London
Erik and Elisbeth left Paris and went to London. There they were greeted by Kristina Nilsson Casa de Miranda, now one of the leading sopranos at Covent Garden, and by her husband Armand. They checked in at a hotel for the time being. Kristina introduced them to the management of the opera, Elisabeth got a contract as a singer and Erik was to be advisor to the manager and also work as composer.
Since it was still summer, Elisabeth, Erik, Kristina and Armand went to the seaside at Bournemouth where they had a pleasant time. One day as Elisabeth and Kristina walked along the beach a strong wind blew Elisabeths hat away. A young man ran after it and managed to catch it. He introduced himself as Charles Hargate, journalist. Later in the evening Charles and his female companion, Eleanor May, introduced themselves telling they were colleagues at the same newspaper. Later they met a couple of times during their stay. Erik told them that he wore a mask because of a bad sunburn. He warned Elisabeth not to speak too much to journalists.
In the autumn when the season had begun Charles turned up at the opera explaining that he was writing a series of articles about the life of a young opera singer. So he had an excuse to meet with Elisabeth often. Soon he began to court her. She became fond of and impressed by the young man, and began to have feelings for him. Erik saw it coming, he and Elisabeth had a long talk about their relation and decided to split up. They still stayed at the hotel, but in separate rooms.
Erik was sad, went home to his friends Kristina and Armand and spent the evening drinking. Then he buried himself in work for a period, composing a new opera and some songs to the poems of Oscar Wilde. Elisabeth and Charles were often seen in each other's company, no longer hiding their love. Charles colleague Eleanor tried to become friends with Elisabeth and asked questions about Erik, in whom she was interested. Seeing him still wearing a mask she understood it was not because of sunburn.
Later in the autumn there was a guest performance from the Moscow opera ballet and Erik and Kristina went to see it one evening. They played the Swan Lake. Erik immediately recognized the leading female dancer, Anna, who he had met at Bolsjoj. After the performance he went to her dressing room. He knocked at the door and she said "come in" in English. He closed the door quietly. Their eyes met in the mirror. She grew pale. "Erik, I knew you would come. I have missed you so." She turn around. Her long blond hair fell down her shoulders and she smiled as she looked at him. She looked so young and fragile, though he knew this was deceiving, she had much strength in her. She rose, a little hesitating, then came up to him, not longer shy, put her arms around his neck, removed his mask and kissed him. At first calmly but then more intense. She caressed his shoulders and he touched her arms. She leaned her head against his chest and tears came to her eyes. "I thought I could forget you" she said. "I missed you so much, and it hurt. Finally I thought I had gotten over you. But when I learned that the ballet was going to London and I knew you were here, I felt I had to come too." She looked up at him and didn't want to let go of him. "Have you thought of me?" He smiled just a little and shook his head. "I haven't had the time. It was not until I heard that the Bolsjoj ballet was coming I wondered if you were with them." He withdraw from the embrace. She returned to her dressing table. "So much has happened since we were in Moscow" he said. "We have been to Vienna, Bern , Paris and now London, and I have composed a new opera." – "You must tell me everything" she said. "Can we meet more these few days? We stay for a week. Couldn't you show me London tomorrow? Or what will Elisabeth say?" Erik looked down. "She will say nothing. We have… we are no longer engaged." Anna quickly turned around. "You broke up? Was it she? No, I will not ask. It means you are free now.." – "Don't expect anything. I don't want to get involved again. " – "But go sightseeing with me, would you like that?" – "I would like it very much!"
Erik put his work aside for a week and went sightseeing with Anna in London. She was very chique in her light green dress. The weather was still nice and they strolled along the pond in Hyde park. She took his hand and he let her do so. He told her all that had happened since they left Moscow. He visited most of her performances, one day accompanied by Kristina. Another day Elisabeth and Charles came. The last day of their visit was a Sunday. They walked along the banks of the Thames. "I have tried not to think of it" she said. " but soon I will have to go away again. Perhaps I could stay, but what would I do? But it will be worse to leave now, much worse."
The last performance was Swan Lake and Kristina, Armand, Elisabeth, Charles and Erik attended it. Afterwards he came to her dressing room again. "There will be a small party at our hotel. Will you accompany me?" she asked. He did, and they participated for a while, having some champagne. "I will go to my room" she said. "Please come in a while, so we can say goodbye alone." She told him her room number. Erik hesitated but came. The door was not locked but he knocked slightly. The light was soft in the room. She was now dressed in a white swan-down negligé leaving her shoulders bare. She offered him a glass of champagne. They cheered and drank quietly. "I have said this before" she said "when we now part we will not see each other for a long time, maybe never." She let her hands slide up his chest and round his neck and he put his arms around her. She took off his mask and kissed him. Her hands trembling she began to remove his cravat and unbutton his shirt. "At last I will get what you have denied me before" she whispered. She led him towards her bed. He took of his jacket and opened her negligé. "You are very beautiful" he said softly. She pressed his face against her breasts and they fell down on the bed.
Next morning he woke up at her side. She caressed his chest. "Darling Erik. I don't want to leave you now, but I have to. I think it was the whole idea." He touched her cheek with his fingers. "My beautiful Anna. Thank you for tonight. It will be a wonderful memory. But you should not stay. We will meet again." He twisted a ringlet of her blond hair between his fingers. So young… she should go home and find herself a younger man to share her life with..
Later he accompanied her to the railway station. He kissed her hand and she tried to keep her tears back. "I hope we will meet again. Au revoir" – "I will write" she said. When the train had left he returned to his hotel room and played the piano. Was it wrong of him to let her go? She could not have stayed, he had nothing to offer her. In a couple of weeks she would beome no more than a pleasant memory.
But the week with Anna had given Erik a new taste for life. "It's good to see you happy again" Kristina said.
There was some trouble with rival parties at the Covent garden and some events happened when Erik's new opera "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (after Victor Hugo's novel) was performed, and Elisabeth was slightly injured, but the problems were solved. Eleanor, who had become friends with Elisabeth, as she and her colleague and friend Charles were almost inseparable, liked to talk with her about Erik, and Elisabeth told her the real reason why he wore a mask. Malvolent persons spread a rumour that Erik was the infamous Phantom of the Paris opera, but no one believed them. Eleanor was intrested in the story too, and one day she brought up the question with Erik. They hade come on friendly terms and he thought he could jest with her. He told her a story that he had lived in Paris under another name and once, after the night when mlle Daée and her vicount had fled from the Phantom, he, Erik had gone down into the cavern, met the Phantom and fought him, and so he had got his scar. Eleanor was a bit intimidated but then she said "I don't believe you". She reached out her hand towards his face. "Are you prepared?" he asked her and removed his mask. She stared, incredulous but controlled. He put the mask back. "You don't know what to believe? Can't you let life keep its mysteries, miss May?" She rose. "You know very well that I have surrendered to you, mr Leroux. I don't want to hurt you in any way." He rose and she went up to him. "If you would like my company anytime, call me." She lifted her hand and touched his cheek, then she went to the door, a little ashamed. "I will" he said. "Perhaps we will meet again soon." He thought he could trust her not to write anything unfavourable about him. But this was due to her feelings rather than to her intelligence.
Elisabeth suspected that Eleanor was interested in Erik in a romantic way, but she couldn't notice any response from him. Now he fully concentrated on composing.