Thank you to everyone following and favouriting my story and for all my reviews. For reviews with an account, I shall reply to each review you leave for my guests I shall add thanks at the start of each chapter.
I do not own anything by Gaston Leroux, Susan Kay or Andrew Lloyd Webber, everything else is my own work.
Atypical Architects and Nosey Neighbours
In the weeks that followed Erik threw himself into his work. When he was in the house, every meal was a battle to drag Erik away from the desk in his bedroom, Christine gave up with anything else. The only time Erik was happy to leave his work was for Christine's lessons. The days flew past, Christine's voice became the true instrument Erik had always dreamed it could be, now with no fear and only love to power it she soared. Erik found that his creative mind was seriously inspired, and spent even more time at his desk or on site; in the end Christine managed to get him to purchase a drafting table for the sitting room so she could at least see her husband when he was at home between their lessons and enforced meal times, even if it was attached to a pencil and deep in thought as he drew the plans for each stage of the refurbishment.
Three months had flown past for everyone in Paris. However, in England, the Vicomte De Changy, found that time had initially dragged by. Raoul's cousin Edward had encouraged Raoul to rest and fish and as the time went on Edward had held a ball in his cousin's honour. It was this event that had changed Raoul's outlook on life and gave him back his happy demeanour. Meredith, such a sweet lady, Edward had introduced the love lorn Vicomte to a love lorn Lady and romance had flourished slowly at first but as the days progressed Meredith had won Raoul's heart and he had won hers. Now as Raoul was preparing to return to France he had company to return with, Meredith, her mother, father and her ladies maid were coming with him to see for themselves if Raoul would be a suitable match for the Synjohn-Smyth family. Raoul with all thoughts of Christine vanished from his now love filled mind, could not be happier as he packed and his driver who had also become his valet during their time in England loaded the carriage to return to Paris, first stop the Town house, for a week then on to the Chateau. Reaching the town house, Raoul was glad he had already notified his staff of his return and the house was ready for their arrival. Once Raoul had settled his guests in the house he noticed that there was building work going on in the Castalot-Barbazac Home and excusing himself, went to investigate.
Erik was delighted when his plans for the refurbishment were accepted and with a little work he managed to locate his crew of builders from the opera house, for the wages he offered they were cautiously happy to be working for the masked man again. The work was proceeding all to Erik's specifications and precise plans. Erik was on site when an unexpected guest wandered into the house. Erik was busy explaining some details to Nadir when an annoyingly familiar voice interrupted him.
"I say hello, you two, where are the Baronne and Baronness?" Raoul asked the two men he saw standing facing away from him.
Nadir caught Erik's elbow before he could react, and both men slowly turned around.
"YOU!" Raoul shouted as he charged towards Erik,
"Erik no!" Nadir yelled, grabbing Erik's cloak as he tried to dart towards the Vicomte. The situation was saved by the appearance of the foreman of the site who grabbed the Vicomte.
ooo
Jean, Meg and Christine, walked in at this point eager to see how the refurbishment was going. The sight that met their eyes was not pretty, Nadir was struggling to hold a now growling Erik back as the site foreman was struggling to hold Raoul back.
"What on earth?" Jean asked as he looked at the scene, "What are you doing in my parent's home, upsetting their architect?" Jean asked Raoul.
"Erik! Raoul!" Christine chided as she put her hands on her hips looking none to impressed "I thought better of both of you than to consider roughhousing in a Baronne's home!"
Erik and Raoul looked sheepish at the diminutive Diva and stopped trying to get to one another, as Meg walked up beside Jean,
"Well, Vicomte, what are you doing here?" Jean asked again,
"Architect?" Raoul asked looking at Erik aghast.
"Unlike you, boy I can do more than just be a Fop!" Erik retorted.
Jean sighed "I will not ask again," he prompted,
"I saw the building work and want to know what was going on? Happy now?" Raoul answered, staring at Erik.
"Please do not stare at my husband Raoul, you damn well know that annoys him!" Christine declared haughtily. Raoul turned his stare to Christine,
"I apologise Madame Opera Ghost!" Raoul replied caustically,
"My wife is called Madame Christine Jardinier!" Erik growled
"Enough!" Meg yelled before war was declared again. "Jean this cannot go on," Meg stated.
"I agree with that, my flower," Jean replied.
Nadir released Erik and the foreman released Raoul, both men stood there and glared at each other. During the tentative verbal ceasefire,
a delicate voice speaking English, called out, "Raoul are you in here? … Raoul?"
Everyone looked around as a young woman wandered into view.
"Oh, there you are Raoul!" she declared, Raoul cleared his throat,
"Meredith my sweet, please speak French," Raoul asked her,
"Sorry, I came to see where you were as mama and papa are having a rest after travelling." She replied in French, "Who are your friends?" she asked sweetly.
Raoul was stuck, on one hand he longed to tell Meredith that Christine was the lady who broke his heart, but on the other that meant that Meredith might think he still had feelings for Christine and that would hurt his English Rose, so he smiled, coughed and was quickly trying to think what to say when Jean saved the day.
"Where are my manners?" Jean said chivalrously, "I am the Honourable Jean Castalot de Barbazac, may I introduce you to my fiancée, Mademoiselle Megan Giry and my friends Madame Christine Jardinier, Monsieur Erik Jardinier and Monsieur Nadir Khan. Raoul is my Parents neighbour and was just visiting to see how the refurbishment was going, Monsieur Jardinier is the finest Architect in all Paris and he has designed the new interior of my parent's home." Jean finished.
Raoul's smile took on a sickly hue, "My friends," he choked out, "I would like to introduce a sweet English Rose, my fiancée The Lady Meredith Synjohn-Smyth of Giggleswick.
Erik, Jean and Nadir bowed their heads politely. Finally, Meg and Christine decided they had to greet Meredith and introductions made, the three ladies started to chat.
"Wow a real Lady" Meg said, as she embraced Meredith,
"I am pleased that Raoul has friends," Meredith said as she embraced Meg who looked at Christine puzzled, "He said he had no real friends in Paris," Meredith finished.
Everyone looked at Raoul, who was blushing and looking like he either wanted to cry or run.
"Well it is true!" He snapped "The only people I spent time with were there because I am a Vicomte," he sighed, I found this out when I made a erm slight miscalculation." Raoul grimaced at the memory of La Carlotta in a wedding dress, "Then when I left for England no one bothered to write to ask what happened or if I was well. I realised that I truly had no friends." Raoul walked over to Meredith and took her hand, Jean walked over to Erik and Nadir, Meg and Christine joined them.
"Do you think?" Jean started,
"No absolutely not!" Erik whispered vehemently,
"Erik you are not being fair!" Christine whispered back,
"Do you really think he was being fair the last time we met?" Erik growled at her,
"Erik," Christine spoke quietly "I remember how horrible you were when you thought you had no friends, there were times you were not fair either, a friendless man is an unfair creature indeed."
Erik thought for a moment about how much all he craved was to have friends and how horrid it was that no one wanted to know him, he then looked around at the friends he had and realised that he did indeed have more than the Vicomte, he had something Raoul did not, something that even a handsome face could not earn on its own, he had friends who cared for him and a wife who loved him with all her heart. He smiled, "Very well," Christine threw her arms around him and kissed his masked cheek. Jean walked back over to the Vicomte and Meredith,
"Raoul, we are your friends if you want real friends," Jean held out his hand, Raoul shook Jean's hand,
"It seems I have friends in Paris," he declared. Meredith kissed Raoul's cheek,
"I had better get back, Mama and Papa will be worried if we are both gone when they awaken."
With that, smiling as she bid the friends goodbye she left. The tension in the air grew rapidly,
"This is silly!" Meg declared, Jean thought for a moment as Raoul and Erik began to glare at each other again.
"Stop it the pair of you!" Christine yelled,
"Raoul, you seem to have gotten over the loss of Christine to Erik, so what are you sore at him for?" Jean asked the Vicomte,
"He, err showed me up!" Raoul hotly replied.
"Erik, Raoul is no longer a threat, so what is your issue with him?" Jean then asked the glaring former Phantom, Erik sighed and looked down, running his hands through his wig,
"I have to admit, I have no issue with him anymore," Erik replied as he looked up and approached Raoul holding out his hand.
"Truce?" Erik asked Raoul who looked at the group of faces staring at him, Raoul blew out a deep breath,
"Truce," he replied shaking Erik's hand. Everybody else sighed,
"Vicomte," Erik started, "I think that I need to introduce you to my friend and conscience, Nadir Khan maybe he can help you as much as he has helped me," Erik said as he motioned for Nadir to step forward.
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance Vicomte," Nadir said as he held his hand out to Raoul, "I think we should walk and chat" Nadir told him, "Let me show you the rest of the design," Nadir finished as he placed his hand on Raoul's arm to guide him. Raoul turned to Erik,
"I really did think I could save the little Lotte from my childhood," Raoul explained looking directly at Erik, "I forgot that we all grow up and change, Christine really does truly love you, and now I have found true love in Meredith, I can now see that Christine loved me only as a friend and safe harbour, never as a man, a mate, that was yours all along. I realise that maybe too, I have now grown up. Thank you for not killing me."
With that Raoul turned with Nadir and both men went off to chat. Erik stood there his mouth open, a shocked expression in his eyes.
"Erik?" Christine asked, "Erik?"
"Humm?" Erik replied as he closed his mouth and looked at Christine,
"Are you alright?" She asked as she placed her hand on his arm,
"Just shocked!" Erik replied,
Jean looked at Meg and made a decision, "Since I am the client's representative, Erik are you really needed on site for the rest of the day?" Jean asked,
"No, not really, I just need to check everything is going to plan," Erik softly replied, Jean turned to the Foreman who was standing like a statue and trying to blend in to the background,
"Is everything going according to Monsieur Jardinier's plans?" He asked,
"Yes," the foreman replied,
"Good, Erik I say that you take the rest of the day off and I shall take us all out to lunch, Monsieur Foreman please tell the Daroga when he gets back that we have gone to my favourite restaurant 'La Vert Mere', for lunch, we will see him there." With that the friends turned and left.
ooo
Nadir entered the restaurant just as Drinks were served and sitting at the table he smiled, "What?" He asked, Erik was staring at him as the waiter placed an iced tea beside him,
"Well what did you talk to the fop about?" Erik asked,
"Well for one thing he does not like you calling him a fop!" Nadir replied,
"I do not like him calling me a monster," Erik retorted quietly,
"Well I have made the Vicomte agree that he will not insult you in anyway if you do not insult him, also he told me the reason he thinks he has no friends is because…" Nadir was interrupted by Jean,
"Because he is rude and insensitive, most of my misery started because everyone wanted to follow the Fop!" Jean stated, memories of social humiliation started by Raoul fresh in his mind.
"I was going to say," Nadir continued, "Because he had had no one to teach him how to be a real gentleman so he behaved the way he thought aristocrats should," Nadir finished looking exasperated at Jean. "It seems that I have once again become the teacher aiming to turn a stubborn young man into a gentleman," Nadir explained looking directly at Erik.
"Teaching a supposed gentleman to be a gentleman, good luck with that Daroga!" Erik exclaimed with a leer,
"Why should I need luck? Nadir asked smirking at Erik, "It worked with you!" Erik growled,
"Ouch!" Jean commented,
"Do not worry," Christine said, "These two snipe at each other all the time, if they are actually nice to one another I get worried!" she explained as she and Meg giggled when Erik and Nadir both looked at her,
"Okay, that is nice to know, I did wonder," remarked Jean. Lunch finished and everyone went their separate ways.