Good News
Nadir listened to what the peddler was telling him. He nodded, and then reached into his pocket for a couple of coins and dropped them into his informant's hands "Thank you, Pierre" he said, kindly. "Useful information, as always." Pierre grinned at Nadir, displaying a mostly toothless smile, and then turned and disappeared down the alleyway behind Nadir's home.
"Erik will be glad of this news," Nadir thought to himself, and without further ado, he wrapped a scarf about his neck, stuck his beloved astrakhan hat on his head at a jaunty angle, and went to the stable to get ask the groom to saddle Amir, his grey stallion. He would be taking a little trip into the French countryside, so, he also had his cook pack him a basket with sandwiches and a rather nice wine. No reason to go hungry while traveling.
Just about dusk, Nadir arrived at the town of Bon Chance, and followed the road to Erik and Christine's lovely cottage. And Rafe's, too. He mustn't forget the reason for his journey.
Shadow, Erik's cat, arched his back at Amir's approach and darted around the back towards the rose garden. Erik's stable hand came out and accepted Amir's reins and led the horse to the stables, while Nadir approached the front walkway. Before he could knock, the door was flung open and Rafe stood smiling up at him. "Monsieur Nadir!" he cried, and stepped forward to embrace their dearest friend! Nadir beamed at the boy and patted him on the shoulder. "You have grown since I last saw you. If you are not careful, you'll be as tall as the Opera Ghost. A frightening thought, don't you think?"
Erik stepped out from behind the door, smiling sardonically, "Only for dwarves of your caliber", he snorted. Then, he clapped a hand on Nadir's shoulder, "Just in time for dinner, old friend. I'll have Charlotte, our maid, make up the guest room for you, as well. So, what brings you to our humble home? "
Nadir glanced at Rafe. Erik, getting his meaning, shooed Rafe off to find Christine, who was in the music room, practicing a new aria he'd written for her.
"The Gypsy travelers are camped just outside the city in the same place where you rescued Rafe, three years ago. The girl, Ginger, has been spotted, singing and dancing with several musicians, for coins. She, herself, is not a gypsy. Did you know that?"
Erik brightened at the news. "Well, I gathered from what Rafe was able to remember that she herself had run away from an orphan home and joined the travelers. I believe she is married one of the men from the group."
They went inside, where Christine was just coming to greet him with Rafe at her side, her arm around him. "Nadir! What a wonderful surprise!" she let go of Rafe and moved forward to embrace him. They all proceeded into the parlor, while the cook set out a scrumptious dinner of roast chicken and vegetables from their own garden.
When they had finished, Erik sent Rafe off to his room to study his astronomy for an hour or so until dessert. When he had departed, Erik relayed Nadir's news to Christine.
"That is good news, Erik. But, still, I am not sure how we can help her. Will she want to leave the people who have been her family? Her experience is far different from yours or even Rafe's. We cannot presume she needs to be rescued. But I do think, tomorrow, you and Nadir should go into Paris and find her, and talk to her. We owe her so much for her protection of Raphael."
They took dessert into the music room, where Christine and Rafe entertained their guest with some of the things that Rafe had learned on the piano. Then Erik joined them and played his violin so beautifully that Nadir pulled out his handkerchief and wiped his eyes and then, for good measure, blew his nose.
The next morning, they saddled up their horses and set out for Paris. Once there, they stabled them at Nadir's and took a carriage to the outskirts of the city, where the gypsies performed in a nearby park. Erik remembered just where he had stood the day he first laid eyes on Raphael, and how, immediately, he could tell the boy was afraid, and probably abused.
He looked at the performers, over the head of the crowd, as he was tall enough, and could make out the red hair, and then the pretty face beneath it. She was indeed a lovely young woman. She was dressed in purple and gold velvet and she rattled a tambourine and danced nimbly about the musicians set around her, then she broke into a haunting gypsy song. Erik recognized some of the words. It was about lost love and how the sun would still shine but not in the heart of the singer. Or words to that effect. He was impressed.
When she had finished, she snatched a hat from one of the musicians and made her way through the crowd, collecting coins, and smiling at those who gave them to her…until she came face to face with the tall masked man. She stood there, frozen, for a moment. "I know you," she breathed. "I know what you did for my little Raphael. You set him free. I saw you that night. "
Erik stared at her.
"I wanted to thank you. For Raphael. For me. Really, for all of us." She nodded behind her. "Things have been much better for everyone without that brute, Eduardo. No one, but me, ever saw you. They were sure it was a ghost. Perhaps it was, Monsieur. I couldn't say."
Erik glanced at Nadir, who stood a little ways behind him.
"My wife and I adopted Raphael." He spoke softly, "He told us all that you did for him. We would like to repay your kindness. We would like to meet with you in private." Again, he looked to Nadir, who reached into his cloak and presented a paper card with his name and address printed upon it. "Take this, and if you are able, come to Monsieur Nadir's house in the city and we will discuss some things with you."
Ginger took the card and looked puzzled for a moment. "You want to thank me?"
Erik and Nadir both nodded.
"I see." She took the card and slipped it into her blouse. "I will see what I can do. My husband is quite busy, now that he runs the camp. He is a kind man. He listens to the concerns of our people. He won't notice if I'm not there for a couple of hours. We will be camped here through the week."
And with that, she smiled shyly at the two men and danced her way back through the crowd and towards her friends.
"She is charming" Nadir smiled. "Whatever she wants to do, I am sure the world will open a path for her to follow."
Erik, feeling hopeful for the first time since his quest to find Rafe's champion, nodded in agreement. Then the two men made their way back to the carriage and to Nadir's home where they would wait to see if the girl would make an appearance and then whether she might accept the reward they wanted to offer. The reward of a fresh start and a new beginning.