You all have been very quiet lately except for my four most loyal readers. I hope that people are still reading this.
Chapter 50. April 12, 1895 St. Etienne de Malbaie, Quebec
Christine looked at her husband and asked, "Can't I go with you? I would like to greet the Girys right there?"
Erik replied with a sad smile, "You know how I hate to be parted from you for even a day or two but it is a necessary evil. My new mask is very lifelike and does not look at all like me, and I will be wearing a blond wig and thanks to your insistence on me getting a good meal three times per day, I have put on some weight over the years. I don't look skeletal anymore, just tall."
Christine laughed, "It is you who insist on cooking all of those gourmet meals. For a man who claims to eschew eating, you certainly have an amazing aptitude for cooking."
Erik gave her a crooked smile, "I am French, Madame. Fine cooking is in my blood. If you must insist on me indulging in it then the least that I could do is make sure that it is of the finest quality and flavor."
Christine replied lightly, "Well you seem to enjoy indulging in it. You have also elevated it to yet another art form and insist on perfection. What is wrong with something simple like picked herring and sauerkraut, or meatballs and brown gravy, or even pancakes and jam? They are all good foods and not so difficult to prepare."
Erik laughed, "You have not been to Sweden since you were a small child, yet you still insist on believing that it is the epitome of great cuisine. I am sorry mon amour but I just do not think that your Nordic cooking is as delectable as my French cuisine. Still I do let you do the cooking most of the time, provided that most of it remains French and you follow my directions to the letter," he added.
Christine giggled, "Yes like one of your old demands on the managers, I must live in fear lest 'a disaster beyond my imagination' might occur from my deviating from them. I remember the last time that I started making Swedish pancakes. You came in and wanted to turn them into crepes. I insisted that you leave the kitchen and so you threw some flour at me and then I retaliated. We ended up with a flour fight and, as I recall, I won."
Erik smiled, "Only because I let you win; although, I benefited greatly from conceding victory to you. You have taught me to enjoy losing to you since you usually reward me generously for giving in. I did like how you decided to clean the flour off my face; your lips and tongue did a fine job, but tell me darling did you get flour into my more private areas? If not, then why was it that you insisted on cleaning me there as well and then I started cleaning you in the same way? It was a good thing that the children slept in that morning and did not hear us, otherwise it would have been a bad example to them."
Christine observed, "I think that we set a good example for them. Most men are not as warm and as considerate as you are to their wives. Most women are afraid that if they publically show just how much that they and their husbands truly love each other that it would reflect poorly upon their character. I think that love and respect and the ability to laugh with one another are the important aspects of any relationship; it is much more important than duty. Our relationship reminds me of my parent's. Even after all of these years I remember how much they used to love each other. I sometimes wonder if that is why my Pappa died so young. My mother's death broke his heart. He loved me too, and we became very close but he was always missing something, part of who he was. I always wanted a relationship just like theirs and you and I have succeeded doing so. Who would have ever suspected that the once fearful Phantom of the Opera would become so playful and light in his dotage? You were a man man who used to extoll the virtues of darkness. I think that the Girys will be pleasantly surprised and pleased with who you have become."
Erik beamed, "Do you think so darling? But you say in my dotage? Are you implying that I am getting old?" he teased.
"Yes I am, ange. That way I will force you to prove otherwise to me before you head out of town. But in all seriousness you have truly become a delightful person to be around. It will be nice for them to see that part of you." Christine replied.
Erik sighed, "Well Antoinette did, back before we had all of the troubles. But I am afraid that my subsequent actions might have done irreparable harm to our relationship. I do not expect them to welcome my return to their lives with open arms; although the inheritance that I gave Antoinette should have salved some of the wounds that I inflicted on my relationship with her. Antoinette might possess some residual bitterness towards me for my actions back then. I hope that that will not be the case, but I did not make a lot of friends in those final months at the opera house. I will not blame her if she is a little wary of me at least at first."
Christine squeezed her husband's hand in reassurance, "I think that if they haven't already, that they will forgive you. It was not entirely your fault that you behaved in such a fashion. We all had a hand in it."
Erik agreed, "No. But I accept the blame and the consequences. They will be elated to see you my darling. You were like a daughter and a sister to them."
Christine replied, "I am not completely sure of that darling. After all I never wrote to them or let them know in any way that I was still alive. They may be angry at me for my deception and mistrust of them."
Erik replied, "That was my fault you wanted to contact them and I would not let you. I could not let anyone in France believe anything other then the fact that you and the fop died on the Tararua. I did what I had to keep them safe as well as us. If you do not have knowledge of something you cannot give it away. If we had told them the truth they might have been forced in some way to reveal it. We could not have them risk their own lives by knowing our secrets. It was too dangerous for them; better that they thought us both dead. It would still be safer even now but with the police declaring that the skeleton that they found was me, then we are much safer in bringing them here than before, provided that Baudouin is not watching them."
"And what if he is? What would we do?" Christine asked.
"We will make sure that we are safe before we contact them. It is why you cannot come with me to observe them. I am used to blending into my surroundings and watching people without being observed," Erik assured her.
"What if they see you and recognize you? You have not had to hide in a very long time. You may be out of practice and make some mistakes." Christine asked.
Erik answered, "I am never out of practice. I should still be able to observe the Girys without being suspected of being me; but you are not accustomed to subterfuge. I am afraid that if you came they might recognize you right away and we cannot have that for our own safety's sake. We must make sure that Baudouin or his men did not follow them here to Canada or that we make our presence known without being assured of their loyalty. I am going by train, on the Intercolonial line, to Campbellton, New Brunswick, where I will then turn around, several hours later, by boarding their train and taking it all the way to Levis, which across the Saint Lawrence River from Quebec City. Prior to my doing so, Aaron, as the 'patron' will meet the ladies in Halifax where they will be disembarking from the SS Numidian of the Allen Line in two days. I have taken the liberty of renting a private Pullman car for Aaron's use and for theirs. I will have access to it as well, once I join their train, but will be seated in the compartment closest to their car. I have paid a fortune to assure that no one else will be in that compartment with me. Hopefully between Aaron and I we should be able to gauge their circumstances and loyalties. Antoinette is not a very subtle person and neither is Meg. As I recall your friend could not keep a secret," Erik explained."
Christine's face lit up at the memory of her friend, "Well we were so young and innocent back then. We used to share our thoughts about our dreams. Meg was always more anxious to reach out and find the man of her dreams. I simply wanted to sing and nothing more, at least until I met Raoul, and then later realized my true feelings towards you, which changed everything. One thing that I wonder is how well Aaron will do and how believable his background might be to them. Aaron is so young; he was only a boy back in '81 when we were all performing. Could they really believe that he saw them at the opera as a boy all of those many years ago and that he remembered them enough to bring them here? What if the Girys become suspicious?" Christine asked.
"He could have seen them and admired them as a child. He was born in Russia and Russians are very fond of the ballet. As you well know I have been teaching him about the arts ever since we met on the ship years ago. Ever since Aaron came of age and first became my face to the world, it has been him who has bought all of our tickets to the various cultural events in both Quebec City, and in Montreal. It is also he who has competently represented us in our joint business transactions. At first some were put off by his youth and were skeptical, but in time Aaron gained quite the reputation for his shrewdness, which of course was due my and Darius' input as well of his own. Naturally our involvement is a secret, as it was meant to be. We have needed to protect your identity as well as mine. As Aaron himself once told me that the Russian Jews have a word describing our relationship, 'bashert' which means that it was meant to be. Aaron was an orphan in need of guidance, and I was a fugitive who needed a smart and trusted partner to be my face to the world. Darius has served that role as well, but as a Persian he still stands out, there are not many Persians here in Canada. Aaron blends in, especially since he stopped wearing his skullcap and shaved his beard. His aunt was horrified, but he did not want to stand out as a Jew, as his family did in Russia. He is proud of who he is but does not feel that he needed to look different. I can understand that since I wish that I did not look different. He wanted to be an ordinary Canadian as well as being Jewish. Aaron speaks both French and English fluently and without an accent. He, Darius and I together have put together quite an empire, as equal partners, but it is Aaron who is our spokesman, our front to the world."
Christine replied, "Yes I know all of that Erik, but still what will we do if they remain suspicious?"
Erik sighed, "It won't matter, sooner or later we will reveal ourselves to them. Then all of their doubts will disappear and they will understand the truth."
Christine smiled, "Maybe eventually they will bring my father's violin with them. It is my last connection with my former home in Sweden."
Erik replied, "Someday we will visit your relatives in Sweden."
Christine smiled at her husband, "They are your family as well Erik. They will welcome you with open arms."
Erik replied, "Even if they knew what I really looked like? Do you really think so mon amour?"
Christine replied affectionately, "They will love you, just as much as I do."
Erik sighed, "I have always wanted an extended family, that is why I brought Meg and Antoinette here. It is time that we try to bring those that we care about together with us."
Christine gave her husband a gentle kiss on his cheek, "You are truly a kind and loving person my love. I hope that they will appreciate all of your efforts to bring us back together."
"They will darling. I am sure of it. How could they not? They will love it here." Erik replied.
Two days later the ship docked in Halifax disgorging its passengers, Antoinette and Meg looked around at the town.
Antoinette looked around at the city disdainfully, "It is not much of a city. But what do you expect from the English? I hate Canada already. It is a backwater, nothing like Paris."
Meg rolled her eyes at her mother's comments, "You haven't even been processed through immigration yet and you are already criticizing it here. I will love it as much as you hate it; but then again I would love any place that is far away from Baudouin and his thugs."
"Yet who is this patron who brought us here from across the sea? Surely he must have some sort of motive to bring us here rather than hire someone closer than from across the ocean," Antoinette replied suspiciously. "You are still too trusting Meg."
"No Maman, I am simply glad to be free. No one could be worse than Baudouin and, if our hosts do turn out to be evil, Canada is a big country and the United States is just to our south. We could get lost easily here, much easier than in Europe." Meg observed.
Antoinette replied disdainfully, "You forget that we do not speak English, not a word. How would we get around without knowing that language? We would stand out like a sore thumb here."
Meg replied, "We would learn English. I know Italian and some German how hard could English be?"
Antoinette observed, "It is hard, and it is a guttural language like German. From what little that I know I recall that they do not even use grammatical genders when they speak. How do they even know when they are being spoken to?"
Meg smirked, "Perhaps they do not wish to know; especially when they are being spoken to by a person as snobby about it as you are Maman."
A short time later, the women cleared customs and looked around. They saw a tall and handsome young man in a superbly tailored suit holding up a sign with their name printed on it.
Meg spotted him first, "Maman, there is our host. He is holding up a placard see."
Antoinette sighed, "I hope that he speaks French, otherwise it is going to be a boring train ride. I just found out that it is 1000 kilometers to Quebec City from here. We still have a long journey ahead of us. I am glad that you did not have control over the train tickets as well as the ship. Your idea to sell our first class tickets and travel in steerage so that we could pocket the difference turned out to be terrible. We had to share our space with the dregs of humanity; it was like being in prison all over again."
Meg looked at her mother exasperated at her attitude, "We pocketed quite a savings, this way we will not be completely dependent on anyone if this is a trap." She reached up her arm and waived to Aaron, "here we are Monsieur."
The young man turned his gaze over to them and introduced himself in fluent Canadian accented French, "Bonjour, my name is Aaron Brown, I hope that your journey has been a pleasant one." To his surprise the two ladies came with only one smaller suitcase apiece, he looked around for a Stevedore but there was none by the women. He eyed the two suitcases, "Is that all that you brought?" he then noticed the shabby condition of the ladies clothing and blushed in embarrassment at his comment the poor women were obviously poverty-stricken and likely did not own much. Clearly they were not well off, which surprised him. From what Erik had told him the two women lived comfortably in France. Yet Aaron recognized the proud desperation of poverty in both of their eyes particularly the mother. Their eyes had the hardened look of people who had seen the world and experienced the worst of what it had to offer. Additionally the older lady seemed to walk somewhat tentatively. He took their suitcases from them and escorted them to a waiting rented hackney.
"I have booked us rooms at the Waverly Hotel for the a couple of nights and then we will board the train to Levis. I thought that you might want to rest before continuing your journey," he told them cheerfully.
Meg gave him a grateful look and then glanced triumphantly at her mother, "That is very thoughtful of you Monsieur Brown. It will be nice to freshen up before resuming our journey. Is Quebec City like Halifax? Is it very English?"
Aaron replied, "No it is much more like France, my hometown of Montreal is very French as well, although in Montreal it is wise to be fluent in English since most commerce is conducted in that language. Quebec City is much more like France."
Antoinette asked suspiciously, "You do not live in Quebec City and yet support the arts there? Why?"
Aaron replied smoothly, "I spend much time in Quebec City as many of my investments are in both the Eastern Townships and in the other Eastern parts of the province. Also one of my business partners lives in St. Etienne de Malbaie, we find it convenient to meet in Quebec City rather than having him come all the way to Montreal and me to Murray Bay," he explained, using the English name for St. Etienne de Malbaie.
Aaron spoke English as his first language these days and far more often than French. As he had explained, it was more a useful language in Montreal than French, most business and government was conducted in English. The Jewish community there was mostly Yiddish and English speaking as well, as were most of the other new immigrant groups from Europe. Quebec had retained its French heritage far more, as there were fewer immigrants there, and less English speakers.
Antoinette eyed him suspiciously, "Aaron Brown, that sounds like an English name. We were informed that the patron that summoned us was from Paris and was very familiar with the Opera Populaire. You do not sound Parisienne, or even from France at all; you speak the Canadian dialect. Also you seem quite young to have seen the ballet when I was the instructor and when my daughter danced. You look to be in your twenties. How is it that you are such a connoisseur of the arts Monsieur, particularly the ballet? And how is it that you know of us?"
Erik had warned him about the potential questions and he had answers. It was felt that they should say that the patron was Parisian to get them to come to Canada in the first place, but then they had already thought of a cover story.
Aaron sighed, "I was born in Russia, but came through France on my way to Canada. We Russians are connoisseurs of ballet, and I was taken to see a production of Faust at the Opera Populaire. I remember that the regular diva was out and there was an understudy for her, that day, by the name of Christine. Even as a boy I was impressed with her poise and the quality of her voice, and of course the beauty of the ballet and ballerinas as well. It was from that point on that I developed a great love of the performing arts, particularly the opera, and yet to this day I have never seen anything as professional and splendid as the Opera Populaire. When I made my fortune several years ago, I decided that I wanted to involve myself in the creation of something beautiful and lasting here in Quebec. Since Montreal already has some establishments that cater to the English-speaking crowd, I thought that Quebec City would be more fertile ground for French style performing arts. There was already a men's academy but not a proper venue for training women. Naturally when I discovered that you both had retired from the Opera Populaire long ago; and that you had been in charge of the ballet there, and thus were responsible for some of the greatest performances in that august institution's history; I simply had to get you both to come and recreate the wonder that I saw back in Paris here in Canada."
Meg looked at her mother in complete satisfaction at his explanation but Antoinette was not yet convinced, "Tell me Monsieur what made you think that my daughter had married the Baron de Castelot-Barbezac?"
Aaron hemmed and hawed, he did remember Erik's scripted answer to that question, he took a stab at it, "I uncovered it during my research, and I believe that I might have seen a social column where it was mentioned."
Antoinette glanced at her daughter and then back at the man and gave him a smile, "Oh I see Monsieur. Yes that makes sense since their engagement was so well known in Paris at that time."
Aaron looked relieved, "Yes I think that I read about it in Le Petit Parisien or Le Figaro he added helpfully.
Antoinette smiled yet again and gave him her most patient teacher's voice, "Yes I am sure that you are right Monsieur. That does explain everything," she added helpfully, while glancing triumphantly at her daughter.
