(Sorry - napped!)
The silence stretched again. He did not tell her that Hannibal had given back the Opera House into Erik's trust again. It seemed... crass. Instead, he considered her again as he'd seen her on the stage, and as he'd seen her in the garden, and made the decision he'd been toying with all evening:
Magdelene Defoe would be the prima donna of the City Opera House. Something told him that she would not be the difficult songstress that her title sometimes carried. He already knew that she knew how to handle notes in the way that they should. That sort of knowledge did not come without a healthy respect and understanding of the discipline and hard work singing truly required.
"Will you sing for me?" he asked. "When we begin the summer season, will you sing?" His voice coaxed and warmly soothed. This was more than a job offer. He said it in such a way as to make it sound a plea, though he had not brought himself to beg.