Hi everybody, I hope you will forgive me for not updating this story last weekend. I am sorry, I knew you were waiting, but there simply was too much going on and I did not get around to writing another chapter. Anyway, it's ready now. There will be another one next week, but that will probably be it. I guess I will be able to wrap up the remaining lose ends with this final chapter, and then this story will be over. Thank you all for sticking with it till the end!
I cannot repeat often enough how much every review, every follower and every favorite means to me, though, of course, those that only read also are important, and I see from the numbers of visitors, how many of you are reading my stories. I certainly could not do it without you. I probably would not have gotten past the first chapter of my first story if it had not been for the support of all my readers. Thank you all!
Okay, so once again, I do not own... wait a minute, I do own the Reifensteins! ;-)
Chapter 36 - Face
A few weeks passed, during which Erik and his three ladies accepted several more invitations to smaller and medium-sized events, where Erik and Christine usually performed one or two songs together. Sometimes Erik also improvised on the piano, mesmerizing the attendees with his expressive, innovative harmonies and chords.
Having the Dumesnils perform at one of your soirées soon became an absolute must for any family of importance, and thus Erik and Christine got flooded with invitations, so that it became impossible for them to meet with all the many requests. With the help of Gertraud and the Lüders-couple they carefully chose which invitations to accept, making sure that the Berlin society would not tire of their performances due to over-exposure to them.
Erik gave another one of his rare public concerts slightly over a month after his return to Berlin, to roaring applause. The rave reviews not only mentioned his flawless technique and soulful, inspired rendition of the difficult concerto he had played, but also mentioned the three beautiful ladies and the two adorable little girls, who had occupied the seats next to the organizer of the concert, Johann Lüders and his wife, together with an austere, oriental-looking gentleman.
"Despite his huge success, Dumesnil seemed to have eyes for nobody but his family," one reviewer wrote. "It is rare to see such devotion to one's family, and it is clear now, where the exceptional musician finds the inspiration for his unusually touching compositions and the expressive, emotional interpretations of the works of other masters."
One or two also mentioned the fact that Mme. Dumesnil was an accomplished singer, "who has already given us some hints of her talent at smaller, private musical events, and who will be making her debut in the Berlin concert halls next spring."
Two days after the concert, Meg had her audition at the Berlin Opera and totally awed the managers with her fluid motions and solid technique, that made her execute even the most complicated movements seemingly without effort. She immediately was promised a solo part in the first fall production after the summer break. Her casting made headlines again, and all of Berlin was even more impressed with this incredibly talented Dumesnil-family.
Xxxx
Summer put an end to the so-called Berlin season, since many families left town for their summer residences in the countryside. Erik and his family stayed, though. Their garden was huge enough and so close to the lake, that they had no need for a change of scenery.
Gertraud and her husband did not leave Berlin either. Gertraud's baby was due in the second half of August and she did not want to be too far away from the midwife and the medical facilities of the larger town so close to her delivery. Gertraud was getting a bit nervous. In a way she could not wait for the baby to be born, to get rid of the extra weight she had been carrying around for months now, to get her figure back, but on the other hand she was scared of the actual process of giving birth, especially since she knew about Christine's problems during Isabelle's birth.
"I really don't get it how you could risk this again after what happened to you with Isabelle," she told Christine. "I am already at the end of my nerves and it's still a little while till this baby will be born. How can I get through these remaining weeks without going mad with fear? "
Christine smiled, patting her own belly which was beginning to show a small bulge. "Are you not looking forward to finally meeting your child?" she asked softly. "Why don't you focus on the joy of holding him or her for the first time, of looking into the baby's eyes, knowing that the little miracle was created by the love you share with your husband?"
Gertraud hesitated. She was not sure she had much use for a child. She had no idea how to care for such a small being and secretly feared that she would be totally unable to fulfill the responsibilities of being a mother. On the other hand, watching Christine interact with her daughters did stir something in her, a desire to be surrounded by equally adorable little ones that would look up to her the way Amélie and Isabelle did with Christine.
"I don't know," she finally admitted. "I don't think I am ready for a baby. I have no clue what they need and how to treat them. What if I am a terrible mother and screw this up badly?"
Christine laughed. "You will do great," she comforted her friend. "I had absolutely no idea either, what to expect and how to handle things when Amélie arrived, but once she was there and I held her in my arms, I knew exactly what she needed. You will see. You will fall in love with the baby the moment you lay eyes on him or her for the first time, I am sure of it. You will be a wonderful mother."
Gertraud was not convinced. "I just hope it is a boy," she sighed. "I would hate having to go through all this again."
"You won't care," Christine assured her. "You will be so in awe with your little one, that it won't matter to you if it's a boy or a girl. Of course I had been hoping for a boy as well, when I was pregnant for the first time, because I wanted to give Raoul the desired heir, but once I held my little girl, I did not mind. And the second time around, I already knew that I would love the child, whether it was a boy or a girl."
Gertraud shook her head. "You do not really need a son," she reminded Christine, "but would you not prefer one this time around, for a change, seeing that you already have two daughters?"
Christine shrugged. "It will not matter. Son or daughter, Erik and I will love our baby regardless."
Xxxx
On a sunny August afternoon, Gertraud finally gave birth to a little boy. She had been scared out of her wits once her water broke and she was hit by the first contractions, but the midwife, who was sent for immediately and arrived only half an hour later, was able to calm her down somewhat, after a quick examination had revealed that everything was fine and the baby was slowly moving into the right position.
"It won't be too long, Madame von Reifenstein," the midwife comforted the nervous mother-to-be. "Just try to relax as much as possible and follow my instructions, then this will be over in almost no time."
The birth process still took a bit too long for Gertraud's taste, even though the delivery was relatively quick, considering that it was her first child. She hated the pain and after each contraction she was absolutely convinced that she would not be able to survive another one, but somehow she did. Two hours after her water had broken, the midwife finally told her to push and soon the baby's head emerged. "Just once more," the midwife announced. "When the next contraction hits, push as strongly as you can, then you will be done." Gertraud panted nervously, as another wave of pain tore through her body. She let out a blood-curdling scream, at the same time instinctively pushing, and was rewarded by the sweetest sound she had ever heard, the cries of her newborn baby.
"Is that...?" she asked weakly, exhausted by her ordeal. "My baby?" Her heart filled with wonder at the faint cries and she felt the urge to hold this tiny creature who produced those adorable sounds.
"Yes, that is your son," the midwife explained, while cleaning up the infant. "Just let me tidy him up a bit, then you may hold him."
Gertraud smiled happily. She could not wait to see her boy, to actually hold him. All her doubts were gone and she knew with the instinct of a mother that she would love that little being, care for him, protect him and keep him safe.
When the midwife finally put the baby into her arms, Gertraud lovingly held him, mustering adoringly his cute, wrinkled, rather red little face, the tiny hands protruding from the blanket he was wrapped in and smiled at him. "Oh Lothar," she whispered, using for the first time the name she and her husband had decided upon. "You really are something." In her eyes he was the most beautiful baby ever, he was everything she could have wished for and more.
When Albrecht von Reifenstin was allowed into her room a few minutes later, he found his wife, cradling their son in her arms, lovingly looking at the little bundle of joy. He smiled. "I always knew it, Gertraud," he said. "I knew you would be the most loving, caring mother, once you could be convinced to have a baby. That's why I fell in love with you." Then he looked at his son. "Welcome to the world, Lothar," he said, and, his heart almost bursting with love, he sat down on the bed and wrapped an arm around his wife and son. "I love you," he whispered into Gertraud's ear, "both of you."
Xxxx
In September, Meg had her first solo part at the Opera in the new production of "Faust". Her whole family was in attendance, Erik had rented an entire box for himself, Christine, Nadir, Antoinette and the two girls. They all beamed with pride at Meg's success, and not even the critical eye of Mme. Giry could find the tiniest fault with her daughter's performance. Meg immediately won the hearts of the theater aficionados and everybody was wondering when she would be given the lead in a featured ballet production.
The audience had to wait till shortly before Christmas, when Meg finally got her first starring role as the title character of "La Sylphide" and once again, all of Berlin was impressed. What was more important for Meg, though, was the adoration of her male counterpart, the dashing young dancer Heinz Kaldenbück, who, encouraged by their shared triumph, finally dared asking her out for a date. "To celebrate tonight's success," he added shyly, still unsure if the fabulous French ballerina, the niece of the famous composer Dumesnil, would be interested in going out with him. Meg only smiled and happily accepted the invitation.
Xxxx
In January, Christine's baby was due. The closer she got to her due date, the more nervous Erik became, even though the midwife had assured Christine repeatedly that everything was fine and that she did not expect any complications. "You will see, this delivery will be just as quick as the one of the Reifenstein-baby," the midwife told Christine at every check-up.
Christine smiled. She did not care how long the process of giving birth would take. She was looking forward to the new addition to her family that was growing within her, and she could not wait till she could finally hold her new baby in her arms. She knew that the little one, whose frequent movements and kickings showed a restless temper, would make its appearance sooner rather than later.
The morning of New Year's Eve, she therefore approached her husband with a topic that had been bothering her for quite a while. "Erik," she begged. "You know that the girls have seen your face and have accepted you despite your looks. I want our new baby to meet its father right from the start, to know what you look like. Please, Erik, promise me, that you won't wear your mask around our child."
Erik winced. He only took off his mask in the relative safety of their bedroom and it still amazed him, how Christine could look lovingly at his bare face and kiss him. It would never occur to him to expose anybody else to his deformed features, even though not only the Girys, the girls and Nadir, but also their servants had told him time and again that they did not care and wanted him to be comfortable in his own home.
"You know that I cannot do this," he explained nervously. "Such a small baby would get nightmares. I cannot do this to our child. Not to mention that I would also have to expose the rest of the family and the servants to this monstrosity..."
"To your adorable face," Christine retorted. "I love you the way you are, and the same goes for the rest of our family. The servants do respect you and they have asked for your trust in this regard for several months now. I know that they would be honored if you considered them worthy of knowing your true face. Please Erik, believe me. I know it will take some courage to remove your mask in front of them for the first time, but I will be with you, and so will Mme. Giry, Meg, Nadir and our daughters. We will give you the moral support that will help you to summon that courage, and once they have seen you, you will hopefully understand that you do not need your mask at home." She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. "It will also be healthier for your face," she added, "to let the skin breath more. Please promise me that you will try to do this."
Erik brought up a few more arguments why this was absolutely impossible, but Christine insisted. She was determined to prove to Erik that he would not be shunned or feared by their loyal servants and thus make it possible for their baby to know its father's face from day one.
Erik finally agreed to give it a try. He was unable to say no to Christine, when she gave him that loving, adoring look of hers, but that did not mean he felt comfortable with his promise. When shortly before midnight, the family thanked the servants for their great work in the previous year and expressed their hope that the new year, which was about to begin, would be just as happy for all of them as the last one had been, Christine squeezed Erik's hand, smiled at him encouragingly, and whispered, "now is the time."
Erik cringed. He nervously cleared his throat, then mumbled, "my wife wants our baby to see my... that..." He pointed to his masked face. "Without... I mean... she thinks the baby can stomach..."
Christine smiled. "I know the baby will love your face," she told him. "And so will our servants, who are more friends to us than servants anyway."
"Ah... maybe..." Erik was at a loss what to say.
"We would be honored, Monsieur," Colette chimed in, "but we do not want to make you uncomfortable. If you want to reveal your face to us we will be proud that you consider us worthy of knowing the true you, but if it is too hard for you, we will understand."
Erik nodded. The warm words of the woman he had grown to respect, somewhat calmed him. "I just do not want to scare you," he admitted.
"You will not," Colette assured him.
Christine's fingers intertwined with Erik's, and her soft voice begged, "please, Erik. It means so much to all of us, including you. You will see..."
Erik summoned all his courage. "I warned you," he whispered, nervous in anticipation of the reaction he would certainly get, once his deformity was revealed. In one quick movement he tore off his mask, knowing that his determination would falter if he did this slowly and that he would then never get that garment off his marred flesh. He closed his eyes and inwardly prepared himself for the screams of horror and disgust that were bound to erupt once the servants had seen the monstrosity that passed for his face.
To his utter surprise all remained silent. He felt Christine snuggle up to him, and heard her whisper, "I told you so!"
Slowly Erik opened his eyes, expecting to find the servants had fled in horror, but to his surprise, they were all still standing there, smiling at him. "How come...?" he asked totally bewildered. "Why are you not disgusted by..." He could not believe it. He knew only too well, how utterly repulsive his deformed features were, but everybody around him was looking at him with respect, even gratitude. The servants seemed happy to finally know what he had been hiding from them for so many months.
"You are the same man without the mask," Marie finally explained. "It is the person that matters, not the looks."
Her son nodded. "You are a far better master than the one we served before," Etienne commented. "So why should we have problems with your looks?"
"The mistress loves you, Sir," Colette finally added, "and that is proof enough for us that you are a decent, respectable gentleman, no matter what your face looks like. We will always respect you and serve you both well."
Erik was speechless. Tears began running down his cheeks. Amélie and Isabelle, who had been allowed to stay up for the special occasion, were both clinging to him now, smiling. "Will you now let us look at your real face when we are at home, papa Erik-Angel?" the children asked. "We know you need that mask, because some stupid people in the streets do not understand, but we do, and with us you do not need it!"
Erik crouched down, so that he could be at eye-level with his two stepdaughters. "Would you really want me to not wear my mask at home?" he asked hesitantly.
The girls nodded eagerly. "We love you, papa Erik-Angel," they both said. "We love your face, too. And our new brother or sister will want to see it too!"
Erik laid an arm around each little girl and pulled them close. "My little angels," he whispered under tears. "If you want it too, then I guess I must go maskless in the house."
Christine beamed. "That is the best gift you could have given me for the New Year," she told Erik, caressing his deformed right cheek. "Only now are we a true family, now that you are comfortable showing your face to all of us."