JUSTIN-  (Upon seeing Bette at his office threshold)  "Hey there.  Care for an aperitif before we go?"

BETTE-  "Sure."  (Justin walks over to the huge wall unit in his office.  He unlocks the panels and opens them to reveal a wealthy stash of fine spirits and chocolates.  Bette is astounded.)

JUSTIN-  "Welcome, to my little kingdom!  Hmmmm.it seems Ms. Abigail has been visiting lately!"  (He looks at Bette and smiles.)  "I only let HER have access, with the only other key.  I let her indulge herself a little, particularly on days when I've been overly prolific on dictation!  Better get on her good sideshe shares sometimes, though it's only permitted with the higher ranking staff and board members.  You do qualify you know!"  (He pours her a drink.)  "Try this.  And have a taste of the Belgian chocolateit's divine!"

BETTE-  "This is incredible.  Mmmmmm."  (Justin looks at Bette carefully.)

JUSTIN-  "Madam Director, is everything alright?"

BETTE-  "Yeswhy do you ask?"

JUSTIN-  "Your eyesthey look tired, to say the least."

BETTE-  "Long day I guess.  I had to read an awful lot of material today."

JUSTIN-  "I know what you mean, that can get painful."

BETTE-  "Yes, yes it can."

JUSTIN-  "Well, shall we?  The concert is at Carnegie Hall.  After the show we'll go back stage and see my sister.  Perhaps we'll go for drinks.  She's a wild one.  I'm the boring one in the family you see." 

BETTE-  "Ah, I thought there was something peculiar about you."  (He smiles, they chuckle, and leave the gallery.  They hail a cab.  During the cab ride, Bette seems distracted.  She's gazing out the window, viewing the New York City streets and pedestrians as Justin glimpses at her, wondering what has captured her attention.  Finally, she turns to him.)  "So, is everything going well for the benefactor's dinner?"

JUSTIN-  "Yes, I think we'll have a great turn out this year.  You'll be coming, of course?"

BETTE-  "Yes, of course."

JUSTIN-  "Give Abigail your confirmation in case I forget and let her know if you're bringing a guest."

BETTE-  "No, no guest."

JUSTIN-  "Well, it's a while yet before the event.  Perhaps that will change?"  (He smiles.)

BETTE-  (She starts off with a brief smile, looks out the window, and responds.)  "No, I don't expect that will change any time soon."  (She sort of snaps out of it, thinking she doesn't want to seem too 'heavy' to Justin, and changes her tone.)  "Well, never say never I suppose!  We'll see."  (And she smiles.  Justin smiles back, but gazes at her as she looks away.  He's concerned about her.  He had heard the rumors about her personal life, and he hoped that she wasn't as unhappy as he suspected.  He hoped that would change with her new life and work at the gallery, with which he already had occasion to be impressed, even in her first few days.  Even Miranda, who was a perfectionist, was very pleased with her work and vision for the gallery.)

JUSTIN-  "Here we are."  (He pays the cabby, and they exit, standing in front of the great hall.)  "Do you know of Elgar's cello concerto?"

BETTE-  "Yes, I think I do."

JUSTIN-  "Well, when it's live, in concert, it's fabulous.  The cellist who performs the solo is, as I understand it, sensational."

BETTE-  "I can't wait."  (They enter and make their way to the seats.  It was close to the start of the concert.  As they took their seats, in the first few rows, the lights signaled the start of the concert.  The music began and Bette's struggle to focus suddenly became easier as she let the sounds flirt with her senses and sustain her attention.  She shut down her mind's eye, and focused, both in sight and sound, on the orchestra and its pervasive music.  The time flew and then it came time for the signature piece.  Justin leaned in)

JUSTIN-  "Here it is, Elgar's cello concerto."  (Bette nodded.  The show now focused on the cellist, a woman in a black gown with flowing her, caressing her cello in front of her.  She was seated near the conductor, whom Bette hadn't noticed until now.  The conductor's back was obviously turned for the most part to the audience, and Bette hadn't looked when this wasn't the case.  The cellist caught her attention.  This musician was elegant, had a presence, and as she began the thunderous beginning to this main piece, she seemed to commence a very intense musical conversation with the conductor.  The maestro had what appeared to be longer black hair, of an unruly sort, that flew here and there with the motions of the conductor's arms that seemed to beckon to the cellist, replying to her musical intonations and directing her in every movement, facial expression, and passionate striking of the bow along the cello's strings.  There appeared to be a dialogue of great intensity as the musical piece underwent its various cyclical movements, crescendos and melancholy yet intense notes.  The cellist seemed to move her bow with greater passion as the piece progressed, and intensified with every responding gesture of the conductor's arms.  Bette noticed the handsthe maestro's hands seemed to almost tremble in their extended motions of musical direction as the fingers twitched and outstretched, and ordered the cellist to come hither, and then pushed her waves of musical incantations away.  And the music itselfit was engaging Bette in a conversation of its own.  Watching the beautiful cellist adore and adorn her instrument, joust with the conductor in an unspoken tirade, and rise and fall with the musical notes, Bette was captivated and takentaken elsewhere, taken with the music and the ravishing sounds emanating from that stage and that particular cello.  The jousting between the cellist and her maestro almost seemed like an unbelievable rendition of lovemakingdistracting as well as enthrallingmesmerizing and, for Bette, almost arousing.  After the climax of the musical piece, she found herself breathing again, and coming down from the oddest sort of high as the end of the music neared and then triggered applause.  In this case, it became an ovation.  The maestro gestured to the beautiful cellist, who then reciprocated with her elegant arm and hand.  Finally, a glimpse of the maestro as she faced the audiencea woman in black with a white streak in her dark hair.  Now, the maestro descending her podium and gently lifting the cellist's hand, she brought her to the fore of the stage as they both reveled in the applause with their demure bows to the grateful and still captivated audience.  Justin, while clapping, leaned in)

JUSTIN-  "Isn't she amazing?"  (Bette nodded hoping that his sister was the cellistand then wondering whether the conductor, a maestro with an intense presence, was this ravishing beauty's muse.)  "Let's go, we'll go backstage and we'll see Lily."  (The two slowly worked they way through the crowd.  After a while, they made their way backstage, to a common area.  Justin spoke to a stagehand who then led them to a private dressing room area.)  "We'll just wait here and she'll come out."