The Speaking Stones — Sara Cardiff

Dany's marriage to the legendary Austrian composer Stefan Brandt had transported her to the empyrean heights of the music world. It was a marked contrast with her life as a struggling young coloratura soprano. Everybody admired and loved the extraordinary Stefan whose vigor so belied his years that few could remember or believe if they did -how old he really was. His ardor with his young wife, his overflowing musical genius, the packed concerts, and the glamorous trips gave Dany the kind of life she had always dreamed of.

Or so she thought, until she discovered that she was going to bear Stefan's child. Why should this forthcoming happy event cast a pall over her? Did she resent giving up her own career? Was it the miasma of fear that shrouded the hills above Stefan's beautiful but lonely house on the edge of the California desert, the hills where Dany loved to walk until she heard about their dread secret? Was it the boredom of staying home with the housekeeper, while Stefan continued his busy international round of concerts and performances?