Part Two: The Angel of Music

I

Erik watched the stage dully, the performance wasn't very good. The opera house had just replaced the old lead soprano with a new one; she was good, he decided. She just hadn't had enough time to rehearse properly for the role and it was evident in the performance. He gave a slight grimace and decided to leave.

Antoinette sighed heavily at the end of the opera. Monsieur Lefevre would hear about this, and it would not be anything good. She wondered hoe long Erik had actually stayed, most likely not very long.

"That was terrible," she said as Gustave approached.

"Yes, no doubt we will be hearing from the ghost about it."

"No doubt."

"Well, I should go and find Christine, do you know where she is?"

"I believe her and Meg are in my room at the moment. You know where it is, I must go and speak with Monsieur Lefevre."

"Of course, thank you Antoinette," he leaned in and gave her a small kiss before hurrying off to find his daughter.

Antoinette smiled to herself and hurried off to find Monsieur Lefevre. It had been five months since the masquerade and she was now certain of her feeling towards Gustave. She wondered why it had taken so long; maybe it was reluctance after Jules, and fear of losing someone else she loved. Whatever the reason she was glad she was over it.


Gustave made his way through the busy backstage and found his way to Antoinette's room. At the door he could hear the two children talking and giggling. He knocked once and opened it.

"Papa!" Christine cried and scrambled up from the floor.

"My little angel," he chuckled, "how are you? Oh and hello little Meg."

"Hello Monsieur," Meg chimed, scrabbling up after Christine, "where's maman?"

"She had to speak with Monsieur Lefevre."

"'Bout the ghost?" they both asked, wide-eyed.

"I'm not entirely sure…come Christine, we have to go home now."

"Aww, but papa can't we stay here again? Its fun to stay in the dormitory with Meg."

Gustave gave a small chuckled and shook his head, "Not tonight my angel, I'm very tired."

Christine pouted, "Oh…fine, bye Meg."

"Bye-bye."

Christine skipped ahead of her father as they walked to the exit. He had been tired a lot lately. Almost everyday he came home and was too tired to play with her or to play for her. He also coughed a lot and it was no longer the dry cough he had had for so many months.

"Ritorni omai nel nostro core la bella gioia ed il piacer," she sang, stumbling over the strange Italian words. She had been singing the same line of the opera for the past week. It was the only line she knew, "Ritorni omai nel nostro core la bella gioia ed il piacer!"

Gustave chuckled quietly and stifled a cough, she had a beautiful little voice and he loved to hear it. Maybe that was why that boy had started calling her Little Lotte at the house by the sea. He had certainly loved to listen to her sing.

"Papa, what does the it mean?" she asked.

"What does what mean?"

"Ritorni omai nel nostro core la bella gioia ed il piacer," she sang again, doing a little twirl as she walked.

"I do not know Christine."

"Oh…" it didn't matter to her. She continued to sing all the way down the hall and to the exit.

Erik wandered through the empty hall, not wanting to return to his lair so early. After all there was nothing to do down there but write and sleep and occasionally plot. Instead he wandered the halls of the empty theatre, perhaps trying to stumble upon something interesting.

Ritorni omai nel nostro core la bella gioia ed il piacer. The verse drifted to his ears. It was a beautiful voice, though young and obviously untrained. He gave a slight chuckle; the little girl sounded better then the actual singers on this particular evening.Maybe one day she would sing in an opera, or become a member of the ballet, wither way it did not mean much to him.

The verse drifted to his ears. It was a beautiful voice, though young and obviously untrained. He gave a slight chuckle; the little girl sounded better then the actual singers on this particular evening.Maybe one day she would sing in an opera, or become a member of the ballet, wither way it did not mean much to him.
Antoinette watched as Monsieur Lefevre greeted and spoke with the patrons and the other guests to the theatre. He was smiling as he always did, but tonight it looked more strained then usual. No one said anything about the performance; it was all gossip and formalities.

"Ah, excuse me please," he said, catching Antoinette's eye, "I must speak with my ballet mistress for a moment."

The elderly man he was talking to gave a small grunt and a nod. Monsieur Lefevre took it as a good bye and hurried over to the ballet mistress.

"We're doomed," he moaned, "do you know what he will do for that performance?"

"I cannot say for certain, but I suspect it will be bad."

"Bad, bad? It will be terrible, I would not be surprised if he demands a new soprano, tenor, and chorus!"

"Nonsense," Antoinette sighed, "it was not anyone's fault. She simply did not have enough time to prepare properly for the role."

Monsieur Lefevre shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose; "We will feel his wrath for this…I can only hope that I can buy his happiness."

"You plan to increase his salary?"

"Shh! Perhaps," he said, looking over his shoulder at the diamond dripping patrons, "but I would rather not discuss this around our patrons."

"Very well, I have to go now."

"Well, good night Madame Giry."

"Oui, good night Monsieur Lefevre, have pleasant dreams."

She heard him scoff as she walked away. No doubt he would get very little or no sleep, he was a terrible worrier. But then again he had plenty of reasons to worry and most of them rested in the hands of a rather immature man who lived under the stage.


Antoinette took her time as she headed towards the stage. She could hear the hustle and bustle of the beginnings of rehearsal. Monsieur Reyer calling instructions to the musicians and singers, the dancers gossiping and giggling, Gustave coughing and the stagehands preparing props and other scenery.

"M-madame Giry," Monsieur Lefevre stammered, "Did he…you know?"

"He sent a note," she replied, brandishing the envelope.

"And?"

"I have not read it, I figured you would want to know what it says as well."

"Then go ahead," Monsieur Reyer encouraged.

Antoinette opened the envelope and pulled out the paper inside. Unfolding it she said, "He is very disappointed in the performance and hoped that it will not happen again. He would like to inform you that it was not the new soprano's fault, but yours, Monsieur Lefevre, for replacing the old one in the middle of rehearsals. He would like to say that if this should ever happen again you should be afraid for a disaster beyond your imagination will occur."

"There aren't many disasters beyond my imagination anymore," he groaned, "thank you Madame Giry, you may all go back to rehearsals."

Many of the performers shook their heads and returned to their gossiping. As long as the implications were that nothing would happen then they didn't seem to care. It was only when he openly threatened them all that they would panic, travel in large groups or, in some cases, quit.

"Alright," Antoinette called, "start your warm ups and we will begin in five minutes."

Tonight would be the second performance and final of Giulio Cesare, hopefully the performance would improve. It not then hopefully Erik would not punish the theatre.

"Would you care to go to supper tonight?" Gustave asked, jogging to catch up with Antoinette.

"Hmm?"

"Supper," he repeated, "tonight, after the performance?"

"Of course," she replied with a smile, "if you want Christine can stay with Meg in the ballet dormitories."

"Wonderful, she has been talking about how Meg is going to be a dancer for the past week."

"How sweet, I will see you after the performance then, I have a lesson to teach."

Gustave nodded and waited until she was out of earshot to cough. It was becoming increasingly painful and his patron had informed him to see a doctor. However there was no time for that, not with rehearsals and performances and Christine. Next week, he kept telling himself, next week he would see a doctor.


Grrr, my stupid computer has done wierd things to my e-mail so I had to change my adress, but its all good now... Hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I'm glad you all liked Erik at the masquerade. Chibi, wow not much to say, but look I updated and thanks for the cookies, they keep me going! Lotte Rose 37 this chapter should have made you happy and InuLvr7 there will be ECness eventually, but not much since this takes place before the movie and all that stuff. So read, review and any of you who haven't read my other story why don't you give it a shot as well.