Silas then began the detailed explanation of the tour for the trio, which was now completely scheduled. He said that Mr. Hawthorn was to replace Emily to free her up for other prospects and then turned the rest over toMark.
“Mr. Dunn,” Mark began, “Your daughter, Emily, has an extraordinary talent. And while she has been a strong backbone for the trio, her talent is being wasted. It is my contention that she should be performing solo, and I have taken on the task of arranging a European tour for her to perform as a solo artist, and to perform as a soloist with majororchestras.”
Mr. Dunn turned to Giles. “And you agreed to this highjack of thetrio?”
Giles addressed their father, “Mr. Dunn, please, this is truly for the best—not only for Emily but for the trio, too. It has invigorated the group’s playing and Mr. Skeffington, with this tour, has widened their audience and allowed them to achieve new horizons by being able to travel over much of southernEngland.”
Emily came over, knelt in front of him and took his hand. “Please Papa—this is truly for the best. If I continued with the trio any longer, I believe my performance would begin to deteriorate. I need to take this opportunity and move forward. His Grace is most generous in his offer to help me with my career, and I promise you, this will allow the trio to continue, and both Ruth and Teresa can prosper by having a way to further their careers as well. Can you not seethat?”
Her father stood. “But this is about family. You know that. You have always known that. The trio is family. Rupture that and what do you have? Deterioration. As certain as I am standing here the trio will fall apart andfail.”
Mark wanted to help, but he knew he must not intervene just yet. This was a family matter and Emily would certainly want to solve this within the family byherself.
Mr. Dunn turned to his other daughters and asked, “And how do the two of you feel aboutthis?”
Neither seemed to want to be put on the spot, but Teresa answered, “Papa, Emily is our family, too—do we not want what is best for her as well? We all know, quite honestly, that she is a far superior musician to either of us and, quite honestly, we are only holding herback.”
“And you, Ruth, what do you think?” Mr. Dunnasked.
Ruth sighed. She seemed reluctant to speak. “I say let us at least give this a try. Mr. Hawthorn is very talented and I believe it might help our image if we have a gentleman in thetrio.”
“Hmm. I can see you are all aligned against me.” He turned to his wife. “Mother, what do you think about all ofthis?”
Mother seemed nervous about speaking up. She fiddled with her apron but finally said, “I guess it seems fine. After all, the girls will be working, and if Emily has an opportunity to be successful, I think we must let her have herchance.”
Absolutely no one had taken Mr. Dunn’s position. He was facing a united front. He turned to Giles. “When does this tour start and how long will itlast?”
Giles nodded toward Silas, who answered. “It begins in September in Plymouth and tours many of the major southern cities before returning for a triumphal end in London, after they have garnered many favorable critical reviews. I have already contacted any number of critics who have agreed to cover theconcerts.”
Mr. Dunn lowered his head and maintained a grouchy demeanor, but finally said, “Very well. I will agree to this tour, and then we will see where we are at the end. If all goes well we can continue, but if not, then Emily, you must promise to return to thetrio.”
Emily who was still kneeling beside his chair said gruffly, “Papa, I am not certain I can make that promise. If I am to launch a solo career, I must be free to go where it takes me. I cannot be held back by the thought that I might need to give it up to go back to thetrio.”
Giles added, “Mr. Dunn, please let Emily fulfill her destiny. She is immensely talented in a way few others ever are. I will do whatever I can to help the new trio become successful. I promise youthat.”
Silas then said, “And to that fact, I suggest we change the name of the trio. It is no longer comprised of just the Dunns. I have been thinking of the name, The London Trio. It implies stature, experience, and will accommodate the addition of Mr.Hawthorn.”
“But what about our reputation?” Mr. Dunnasked.
“The Dunn Trio implies that Miss Emily is still with them and that would be a deception. We need to create a new identity. I believe The London Trio will do just that.” Silas stared hard at their father. “What do you say, Mr. Dunn, will you consent to this newarrangement?”
“Very well, let us give it a try,” he finallysaid.
Chapter 14
Everyone was greatly relieved that Mr. Dunn had agreed to the new plan and an air of euphoria swept the room. Mother scurried to the kitchen and had Molly bring out a tray of cakes while she brought out glasses and several bottles ofchampagne.
Papa was surprised and asked Mother, “How did you know we would becelebrating?”
“I thought it would be nice whatever happened. All these nice people deserve a treat, think younot?”
He looked at the label. “Was itexpensive?”
“I took it out of my housekeeping money. Now fret you not.” Then she leaned in and whispered to her husband. “And besides I was pretty certain you would do the rightthing.”
“Humph,” he grunted, taking a tea cake and a glass ofchampagne.
After Emily heard her father’s answer, she was obviously pleased, and stood up and went to her sisters to hugthem.
