Chapter Summary: Raoul listens to his sons concerns for their sister and secrets from the past begin to be divulged.

CHAPTER TEN

"You have to do something!" Jean-Paul insisted.

Raoul did not look up from the papers he was signing. "And what is it you would have me do?" He had listened to the concerns of all three of his sons regarding their sister for thirty minutes and had stopped actively listening five minutes previously.

"Something. Anything," Richard pleaded. "Her reputation is at stake."

Raoul placed his pen down, looking up from his papers, fixing his sons with a look that froze them. "There will be no aspersions cast upon the reputation of any female member of this family from anyone." His tone was deadly. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," Richard told him.

Raoul looked at his eldest child. "Jean-Paul?" Raoul knew the set of those shoulders. "I am waiting."

"Yes, sir," Jean-Paul answered his father.

Raoul turned his attention to his youngest son who had - for the most part - been sitting quietly as his two older brothers poured out their concerns. "You have been her chaperone for the last months." He laughed softly; it was a hollow sound. "You have seen Annalise more than any of us. Has she done anything that would cause these rumors to fly about?"

Gustave had been lounging in one of the leather armchairs in his father's study. He had agreed to join his brothers when they brought up their concerns regarding their sister. Yet he had not been prepared for the lengthy list of rumors that Jean-Paul and Richard had been hearing. "Sir," Gustave cleared his throat, "these ... lies ... and they are just that - lies - are without basis. I have been to nearly every gathering with Annalise," Gustave looked pointedly at his elder brothers, "and she has done nothing to deserve such talk. Yes, she has danced with certain young men more than is perhaps wise; and - yes - she has managed to find private places to share private thoughts with them. But she has done nothing - nothing! - to warrant anyone saying she has been playing fast and loose with any young man. The only thing I can think is that these things are being bandied about by someone who is jealous of her."

"I see," Raoul replied. He thought quietly for moment. "I share your suspicions; therefore, I expect each and every one of you to do your best to find from whence these rumors come and stop them." His sons watched as Raoul's expression softened. "Your sister is still very young in many ways and your mother and I share the blame for that. But Annalise is maturing into a remarkable young woman and -for reasons that are of no concern to any of you - I would not have her spirit broken. Do I make myself clear?"

His sons nodded their agreement.

"Do not be angry with us, sir," Jean-Paul addressed his father. "We love her, too, and do not wish to see her hurt."

"That is why we came to you with our concerns," Richard finished.

Raoul sighed heavily. "I am not angry with you," he assured them. "I am distressed at the situation. It is never easy to listen to the evil things that people will say about the ones you love or to see them hurt and in pain." Raoul's eyes grew distant. "It is something I do not wish to see inflicted upon your sister."

"Well, then," Jean-Paul began; he took his role as eldest son and heir seriously, "we shall have to put on a united front and support any decision Annalise may make."

"While making sure that her actions are seen as the perfectly normal actions of any young girl," Richard finished.

Their father placed his fingers at the bridge of his nose. "Are you listening to yourselves?" he asked. "You sound like her grandparents and not her brothers! Your sister is behaving like a normal young woman and all you need to do is to see that she enjoys her youth and that the rumors stop before they reach her ears." His exasperation got the better of him and Raoul slammed an open palm on his desk. "What is so damn difficult about that? Why can you not just do as I ask of you? You are adults with families of you own, why are you having so much trouble understanding this? I am sure your wives would understand or shall I send for them and see what they think of this?"

Jean-Paul and Richard could not meet their father's eyes.

"I thought as much," Raoul said softly as he leaned back in his chair. "I do not mean to be angry but I need you to be Annalise's brothers and not her judges. You need to have a care for her as ..." Raoul struggled with his next words, "... as things and events have a habit of overtaking you when you least expect. I do not want your sister overtaken by anything that she can not handle. Can you manage to do that? Can you manage to love your sister and keep her safe and happy?"

His sons nodded their assent.

Raoul sighed and nodded. "Then it is well. Now, go and pay your compliments to your mother. I believe she is in the garden and would be pleased to see you."

Jean-Paul and Richard nodded their respects at their father before turning to leave the study. Gustave stood as his brothers left the room.

"One moment," Raoul told his youngest son as his brothers turned the corner and were no longer visible in the doorway. "Close the door and resume your seat."

Gustave walked over to close the door before returning to his seat opposite his father's desk. "Sir?" he wondered.

"I am not playing favorites with any of my sons but you are closest to your sister so I will speak freely with you." Raoul closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. "Your mother has concerns about the men who are beginning to court your sister."

Gustave studied his fingernails. "Any man in particular?"

"Let us not mince words, Gustave; I want to know about your friend Andrew."

"I know that he is very fond of her," Gustave told his father. "I do not know if he is in love with her and I do not think he would tell me. I think he would consider it a betrayal, almost as if he had been using our friendship to gain access to my sister." Gustave met his father's concerned gaze. "Annalise and I enjoy our times with Andrew and Katherine. We share much the same interests and it has been very pleasant to be able to show our world to these people who do not know of it. I believe that Annalise and Katherine have formed a friendship that will extend beyond the ocean that separates our countries and last for their lifetimes. I just wish I knew what to tell you about Andrew. I can tell you that he will not toy with Annalise or break her heart - he is too honest to do such a thing. Sometimes I think he treats her more like a brother than a lover."

"And what of Michaud Deschene?" Raoul wondered. "I have heard that he does toy with young women as well as the older ones. I have also heard that he is quite capable of breaking hearts." Raoul shook his head. "I do not want your sister's heart broken."

Gustave sighed. "He is a personage that much is certain."

"I am not asking for what he is," Raoul told his son. "I am asking for your opinion of his character."

"Speaking for myself, I find his character somewhat questionable."

"In what manner?"

"It is hard to describe."

Raoul fixed his son with an intense gaze. "Try," he told Gustave.

Gustave sat quietly for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "He is everything you would think a man in his position would be. He is kind and considerate and exceedingly polite. I know from listening to Annalise and her friends speak that they consider him to be quite handsome. But there is just something about him that is …" Gustave struggled to give voice to his emotions. "It is intense. It is almost as if he is hiding his intentions beneath a veneer of civility and I do not like not knowing what his intentions are – especially where they concern my sister." He shook his head. "And to think I laughed at Andrew when he told me the same things."

Raoul lowered his head so that his son could not see the emotions that raced behind his eyes.

"Will it ever end?" he whispered to himself.

"Sir?" Gustave had heard the whisper but not the words.

"It is nothing," Raoul said with a sigh and raised his head. "I need you to promise me something."

"If it is within my power, I promise that I shall try."

"What I tell you now must never be repeated to your mother, is that clear?" Raoul watched as Gustave nodded his assent. "There were events that happened long before any of you were born, before your mother and I married. These … things … nearly destroyed both of us and I think in some ways they did destroy a part of your mother. There was also another person and I have reason to believe that this person suffered the greatest destruction of all involved. There was an intensity to these events – to that other person - and that is why I am telling you as much as I am. I do not wish your sister to be caught up in any events or with any person where there is such an intensity. I am asking you to watch Annalise carefully and intervene should you feel the need to do so."

Gustave shook his head. "Sir … you are asking a good deal of me." He looked at his father, a flash of anger in his dark eyes. "And I am to do this without knowing the why behind the reasons? I know that you and Maman have secrets and from what little you have just told me they must be terrible secrets. How I am to have a care for my sister when I do not even understand for what it is I am watching. Or who?"

"The who you do not need to fear as I have reason to believe ... hope ... that that person is gone from our lives forever." Raoul met his son's angry glance with a shake of his head. "And I cannot tell you the why behind the reasons as your mother promised to never tell and she swore me to the same vow."

"But ..." his son interrupted.

"Let it be!" Raoul replied in a tone of voice that brooked no disagreement. "You have no idea the cost your mother paid for what she purchased!" Raoul closed his eyes, trying to even out his breathing and shake away memories that always seemed to lie too close to the surface.

"I am sorry," Gustave replied quietly. This was a side of his father he had never seen and could not even begin to understand.

Raoul opened his eyes. "I know that I am asking a good deal of you but you know your sister better in some respects than even your mother and I do, I believe. What little I have told you should give you some understanding as to the reasons why your mother has always been overprotective of your sister. I am not asking you to hover about Annalise or to betray any secrets she may entrust to you or to prevent her from enjoying the company of people her own age. All I am asking is that you watch her carefully and to let me know should things seem to be getting beyond what Annalise can handle." Raoul shook his head. "Your brothers are good men and they mean well but they have families and concerns of their own now, thusly, their interests and intentions will always be pulled elsewhere. I need someone I can trust in this. I need your help."

Gustave was silent for moment, digesting what his father had said. "I …," he started and thought for a moment, "actually, all of us have never understood why you and Mother have always been – how shall I say this? – overly concerned regarding our safety. There were times when it felt as if we were kept in little boxes that had no lock to open them. I know that is why Annalise can be so forward at times; she longs for her freedom. Now that I know a little of the reasoning, I … think … I can appreciate why things have been as they have and while I wish to know the truth, I think there is a part of me that fears it." Gustave met his father's gaze. "I am glad that you think me adult enough to be trusted with some of the secrets you hold close." He stood and walked over to the desk, extending his hand to his father. "I promise to live up to your trust in me, sir."

Raoul took his son's hand, his eyes echoing the relief he felt in his soul. "I do not doubt it. Thank you."

The room was silent for a moment as the past, present and future echoed off the walls.

"Go now and see your mother," Raoul told his son. He watched as Gustave headed out the door. "Stay," he said. Gustave turned around. "Do you know where your sister is at the moment?"

"She left this morning to post a letter to Monsieur Pfieffer, the priest in Saumur and to spend the day with Katherine." Gustave smiled. "She has promised Maman that she will remain at home tonight and have dinner with you both."

"I should like that," Raoul replied. "Go now and close the door; I still have work to finish."

Raoul watched as his son exited the study, softly closing the door behind him. There were still bills to be paid, correspondence that needed his attention, but as he looked down at the papers on the desk Raoul found he could not see them. He pushed his chair back, stood and walked to the windows that looked out onto the gardens. He saw Christine seated on one of the benches, Jean-Paul and Richard on either side and she was laughing. Raoul could hear the sound of her laughter in his mind – it was a sound he had once thought never to hear and it was a sound he cherished. He watched as Gustave made his way down the path, knowing that he had made the right decision in trusting his youngest son with the care of his sister. Raoul turned from the window and looked at the framed photographs on the wall by the bookshelves. He reached out and ran a finger lovingly over the one taken the previous year of Christine and Annalise.

"What am I to do?" he asked into the quiet room, reaching around to massage the back of his left arm. Whenever the events of all those years ago would crowd his mind, the remnants of the wound that the opera ghost had inflicted would ache. There were moments when Raoul often wondered if his arm ached because his heart and soul could not hold all the pain and unresolved emotions that still remained even now.

"I will not let Christine go through this again," he promised softly, "and our daughter will never be in the hands of a person like that." He sighed and sat down, leaning back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling, seeing that masked face in the ornate plaster medallions. "You have my wife, let that be enough. I will not let your ghost have my child."

Eerie, cold music seemed to fill the room and Raoul was not sure if it was real or only the fears of his own heart.