Evelyn Innes

In a dimly lit room filled with the quiet hum of an Elizabethan virginal, Mr. Innes tends to his beloved instruments with a reverence that borders on worship. The soft glow of a candle illuminates his silver‑grey hair and the fierce focus in his eyes as he coaxed centuries‑old melodies from the keys, each note a reminder of a life once intertwined with opera and distant stages. Memories of his late wife surface as he watches a portrait above the instrument, her vanished voice echoing through the music he plays.

His young daughter, Evelyn, perches on his knee, eager to mimic the chants and counterpoint that drift from his practice. She flits between the virginal, the clavichord, and the viola da gamba, her innocent curiosity turning the old‑world sounds into a lively game. As the evening deepens, the household’s modest world of music hints at larger aspirations and hidden tensions that will soon test the bonds of family and art.