‘How is he?’ Katharine asked.
‘Very engaged with the war,’ Vera replied. ‘This morning he made quite a speech about being fully Russian.’
‘Is that a good sign?’
‘I think so. It shows that he is becoming sure of his identity again. He is not so—’ She groped for the English word. ‘Épars.’
‘Fragmented.’
‘Yes, exactly. He has been broken in pieces for a long time, I think. And the pieces were all scattered. Now he’s starting to find these pieces of himself in strange places.’
‘Like the war news?’
‘The German invasion of Russia fills him with passion. It enthuses him. It’s almost like a novel or a film to him. You saw the maps, the coloured pins?’
‘I did. It’s very impressive.’
She laughed. ‘You know how methodical he is.’
‘I think he should offer his services to the Allied High Command.’
‘He says he has never felt better. He’s talking about writing a Victory Symphony.’
‘So he’s composing again?’
‘Not only composing, but composing with great facility.’ Vera lowered her voice. ‘Don’t say anything, but he finished the Symphony in C yesterday.’
Katharine threw up her hands. ‘But that’s wonderful. I thought he might never get back to it.’
‘It came like an easy childbirth. Few pangs, few alarms, few hesitations or second thoughts. The music is sad. But he was sad when he conceived it. It’s one of his great works. I see it as his farewell to Europe.’
‘I can’t wait to hear it. Do you know, he gave the original manuscript of the second movement to a young Jewish refugee we met on the boat.’
‘An attractive woman?’ Vera guessed.
‘Not even especially attractive. A nobody whom we will never hear from again.’
‘He is prone to these impulsive acts of generosity. Let us hope she looks after it…’ They walked in silence for a while, the gulls wheeling over their heads. The laughter of the others drifted to them on the breeze. Robert and Georgette Sachs were the centre of a cultured, elegant circle which adored Stravinsky. ‘This place has been a godsend to us,’ Vera went on. ‘Los Angeles is hellish in the summer. But up here we can breathe. Igor wants to buy a house here.’
‘If you need any help or advice, let me know.’
‘Thank you, Katharine.’
‘And what of the Disney film, Fantasia?’
‘They’re still working on it. It’s taking longer than they expected. They say it’s the most ambitious animated film ever attempted. They’re hoping to release it by the end of the year.’
‘Is he still upset about the Rite?’
‘I think he’s dreading what they will do with it. You know how the music was mocked when it was first performed. He doesn’t want to go through anything like that again.’
‘I hope they show it the respect it deserves.’
‘Hollywood is unpredictable. There’s no telling how it will be. He has no control whatsoever.’
Ahead of them, Stravinsky paused and turned. ‘What are you two gossiping about?’ he called.
‘Not about you,’ Vera replied, ‘you can be sure of that.’
‘Then come along,’ he commanded, ‘and don’t dawdle.’
‘You see what I mean?’ Vera said in an undertone. ‘Quite masterful.’
The two women caught up with the rest of the group, and they continued across the beach, over the rocks.
Washington, D.C.
Rosemary hadn’t been frightened at all because they’d told her how easy it would be, and because Daddy was going to be with her. So even when they arrived at the hospital, and a whole bunch of doctors came out to look at her, and smile in that way doctors smiled, which wasn’t really smiling at all, she kept her nerve. That was what Mother always told her: keep your nerve, Rosemary. You’re a Kennedy.
Being with Daddy was a treat, though.
There was only Daddy who cared about her any more.
Rosemary pressed close to him, holding on to his arm with both hands, loving the smell of him and the strength of him, which always made her feel soothed and loved. She loved the rumble of his voice and it didn’t really matter what he said, she could just lose herself in the sound of it.
He was saying, ‘I’ve been having a lot of second thoughts about this lately. I’m not sure I’m ready to go through with it.’
‘Has something happened to change your mind?’ Dr Freeman asked.
‘Well, yes. Somebody told me that the American Medical Association is warning against this operation.’
‘The AMA is a very conservative organisation, Senator Kennedy. It generally takes them twenty years to catch up with leading practices in the field. I wouldn’t be too concerned.’
‘Easy for you to say. Rosemary’s not your daughter.’
Dr Freeman kept smiling. ‘What is it exactly that concerns you?’
‘Well, I guess it’s the uncertainty of it all. This is a very new procedure.’
‘Very new, yes. But the results we’ve been getting have been astounding. There’s no other word for it. As medical people, we don’t like to use terms like “miracle cure”. But if there’s any such thing, then psychosurgery comes close to it.’
‘Are you saying she’ll be’ – Daddy glanced at Rosemary – ‘restored?’
‘We prefer to think of it as clearing the way for a better life. We believe that once we remove all the obstacles that are holding Rosemary back, she’ll immediately start to grow.’
‘Can you give me a guarantee that will happen?’
Dr Freeman laughed, as though Daddy had made a good joke. He had a neatly trimmed little beard and glasses, and he looked like a happy version of the devil. ‘There are no guarantees in medicine, Senator. What we can promise you is that we’ll do the very best we can. I’ll be directing. The operation itself will be performed by my partner, Dr Watts, who is currently the leading practitioner in the United States – if I may say so, in the world.’
Dr Watts edged forward. He didn’t smile as much as Dr Freeman. He was also shorter, and clean-shaven, and he didn’t have any laughter in his voice, as Dr Freeman did. ‘As we discussed in our previous conversation, the most egregious problems will be solved almost instantly. I’m speaking of the convulsions, the violence, the nymphomania—’
‘She’s not a nymphomaniac,’ Daddy said sharply.
‘You’ve told us yourself about the sexual liaisons,’ Dr Watts said, frowning. ‘I don’t need to tell you how dangerous these drives can be, Senator, especially in such—’ He looked at Rosemary with his small, hard eyes. ‘—such a buxom young woman. The risks of an unwanted pregnancy, of contracting a venereal disease—’
‘I know all that,’ Daddy growled.
‘Then you’ll know that Rosemary can’t continue like this. Female psychosexual aberrations are among the conditions which respond most favourably to this procedure, in our experience. The abnormal drives disappear, along with the indecent speech, the absence of modesty, the readiness to copulate with every male.’
Rosemary didn’t understand all these words, but she knew what they were talking about, and she felt her face flush hotly. Only the fact that she could tell that Daddy really didn’t like Dr Watts allowed her to keep her nerve.