Chapter28 Inner workings
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Erik sat with Meg in the carriage outside Annie's sisters. He listened intently to every sound. There was no way he could have let her come here herself to fetch Benjamin. Although he knew deep down that she loved him he was beginning to doubt just how loyal she was going to remain to him.
She had betrayed him and had to earn his trust again. Erik was growing more and more impatient as time went on. As he no longer had any perception of time what so ever even short spaces of time could feel like an eternity. Erik had never had a strong grasp of time even when he had his sight. All of Erik's life had been a case of existing. There was a period of time within his life when he wasn't existing so someone could give him the chance to live, he was existing until he was finally granted the liberty to die.
That was why this was so important to him. Annie had given him that chance to liven, shown him that he too could live. Now, she was the only person who could give him the one last shot he could have at living.
She could provide him not just with an existence within the cold and dingy cells of a French Opera House where he spent his days obsessing over warped mindless fantasies that could never be. Now she could offer him a full and complete existence. She could give him the chance to be part of a loving family.
They would move out of his lair and get a house in the remote countryside. They would be free from the harsh judging eyes of the people who populated the busy towns of Paris. They could happily, finally he could be given the chance to experience the very basic part of life, living.
He didn't like the way he had to go about achieving his life but he could see no alternative. He was so close. He had to ensure he didn't allow Antoinette's irrational fears of him cost him this chance. He would treat them all well. He would marry Antoinette. He wanted the real family wife, husband and children. The final piece of this was just inches away behind a closed door.
"Can you see them?" he demanded.
Meg jumped slightly when the silence was broken by Erik's harsh tone.
Meg looked closely. "No I cannot see them," she answered honestly.
"How long have they been in there?" he demanded
"Around ten minutes," Meg answered. She wasn't aware of the time and so had to guess.
Ten minutes was that all? It felt much longer, unless she was lying to him. What if this was part of a plan she and her mother had come up with? What if she and Benjamin had slipped past him? It would be pretty easy given he was blind. Would she leave Meg behind with him though? Maybe it was arranged that Meg was to meet them in an arranged place at a later time?
Anger bubbled within him. How dare they do this to him and how dare she lie to him. "Don't lie to me Meg," he growled.
"I'm not," Meg answered managing to keep her voice calm and free from fear.
"Don't think I don't know your plans," he snarled moving so his face was inches from Meg's.
Meg back away slightly. "I'm not…I really don't know what you are talking about," she said confused and a little scared. She knew Erik's temper was rising. Her mother was the only person she knew who could calm Erik down. She knew what Erik was like when he was angry but she didn't know how to prevent it from happening.
"Don't treat me like a fool!" he roared.
"I'm…I'm not," she stuttered helplessly.
He "glared" at her his anger growing, Not only was he being lied to but he was being treated like a fool.
"It's the truth why can't you just believe it?" she asked quietly
Meg reeled back when Erik slapped her hard across the face. "Don't you dare speak to me like that again," he hissed. Meg was too scared to say anything. She bit her lip fighting back tears.
A while later he began to calm down. "I'm sorry Meg. It was an accident. I…I lost my temper. Can we just keep it between us?" he asked realising that his potential happiness and chance of living all depended on Meg.
