Disclaimer: I don't own anything Phantom of the Opera (though I wish I did). Only original characters belong to me.
AN: To those who celebrate it: Happy Thanksgiving everyone! The holiday is why this update is late, partially because I'm so full of delicious food. Anyway, there's some bonding and clashing between Erik and Lissie, which means fun for everyone…maybe. Please be kind and leave a review. Thanks!
Chapter 12: The Odd Couple:
My second day as Erik's housekeeper went slightly smoother than my first, but was still bumpy.
As promised, Erik had done some "grocery shopping," so the shelves were fairly well stocked with food. This made cooking a lot easier on me, and I appreciated his efforts in helping. I was able to put together a roast for his dinner, and a small pot of soup to tide him over until that evening, which was when the meat would be done. I even sliced a loaf of bread for him, and stashed the slices beneath an overturned bowl to keep rodents away.
The only downturn on this visit was Erik's sad attempts at picking up after himself. How the man had managed to make such a mess in less than two days was beyond me, but he'd done it. Shirts, cravats, socks, and gloves had somehow managed to multiply in my absence, and it made for a pretty gross sight. At least there were no undergarments lying about; that would have been the last straw for me, and Erik probably knew it, so he probably dealt with that himself.
On the plus side, I didn't recognize any of the clothes that I retrieved from the floor or furniture, so whatever I had picked up on my previous visit had apparently been washed and tucked away. I suppose that was something, since Erik was doing his best (or was, at least, putting on an effort) to keep clean, but he still needed a lot of coaching.
So training Erik in the art of housekeeping was going to be one of the tough parts of my job. The other difficult thing about this arrangement was my playing the 'hired friend.'
I felt sort of cheap being used as a friend-for-hire, but if it got me one step closer to fulfilling Destiny's plan for Erik, then I really shouldn't complain (even though I would certainly be doing so in my head). But on the other hand, here I was, working for the legendary Phantom of the Opera, so I decided that I should take the opportunity to actually get to know the man behind the mask. I hadn't encountered the murderous side of him – except for when he'd rescued me –, so I figured I might as well take advantage of the situation.
Of course, it would figure that getting time alone with him was all but impossible. Erik loved to work on his masterpieces, and so he required a lot of isolation and quiet. I had the feeling that he wouldn't appreciate being interrupted, but I decided to take a chance, if only to get him to open up a bit.
Sadly, this was a hard lesson learned. I'd made the mistake of knocking on his workroom door while he'd been carving a wooden frame for a painting, and the knock had startled him. His hand had jerked, and caused him to carve a large, crooked line in the wood, ruining the frame. He hadn't gotten far in the first place, but it had still pissed him off, which was understandable. Still, that hadn't given him the right to throw the chunk of wood at my head when I'd entered the room!
This little encounter had been the most exciting part of my day. I had yelled at Erik to stop throwing things, and he had roared for me to get out and never bother him while he was working. After that, I figured that if I popped in while he was working on a sculpture, he'd throw the hammer at me, and if I interrupted him composing a song, I'd likely get the entire organ thrown at my head. Thus, it was a lesson learned: don't go bothering Erik at any point while he was working.
I had then spent the rest of my morning tidying up the kitchen, which was as far away from Erik's workroom as possible. Now it was time for me to head upstairs, and I wondered if I should wait for Erik to escort me, or if I should attempt the trip alone. He had been kind enough to bring me down here, but I doubted that he would be cooperative this time. Since I had Mama's map in my pocket, maybe I could figure it out on my own?
I was so busy thinking that I hadn't heard the workroom door open, nor the footstep behind me. Instead, I simply turned around and walked smack into Erik's chest. I would have fallen over if he hadn't caught me and held me upright. Surprisingly, his hands were firm, but gentle as they grasped my arms.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Yes, thank you," I replied, nodding. Then I blinked and looked up at him. "Wait a minute; I thought you were angry with me for my little interruption."
Erik's lips gave a twitch, and his eyes sparkled just the tiniest bit, though the rest of his face stayed stoic. I could tell he was slightly amused, though. "I have decided to forgive you," he said, "but only if you promise never to interrupt me like that again. My art is delicate and difficult, so if you must interrupt me, try and be as discreet and quiet as possible."
That was a reasonable request. "Alright," I agreed, silently wondering why I hadn't thought of that. "What would you like me to do instead? Knock softer, or maybe ring a small bell outside your door?"
He seemed to like that. "A bell would be appropriate. I will procure one before your next visit, and create a mechanism that, when you pull a string, will cause a tiny bell to chime whenever you wish to see me. It isn't the perfect solution, but it is better than you pounding on my door to get my attention."
"Alright then," I cheerfully said. "Now, there's a small roast in the oven; remember to take it out this evening, or else it will get dry and tough. There are some potatoes cooking with it to soak up the meat drippings, so you should have a fine meal tonight and tomorrow morning, if you put the leftovers on a very low fire overnight."
I pointed towards the stove. "There is also a pot of soup on a low fire for you to have whenever you're ready. It should be mostly done, but feel free to keep that on a low flame for tomorrow, too, if you'd like."
My hand now waved towards the other end of the cave. "Your clothes are in piles on the floor and the bed, like before. I highly suggest you begin picking up after yourself, unless you want the rats and mice to get hold of your clothes to make their nests with."
He glared at me, but that didn't stop me from speaking my mind. "At least put your dirty clothes in a basket with a lid on the top," I suggested. "That way, your dirty clothes are easier to store and take to get washed."
Erik promised to take that under advisement. "Now, may I see you home?" he asked, apparently eager to get me out of his house before I lectured him further. "You must go, or else you will arrive after your family does."
Then, to my surprise, he offered to take me home by a different route –not through the tunnels, but in the gondola. I was so excited, I couldn't hide my excitement, which, for some reason, caused Erik a great deal of amusement.
"I've always wanted to ride in a gondola," I explained, taking off the apron he had provided for me. "I've seen them in books, and read that they're the main way to travel in Venice, which is a place I've always wanted to see. I never thought I'd ride in a gondola in Paris, of all places."
He gave me a half smirk. "You are easy to please and amuse. I will fetch my cloak, and then we will leave."
I could barely contain my excitement as I put aside my apron and made my way for the shore of the lake. There the gondola sat, bobbing slightly as it floated in the blackness of the water, tied to a metal pole wedged between two large rocks. It was sleek and elegant, with a red velvet interior. For some reason, it didn't make any sense for there to be a seat, since Erik didn't exactly sit down while rowing. But from what I could remember, gondolas had been used by nobles in Venice for centuries, and were always beautifully decorated and upholstered. It would figure that Erik would want a "fancy ride" while he was going to and from his underground house.
Speaking of which, my gondolier appeared a moment later, black cloak around his shoulders and contrasting nicely with his white dress shirt. Gloves covered his hands, and curiously enough, there was a length of soft grey-black material over his left arm. As he came up to the water, Erik shook out the material, revealing it to be a cloak just my size.
"A gift," he said as he settled it around my shoulders. "I know it is cold here in my caverns, and with winter coming, you will need it whenever you come here to work."
The outer layer of the cloak itself was soft lamb's wool, with a layer of silk placed between the wool and an inner layer of pearl-grey velvet, to protect my skin from the coarseness of the wool. It was the warmest piece of clothing I had ever been given, and the velvet was heaven against my fingers as I reached up to touch it.
"Thank you," I said, blushing slightly. "It's lovely."
It was the best gift he could give me. Since it was a blackish-grey, it didn't look fancy, so no one would be suspicious of my having a new cloak for winter. My old cloak had long been worn down to rags, so the sudden appearance of this one would not be surprising.
Clearing his throat, Erik gestured towards the gondola. "Shall we?"
He had never brought happiness to a person before, and Erik found that he rather liked the feeling it brought him. Oh, he knew that his previous gifts to Lissie had brought joy to her heart, but this was different. Giving her a turn in his gondola was making a dream of hers come true, and it thrilled him to know that he had given that to her.
The ride was quiet, peaceful even, and Lisette had savored every minute of it. From his stance behind her, he watched as she looked at the stone walls, staring at the detailed carvings he had made. Expressions of awe, puzzlement, and interest had played across her face, but she'd said nothing to him, probably fearful of making him upset with her words. He silently thanked her for that bit of consideration.
When they arrived, Erik reached a hand out to her, softly, gently helping Lisette out of the boat and onto the shore. Once they were safely on land, Erik retrieved the torch he always kept burning here, then motioned for her to follow him. It was a short walk up a flight of stairs and down a few passageways; then, they were at her room.
"I think," she softly told him, looking back as he waved her inside, "that I prefer the gondola to walking the caves. But since walking is easier than rowing, the caverns might be less effort on you."
Erik didn't know whether he should be insulted or not. Did she not think him strong enough to bring her to and from his home? He worked hard to keep himself in fine physical shape, which was more than he could say about the Opera's stagehands. Did Lissie see him as weak?
'No,' whispered another part of him, 'she is just being considerate of you and your health.'
Damn it, that little voice was right. He had just fully recovered from influenza, and Lissie was likely trying to make sure that he didn't overtax himself too soon. The fact that she actually cared about him that much quickly doused his temper.
"I believe you are right," he whispered. "I will come for you in three day's time. In the meantime, I will try and not wreck all of your hard work."
She grinned up at him. "You do that. Believe me when I say you need the practice!"
Erik bit back a chuckle as he bowed and slipped back into the passageway, swinging the door shut behind him. He could hardly wait for next week.
It took another two weeks for me to finally figure out Erik's eating habits.
Although he seemed to like my cooking (or at least, like it enough to eat it), Erik tended to take very odd and infrequent meal breaks. This was because he was so busy focusing on his artwork, he sometimes forgot to eat something to keep his strength up. I doubted the man even ate breakfast in the morning, which explained why he was on the thin side.
In the end, I had to resort to making him eat, and that required me to interrupt his work.
The bell idea we had come up with turned out to be a very poor one, because Erik was just as startled by the bell ringing as he had been by my knocking. By the end of my second week, we simply gave up on it and decided to leave his door open so that I could enter if I needed to. This proved to be the best arrangement, particularly since I had decided to be the one that made sure Erik kept himself fed.
By the start of the third week (or day five of my employment), I'd developed a plan: slip into the room, leave a light snack or morning tea tray on a nearby table, then slip back out again without being noticed.
Imagine how surprised I was that this little plan of mine was actually successful. The first time I did it (work day number six), I'd expected Erik to come storming out of his workroom, temper flaring at having been intruded upon and yelling that I should never enter that place again.
Instead of the noise and temper tantrums I'd been expecting, I waited a while, then went to check and see if he'd eaten anything off the tea tray I'd left. Poking my head inside the workroom, I saw empty plates and the lid off of the tea pot, signaling that it, too, was empty. Success! And since Erik was busy working on something, I was able to slip inside and retrieve the tray without causing a fuss.
Satisfied with the outcome of my experiment, I was bold enough to try it several more times over the next month. Each time, I put a tray of tea, sandwiches, and buttered bread with jam on a table; an hour or two later, I would check on it and find the food gone, the teapot empty. I couldn't be more satisfied with my efforts than when I saw those bare platters.
Erik never said a word about the trays, not even to thank me, but then, he didn't have very good social skills. Not that I expected thanks, though it would have been nice to know he appreciated it. But even if he didn't verbally show his gratitude, Erik was able to show it in other ways.
Socially awkward, I figured that he would never thank me in person. Then once again, he surprised me: six weeks after I'd begun leaving tea trays, I began finding little presents waiting for me on the days when I wasn't working for him. These were small things, like a box of chocolates or lovely wooden knickknacks that Erik had made with his own hands. The chocolates usually disappeared into my sisters and mother, but the knickknacks quickly took up residence on my desk and bedside tables –I would never give those away.
The funniest presents, however, were the bars of fine soap that I occasionally found waiting on my desk. These were the finest, most expensive soaps that only the prima donna could afford, and I had a sneaking suspicion that Erik hadn't gone out and purchased these himself. Given that our present diva was prone to throwing things whenever she was angry, Erik had probably obtained these after one of her "fits," then passed them on to me. And since I had a love for fine, perfumed soaps, I was thrilled with these gifts, though I was careful to use them only on special occasions. Smelling suspiciously like the diva would only lead to my being fired for having what was hers in the first place.
But no matter what gift he left, I was touched that Erik cared enough to leave it for me. However one of these days, I knew that I would have to get the man to come out of that shell he had created around himself. Destiny would want me to try and make Erik more sociable, and I knew I'd have to be the one to take the first step.
Of course, that was also when Erik decided to do the unexpected.
So many months of Lisette's company had spoiled him. Though she was not there more than twice a week, Erik felt rather spoiled from all of the things she had been cooking and feeding him in that time.
And not only did she make her food tasty, she also made plenty of it. Lissie had been quick to learn that he took infrequent meals, usually at odd times, and had prepared her dishes accordingly. Roasts were usually the norm, as well as soups, stews, and even the occasional meat-and-vegetable pie –all of which were slow to cook, could be kept over a fire for long periods of time (or even overnight), and were easy to warm up if he let them grow cold.
But best of all were her tea trays. Erik had always enjoyed a soothing cup of tea, but whenever Lisette left a tray for him, it had delicious little sandwiches, fruit slices, bread and jam, or even croissants. The girl was spoiling him to the point where he wanted her to spend even more time down in his cavern home.
The question was how to convince her to spend more than two days a week in his employ.
Erik was sure that he could not bribe her; she was too honorable for that. A pay raise might do the trick, but only if she felt she'd earned it –Lisette was not the sort who would enjoy the idea of doing the same amount of work for more pay. He could thank Antoinette's influence for her daughter's high morals.
Finally, he decided to simply ask her to spend an extra day or two a week at his home. The worst she could say was 'no,' but if she agreed, he would insist on paying her accordingly.
Straightening his cravat, Erik stepped into the gondola and pushed off into the water, heading for the Girys'. He arrived at the apartment in record time, and as always, Lisette was there waiting for him.
"Good morning," she cheerfully greeted him.
Her greeting lightened his heart, as it always did. Very few people had ever greeted him with a smile on their face, but Lissie did, and Erik always savored each of their morning encounters. It truly was amazing how other people took such a thing for granted.
"Good morning," he replied. "Shall we go? I brought the gondola today."
Her smile grew wider and more excited at the prospect of traveling on the water. They did not take the boat often, but when they did, Lissie always cheered considerable. Erik tried not to preen at his thoughtfulness of taking the water craft today.
Together they traveled through the passageways down to the water, where Erik gently handed Lissie into the boat. He waited patiently as she settled herself and her skirts, then pushed off into deeper water. They traveled in silence for a while, as Erik gathered his courage to speak.
"Lisette," he finally whispered, just loud enough to be heard, but not so that his words would echo in the stone caverns. "I wish to ask a favor of you."
He saw her stiffen, and knew she was expecting the worst: that she do some sort of task for him in the Opera House. There was no need for that, of course; Antoinette was the one he trusted with such responsibilities, though he was sure she hadn't told Lissie that.
"I was hoping that you would come work for me an extra day or two each week," he said, rushing to sooth her ruffled feathers. "I will, of course, pay you accordingly."
The tension went out of her, much to his relief. "Well," she said thoughtfully, "I suppose that will be alright. As long as Mama approves, of course."
Erik could barely hide his excitement. "Of course," he said, pulling through the gates that led to his home. He had no doubt that Anne would agree.
He could feel his day getting better already.
AN: Looks like there will be more time spent between Erik and Lissie. Things can only get more interesting from here on out! Please be kind and review. Thanks!