana we said hello – we miss her very much.’

  ‘And I look forward to seeing you at Penberthy House,’ Sean added.

  ‘Don’t get your hopes up too much, Sean,’ Aunt Violet said, then turned to Clementine. ‘Well, what do you say?’

  ‘Thank you. It was so lovely to meet you all,’ the girl said.

  ‘Oh, you’re adorable, Clementine.’ Lydia touched the child on the cheek and gave her another quick hug.

  ‘Enjoy your ballet lessons, Clementine,’ the girls chorused after her.

  ‘And what should you always remember?’ Sean called.

  Clementine turned around and thought for a moment. ‘The show must go on,’ she said with a smile.

  Sean grinned. ‘That’s right, Clementine. The show must go on!’

  On Monday afternoon Clementine twirled into the hall, ready to learn as much as she could. She was glad to find Angus among the others.

  ‘Hello Angus,’ she said.

  ‘Hi,’ the boy replied quietly.

  After the children had changed, Ana Hobbs directed them to sit down.

  ‘Good afternoon, everyone,’ Ana greeted the group. ‘I’ve decided on your performance for the concert.’

  The children clapped their hands and grinned.

  ‘What is it?’ Tilda asked. She and Teddy didn’t even know what their mother had chosen.

  ‘You’re going to learn a very short and simple version of Peter and the Wolf.’

  ‘I know that story,’ Poppy said.

  Ana smiled. ‘Wonderful. For those who don’t, it’s a famous folktale about a boy named Peter who lives with his grandfather. One day, a hungry wolf comes to his garden and swallows a duck in one big gulp. With the help of a cat, a bird and some hunters, Peter bravely captures the wolf and takes it to the zoo.

  ‘It’s lucky that there are ten of you, because there are nine parts plus the narrator. But I think we’ll add an extra hunter – it’s a bit much to expect one of you to read the whole thing. Araminta will help us out there.’

  Tilda and Teddy’s big sister was standing next to the stereo. She wasn’t especially keen on dancing herself but she was happy to help her mother with the lessons.

  ‘Can I be the wolf?’ Gareth asked.

  ‘We’ll see,’ Ana said. ‘Now, come closer so I can tell you about the characters and how they fit in with the music.’

  The children wriggled forward.

  ‘Every character is represented by a different instrument in the orchestra,’ Ana began. ‘There’s a bird called Sasha and her instrument is the flute. Sonia the duck is represented by the oboe.’

  Clementine’s eyes widened. ‘I know oboes,’ she whispered.

  Ana nodded. ‘There’s also Ivan the cat whose instrument is a clarinet; Peter with the string quartet; Grandpa with the bassoon; and the hunters are accompanied by the drums. And, of course, there’s the wolf, whose instrument is the French horn. Now I want everyone to stand up and we’ll do some warm-ups, then I’m going to get you to move like the characters and we can see who would like to be each part,’ Ana instructed.

  The children did some jumps and skips and moved through first and second positions.

  Ana then stood on her tippy-toes and made fluttery movements with her arms. ‘See if you can copy me and tell me which animal you think this is.’

  The children all followed. ‘It’s the bird,’ they called out.

  ‘Her name’s Sasha,’ Sophie added.

  ‘Would you like to be her?’ Ana asked.

  Sophie nodded and fluttered her arms again.

  Ana put her hands behind her bottom and began to waddle. The children copied her.

  ‘That’s Sonia the duck,’ Clementine said. ‘Please may I be her?’

  Anna nodded. ‘I think you would make a wonderful Sonia.’

  The class continued following Ana’s lead and it wasn’t long before everyone had a part. Poppy was chosen to play the cat and Teddy was picked for the part of Peter. Tilda took the role of Grandpa, and Angus was appointed lead hunter with the two Kindergarten girls. That left Gareth to be the wolf.

  Ana guided the children through the rehearsal. They worked on emphasising their movements and making sure they kept in time with the story. Clementine soon became an expert at waddling, and Ana suggest
ed she do some leaps and twirls too. Clemmie was thrilled. She decided she would practise every day so that she could be just perfect.

  The following Monday afternoon the children did a complete run-through of their production. Strictly speaking, it was more movement and drama than ballet, but Ana was delighted with their progress all the same. It was quite an achievement for them to remember so many moves in such a short amount of time. Though, little Gareth was a concern. The boy was often distracted playing with beetles or whatever else he’d managed to capture at school that day.

  ‘How many more practices do we have?’ Clementine asked.

  ‘I’ve arranged for an extra one this Friday,’ Ana replied. ‘And then the concert is on Sunday.’

  ‘That’s not much time,’ Clementine said. Her tummy began to feel like it was full of butterflies.

  Ana nodded. ‘That’s why you all have to concentrate.’

  Just as she said this, a tall man with a shiny bald head and a bushy beard arrived at the door. ‘Hi there,’ he called.

  The children turned to look.

  ‘Uncle Felix!’ Teddy and Tilda raced over and launched themselves at him.

  ‘Hello Felix,’ Ana said as he walked towards her with his niece and nephew dangling from each arm.

  He planted a kiss on Ana’s cheek and set the children back down.

  ‘I wasn’t expecting you today,’ Ana said.

  ‘I finished it all sooner than I thought I would. Better to have it here for your rehearsals,’ he replied with a grin.

  ‘Absolutely, and it might help that little one visualise his role,’ Ana whispered, pointing to Gareth, who was busy chasing a moth.

  Ana introduced her brother Felix to the group. He gave the kids a wave then headed back outside. He soon returned carrying a huge sheet of timber in the shape of a forest, which he positioned on the stage. The children watched as the set came together. There was the cottage and the woods and a hill, all beautifully painted.

  ‘Your uncle is good at making scenery,’ Clementine said to Tilda.

  Tilda nodded. ‘He can build anything.’

  ‘Are you going to watch us rehearse, Uncle Felix?’ Teddy asked.