CHAPTER 11
BAE’S FARNBOROUGH HEADQUARTERS, HAMPSHIRE
Percival stood enchanted outside Qamar’s door. His extensive knowledge of classical music would have made him a prime candidate to win Mastermind back in its heyday. It was no difficult exercise to recognise La Campanella from the Grandes études de Paganini – famous for being one of the most intricate pieces ever written for the piano. A far more arduous feat was to perform the étude, the technical demands of which included enormous jumps for the right hand played at an uncomfortably speedy tempo. Still, Qamar succeeded with an aplomb that left Percival rapt with boundless admiration. When, at last, a moment’s silence from within allowed him to knock at the door, he was scarcely mentally prepared to face his hero.
He stood speechless,
