Dukes

Cap. 3 Whore

Warning: physical violence ahead!

Mr. Green had been in Becket's court for years and had had the possibility to play for madam every evening. He was tall and slender, with grey hair and glassy eyes. The first time he saw Brett he was shocked by how young he was and by the enormous violin he carried with him. The case of the instrument when properly hanged on Brett's back nearly touched the ground and was a few inches narrower than his shoulders.

Mr. Green put a tiny case on the piano and carefully took out a small violin. He reached for Brett taking the full size one from his hands and placing the smaller one in his tiny arms.

Mr. Green: "Alright Brett, this violin is too big for you, now try to put the one I gave you on your shoulder"

Brett placed the violin on his collarbone and smiled shily at the comfy sensation of having a right sized instrument. Mr. Green secured Brett's enormous violin on the piano and fetched the little bow in the case. He then rubbed some rosin on it and handed it to Brett.

Mr. Green: "Now Brett, you can play whatever you want, and don't be scared if the sound is not what you're expecting, it's your first time playing a violin of this size so don't worry. Just remember that you don't have to stretch your fingers like you did on the bigger one"

Brett nodded and took a deep breath. He placed the bow on the strings and gently played an open A. The sound was not bad at all, a little bit weaker than the one on the big violin but not bad. Satisfied with the open A, Brett tried to place his fingers and go for minuet number one. The first phrase sounded really out of tune, but at least the bow was not scratching the strings. He focused on reproducing the sound he'd heard when he'd played that piece on his own violin and slowly the notes started to find their right place on the fingerboard, making both Mr. Green's and Mrs. Becket's jaws drop.

After he finished the piece, Brett looked back at them, shily putting the violin in rest position.

Duchess: "Told you he was talented"

Mr. Green: "I believed you, but I didn't imagine he would be this good!"

The lesson went perfectly fine: Mr. Green corrected the few technical mistakes Brett made as a self-taught. At the end of the lesson Mr. Green handed the little violin case to Brett and took the big one with him, simply saying: "you will need this one later on". Then Mrs. Becket handed an envelope to Brett.

Mrs. Becket: "Give this envelope to your mother, and come tomorrow morning same hour"

She smiled gently to him, outstretching her arm to reach for Brett.

Brett: "Thanks Duchess Becket"

Mrs. Becket: "Ah! Call me Jane ok?"

Brett: "Ok Mrs. Jane"

Mrs. Becket: "Oh no, without the Mrs, ok?"

Brett nodded and made his way to the suited man by the door. He took his white gloved hand and turned around to see Jane waving at him, smiling under her hat. He waved back smiling.

Brett improved quickly, as the prodigy he was, and brought home many envelopes to his mother, which was really happy to see her boy getting better every day.

He woke up at the same time every day and took a bath, then he changed his clothes into the usual ones, that his mother washed every afternoon. He combed back his hair, took the little case and the now numerous music sheets with him. He headed alone to the giant gate every morning, pleased by the not-so-well covered smile of the guard when he saw the little musician coming.