Chapter 19
I wrap my arm about Marie's waist and lead her in the direction of the park. "Did you and Meg have a nice chat?" I ask as we pass under a street lamp, not taking to keeping to the shadows as I usually do when venturing out at night.
"Yes we did," she answers contently as she glances up at me with a smile. "We have a lot in common."
"I am glad that the two of you are getting along so well," I reply, glad that I had thought of Meg and her mother when we were planning the wedding. The girl had always enjoyed spreading stories about me around the opera house but she was always discrete when it came to my personal dealings with her and her mother and I knew I could trust her to be discrete in this matter also.
"So am I," Marie says brightly. "Oh, Erik, thank you so much for introducing us. It has been a very long time since I have had a friend to talk to like Meg and I do."
"You are most welcome, my dear. You have such a wonderful personality that you deserve to have many friends," I say seriously.
"Thank you, Erik, but I do not need nor want many friends. I find that a few close friends are much better than a large number of acquaintances. I am perfectly content with just Meg, her mother, and you as my friends," she says firmly.
"If that is what you wish than so be it," I say, a bit relieved that she is not the kind of girl who wishes to be the center of attention and the focus of many acquaintances. After all, I do not have a very high social standing.
"Thank you. You do not know how much that means to me," she says softly as she gazes up at me.
"Think nothing of it, my dear," I say as I lead her into the park.
We stroll hand in hand down a winding path in a comfortable silence. Each of us taking in the beauty and peacefulness of our snow covered surroundings that are illuminated by the moonlight.
"This place is so beautiful at night, Erik," Marie whispers softly, as if she is afraid to break the spell the darkness has woven in the enchanting park.
"Yes, it is quite lovely," I comment just as quietly. Thankfully the cold weather has deterred the few who would chance strolling through the park at night, leaving only us to experience its quiet beauty. I have never been here in the light of day but I have ventured here at night on occasion to get some fresh air and to just get away for a while. As we continue on, I guide her silently to the lake where I have always enjoyed sitting and watching the moon play on the surface, unlike the surface of my lake which is always so dark and seemingly bottomless.
"Would it be alright if we stopped here for a little while, Erik?" Marie asks softly as we draw closer to the lake.
"But of course, my dear," I say smoothly as I lead her to a nearby bench.
After we sit down Marie leans her head on my shoulder and sighs softly. "It is so beautiful here, Erik," she observes reverently as she gazes out onto the shimmering surface of the lake.
"Yes it is," I agree softly.
"Have you ever been here before?" she asks after a moment.
"Yes. I come here from time to time to clear my head," I answer simply.
"Is it always as beautiful here at night as it is tonight?" she asks as she turns her gaze from the lake to my face.
"I believe it is much more beautiful tonight," I say softly, realizing that I have not even looked at the lake yet. I never once removed my gaze from her lovely face since we sat down.
"Why is that, Erik?" she asks, sounding a bit confused.
"Your presence by my side makes everything a thousand times more beautiful," I admit shyly.
"Erik, you flatter me so," Marie says softly and I see a blush creep into her face before she lowers her head, embarrassed by the compliment.
"It is not flattery, my dear, it is simply the truth," I say softly, enjoying the color creeping into her cheeks.
"Thank you," she whispers softly before turning to face me once more. Our eyes lock and I find myself lowering my lips towards hers.
"You are quite welcome, my dear," I whisper just before our lips make contact.
"I love you so much, Erik," Marie whispers after she regains her ability to speak after the passionate kiss we just shared.
"I love you more than anything, Marie," I reply softly as I wrap my arm around her and pull her closer to my side.
"Promise me you will never stop loving me," she requests softly as she rests her cheek to my shoulder and wraps her arms about me.
"I swear that I will love you till the day I die," I promise passionately. Why had she suddenly asked such a thing of me?
"As I will love you, Erik," she says before snuggling closer to me and tightening her grip on me.
We turn our attention to the silent lake and become lost in our thoughts. After some time the nagging feeling that something is wrong begins tugging at my thoughts again and I still cannot figure out what the cause is. Not wishing to alarm Marie, I carefully look around and study the shadows but I see nothing that indicates someone lurking out of sight. I try to calm my nerves and return my focus to the lake but the feeling will not leave me. Her words from early come back to the front of my mind and I wonder if she knows something that she is not telling me. "Marie? Is something bothering you?" I ask softly, not wishing to startle her.
"No, Erik. Why do you ask?" she asks, suddenly concerned.
"The fact that you asked me to promise you to never stop loving you earlier concerned me. I thought that perhaps you had seen something that would prompt you to ask such a thing," I say, trying to broach the subject.
"No, I haven't seen anything that threatens our happiness. I simply asked you that to be reassured that you were not having second thoughts about the wedding tomorrow," she admits softly.
"I can assure you that I am not having any second thoughts about marrying you, Marie," I say reassuringly.
"I am very pleased to hear that," she answers happily before resting her head on my shoulder once more.
After she turns her attention back to the lake I study our surroundings once again, still unable to shake the nagging feeling that danger is close by. But if she has not dreamt of anything bad happening then surely there is nothing to worry about. I once again try to push this unfounded worry from my mind and return my gaze to the lake.
I am so absorbed in my apprehensible feelings that I do not realize that Marie has drifted off to sleep until she calls out to me. I am about to wake her and insist that we be on our way when she begins to tremble in my embrace.
"Erik," she calls frantically in her sleep. "No, Erik, come back!"
"Marie, wake up. Marie, please, I am here. Wake up," I call softly, shaking her slightly as I try to wake her.
She opens her eyes suddenly and clings tightly to me. "Oh Erik, please take me home. We have stayed here too long."
"Please try to calm yourself. You are safe, it was just a nightmare," I say soothingly as I hold her close and try to comfort her.
"We are not safe, Erik... not as long as we stay here. We must leave now," she says insistently as she gets to her feet.
"How can you be so sure that something will happen if we remain here?" I ask, trying to find out what has caused her sudden panic.
"Just trust me, Erik. I will explain once we are safely away from this place. Please, we must hurry," she says pleadingly. "What is the fastest way out of here?"
Realizing that arguing with her about this is not getting me anywhere and knowing that she must have seen something in her dreams that has caused her such concern only confirms my early fears. "Where do you wish to go?" I ask quickly, needing to know which direction we should go.
"Home, Erik. Take me home," she says frantically.
"But what about Charles?" I ask, wondering if she has momentarily forgot about the infant.
"I trust him in the care of Madame Giry. He will be fine there until it is safe to go get him," she says quickly.
"Alright," I say simply as I take her hand and lead her into the shadows, carefully picking my way through the park as I have done in the past when I was not fortunate enough to be the only visitor in the night.
"Please hurry, Erik," Marie whispers pleadingly.
"If we rush about we are more likely to be seen," I reply in a hushed whisper, trying to reason with her.
"What time is it?" she asks suddenly.
"What does it matter?" I ask, confused by the odd question.
"I need to know the time," she says urgently.
I remove my pocket watch from inside my cloak and looking at it I say, "It is almost nine."
"We still have time," she says, a note of relief sounding in her voice as she tugs on my hand once more. "But we must hurry."
Not wanting to waste any more time standing around here I begin to lead her through the shadows once more. Carefully, I pick my way through the brush and low hanging branches, surveying our surroundings for anything out of place.
"Erik, we must hurry," Marie whispers harshly, frantically tugging on my hand.
"It is not safe to go any faster," I whisper back to her but my words seem to fall on deaf ears for she continues to pick up the pace, having taken the lead. I follow closely behind her, wondering over her urgency. We are moving much too fast for the rough terrain we are crossing.
"We must hurry, Erik," she says frantically, turning her head in my direction to insure that I hear her. Unfortunately, in that moment of distraction her foot catches on an exposed tree root and she twists her ankle badly, screaming out in pain. My firm grip on her hand is the only thing that keeps her from falling to the ground and injuring her ankle even more.
"Be still," I say softly as I carefully on wedge her rapidly swelling foot. Carefully easing her to the ground, I lean over her and tenderly probe at her injured ankle.
"Is it broken?" she asks between suppressed sobs.
"No, it is simply sprained. You must not try to walk on it though," I say sternly as she attempts to stand.
"But I must," she says insistently.
"I will not allow it," I say firmly as I hold her down. "I must immobilize it or you may injure it further."
"We don't have time for that, Erik," she says frantically. "I don't care if I hurt it more by walking on it! We need to get out of here before it is too late!"
"I will not allow you to injure yourself further because of your fears. I have no idea why we are running in the first place," I say in frustration.
"We are running because if we do not get out of this park by ten we are both dead!" she exclaims franticly.
I quickly retrieve my pocket watch and look at the time. "It is a quarter till ten. We have plenty of time to bind your ankle and still get out of here without incident," I say rationally, not wishing to alarm her for I know that even if we were to leave right now we still might not make it out in time. I will simply have to keep us both safe from harm. After all, I have waited my whole life for the happiness I have found with Marie and I am not about to let that slip away from me.
"Are you sure, Erik?" Marie questions pleadingly.
"Yes," I answer simply while I quickly find what I will need to splint her ankle. I retrieve two small branches and a vine from the nearby brush and quickly immobilize her ankle. "There, now we shall be on our way," I say as I quickly scoop her up into my arms and begin to pick my way through the overgrown brush once again, constantly keeping a watchful eye for anyone lurking nearby.
"How much further?" Marie asks softly in my ear, the pain is quite evident in her strained voice.
"Not far now, my dear," I say reassuringly as I pick up my pace, taking care not to jar her ankle too much for even though she is trying to hide it I can tell that her ankle is causing her a great deal of pain and I do not wish to add to it. We will never make it out of the park before ten, but I refuse to let her know this.
"What time is it, Erik?" she asks as she looks about.
"Do not worry about the time. You will be safe," I say soothingly. I wish she would tell me exactly what her dream has shown her so I have an idea what I am up against. I dislike surprises that are not in my favor.
"Erik, stop!" Marie says suddenly as her eyes grow big with fear.
"What is it?" I ask as I come to a stop and sink further into the shadows before gazing around us. Not seeing anything unusual I turn my attention back to Marie, who is trembling in my arms.
"I thought I saw someone," she says shakily.
"Where?" I ask as I study our surroundings once more.
"Over by that growth of brush," she says pointing into the distance.
"Stay here," I say as I ease her from my arms and lay her carefully beneath a large tree on a bed of undergrowth that has not been touched by the snow.
"No, Erik, don't leave me!" she calls frantically, panic creeping into her voice.
"I will be right back. I refuse to cower here in the cold, waiting to be attacked," I say as I rise to my full height and stealthily make my way to the brush that she indicated moments before.
"Erik!" I hear her call frantically.
I ignore her and continue on.
"No, Erik, come back!"
Her words echo in my head and I realize that she called out those exact words in her dream. Could my death be imminent? I quickly push this thought from my mind and continue on cautiously, drawing my Punjab lasso from inside my cloak and making sure that my knife is easily accessible. I am determined not to be caught off guard at a time like this.
Crouching in the shadows, I look about slowly, cursing this white snow and bright moon which draws a drastic contrast to my black cloak. Why must the moon be so bright tonight... the snow so white?
Suddenly, I hear a cracking sound off to my right. The sound must have been caused by an ill placed footfall on a hidden twig. I quickly turn my searching gaze in the direction of the noise, trying to pin point its exact origin.
"I know they came this way," I hear a voice say.
"Be quiet, you fool! If they did come this way they will hear you!" another voice says threateningly.
"I don't see why we need to find them," the first voice says.
"That girl is the only one who can identify us for the murder of her parents. If we kill her and her friend then no one will ever link us to the murders," the threatening voice says in a hushed manner. "Now shut your mouth before I shut it for you."
Those men I murdered in the alley the other night must not have been the ones who killed Marie's parents as she had thought. But these two fools who are only a short distance away have somehow found Marie and is planning to kill both of us. If that is what they think then they have another thing coming!
Moving closer I see the men lurking beneath a low hanging branch. "If you want Marie then come and get her," I call softly, throwing my voice so it seems as if it is coming from the other side of the bushes.
"Did you hear that?" the first man says shakily.
"Yes I heard it you fool! I told you to be quiet. Now look what you've done. They know we are here!" the other man says sharply. "Since you could not keep your mouth shut I am quite tempted to cut your tongue out! Now, go find them," he says as he pushes the fool in the direction I had 'called' from.
"I am this way, Monsieur," I call, once again throwing my voice, this time from behind him.
He turns quickly towards the sound and is surprised to find nothing there.
"Do hurry, Monsieur," I call again, leading him away from Marie and from the other man. I move with catlike ease and quietness as I follow a short distance behind him, keeping to the shadows.
"Show yourself," he calls shakily.
"You must find me first," I call, making my voice sound as though I have circled around to his left.
"How am I to find you when you refuse to stand still?" the man calls and I cannot help but laugh at him.
"That would be too easy," I say in a laughing voice, making my voice and laughter sound as though it is all around him.
"Who are you!" he questions shakily and I see him cross himself as though he thinks me a demon after his soul.
"I am your worst nightmare," I whisper in his left ear. "You will leave this place now or meet a fate worse than death," I whisper in his right ear.
"Please don't hurt me," he begs as he drops to his knees.
"Your begging is annoying, Monsieur. I suggest you stop it at once or I will kill you without mercy," I reply softly in his ear as I silently press the blade of my knife to his throat.
"Please! I beg of you to let me go. I swear I will leave this place and never return. I have no interest in you or the girl. Claude promised me a thousand francs if I helped him find and kill her," he says pleadingly.
"I will give you five thousand francs to leave Paris this very moment and never return for as long as you wish to draw breath into your lungs," I say as I ease the knife away from his throat and remove some money from within my cloak, tossing it at his feet. "Drop your weapons," I order fiercely, noticing a knife stuck in his boot and a pistol in his waistcoat.
"What ever you say, Monsieur," he replies softly as he removes his pistol and knife with trembling hands, dropping them to the snow covered ground at my feet.
"Take the money and leave now before I change my mind. And remember what I said... if I ever see you again I will not be so generous!" I reply as I retrieve the knife and pistol and place them within my cloak.
After he clumsily gathers up the money I had thrown at his feet, the stout man stumbles away from me, never once turning his back on me for fear I might change my mind about allowing him to live.
Once I am sure that he is no longer a threat I turn my attention back to the other man. Claude, I believe the spineless fool had called him. I will not be so merciful when dealing with the likes of him.
Stealthily circling back around to where I had last seen Claude, I am startled to find that he is no longer lurking in the bushes. Where could he have gone?
"Erik! Help me!" I hear Marie scream suddenly.
Forcing myself to remain silent, I cautiously make my way to where I had left Marie, taking care to keep to the shadows. If he harms a hair on her precious head I swear that his death will be a swift one!
As I get close enough to see the spot where I had left Marie I am disappointed to see that neither she nor her assailant are there. I do, however, see fresh tracks in the snow which indicate that she is being drug.
As I study the tracks more closely fear grips me for judging by the smoothness of the tracks I know that he has done something horrible to her for she is not struggling nor is she crying out for my assistance. Fighting back my fears, I hurry into the shadows once more, keeping the tracks in my sight yet at the same time remaining concealed from the view of my prey. I press on silently with catlike swiftness and skill, determined to find her before it is too late.
As I come to the edge of a clearing I stop suddenly. The fool had drug Marie to the center of the clearing and has left her there knowing full well I cannot go to her unless I reveal myself.
She is lying very still and I have no idea whether she is alive or if he has already murdered her. She must be alive!
Training my eyes on the ground surrounding her, I search for any signs that would belie the direction in which Claude has gone. There are several similar tracks going in all directions. I carefully decide to skirt the clearing and look for any tracks that have progressed further than the outer edges of the brush. This is the only way I can be sure if I am on the right track.
I slowly begin to circle the clearing, keeping alert for any unusual sounds or movements while at the same time keeping a watchful eye on Marie. Hearing a rustling sound to my left I quickly hide behind a tree and slowly scan the area for the source of the noise. He must be nearby.
Taking a chance, I throw my voice to a point beyond the origin of the rustling sound and call softly, "Monsieur Claude, I am over here. Why not end this game now and be done with it?"
No answer.
"I am growing very impatient, Monsieur. I suggest you show yourself before I simply decide to kill you. Your little friend tried my patience and found out the hard way. Would you like to see his tongue?" I call, sounding as though I am moving further away, listening closely for his footfalls to follow my voice.
They do not. Instead, I hear a sudden crack behind me just before everything becomes black.
