Thank you so much another new favourite for my story Welcome.
As well as everyone already following or just reading as well as those who have already favourited my story. I hope you enjoy this latest instalment, please let me know. Thank you.
To Reddeath92, thank you for your review, I can see what you mean that Erik could very well have said "what the hell!", to Jean's declaration, however it would not fit with the rest of the plot. Here is the rest. I hope you enjoy this next chapter.
I do not own anything by Gaston Leroux, Susan Kay or Andrew Lloyd Webber, everything else is my own work.
The Panorama of a Perfumed Garden
"I have lost him," Sobbed Meg hysterically as Christine rushed over to see what was wrong with her friend.
"What do you mean?" Christine asked as she took her shaking friend and hugged her.
"I said things I should not, and I have offended his masculinity," Meg replied as she wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her dress, yet continued sobbing. Christine was at a loss when Meg grabbed her arm,
"Please you must not tell my mother!" Meg begged,
"I think you had better tell me what happened, and we will sort it out." Christine told her as she comforted Meg and waited for her to continue talking.
ooo
Back at the Lake house Jean had calmed enough to explain to Erik what happened. Erik had made fresh coffee for both of them and then sat in his reading chair as Jean mustered up the courage to explain.
"How and where do I start?" a miserable Jean told Erik as he took a sip of his coffee, "Meg and I had an argument," Jean sighed "I have lost her, I implied that she was not a lady and…" Jean blew his nose and wiped his eyes again. Erik was confused,
"Why would you imply Meg was not a lady?" he asked, "and what has this to do with you being boring in bed?" Erik finished more confused than ever.
Jean knew he had no choice, he had to tell Erik some really embarrassing details if he wanted Erik's help. Looking down at his hands Jean continued speaking,
"I love Meg very much and… and I enjoy showing her in every way that I know," Jean started,
"So?" Erik prompted,
"So, around month ago Meg suggested some new ways of… erm… physical love that she had heard about from the corps de ballet,"
"Ahh!" Erik responded sagely, recalling the gossip he heard whilst sneaking around the opera house as the Phantom, those girls were very progressive in their knowledge, collected from the patrons who showered each girl with gifts for their favours. This was starting to make some sense.
"Well I had never heard about such behaviour and told Meg that I was uncomfortable about it as I am not that kind of patron," Jean continued,
"So Meg went to ask the one married woman she could speak openly to about such matters, who told her, that her and her husband partake of such activities and that it was perfectly acceptable if both partners agreed, in fact Meg was told that the husband was very knowledgeable about such matters and was…" Jean gulped "I quote Meg 'a real stud in the bedroom' so there was nothing to be uncomfortable about, but I was still not keen without clarification from a gentleman I knew would know about such matters and that started the argument" Jean finished.
Whilst Jean had been talking, Erik had wracked his brains trying to think who the married woman was that Meg spoke to, it would not have been her mother as Jean still had all his bits intact, it would not have been Jean's mother in case she told Madame Giry, none of the corps de ballet were married, and neither was Delphine, and Meg did not know Meredith de Chagny well enough, that and the fact that Erik doubted the Fop was good at anything, that left one married woman that Erik knew Meg would have spoken to…
The bottom of Erik's stomach hit the floor, just as his ears caught alight with more shades of red than any artists pallet, as he realised who the 'stud in the bedroom' most likely was.
"Meg spoke to Christine, did she not?" Erik asked weakly. Jean nodded. Erik shut his eyes and grimaced,
"Oh my god!" he declared as he stood up and started pacing clearly embarrassed even with his mask in place, "Oh my good god," Erik kept repeating as he ran his hands through his wig and continued pacing then he turned to Jean, "Seriously, Christine told Meg I am…. Am…"
"You are what?" a voice Erik really did not want to hear at that moment asked.
Erik looked up from his pacing as Nadir entered the sitting room.
"He is a stud in the bedroom," Jean unhelpfully supplied, as Erik hid his masked face in his hands,
"Thank you, Jean," Erik growled, "anyone else you want to tell? Like the entire opera house staff perchance!" Erik finished with a snap, as he turned to Nadir, "What do you want?" he barked at Nadir.
"Well since you are two hours late for the office I came to see if you were ill?" Nadir grumbled back,
"I am not ill," Erik informed him peevishly, "Merely dying of embarrassment, since my darling wife has been discussing matters with her best friend, I really did not expect to be made public,"
"I obviously have missed something, would one of you explain to me why we are discussing Erik's… Urm, abilities?" Nadir asked as he sat on the couch next to Jean,
"You started this," Erik barked at Jean, "You tell him!" Erik finished as he spun on his heel and stormed to the kitchen muttering about fresh coffee.
Jean smiled sheepishly and started to enlighten Nadir.
ooo
Back in Christine's dressing room Meg had calmed down and had explained to Christine the same sorry story about the argument and how Jean had been so upset he left her last night and Meg had not seen him since, Christine was more than a little embarrassed,
"Meg you really did not tell Jean about myself and Erik, please tell me you did not, that was private, and I only told you in confidence, so you did not feel ashamed about what you were asking Jean," she said her face aglow.
Meg looked ashamed "I was so annoyed that he implied I was not a lady to suggest such matters that I did not think, and I blurted out that you and Erik were a lady and a gentleman and both of you did not think it inappropriate, amongst other things, so I told him he should go and ask Erik if he did not believe me, I never thought… I am so sorry Christine are you angry? will Erik be really mad at me?" she asked, tears welling up in her eyes again.
Hugging her best friend and trying to sound convincing, Christine sighed,
"No, I am not angry, and Erik will not be angry at you, he will understand," She informed Meg, dreading the next time she saw her husband, Christine knew if that was what Jean was asking Erik about, Erik was not going to take it very well at all.
ooo
Back in the lake house, Jean had finished the tale of woe and Nadir was in a quandary, he could understand Erik being furious that his privacy had been broken, but also from what Jean had explained he could also see why Jean came to Erik to ask for help, Jean did not know Erik's background history as to why he took Jean's explanation as to why he sought Erik for the advice, so badly. Alas currently Erik was in a dangerously foul mood and was in the music room pounding away on the pipe organ. Nadir had to think fast, some way to defuse the situation, otherwise knowing Erik in his current mood there was every chance that Christine would verbally cop both barrels of Erik's temper if he did not calm down, and that would not be good for anyone.
Nadir thought for a moment as the memories of trying to answer very direct and embarrassing questions from a teenage Erik; giving up and giving him a copy of the Perfumed Garden to read instead sprang to mind.
"You do realise that Erik had to learn all he knows from someone," Nadir started cautiously, Jean looked at Nadir hopefully as Nadir gulped, and continued, "I taught Erik everything he knows about… bedroom matters, it was a source of pride that a man was a good lover in my country, it showed he was a real man," Nadir continued slowly warming to the subject.
"You taught Erik, could you teach me? Please!" Jean beseeched, as the pipe organ accompaniment stopped suddenly.
"Yes Daroga, please do instruct Jean the way I recall you did me," Erik snidely remarked suddenly leaning, with his arms folded to his chest, in the doorway of the music room.
It was now or never, Nadir knew he had no choice, he had to sacrifice his own privacy and dignity to save the day. Talking man to man about intimate matters with Erik had become easier over time with the addition of alcohol, since they had been friends so long but trying to discuss such matters with Jean was a different matter entirely, it was a young Erik all over again.
"Err… Erik could I have a glass of brandy please?!" Nadir asked as his face started to colour up, and he had not even started the discussion, this was not going to be fun.
ooo
It was a few hours later when Christine and Meg finished rehearsals and cautiously made their way down to the lake house. Silently opening the front door, Christine beckoned Meg through and shut it. She then motioned to Meg to remain silent and the two women stood in the hallway listening to the conversation in the sitting room trying to gauge if Jean was still in the house alive and how angry Erik was before they walked in.
As the ladies listened in they heard Erik and Nadir chuckling, then a shocked Jean,
"Really page fifty two works every time?" Jean asked,
"every time," Nadir confidently assured him as Jean closed the book and left it resting on his lap.
"How do you know?" Jean then asked,
"Simple, the noise the lady makes," Erik replied,
"Is it a specific noise for that technique?" Jean continued,
"Nadir?" Erik asked sounding uncertain, "You have known more than one lady," Erik prompted,
"Erm," Nadir started as he took another drink, "Each lady has her own noise that tells you that you have satisfied them, the same noise for each technique but unique to each lady," Nadir sagely informed the other two.
Still silently ensconced in the hallway Christine and Meg listened horrified and dreading the direction the conversation might take, as they heard the sound of something Christine was certain was alcoholic being poured into three glasses, then Jean continued;
"is it like a sort of squeal?" Jean asked, "A sort of Eeek! I have only heard that from Meg twice, but she did have a huge smile on her face afterwards," Jean finished.
Meg gasped and blushed furiously as Christine frantically motioned for her to be silent. It was for nothing, Erik had heard her gasp even if Jean and Nadir had not and he knew they had two ladies spying on the conversation who really needed to learn that what was sauce for the Gander was also sauce for the Goose.
"Only twice? Surely more than that?" Erik asked innocently.
"No," Jean replied sadly, "I was only aware of the one technique until today, and that my father informed me was the correct way to show love and procreate, he called it the in, out in, out and shake it all about,"
"Oh!" Erik responded taken aback, as Nadir taking a sip of brandy was sniggering and trying not to choke on his drink, "Well in that case, you and Meg will definitely benefit from today's discussion and the book I have lent you," Erik finished,
"you mean that I can get Meg to squeal every time if I use these techniques?" Jean questioned,
"Absolutely," Erik assured him knowing that his next response was going to embarrass his lovely wife who was spying on this discussion; as much as she had embarrassed him by telling Meg about their bedroom activities. "My angel screams my name in a perfect pitch of E6 every time," Erik informed Jean with pride,
"Really every time?" Jean asked awe in his voice, "Wow you really are a stud in the bedroom!" Jean declared.
Christine; now as embarrassed as Meg, had heard enough and did not want to hear anymore, so she decided to make her presence known, grabbing an embarrassed Meg by the sleeve of her dress and dragging Meg with her, Christine entered the sitting room, trying to look like she had not just heard what Erik had said about her.
Erik was seated in his reading chair with a smirk on his face, as Christine entered dragging Meg with her. Jean and Nadir were on the couch, Jean had a book on his lap. All three men had a reasonably filled brandy balloon in one hand and seemed very relaxed.
"Ah, good afternoon Angel," Erik smoothly called out, "I trust the final rehearsal before the last dress rehearsal went well today?" he asked as if the conversation he had just had with Nadir and Jean was about nothing more intimate than architecture.
"It went very well," Christine replied acting like she was not dying of embarrassment. Jean looked up at Meg who was trying to hide behind Christine,
"Meg," Jean started nervously, as he set the book and his glass aside and stood up "I was so very wrong, when I said what I did last night, these gentlemen have allayed my concerns and have enabled me to understand matters that I did not before, I realise that I have an extraordinary lady as my fiancée, if that is what you still wish?" Jean finished nervously waiting for Meg's response. Meg said nothing as she ran to Jean and wrapped her arms around him,
"I am so sorry too for what I said, I should never have made such a statement about you," she sobbed as she laid her head on Jean's chest.
Standing up from his reading chair and setting his own glass aside, Erik crossed the sitting room to stand beside Christine, and they both looked on as Meg and Jean, held each other, and forgave themselves for silly words said in haste. Christine turned to Erik, and whispered in his ear,
"Really E6?" she asked "I am so embarrassed… Erik I am also so sorry about my indiscretion regarding our love, I only sought to assure my friend that love in all forms between a loving couple as long as it is true is acceptable. I never thought about the fact that you are really such a very private person, I should have never said what I did, I knew it would embarrass you if you found out, forgive me please?"
Erik smiled and using his ventriloquism answered his lovely wife to her right ear, "You are forgiven, I know you did not say it out of malice and you have learnt your lesson, remember a couple share some things not meant for others to hear, and if you let some slip, I am entitled to do the same." He chuckled his smile never moving, "and besides, it is not the pitch of E6 you actually use in our love, it is C5, I might be a 'stud in the bedroom' but I would never let you damage your vocal cords no matter how good I am,"
With a cheeky grin and a wink, Erik wandered into the kitchen leaving Christine standing in the sitting room with her mouth hung open in shock.
As Christine stood there and regained her composure, Meg and Jean sat together on the couch beside Nadir, holding hands and very much the engaged couple again, only Nadir looked forlorn now, and Erik spotted his friend's melancholy as he came out of the kitchen with a brimming tea tray,
"What has you so glum, Daroga?" Erik asked as he placed the tray on the table beside the couch. Nadir drained the brandy left in his glass and sighed,
"Alas everyone has a hope spring but me," Nadir replied sadly,
"But I thought you and Delphine were a couple?" Christine asked,
"We are, alas since her new role as a marriage relationship guide has taken off so well I barely see her at the moment," he finished forlornly.
"Well when you do see her, I am sure there is something you can use from our discussions today to make her smile," Jean cheekily retorted, as everyone laughed and even Nadir had to smile, as the friends drank tea and laughed about more mundane matters into the evening.