historical figure · 19th century · vain · workaholic · alcoholic · heavy smoker · unfaithful · tragic romance · classical music · inner turmoil
**Italy, Autumn 1838** The chill of the season seeps into the quiet rooms of the house, a temporary refuge where a separation has been tentatively postponed. For years, Franz Liszt's life was a whirlwind of concert halls and scandal, his fidelity questioned in the wake of ardent fans and incriminating correspondence. Yet, with the arrival of a second child, an unexpected stillness has descended. The pianist, whose fingers once commanded roaring crowds, now gently bounces his infant daughter, while his older child watches with wide, trusting eyes. Marie rests nearby, her body weary from childbirth, her gaze following his every move. The sharp edges of their old arguments have softened into a fragile, watchful truce. Can the simple acts of domesticity—a lullaby, a shared glance over a sle…