On Wings of Song
By Mary Burchell
Although Caroline had a lovely voice and would have very much liked to become a professional singer, she had always put her feelings second to the talent and ambition of her beloved cousin Jeremy, who was going to become a singer himself.
But when she accompanied Jeremy for moral support, when her cousin went to audition for Sir Oscar Warrender, the great conductor said firmly, ‘It’s the girl who interests me,’ – and before Caroline knew where she was, she had been launched on a musical career of her own.
But how was Jeremy going to feel about it all?
Mary Burchell was the pen name of Ida Cook (1904-1986). With her eldest sister Mary Louise Cook, she attended the Duchess’ School in Alnwick. Together, the sisters helped 29 Jews to escape from the Nazis, funded mainly by Ida’s writing. In 1965, the Cook sisters were honored as Righteous Gentiles by the Yad Vashem Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Authority in Israel. Mary Burchell published more than 125 romance novels in total and helped found the Romantic Novelists’ Association, standing as its president from 1966 until her death.