Thank you all for the encouraging reviews. There will be lots of stuff happening in the next few chapters, so stay tuned…
Erik and I were still for a fraction of a moment, then Erik leapt up the stairs, taking them by threes, and I hurriedly followed after him. I came to the conclusion that Charles must have brought her upstairs since out last visit nearly nine months ago. I caught up with Erik, nearly running into him because he was stopped cold in the doorway. I peered around him to get a glance at Marianna, and I gasped quietly.
She was pale, as if all the blood had been drained from her and you could see the white of her bones. She was astoundingly thin; it looked as if her skin were just hanging from her skeleton. Her eyes were half open, and her breathing was shallow and slow. I didn't think I had ever seen a sicklier person in my life.
Except once, when Daddy was sick. I felt bile rise up in my throat, and I gagged slightly at the thought. I had trained myself for years not to think of him on his death bed, and remember him how he was. But this scene before me brought it all back in waves—his racking, moist cough, his sunken cheeks and grayish pallor. He would sweat profusely and claim to be cold. It nearly killed me to see him like that, and it very nearly broke me seeing Marianna was in the same state.
Erik had moved to his mother's bedside and was stroking her hand tenderly. I remained in the doorway, frozen with shock. I felt Charles come and stand beside me; heard him sigh.
"Is there anything to be done?" I whispered.
"No, the doctors don't know what ails her," he said, voice cracking.
"My father had this same sickness…" I murmured, staring at the floor. "The doctors couldn't help him, either." I could see that Erik was listening to the conversation, though his attentions were on his mother.
"I am sorry," Charles said, his voice cracking.
"Do not be sorry. It was many years ago," I said quietly. After a moment, I went and stood next to Erik, and I saw Marianna's eyelids flutter.
"Eh….ree….k," Marianna was struggling to talk, and Erik tried to silence her, but she ignored him. "Ah…luh…vuh….oo." She took a shaky breath and looked at me, then back to Erik. "Oo… tuh...reet…er…ite." I felt tears well up in my eyes; Marianna was slipping away. I saw Charles come to the other side of the bed and kiss Marianna's forehead.
"Don't push yourself, Mar," he murmured. "I don't want you getting any worse."
"Cha…ls… Ah… luh…vuh…oo." And she exhaled, and didn't inhale again.
Erik let out a choked sob, and I pulled him into a hug, pressing his face into my collarbone. "Oh, Erik," I murmured. "Shhh."
I glanced over and saw Charles close Marianna's unseeing eyes and took a step back, taking a breath that was shaky with emotion. I gave him a sad smile, and Rubbed Erik's back. Erik pulled away from me reluctantly, reaching for a handkerchief he kept in his pocket.
"I'll leave you two and make some coffee. I'll come get you when it's done," I murmured, gathering up my skirts and heading down the stairs. I went into the kitchen and braced my hands against the counter and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself. I stood there for a moment, trying to compose myself a little. I started grounding the coffee, setting out three mugs while it brewed. I flicked tears from my eyes and poured the coffee.
I hadn't known Marianna all that well, but I had liked her immensely, and my grief was magnified at the thought of the pain that Erik must be going through. To find you mother, regain her love, only to lose her again would be painful, and would likely make anyone bitter.
I quickly brushed the thought from my mind and put the mugs on a tray. I attempted to glance outside to see what the weather was like, in the hopes that if it were pleasant out, it would ease the pain, but the curtains were drawn. I drew back a drape to look, only to have my hopes dashed. It was pouring outside, and I sighed resignedly. How fitting. I chided myself. This was not the time for irony or sarcasm. I picked up the tray, and was about to head upstairs with it, when there was a sharp rap at the door.
I quickly hurried to it; whoever was out there would not want to be kept waiting, considering the weather. I opened it, and someone, multiple someone's, burst through the door.
"Charles!" Damn it, it was Jacques.
"Keep your voice down!" I said sharply, and Jacques and Lynnette both turned to me in surprise. "Charles and his son are deep in grief, and your bellowing will not help it… Marianna has passed," I said, my voice cracking. "You have gotten here too late, I'm afraid. But if you will dry yourselves, I'll make you coffee." I sniffled. I could plainly see that Jacques was fuming, but was, at least, being considerate of Charles.
Father and son were downstairs quickly enough, and I handed them each their mug. Charles murmured an incoherent thank you, and Erik just touched my shoulder lightly in appreciation. I could feel him glaring at Jacques, and I hurriedly went into the kitchen and poured two more mugs of coffee, handing one to Jacques and the other to Lynnette. Lynnette smiled appreciatively, while Jacques just grunted. I was about ready to slap that man. Although, I noted with satisfaction that his jaw was sufficiently swollen from the punch Erik landed on him.
"I'm sorry, Charles," Lynnette said quietly. "We would have gotten here sooner if we had known…" she let the sentence trail off. Charles nodded.
"I'm sure you would have," he whispered. "How is little Alphonse?" he asked; clearly he didn't want to talk about his wife's death.
"He is much better, thank you. It turned out to be just a cold." As she said this, she hoisted the babe farther up on her hip.
There was an awkward silence in the room, and then Charles spoke again, "So, I presume you all know each other?" There was an uncomfortable shift in the room and everyone just nodded silently. "So… then Erik, I presume you know that Jacques is your cousin?" Charles didn't sound particularly enthusiastic about the fact.
"Yes," Erik said, clearing his throat, "I had come to that conclusion."
"Good," was all Charles said, "You all must excuse me, I have certain preparations that have to be made." There was a murmur of assent from everyone present, and Charles put on his jacket and headed out the door.
As soon as it clicked, Erik and Jacques were at each other's throats.
"You would have the gall to come here, Jacques, after how you insulted me?"
"Yes, I would, because I'm here to support Charles, and he also promised me his estate once Marianna passed."
"You ignorant liar. My father would never give everything material he owns to someone such as you. He would just as soon give it to the needy!" There was a noise outside, and Lynnette and I both motioned for them to quiet, and a moment later, Charles came back through the door, grabbed his hat, and left again. We all watched anxiously as the door clicked shut again.
"And how would you know? You haven't been around him but once since your adulthood!"
"Perhaps not, but I know him well enough to know that you lie!" Lynnette and I slowly started backing out of the room and into the music room. As soon as I, Lynnette, and the baby were all in, I quickly shut the door, and it muffled the noise considerably.
"Well," she said, sitting down. "That was tense." We both laughed. Despite Erik and Jacques' evident dislike of one another, Lynnette and I got along well.
"Yes," I agreed, "I'm glad to be out of there… So, his name's Alphonse?" Lynnette beamed.
"Yes, and he's quite the little man." She smiled at me and started bouncing him on her knee. "So are you and Erik expecting?" I nearly choked on my coffee.
"Uh, no. No. We're not even married yet, Lynnette." I smiled and her, and we both chuckled.
"I just assumed you were," she said, "Given the air that seems to surround you two." I looked at her curiously, and she explained, "There's just a familiarity there, like you have known each other for so long. There's a deep connection there." I smiled gratefully.
"Yes, Erik and I have known each other for about nine years now," I said, "So we've had quite some time to become familiar with one another."
"if you've known each other for nine years, why did you wait so long to become engaged?" she asked, laying down Alphonse on a sofa for his nap.
"Erik is rather… shy," I said, sitting on the piano stool. "And very afraid of rejection."
"Well, I'm glad he found someone like you," Lynnette said decisively. "You two deserve each other." I glanced at her for any hint of animosity, but found none.
"Yes, well, I wish I could say the same for you and Jacques," I replied honestly. "But he doesn't deserve you."
"Well, I appreciate that, anyway," Lynnette said, giving me a pained smile.
"Is something the matter?" I asked, furrowing my brow.
"No. Yes. No, there isn't." I raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't say anything.
"Jacques and I are having… financial difficulties right now. He can't find work, not since the Opera burnt down. He was a patrolman at night there." I looked up at her.
"He was? Erik and I worked there, too," I said quietly. "But I doubt that Jacques would know Erik."
"There is… something that I don't understand, Christine," she admitted. I motioned her to continue, and she did, saying, "I was under the impression that you were engaged to Monsieur Petit?"
"Oh, that. That is still Erik, but Anton Petit is his stage name. He was looking for something a little more French. He thought that the public would receive him better."
Lynnette nodded. "That makes sense. We French aren't overly fond of strangers." I smiled, and refrained from mentioning that I was Swedish.
Lynnette and I waited out the storm, and eventually Jacques came into the room, upon which I promptly left. I went looking for Erik, and found him unconscious on the floor with a knife sticking out of his shoulder. "Erik!"
Dun dun dun! I just totally decided to throw that in there at the last second for drama. I mean, it's pretty obvious who stabbed him, but Jacques I decided to make him meaner than originally intended. Hope you enjoyed, and don't forget to review. Oh my god. I just totally lost all of my chapters. I have no clue what happened, but they disappeared from my computer. They're not even in the recycle bin, for pete's sake! AUGH! Wah!
