Chapter 11
Over the next week, Erik continued working tirelessly with the Company. Each day they were improving as was their respect for him and his creative thoughts. They were still somewhat nervous around him however, and Erik found that although he now was continually around so many people, conversation did not sway from the production. This was fine with Erik as he saw Laurette doing the same and it made the cast always pay close attention with respect to the director role.
But all of the Company seemed to be quite serious. No longer did Erik hear occasional laughter in side conversations. He continued to notice that Justine was partly the major cause of their heavy tone. He no longer demonstrated his happier personality which usually rubbed off on others. Even with Andre, Justine was quite bitter. Their friendship seemed to be breaking away, which did not help at all with the relationship of the characters that were best friends.
In addition, Justine would constantly challenge Erik, questioning everything he said. But instead of giving into his anger, Erik found that he was much quicker in wit then Justine. Most of his questions ended in only furthering Erik's success in proving his skill in music. However, this was only causing irritation to Justine. If it were not for his promise to Laurette, Erik had little doubt that Justine would no longer be in the production.
During the later part of the week, Erik arrived early while the cast were doing their warm up exercises. Justine, however, was not participating. Erik motioned to Gautier to stop.
"Justine, why are you not doing the warm-up exercises?" asked Erik.
"Because the exercises are a ridiculous waste of time," replied Justine in his usual arrogant tone.
This was not good. Erik knew if Justine did not participate in such warm-ups that he could strain and destroy his voice. He thought for a moment and then tilted his head slightly at Justine.
"Do you know the purpose for completing warm-up exercises?"
"Yes," Justine sighed, looking irritated at Erik.
"Then tell me the reason," Erik said when Justine said nothing further.
"So my voice is ready to sing. But I sing every day. My voice is ready all the time," said Justine now crossing his arms.
"Singing every day does not prepare your voice, Justine. In fact, you will damage your vocal chords if you do not properly warm up."
"I can sing the highest range right from the start. My voice is fine. There are some of us that have natural talent, you know." Erik shook his head, but Justine continued to defy him. "I have agreed to perform under you for Madame Durprey and I will do so in every aspect of the performance. But I do not need direction from you on performing scales."
Erik narrowed his eyes at him and saw the cast looking anxiously to see what his reaction would be. But Erik knew, unlike Laurette, he could not tell Justine to do this or walk in circles. He knew Justine was already on the edge of walking out of the production.
"Fine," said Erik simply. Justine looked a bit surprised at his response, most likely expecting a battle would have ensued. But he regained his composure quickly.
"Good," replied Justine, "then we understand each other."
"Yes I think I understand you quite well, Justine."
Erik walked over to Joeseph to discuss some changes he had made the night before. Ignoring Justine, His new strategy would be to no longer pay attention to him. He was now realizing that Justine must come to him and he could no longer push for his cooperation. He would wait patiently for the results of such a strategy.
The rest of the Company was still doing fairly well. Julia was doing better and Erik always looked forward to working with her. She was beginning to truly appreciate him with the suggestions he made and always gave him a smile now. In response, it made Erik more comfortable and he found himself becoming more empathetic in his tone to other cast members, giving a great deal of patience and encouragement. They were all responding well to him with the exception of Justine.
Erik finally received a letter from Laurette. It was addressed to Gautier who had brought it to Erik immediately without opening it. Erik was a bit disheartened when he read the letter though he was not sure why. Like him, Laurette realized that she could not give him any personal words and wrote only in regards to the production. He noted a few of her suggestions, some of which he would use. Others he would argue back. However, he had to be selective in such arguments as communication was slow in this manner and there would not be time to let any differences linger too long.
He had instructed the Company to do a run through of the first production as it was to be performed the next evening. While they were rehearsing, Erik read Laurette's letter again, making a few more notes.
Then he suddenly read a sentence she wrote with new interest.
Elisabetta should stand firm with Carlos in the decision made to marry his father. She knows that what she is doing is for the sake of her country and it should be portrayed in that manner with the music. It will take a strong will to make Carlos understand and only time will do this.
Erik realized she was speaking to him directly about Justine. She already knew he was going to have difficulty with him and was encouraging Erik to continue with his patience. With this private note from Laurette, Erik was feeling much better even though he still was missing Laurette terribly.
"Maestro, should we go back to practicing Don Carlos?" asked Gautier. They were finished with their rehearsal of the first production.
"No," said Erik taking a tip from Laurette that he observed. "I want this performance to be fresh in their minds for tomorrow evening. We are done for the day."
Gautier dismissed the Company and Erik returned to writing Laurette. Taking her lead, Erik figured out a way to portray his misery without her.
This particular section in the music points to the emotion of the feelings still existing between Elisabetta and Carlos. Although they are far apart, Carlos still longs for her. Her absence makes him feel a terrible loss, but he continues to go on for the cause.
Satisfied that she would understand this was about his feelings, Erik walked back to the stage and found Gautier who was finishing up some last items. He gave the letter to Gautier and then Erik also stayed to talk with a few of the members still there as they sought him out for advice on their performances.
The weekend arrived and their performances were flawless. Erik was quite pleased. The Company, despite the absence of Laurette, seemed to be holding together. He had hoped that they might even get a glimpse of Laurette, but Monsieur Garier did not attend either show. However Erik did overhear some of the audience talking about Laurette.
"Did you hear that Monsieur Caron was not invited to Monsieur Garier's estate for the introduction of Madame Duprey?"
"No!"
"Oh yes, Monsieur Garier has completely snubbed any of those who doubted him in those earlier performances. He is not even here to acknowledge those who have not seen this production despite the profit from high priced tickets that were sold out."
"And so he is now reserving the introduction of Madame Duprey's singing voice to only a few?"
"Yes, he is holding a few very private parties. We are working on a way to see if we can be invited."
Erik's heart sank as he heard this. He had no idea when he would be able to see Laurette again. Erik knew she would push Monsieur Garier as far as she could to come back to the Opera House, but she had to be careful not to stir his temper. This thought still angered Erik to no end. Monsieur Garier's time would come. Erik had no doubt that he would eventually kill the man.
The next week, Erik began once again to rehearse Don Carlos. However, Justine was now having difficulty, his voice becoming hoarse. Erik knew this was due to his lack of warm-up exercises. He worried that if Justine did not relent soon, his voice could be damaged permanently. But Justine only waved off the issue.
"I just placed too much of my heart and soul into those last performances," Erik overheard Justine tell other cast members. "I have just been singing too hard."
But as the rehearsal wore on, Justine found his voice becoming harder to maintain. He finally asked Erik if he could let his voice rest for the remainder of the day. Erik nodded and said nothing. Justine talked only in whispers when he had to during the rehearsal. Erik knew this would make no difference in improvement but again, he said nothing to Justine.
Two days later, Justine could still not sing and Erik considered that he would need to re-cast the main role with Andre for the next performance in La Petite. This made Justine quite upset, but there was nothing he could do. He knew he could not sing.
Not being able to stand it any longer, Justine finally approached Erik on the third day after rehearsal. He could barely speak and Erik took pity on him.
"Drink this," said Erik handing him a glass of water.
"It's warm," complained Justine with a whisper and making a face after drinking a sip.
"Cold water will only make your vocal chords worse. It makes the muscles tense," said Erik.
"That does not make any sense," said Justine ever so softly.
Erik thought for a moment and then looked back at Justine. "Have you ever jumped into ice water?"
"No," replied Justine.
"Well how do you think it would feel?"
"Damn cold!"
"Exactly," said Erik. "You would immediately feel tense all over wouldn't you? It is the same with the muscles in your vocal chords."
"Oh, I see," whispered Justine, and then he drank the rest of the water from the glass. "I thought resting it would help, even if I just had to whisper." Justine was suddenly surprised to hear his voice already coming back slightly after drinking the water. Erik shook his head.
"Even whispering will strain the vocal chords. Think about it. You cannot speak but you are still using the muscles, even more so when trying to get any sound out when the vocal chords are already abused."
"Abused?"
"Yes," said Erik quietly.
"Because I refuse to do the warm-up exercises."
Erik continued to look at Justine but said nothing.
"Fine, you win," said Justine. "I will do the damn exercises."
"There is no 'winning' Justine. Not for you or anyone in the company if you do not perform well. Your pride is getting in the way and letting others down as well."
Justine gave a deep sigh, still looking somewhat defeated. But he looked back at Erik with a determined face." Would you continue to give me vocal lessons as Madame Duprey did?" This was a huge leap for Justine to ask Erik such a thing.
"Yes. You may meet with me an hour before each rehearsal."
"That is really early," said Justine. Erik knew Justine was thinking of his late night escapades in the city. But Erik did not have time for any lack of engagement on Justine's part.
"That is the offer," said Erik.
"Alright," replied Justine in a slightly irritated tone. But as Erik turned away, Justine spoke again.
"I apologize."
Surprised but also pleased, Erik turned around to face him.
"You do not need to apologize, Justine. But I do need a favor."
Justine eyed him suspiciously. "What is it?"
"I need for you to have an open mind. Stop looking at things with such bitterness. It will not bring Laurette back."
"Laurette?"
Damn. He did it again. Erik was simply not used to calling Laurette Madame Durprey, especially as he no longer felt such a formal title did fit her, at least not to him.
He sighed.
"Madame Duprey," Erik said, correcting himself.
"Oh," said Justine. He stood quiet for a moment. "I will try Maestro."
"Good," replied Erik and they both left the stage, but this time in the same direction. Justine politely bid Erik a good night and walked out to the main hall while Erik made his way once more to the Music Room. He was quite pleased at himself for having the patience to wait for Justine's strong will to give. He sat down and opened Laurette's latest letter to him.
The first movement needs more contrast. There needs to be more of a climax when Carlos and Rodrigos pledge their eternal friendship. The scene needs more transition from darkness to brightness. Maybe Philippe could lighten the set during this moment.
Erik shook his head smiling. Lighten a scene at a dark monastery? That would not work. But he could hear Laurette already arguing with him on this particular point. Erik knew her goal was to keep the audience captive somehow and too much despair dampened their reaction. This was important to Laurette. Even though she did not want to sing, she wanted to make sure the production appealed to the audience as much as possible. It was the audience that would continue to drive ticket sales and keep the members of the Company.
He would compromise somewhat and use Carolos and Rodrigos passionate pledge to be during the early morning hours outside the monastery. Erik would work with Joseph to make sure the music climbed higher at the end of the song when the sun was rising. He would discuss such scenery with Philippe tomorrow.
That should be bright enough for Laurette, thought Erik. He continued to read her letter and his heart constricted when he realized she had inserted a reply to his sense of loss in the last correspondence.
Thank you for your comments in regards to portraying the feelings of Carlo with that particular scene. Elisabetta, now staying with another man who does not care for her, is also going through such pain. She no longer has any control of her life. As always, it was other men that made such a decision. Yet she knows the one man who cares for her will work tirelessly so that eventually one day they can escape tyranny.
Erik gave a deep sigh and closed the letter. He should just seek out Monsieur Garier and kill the man. That was the answer to escaping such tyranny. But he knew Laurette was extremely concerned as to who would replace him, maybe even re-casting the entire Company including her. But was this not already a threat to them?
He shook his head as he knew he would not go against Laurette's wishes. But Erik's emptiness was now consuming him and he was not working as hard in the evenings. Once alone, Erik could only think of her. He did occasionally think of Christine, still angry at himself for letting the Count live. But Laurette's words lingered in his mind that everything happens and changes for a reason. Laurette was part of that change in his life and despite his pain, Erik had now accepted that perhaps there was someone else meant for him. Yet he was still afraid of Laurette breaking his heart and he continued to try and hold his emotions for her inside.
He wrote back to her, making sure to articulate a point that the Company needed her for rehearsal. It had been almost two weeks since her departure and the production now needed her more then anything to continue. Leaving the letter on the piano where Gautier could see it, Erik retreated through the mirror and down below for sleep.
Over the next few days, Justine's voice improved. However, it was still not acceptable for the performances and Erik made the final decision that Andre needed to take the lead in La Petite. As a result, a few of the cast members had to change roles but Erik was satisfied after watching the dress rehearsal. He felt badly for Justine. Erik knew that he was watching and not being able to perform was torturing him. But Erik also knew that it was a lesson well learned on his part.
Despite the change in cast, the Friday and Saturday performances went well. But Erik still saw no sign of Laurette or Monsieur Garier. Nor did he receive any correspondence from her. On Sunday, he was becoming almost distraught with no rehearsal and nothing to distract him from his thoughts about her.
But as Erik sat at his piano down below trying to force himself to work, he heard a voice calling. He jumped up and made his way up to the Opera House. The voice was coming from the stage and Erik suddenly realized it was a man's voice. It was Justine.
He emerged from the secret passageway and cautiously walked behind the stage curtains, wary that the Company was not present to assist in protecting his secret. Erik was still very anxious that anyone would find out about him, or worse, someone in the Company would betray him. Very slowly, he came out onto the stage with Justine.
"Yes?"
Justine whirled around at his voice, somewhat startled. "Maestro, yes, there you are. I was hoping wherever you were that you would be able to hear me calling for you."
"What do you want Justine?" asked Erik still very conscious that none of the Company was present and he was now out in the open. The doors to theater were not even locked.
"Well, first of all, I saw Gautier this morning and he asked me to come by and give this to you," said Justine extending his hand with an envelope. Erik was quite relieved as he realized Laurette had finally written to him.
"Thank you," said Erik. He placed the envelope in the inside pocket of his jacket.
"You are not going to read it now?"
Erik was a bit annoyed at this question even though it was by no means unexpected. But anything regarding Laurette, especially her letters, was private for him. "What is the second reason you came to see me Justine?" asked Erik impatiently, completely ignoring his question.
"Well…I have a proposal for you, something that could help. There is someone I know, a lifetime loyal servant for years to a local family that now needs employment."
A servant? What in the world would he need a servant for?
"I do not see how this would assist me," said Erik.
"Well, Julia and Nicole have been filling in for Madame Duprey on coordinating all the housekeeping staff that comes in before each performance."
"Madame Duprey did this?" asked Erik. He did not know this was another task she had to oversee. Erik always knew that various servants worked to make the Opera House entrance and theater shine. Armond and Dion had especially made sure such staff knew that under no circumstances should they enter the theater for cleaning until after rehearsal hours in which by that time Erik was usually locked in the Music Room. But he did not know Laurette was responsible for this. He simply thought that one of Monsieur Garier's servants, such as Bernadette oversaw such a thing.
"Yes," replied Justine. "And I am sure you know that Monsieur Garier is not an easy man to please. Julia and Nicole have been quite relieved that he has not visited. Not that they are doing a bad job in coordinating the staff that come in to do the job, however, they are not exactly experts when it comes to directing housekeeping staff. And they usually need quite a bit of instruction, especially as so many different servants come and go. Being hired on a part-time basis is something most of them will only take until they have found another position."
"I had no idea that Julia and Nicole were doing such a thing," said Erik still surprised by this.
"Yes, well, back to my point. The woman I know would be extremely helpful. In fact, up until recently she had directed quite a large staff of servants. But the family had to move. Maria could not go as her husband serves as a butler for another prominent household."
"Maria?"
"That is her name. However…," Justine suddenly looked nervously at Erik. "Servants do not keep their own homes Monsieur. They live where they serve."
"Even if they are married to someone who lives elsewhere?" asked Erik. He suddenly once again felt inept at his understanding of society in regards to such a thing.
"Yes, Maria and her husband have lived apart over twenty years of marriage. Sundays are usually the designated day off for servants and so they see each other once a week."
This was a completely ridiculous concept to Erik. He knew servants worked from morning until late at night, waiting on the families that hired them. But this was even colder to keep someone apart from a spouse.
"And her husband's household cannot hire her?"
"They do not have any openings, although there may be a chance to make such an exception for her. Both she and her husband have superior reputations as loyal servants. However…it is not something she would prefer to do."
Not to live with one's husband given the opportunity? asked Erik in his mind. He shook his head. He would never understand such ways of society.
"So…if Maria was hired to work here…she would have to reside here in the Opera House," said Justine still looking at Erik nervously.
Erik sighed. He had become used to Laurette living here and no one else. He was just beginning to once again enjoy roaming around any of the rooms regularly at night. But he knew Justine had a point and this would free Nicole and Julia to focus more on the production. There were more then enough guest bedrooms in the opera house that went unused. Still, Erik looked at Justine with hesitation.
"She is…like a mother to me," said Justine quietly. "She is in fact the only mother I have ever known." Erik knew little about Justine's personal life other then his late nights with various women. It was obvious that this was something quite important to him.
"Very well," said Erik.
"Really?"
Erik nodded.
"Thank you, Maestro. I assure you that you will not regret it." Then Justine hesitated. "How will you be able to pay her, if I may ask? Will Laurette ask Monsieur Garier?" Erik had not thought of this and there was no way in hell he was going to have Laurette ask Monsieur Garier for such a thing.
"I will pay her," said Erik quietly. He had more money then he knew what to do with so this was not a problem. Justine nodded.
"Thank you again. May I bring her by this evening to meet you?"
"Meet me?" Erik thought this would be someone that would still just think Gautier was directing and not be allowed into the theater during the day.
"Well, yes. I am sure there are many things she can do for you as well. I have so little time myself and I cannot imagine that you have any time at all with putting the production together."
While this was true, Erik still did not know what she could do for him. He was used to doing all his own chores and did not need anyone. And, it was yet another person that would know the Company's secret. Erik shook his head. "I do not think she needs to meet me. I can pay her salary through Gautier and he can manage her as needed." But Justine seemed to suddenly disagree with Erik.
"I think it is best for her to meet you. Good servants, especially one such as Maria, are very loyal. They do not betray their master's secrets."
Master? Oh, Good Lord, this is a little much, thought Erik.
"I do not see the reason as to why it is necessary," said Erik flatly.
"I insist," said Justine.
"You insist?" asked Erik in a low tone that put Justine back in his place. Justine sighed.
"Please Maestro, I…I mean no disrespect. But if you want me to begin such trust in you as a director, then I think you should in turn trust me on this issue."
Erik remained silent, looking at Justine. Justine was correct. He knew for Justine to become a leader for the Company, Erik would need to trust him in return.
"Very well," replied Erik. "I will be in the Music Room this evening as usual." Then Erik turned and walked offstage before Justine could say anything further. Returning down below to his home, Erik pushed aside his irritation at Justine. He sat down and quickly took out Laurette's letter. She seemed please with his compromise to brighten the monastery scene at the end and of course, she had made a few more suggestions. Erik read quickly down the rest of the letter, searching for any hidden personal thoughts to him. But he was happily surprised when he read the last paragraph.
Monsieur Garier is allowing me to visit mid week. I will only be allowed to stay for one night, but I should arrive in the late afternoon for a few hours of rehearsal As a result, there will not be much time, so I suggest preparing the cast to practice any scenes they need with me as Elisabetta. Until then, I will look greatly forward to my return to the Opera House.
Finally, thought Erik. With the production three weeks away, the Company needed to rehearse with her. Erik was angry at the fact that Laurette would only be able to rehearse more then a few hours. But he was already beginning to think quickly as to which scenes they should rehearse with her. While he did not want to keep the Company too long, he would ask them tomorrow if most could stay a little longer with Laurette's arrival that afternoon. Erik also could not help but think there would be a few hours left in the evening to spend alone with her. He so longed to talk with her. But Erik also wanted to hold and kiss her once more. He prayed she would still feel the same way.
Erik was so caught up in writing down notes for Laurette's rehearsal that he had completely forgotten the time. He suddenly heard a familiar voice calling. Erik looked up at the clock and realized it was already evening. He quickly got up and made his way to the Music Room. Once there, he peered through the mirror and saw Justine calling for him. He held the hand of an older woman who looked slightly nervous. Erik shook his head again. He just hoped his secret would be kept long enough to see Laurette at least one last time. He knew the Company seemed to be loyal, but Erik was pessimistic that it was only a matter of time before his life would end, hopefully on his own terms.
He tapped the mirror and walked through. Justine and the woman looked up at him with startled faces.
"So there is one story that seems to be true. The Opera Ghost can walk through mirrors as I have heard," said Justine with a smile.
Erik did not smile in return. Although the Opera Ghost stories protected him, he did not care for Justine's humorous remarks about such a thing. Realizing this, Justine cleared his throat slightly and walked a few steps forward to Erik with the woman.
"This is Maria."
Erik looked at the woman who gave a small smile and curtsied before him. She was short and rather plump. Her black hair was tightly put up and she wore the usual maid attire complete with a crisp, white apron Erik was used to seeing on most women servants. She was much older then him, but Erik also noticed she had a very soft looking face. Her eyes were a warm brown that almost had somewhat of a gleam in them.
"I truly appreciate your kindness, Monsieur. I am quite honored to be working in the finest Opera House. I promise you that I will take particular pride in assuring that it is well taken care of, especially before any performance," said Maria. Erik had to listen closely to this as she had quite an accent.
"Maria is from a Spanish descent," explained Justine already knowing what Erik was wondering. "She actually met her husband over in Spain while he was visiting and then moved here quite a long time ago."
"I see," said Erik quietly. "Well, it is nice to meet you." He was still apprehensive about yet another stranger keeping his identity quiet.
"Which room will be hers?" asked Justine.
"Any room other then Lau-," Erik stopped himself this time. "Other then Madame Duprey's suite."
Maria's eyes suddenly widened.
"You mean a guest room?" she asked.
Erik looked at her, unsure of what she meant. "Yes."
"Oh no, Monsieur. Surely there must be servant quarters. I had heard at one time a very small staff even lived here. That is where I will be staying."
The Opera House did in fact have a servant's quarters. But it had not been used since before Erik was even here. It was in complete disarray and untouched. In addition, the rooms were so small Erik could not imagine what it was like to live in such a place. The bedroom area barely fit one single bed.
"No," said Erik quickly, "you cannot stay there. It is unsafe as it has not been used for some time."
"Oh, I will take care of that," said Maria. Erik grew slightly irritated. If she truly was his so called servant, should she not listen to him?
"No, you will not," said Erik again to her.
Maria looked quite upset. "But Monsieur, I cannot…I cannot stay in a guest room. It is improper. I am sure that I would be able to manage in the servant's quarters."
Erik now realized the issue was more about status in society then anything else. It was obvious to him now that she would actually almost feel embarrassed to stay in a nice room meant for a guest she should be serving. But the Opera House was Erik's domain and he did not care. She would either accept it or leave. He did not need any further upper society mannerisms around him. He hated it.
"I am sorry, however, that is my final word," said Erik. He would figure out another way to coordinate the cleaning servants if she refused. In response, Maria's face appeared shocked, as if she suddenly realized she would have no job unless she lived in a nice room. Justine bent down and nudged her.
"Please Maria, it is alright. You need the work," said Justine to her pleadingly.
"Fine," said Maria. "But I insist it still be the smallest room."
"Take her," Erik said to Justine. He nodded and still holding Maria's hand led her out of the room. Erik sighed and then went back down below to finish his notes.
The next morning, Erik arrived early in the Music Room. As usual, he was up extremely early, but this morning he wanted to make sure and finish up a few things. Justine's voice had now returned and this would be their first morning for vocal lessons. He was writing down some changes to the score in the last Act when the Music Room door suddenly opened. Startled, Erik looked sharply up but then realized it was Maria.
"Good morning Monsieur," she said cheerily to him. "I have been looking for you. Your breakfast is ready."
Erik stared blankly at her for a few moments.
"Maestro?"
"I am sorry," said Erik, "Did you say breakfast?"
"Well yes," said Maria now looking a bit flustered. She paused for a moment. "You do eat, yes?" She was either serious or joking, Erik could not tell. Maybe it was both.
"Of course," said Erik.
"Well then," said Maria smiling, "Your breakfast is ready. It is in the dining room down the hall from Madame Duprey's suite. I will be in the kitchen cleaning should you need anything." And then she disappeared, closing the door. Erik was still sitting at the piano with pen in mid air, still in shock from her doing such a thing.
Well, she is your servant now, thought Erik to himself. But the whole thing just sounded silly to him. Putting the pen down, Erik slowly got up and went through a secret mirror on the opposite side of the room that led past Laurette's suite. There was a library next to the dining room in which he had created a secret door. He walked through the library and into the dining room. There before his eyes was a rather neat place setting at the head of the table with various serving dishes of steaming food. Before he could even walk over, Maria bustled in from the kitchen.
"Here you are Monsieur. I was not sure what you liked so I made a bit of everything for you. You can give me further instruction later as to what dishes are to your taste." She set down two more serving plates of food.
Erik was incredulous. First, he did not usually eat breakfast. Second, there was enough food here to feed at least ten people. Not wanting to appear impolite after all the work she had done, Erik sat down, but then winced as he realized one of the windows was open with the morning sun brightly shining in on where he sat. To a normal person, this would have been a delight seeing the sun rise. To Erik, it was painful, his eyes completely blinded by such a thing.
"Is there something you need, Monsieur?" Maria asked sensing something was wrong.
"Would you…would you please draw the drapes?" he asked, looking away.
"Oh…why yes, of course!" Maria trumped over to the drapes and closed them immediately.
"Thank you," said Erik relieved that he now could see once more. She looked at him somewhat questioningly. Since apparently she was going to be literally waiting on him, Erik figured he should just be honest with her. "I cannot see very well in the daylight. In fact, I cannot really see at all in any bright light."
"I promise you Monsieur, it will not happen again." Maria looked like she had just taken a terrible blow, as if she made some horrible mistake.
Erik shook his head. "No…please, it is fine. Thank you."
She smiled at him, bowing her head. But before she could return to the kitchen, the dining room door burst open and Justine appeared. He saw Maria and went over to kiss her on the cheek. He looked at Erik.
"I came early this morning for the lessons we discussed and you weren't in the theater yet so I…Good God, are those croissants? And look at those pastries!" Indeed, the table was filled with food, some of them looking more like works of art in the way they were neatly displayed.
"May I…," Justine started to ask but Maria cleared her throat and glared at him. "Oh he won't mind Maria! I am starving. Besides, I need to eat a good meal before singing, right Maestro?" But Maria stood with her hands folded in front of her, not saying anything, still narrowing her eyes at Justine. She finally looked at Erik.
Although Erik wasn't exactly thrilled to have Justine as a dining
companion, it wasn't as if he could possibly eat all this food
anyway. He gave a nod to Maria. Only then did she retrieve a plate
for Justine that she placed on the side of the table next to Erik.
Justine eagerly sat down and began to pile large amounts of food onto
his plate.
"Why is it so dark in here?" asked Justine between
bites of food.
Maria glared at him again. "Justine, if you do not like the 'atmosphere', then I am sure the Maestro would be more then happy to send you to theater where you can start practicing on your own!"
Justine laughed and looked at Erik. "You know, she actually does love me," said Justine smiling.
Erik did in fact hold back a small laugh as Maria looked like she was ready to throw Justine out of the room. He was beginning to like her just for that alone.
"So…what is it that you are going to have me practice today?"
"Scales," said Erik waiting for Justine's reaction.
"You have to be kidding."
"No," replied Erik quietly. "You first need to learn how to warm up that voice of yours properly. At least half of our practice time will be focused on that alone." Justine rolled his eyes.
"Madame Duprey did not do that."
"First, you had lessons with her during the day after you had already warmed up. Second, she would make sure to force you to do such a thing if she saw your behavior these last few weeks. Not to mention the improper care you have been imposing on your voice."
"Fine," said Justine still looking annoyed but no longer arguing. Then he looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't suppose we could at least make it more exciting with some of the ladies joining in…maybe they could model those latest costumes I saw with the low necklines while I practice."
Maria smacked Justine on the back of the head as she walked behind him to give Erik more coffee. He winced but then laughed. "Really…she does love me," Justine said again, rubbing the back of his head.
