Chapter 23

I walk quickly to the Giry's door. Knocking, I step back and prepare to wait for the ladies to get themselves ready for our short journey to the dress shop. Surprisingly, I do not need to wait long before the door is flung open and an anxious Meg steps outside followed more slowly by her mother. "Good morning, Madame and Mademoiselle," I say politely with a graceful bow.

"Good morning, Monsieur," Meg says happily as she steps aside to allow her mother to go ahead of her.

"Are you ready to get your dresses?" I ask as we walk to the brougham.

"Oh, yes, Erik," Meg replies excitedly.

"Meg, do try to keep your voice down," Madeline scolds her softly.

"Sorry, Mother," Meg says quickly, lowering her voice along with her head as she walks to the brougham.

I open the door to the carriage and help the ladies get in before getting in myself. Seating myself beside Marie, I make sure to keep a proper distance between the two of us even though, after my conversation with Meg this morning, I know that our shared closeness is no secret.

"Good morning, Madeline, Meg," Marie says cheerfully as I signal for the driver to be on his way once again.

"Good morning, Marie," they reply in unison.

"How are you feeling?" Madeline goes on to say.

"Much better, thank you," Marie replies sincerely.

"I am relieved to hear that," Madeline replies with a satisfied nod. "You gave us quite a scare last night," she adds in a gentle tone.

"With your hair fixed that way your stitches are barely noticeable," Meg says as she studies Marie's appearance. "I can help you hide them even more if you would like," she offers.

"I would like that very much. Thank you, Meg," Marie replies earnestly as the carriage comes to a stop in front of the dress shop.

Rising, I open the door and step down to the cobblestone street. My cloak swirls about me as I turn to offer Marie my hand to assist in her decent.

"Thank you, Erik," Marie says softly, reluctantly releasing my hand.

"You are quite welcome, my dear," I reply before turning to help Madeline from the brougham.

"Thank you, Erik," Madeline says as she steps down.

"You are most welcome, Madeline," I reply over my shoulder as I turn to offer Meg a hand for assistance.

"Thank you," Meg says as she quickly removes her hand from mine and goes to stand by Marie's side a short distance away.

"You are quite welcome," I reply as I usher them towards the door to the dress shop. I open the door and step aside, allowing them to enter first.

"Good day, Monsieur Phantom," the seamstress says sleepily as I enter the shop. Judging by her appearance, it is quite obvious that she has had very little sleep since our visit Saturday night.

"Good day, Mademoiselle," I say politely. "Are the dresses finished?" I ask after a moment.

"Yes, Monsieur," she replies quickly. "Please, let me show you," she adds as she motions us to follow her into the back room.

As I enter the brightly lit room I see three beautiful dresses hanging carefully from a rack along the far wall. They look even more beautiful than the sketches portrayed them to be and I can tell that she has put a great deal of care into the making of each.

"You have done a magnificent job, Mademoiselle," I say after examining each dress closely, noticing with satisfaction the amount of detail she has put into her work.

"Thank you, Monsieur," she replies humbly, lowering her head momentarily.

"You are quite welcome," I reply before turning to face Marie.

"If you will excuse me, I have some errands to see to and I am sure you would like your privacy while any alterations are made. Also, it is considered bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her gown before the wedding and if there is one thing we do not need it is more bad luck," I point out with a smile.

"Yes, I do believe you are correct about that," Marie agrees.

"I shall return in three hours. Hopefully, that will be a sufficient amount of time," I say as I turn to leave the room.

"I am sure that I will be finished by then, Monsieur," the seamstress calls after me before I close the door.

I return to the brougham and instruct the driver of my wishes before getting in and signaling for him to be on his way. The brougham rocks and bounces as it travels to the outskirts of town where it comes to a stop in front of a music shop. Getting out of the carriage, I walk purposefully to the door of the little shop, ignoring the looks from those nearby. Upon entering the shop I go directly to the man at the counter.

"Do you make music boxes?" I ask as soon as he looks up at me.

"Y-yes," he stutters, startled by the mask. "Did you have something special in mind?" he asks after regaining his composure.

"I have a piece of music that I would like used in a music box... it is to be a wedding gift and I will need it done immediately," I say as I pull the sheet of paper from my pocket and hand it to the man.

"I believe it can be done," he says as he looks over the notes.

"Can it be done within two hours?" I ask.

"It will cost extra, but yes, I believe it can be done," he says after a moment's consideration.

"Very well," I say with an approving nod as I reach into my cloak.

"Do you see a music box you would like me to use?" he asks as I place several francs on the counter as a down payment.

Looking around, I study the selection of music boxes that line the shelves. It does not take me very long to make a decision. I decide upon a heart shaped box with an intricate design. There are musical notes carved beautifully all around the edge of the box and the lid has a delicate looking rose occupying much of the space with a few musical notes filling in the rest. The inside of the box is lined with red velvet.

"This one," I say as I place it gently onto the counter.

"A fine choice," the shopkeeper says approvingly as he fingers it lovingly. "I made this one myself."

"It is finely detailed," I say admiring his handiwork a moment longer. "I shall return in two hours and will see that you are well paid for your time and trouble," I say before I turn and leave the shop, returning once more to the waiting brougham.

A half hour later, the carriage comes to a stop in front of Nadir's home and I quickly descend from the brougham.

Knocking on his door, I hope that my old friend is home for there are a few things I wish to discuss with him before my wedding. Rapping once more upon the door, I take a step back and listen closely for any sound of movement from within the house. A few moments later I hear footsteps and then the door swings open slowly.

"Erik, what a pleasant surprise," Nadir says as he recognizes me standing off to the side of the door. "Please, come in," he adds, stepping aside and motioning me through the open doorway.

"Thank you," I say as he offers to take my cloak.

"Would you care for some tea?" he asks after a moment.

"Yes, I believe that is just what I need," I say as I sit in front of the fireplace after Nadir gestures for me to do so.

"Are you nervous about the wedding?" he asks when he returns with the tea a few minutes later.

"I suppose I am a bit nervous," I admit before taking a sip of tea. "Where you nervous before your wedding?"

"That was a very long time ago, my friend," he says with a sigh, remembering his late wife. "But, yes, I was nervous. My mind was whirling with a million things that could go wrong before we were wed. I believe everyone has their doubts and fears on their wedding day. Perhaps you would like to talk about your concerns?" he offers.

Thinking upon his offer for a moment I decide that it could not hurt to talk to him about it. After all, he has always proven to be a true friend... the only true friend I had had for the longest time.

"I am worried that either Marie will change her mind about marrying me or something will happen that will take her from me. I nearly lost her last night, Nadir," I begin slowly. "We were walking through the park after sunset and had stopped by the lake to simply sit and enjoy our surroundings. Most of the afternoon I had been feeling uneasy about something but could not place it. Now, before I continue... what I am about to tell you may sound absurd but I assure you that it is completely true. I have seen enough evidence in the past week to know the seriousness of her dreams."

"Her dreams?" Nadir questions.

"Yes, her dreams," I begin. "Nadir, Marie has been dreaming of me most of her life. That is why she does not fear me... I have always been a comfort to her in her dreams. Her dreams ultimately led her to me. She knew that if she went to the alley near the Rue Scribe she would be attacked and beaten severely. But, she also knew that I would save her. She could have easily simply avoided that particular alley but she chose to withstand such a beating just to meet me. But that is not all her dreams have shown her. She had nightmares for a month prior to her parents' murders. She tried to warn them but they refused to listen to her. The man that was behind their murders was also the one who ordered her beating that night. I killed the two men who were beating her but I failed to see that there had been someone else lurking in the shadows. She later had a dream of my death. She begged me not to go out for supplies but there was no way of avoiding the journey so I promised that I would avoid all of the elements that presented a danger in her dreams. Near the end of my journey I left down my guard and followed a starving kitten into the very alley where I had saved Marie. A man came up behind me from the shadows and hit me over the head with a pipe. When I awoke, Marie was standing over me and the man was dead. Marie had seen that I would follow a kitten and what would happen if she did not intervene. She saved my life."

"I have heard of people with such abilities but I have never met anyone who could truly see the future. If she is capable of such things then she must be a truly remarkable woman," Nadir says after a moment.

"So you believe me?" I ask skeptically, studying his face for any signs that would indicate that he is lying.

"Yes, Erik, I do believe you," he replies sincerely and I can find no fault in his expression. "Now, what is this about almost losing her last night?"

"While we were sitting on a bench near the lake the uneasy feeling returned. I did not realize that Marie had drifted off to sleep until I heard her cry out for me not to go. I woke her then and she responded in a panic... insisting that we leave the park that very moment. In her haste, she caught her foot on a tree root and jammed her ankle. When I insisted on tending to it before carrying her the remainder of the way she insisted that I allow her to walk on it. Only then did she tell me that if we did not leave the park by ten we would both be dead. I refused to allow her to injure herself further for the sake of a few minutes, knowing full well that we would never make it back to the Rue Scribe before ten even if we did continue on our way right then. After tending to her ankle, I carried her for a while until she saw someone moving in the brush. I placed her beneath a tree and went to investigate. I had thought she would be safe until I returned but as I lured one man away from her and dealt with him, the other found her and rendered her unconscious." I pause as Nadir quirks an eyebrow at me. "No, Nadir, I did not kill him, I simply persuaded him to leave this place for good," I add quickly before continuing. "I, however, was not so kind to the man who hurt Marie badly. He had confessed to murdering her parents and also being behind her attack in the alley. He even had the nerve to tell me quite adamantly that he is determined to kill her... even as he stood before me bound and with my lasso looped tightly around his neck. I killed him without giving it a second thought... he had caused Marie enough pain and I was not about to allow him to go on living when my Marie was lying unconscious with a pool of blood forming around her head." I stop, waiting for Nadir to reprimand me for committing yet another murder. I continue only when I am sure that he has chosen to remain silent. "I quickly carried her to the nearest place where I knew we would be safe while I cared for her wounds. She had lost so much blood that by the time I had gotten the bleeding stopped I was unsure of whether she would survive the night."

"But she has survived the night and is well enough to be wed in a few short hours?" Nadir asks skeptically, looking at me closely.

"Yes, she seems to have made a miraculous recovery. While the man was dragging her through the woods he jostled her ankle back into place. She claims to have no discomfort other than a headache. And, try as I might, she insists on going through with the wedding today instead of postponing it until she is completely healed," I explain.

"So, the man who has been a threat to her is dead and she is alive and well and anxious to marry you... tell me, Erik, what is it you are worried about?" he questions comically.

"I suppose you are correct, Nadir. I guess I am simply overreacting. It is just that this is something I have been waiting my whole life for and now that it is finally happening I cannot help but think that something will go wrong to prevent me from finally knowing the happiness that has been denied me my entire life," I admit reluctantly.

"Erik, I can understand your apprehension, but of all the people I have ever known, you, my friend, deserve to be happy. You have had to wait entirely too long to experience such simple joys as holding hands and being kissed. You have suffered far too long to be denied the love that this woman is offering you. I am certain that everything will go smoothly now that her pursuer is no longer a threat," he says reassuringly.

"Thank you, Nadir. You have helped to ease my troubled mind," I say after a moment of thinking over his words.

"Is that not what friends are for?" he questions with a smile.

"You still consider me a friend even after all that I had done in the past?" I question cautiously. "I came close to killing you the night Christine left me," I remind him pointedly.

"Erik, I have long since forgiven you for your behavior. You were obsessed with that girl and did not know how to deal with your jealousy when she chose to run away with Raoul. You reacted the only way you knew how. But, you ultimately done the right thing and left everyone go in the end," he replies.

"How can you be so forgiving?" I ask in awe.

"It is rather simple. I know the kind of life you have been forced to lead yet you still showed nothing but kindness and compassion to my son until the day he died. In the time you spent with my son I saw a glimpse of the man you could have been had it not been for the cruelty of human nature and the curse of being born with such a deformed face," he says with no hint of disgust at the thought of my hideous face. "You could have been a great man, Erik, had the world not been so judgmental. In my eyes you are a gifted musician, composer, singer, doctor, architect, inventor, and, who could forget, magician and ventriloquist," he adds boastfully.

"But the world does not see me through your eyes, Nadir," I remind him sharply. "They see only the monster they force me to be... not any of those things I could have been."

"Perhaps, but, you are not a monster, Erik," he says gently. "You are simply a man who has been forced to tolerate horrible treatment your whole life because human nature causes most to be afraid of anyone who looks different from themselves. They fail to realize that it is not the appearance that is important but the soul that matters most."

"The world will never change," I comment dryly. "I am, however, grateful that there are at least a few who accept me for who I am and not what I look like."

"Would you care for more tea?" he questions, changing the subject.

"Thank you, but I must refuse. I have an errand to run before I return to the dress shop," I say as I glance at the clock on the nearby mantle.

"Well, then, I shall see you at dusk," Nadir says as he rises to see me out.

"I do have a favor to ask of you before I go," I say as I retrieve my cloak.

"Yes?" he asks.

"Could you bring Marie to the church? It is considered bad luck to see the bride in her dress before the wedding and I do not wish to take any chances," I say seriously.

"Of course, Erik. Where shall I pick her up?" he questions simply.

"Are you familiar with were the Girys live?" I ask, knowing he knows as much about the employees of the Opera House as I had at one time.

"Yes, I believe I remember where they live," he replies with a slight smile.

"Splendid. Could you pick her up early enough for her to make any last minute preparations before the ceremony?" I ask hopefully.

"Of course," he replies.

"Thank you, my friend," I say before turning to leave.

"I shall see you soon," he says as I step out into the sunlight. "And, Erik, try not to worry too much. Everything will be fine," he adds before closing the door.

I do hope that he is correct, I think to myself as I approach the brougham. Marie has been through so much already and she is so looking forward to the wedding. I wish for today to be perfect in every way. I have waited a very long time for today and after Christine left me I had completely lost hope of ever seeing this day. But, at last I am to be wed in a few hours provided all goes well. But, I must not think of what could go wrong. Instead, I shall think only of what the future promises to be. A future of hope, of happiness, and of love.

I instruct the driver to return to the music shop and get into the carriage before signaling him to be on his way. The carriage begins its bumpy journey down the cobblestone streets. I hope the music box is finished as promised. I do not wish to be late.