"The end of a melody is not its goal: but nonetheless, had the melody not reached its end it would not have reached its goal either. A parable." Friedrich Nietzsche

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Epilogue

February 2022

Dolby Theatre

It was Oscar night. Sophie had been hoping, praying, wishing that Noah and Maddie would be recognised for their original score, and they had been. They were nominated, and up against some of the most renowned composers working in the business, including some of the musicians that Noah idolised.

The buzz surrounding Maddie had died down a little since the movie premiere, and she had been able to start at her new school relatively normally. She was loving her school, in particular the extensive music program, and the time she got during lessons to play and compose. She also was working beautifully with her psychologist, who had helped her to make some friends at school. Maddie had advanced in leaps and bounds in her ability to communicate her feelings, and this had dramatically helped her to control situations where she might become overwhelmed.

When the nominations had been announced, they watched together from the living room of their home in new home in Hidden Hills, California. Of course, there was no way on earth that Sophie was going to be able to afford any sort of contribution to the purchase of the house itself, so she made do with decorating Maddie's new bedroom using the royalties that she earned from the release of Noah's song.

Sophie had been a little out of sorts at first. She didn't have a full-time job, and Noah had undertaken a new project, and was absolutely loving having his own studio in their home. She took driving lessons most days from a professional school, and managed to get her license, which greatly helped with ferrying Maddie to and from school.

But it took a little while for her to make some friends and to find her feet. She was able to get to know a few parents at Maddie's school, but she did need a purpose. Before having Maddie, it had been her dream to perform on the West End. She still loved theatre, she loved singing and pushing her voice.

To keep up with her love of theatre, Sophie joined a local company, which really put a fire in her belly to pursue her passion. She had never gone after anything for herself before. Noah was happy and successful, and Maddie was finally thriving.

As her song continued to chart really well, particularly with online streaming, Sophie did begin to catch the eye of some casting directors who contacted her through the movie studio asking for headshots.

A film remake of the Tony Award winning Broadway production of Shenandoah was being produced next year, and Sophie was asked to audition for the role of Jenny, the daughter of the main character. The director was after a fresh face, and unknown, and her voice and look were exactly what he was searching for.

Sophie had been training with a dialect coach for the last few months to help perfect her American accent, as she was perhaps "the most British sounding woman" the director had ever heard, and she needed to seem as though she was from Virginia.

The film was due to go into production in April, and Sophie couldn't have been more excited. And it felt good to be excited, optimistic, and not worrying or stressing about every little thing. Good things could happen.

Sophie was going to be filming for a few months in the city, so Joy was happily flying down to help out with Maddie. Maddie was still Joy's only grandchild; she loved any excuse to come down and dote upon her.

Of course, Maddie wouldn't be the only grandbaby for long. Haley was pregnant and had married Mark in the last Christmas holidays. She was due in September. Tally and Vanessa had also organised to start IVF after their wedding in July.

"Tonight you have heard the five songs that are nominated for Best Original Song."

Sophie's attention snapped back to the stage when she realised that this was Noah's big moment. They had performed together earlier in the evening, and Sophie and Noah had received a standing ovation from some of the most famous people in the world.

Sophie knew Noah's song was beautiful, but the four others that were nominated were also spectacular. One of them was from a new animated movie that Sophie had taken Maddie to see in the last summer holidays and she had been humming that tune for weeks after!

"The Academy Award goes to ..." the resented opened the envelope and Sophie gripped Noah's hand.

He was squeezing her tightly. He was nervous, and he wanted this. Sophie sucked in a breath and held it tightly as she stared at the stage.

"Into the Night!" cried the presented. "Music by Derek Sharma, lyrics by Annette Lysander!"

The theatre erupted in applause as Noah's grip softened on Sophie's hand. He only allowed himself to be disappointed for a millisecond before he was applauding the two winners.

Both Noah and Sophie had practiced this with Maddie. The gracious loser face. Maddie was about as blunt as a human being could get, and she made no effort to hide her true thoughts or feelings about anything. Maddie knew that if they lost the next award, she would need to clap for the winner and smile.

But Sophie and Noah also wanted her to be excited, and Maddie was terribly. Noah had shown her the YouTube video of his award win eleven years ago now. Maddie had watched it at least a hundred times.

She had even written an acceptance speech by herself, and Sophie wasn't allowed to see it. Maddie had been working on it since the nominations had been announced. She had never worked so hard on something like a piece of writing before. This made her nervous, as Maddie could be quite capable of going up on that stage and bragging her little mouth off.

Okay, this was it. Best Original Score. Sophie took Maddie's headphones off. She wanted her to hear her name.

"Good luck!" Sophie whispered to her. "But remember your nice face if it isn't your name read out!"

Maddie looked so beautiful. Noah had treated them both to a glam squad ... at least, she thought that was what they were called. They turned Sophie's ensuite into a hair and makeup haven and they were both glammed to the nines. Of course, Maddie was only wearing some lip gloss and a light pink eyeshadow, but it made her feel beautiful.

Their dresses were designer and borrowed. Under no circumstances was any food or drink coming near them. Maddie was wearing a tea length rose gold gown with matching slippers. Her hair was styled in sleek curls with some rose gold butterfly clips pinning any loose locks away from her face.

Sophie then turned to Noah, who looked like bloody James Bond in his fitted tuxedo. Once again, he was nervous, even more so, as this was the one that he wanted to win. He leaned in for a kiss and she pressed her lips to his lightly.

"Good luck," she uttered. "I love you."

Noah smiled nervously. "I love you, too."

The presenter began to read out the nominees, each receiving a clap.

"The Last Hope, original score composed by Noah Bentley and Madeleine Cartwright."

Sophie immediately clapped, and Maddie gasped excitedly when she heard her name. Sophie could practically hear Joy, and Noah's entire family, screaming with pride from home, where they were watching the show on television.

"And the Academy Award goes to ..."

Sophie bit down on her lip hard as the silence seemed to go on forever.

"The Last Hope! Original score composed by Noah Bentley and Madeleine Cartwright!"

So much for gracious losing, as Sophie needed lessons in gracious winning and she screamed in delight. She could practically hear the voice over now, telling the audience at home that this was Noah's second win, and Maddie's first. Maddie had now eclipsed Noah's record as the youngest person to ever win an Academy Award for Best Original Score.

Sophie kissed Noah again. "I'm so proud of you!" She squeezed Maddie tightly. Maddie was positively beaming as she and Noah worked their way out of their seats and into the aisle. They walked hand in hand down the aisle together, while people stood and clapped for the once in a generation feat that was before them. Sophie jumped on the spot, clapping for them both, and burst into happy tears.

They climbed up the stairs together, and a beautifully dressed teenage girl brought out their awards, handing them to the presenter before they were given to Maddie and Noah.

Maddie gripped her Oscar with both hands and bounced on the spot with excitement as Noah came up to the microphone.

"Thank you so much," he gushed gratefully, so clearly full of emotion. "I'll keep this brief because this is all her." He nodded down to Maddie. "Thank you to the Academy for recognising our work. Thank you to my family. And to Sophie." He looked out into the audience and found Sophie in the sea of faces. "You and Maddie are the best things to ever happen to me. I love you endlessly. This kid, Maddie, she wrote this score with me when she was eight." Noah smiled down at Maddie. "I'm in awe of you, and I am so proud of you." Noah stepped away from the microphone which then automatically lowered to Maddie's height. Noah took her statue from her as she pulled out her speech from her pocket.

Maddie unfolded it and took a breath. "I am very excited and thankful to win this award. I know how special it is and I am going to put it next to Daddy's trophy on the mantle at my Grandma and Grandpa's house."

Sophie melted, and a rumble of laughter sounded from the audience.

"Something you may not know about me is that I am special," Maddie continued. "When I was eight-years-old I was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder."

Sophie clapped her hands together and held them against her lips. She had always promised herself that she wouldn't disclose Maddie's personal business. But she would never stop Maddie from speaking from her heart. To stop her would be like teaching her to be ashamed.

"A lot of you would hear that ... and I ... and it would make you think that I am disabled or limited. My mummy and my daddy helped me to see that I am special, but not in the way that I am limited. People with autism are only limited by the opinions of others. I am autistic, and I won this award, and I am an example of what people with autism are capable of when you free them from the limitations of your opinions. Autism is my superpower. Thank you so much for thinking that my daddy and me made the best score."

The applause was deafening. People were on their feet cheering, and Noah was down on his knees with his arms around Maddie. Hugging her out of pride, but also grounding her with the noise.

Sophie was an emotional wreck, but she couldn't have been prouder in that very moment.

"How I love you, my darling," Sophie said under her breath as she clapped louder than anyone.

***

12 Years Later

Carnegie Hall

New York City

"Accompanying the New York Philharmonic this evening is Madeleine Cartwright Bentley, Academy Award Winner, and senior at the Juilliard School majoring in piano."

The smooth voice of the announcer sent a chill down Sophie's spine as she watched Maddie gracefully walk out onto the stage at Carnegie Hall. She was ethereal in white, with her long, strawberry blonde hair worn straight down her back. She remained calm and bowed to the audience as she received their applause, before she took her place at the enormous grand piano.

It was a huge honour for Maddie to be invited to play at Carnegie Hall. And naturally, the entire family had flown out for it. She and Noah were flanked either side by Maddie's two younger sisters. Lena was ten years old and had been born the year before Noah and Sophie had finally gotten married.

Maddie had adored Lena when she had been born and thought that she was quite the best thing since sliced bread. Lena, in turn, idolised Maddie, and quite often stated that Maddie was who she wanted to be when she grew up. Lena thought that Maddie walked on water, and everything that she did was about the coolest thing ever.

Sophie supposed that Googling your older sister and finding hundreds of articles professing how amazing she was did pretty much confirm that. Lena was sitting forward in her chair, gripping the chair in front of her as she stared at Maddie in wonder.

Lena was taking piano lessons, only she was taking a little while longer to pick it up than Maddie and her dad. Penny, their five-year-old, was taking lessons, too. She had progressed as far as chopsticks and enjoyed beating the keys. Maddie had about freaked when she had seen this and had to have the conversation with her that Noah had given Maddie years earlier. A Steinway was a holy instrument, especially the one that had been so painstakingly repaired by Noah and John.

Joy and John, Haley, Mark, and their two children, Casey, Vanessa and Tally, and their son, were all sitting in their row, watching on at Maddie with pure pride.

Keith, Maureen, and even Beck were here somewhere as well. Sophie was sure that she would see them after the performance. Noah had flown them over. Sophie did not count them as family, or even friends, really, but they had managed to develop a civil relationship over the years. Beck had matured, and as far as Sophie knew, he had never engaged in any behaviour resembling the fight that he'd had once had with Noah. He was in a stable relationship now. He didn't have children, and Sophie didn't think he ever would. He wasn't interested in being a father, but he did care about Maddie, and he made efforts to take an interest in her life. Maddie thought of him like a distant relation. Her father was Noah. He was the one she called "Daddy".

Sophie and Maddie still flew over to England once a year for a visit, as well as to indulge in all things wonderful about home.

It was during these visits that she had started to see her parents again. Like with Beck's family, Sophie didn't count them as close relations, friends, or otherwise, but she didn't want to reject them as they had her. The publicity surrounding Maddie, and Sophie's acting and theatre career over the years, had brought them right back under the noses of her mum and dad.

They had tea one afternoon each year. It had become a routine. They didn't talk during the year. There were no phone calls or emails. Just tea. A few hours to catch up, before they saw each other again the next year. Sophie had invited them to Maddie's performance as well, but she didn't know if they were in the audience.

Maddie was performing Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2. It was one of Noah's very favourite pieces and was nearly forty minutes in length. The moment Maddie put her fingers to the keys and began to expertly play the complex composition, Sophie was captivated.

But she was so often captivated. Maddie was extraordinary and had not met a hurdle that she could not jump in her twenty-two years. Lena wanted to be like Maddie when she grew up. Hell, so did Sophie.

She listened in awe, and the moment she played the final note, Sophie stood up, along with the rest of the audience, and applauded. Sophie looked up at Noah with tears in her eyes. He was as proud as punch, cheering on his eldest daughter like any doting dad would. God, Sophie adored him, even if he'd started to sprout some grey hairs around his ears now.

She could still vividly remember what it was like to feel defeated, to feel as though life had won, and there was no way through the fog. How much her life, their life, had changed for the better, all because of the piano man.

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THE END!!

I hope you enjoyed this ride!! I loved writing this, and I'm so glad I finally got it down after five years. 

If you want to hear what the piano piece sounds like, I've popped a video up the top for you to check out! 

I just want to thank you all sincerely for following me here. A lot of my readers come to me for a very specific kind of book, and I know that a modern day story isn't always everyone's cup of tea. But thank you for letting me go where the inspiration goes, and filling each chapter with beautiful, uplifting and positive comments. 

I READ EVERY ONE!!! 

I seriously do. I read every single comment on any of my books. Whatever you write, I see it, and I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. You guys make me smile so much, and I honestly wouldn't still be writing if it weren't for you. I would have given it up a long time ago. 

But I am heading back to my roots next. We're heading back to 1800s England. I have the prologue written ... just toying as to whether to post it now?!

Okay, if you're reading this and I've only just posted it, give me like ten minutes. 

But if it's been a little while, the prologue of A SOLEMN PROMISE is up now!! 

If you're curious as to what the story will be about ---- here's the synopsis!

As Lord Adam Beresford left Ashwood, Hertfordshire for the training and education of a gentleman, he promised to return and marry his childhood best friend, and the only girl he could see himself marrying, Grace Denham.

Neither of them foresaw that it would be twelve years until they would meet again.

A lot has changed in that time, and their lives are vastly different. Adam became a gentleman, and everything that the heir to a Dukedom ought to be. Grace remained in Ashwood and became a housemaid to support her family.

But as their lives intertwine once more, their childhood promise bubbles to the surface, throwing their lives, the lives of their families, and the village of Ashwood into chaos.

I'm excited! I hope you are too!

As always, vote and comment, and come see me in my next book xxx