Wow! Thanks for all the reviews. I am so happy that everyone seems to like my ramblings! Keep reading…I need your input.
Well, all our players have been introduced, for the most part; all have been put where they need to be; and the stage is set…where do we go from here?
Remember, Erik is still very much anti-self, but his heart has been softened, over the past seven years, by a little, dark haired nymph named Grace.
THE DAWN THROUGH THE NIGHT
Book III – Getting to Know You, Chapters 11-17
March 1, 1879 – present
CHAPTER 11
Paris hadn't changed much in seven years. Erik and Grace walked down the streets hand in hand, looking in the shops and eating French food and desserts.
He met with his client for a few minutes the day they arrived, but it was mainly a father and daughter day.
Erik's client had recommended a house that he would be interested in buying, so Erik took Grace and they rode over to it. It really was perfect; not much larger than the house in Spain, but a little.
It had six bedrooms, one more than the other house; six bathrooms with running water, a large living room, a dining room, a parlor, a library with study, and a kitchen. The furnishings were brand new, and Erik and Grace both fell in love with it…he bought it that day.
He asked his client for one week to find a governess and get his house in order before going to the building site on a daily basis; they were more than happy to oblige the needs of such a great architect.
He was surprised to find that many people knew him. They knew who he was and had been, but somehow, having a daughter made him an acceptable part of the human race. The rumors were that he had been respectfully married and produced a beautiful child; Erik neither said nor did anything to deny that claim.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Christine picked up the morning paper and headed back into the house and sat at the morning table. Two-year-old Jean Luc crawled up into her lap and indicated he wanted her to rock him. Christine smiled down at him and held him close; he wrapped his tiny legs around her waist, put his thumb in his mouth, and rested against her breast while she hummed and rocked him.
Brigitte walked in and saw the sight and smiled, it was a precious thing to see a mother and child in love with each other. Christine and Jean Luc were inseparable. Christine had started doing some odd jobs; cleaning and mending cloths, cleaning houses…anything she could do to bring in some money.
It was very important to her that she make her own way and learn to support her little family. No respectable man wanted anything to do with her now, she had a child…and that made things difficult. Most men wanted their own children, especially as firstborn.
Christine didn't need a man anyway. Raoul had given her nothing but lies, deception, and loneliness …she even hated to admit that he had given her Jean Luc. The thought of his overly wet, sloppy kisses repulsed her. He hadn't been a particularly good kisser when they were courting, she had hoped he would get better with time…she had been wrong.
Christine was appalled at her lustful reaction to Erik's seductive charm. He was dark, brooding, and unpredictable. His passionate music and the elegant flow of his body had elicited strange yearnings within her to which Raoul could not hold a candle.
She wished now, that she had kissed Erik when she'd had the chance; but she had been very young and naïve, and unfamiliar with the physical hunger he produced in her.
Madeline had become like a mother to her, after her initial loathing of the woman who had birthed Erik. She had proven herself a wonderful, grandmotherly figure with Jean Luc and he loved her dearly. She had stopped needing the wheelchair a few months ago and her full strength had returned, albeit with a permanent limp.
All three ladies had moved in together, for moral support and safety. There were just too many men out there with bad intentions and cruel thoughts; they needed each other to remain able to move about town.
OOOOOOOOOOOO
It was getting toward the end of the week, and Erik had yet to find a suitable governess. Besides Sam and Nancy, he had retained his personal chef, Monsieur Nicolas Fontaine; but the governess position remained open.
All of the applicants so far…had been too young and inexperienced, old and frazzled, or Grace wanted nothing to do with them. He wanted a woman with a child of her own, preferably and he would prefer her to be older than twenty-years.
"What am I going to do Sam?" Erik asked, as the older man moved into the study. "They put the ad in the paper incorrectly also…they said I needed a nanny…I need a governess."
Sam was short, astute looking man with graying blond hair and a thick mustache. His gray eyes were lively and friendly as they observed his employer and friend.
"Don't worry master, she will come…I have faith. And you can set the job description straight when she gets here." Sam said with a smile.
Nancy, Sam's wife, came in and observed the two talking, she knew Erik was getting nervous about having a governess for Grace; but she, too, had faith that the woman would show herself when needed.
Grace chose that moment to bounce into the room and jump into her fathers lap. He held her close to him and relished in the warmth of her small body. She reigned kisses all over his masked face, and then lifted the mask off and kissed his bare skin. Erik laughed at her tickly little lips on his sensitive flesh.
Nancy and Sam had both seen him without his mask, he had barely worn it France, before Grace was born, so they were used to it. His past had become a part of him that he kept locked away, hoping never to bring it up again.
"Master Erik, you really do not need to wear that confounded mask around the house, I am sure it is hot and uncomfortable." Nancy instructed, in a motherly tone.
Erik laughed and smiled at her as he placed the mask back on his face. "I simply must, Nancy, I scare myself in the mirrors when I pass."
Nancy rolled her eyes at him and marched out of the room. She would not tolerate him berating himself, and she would not stand around to listen to him do so. 'Blasted man…needs a woman to keep him straight he does…" she turned her eyes heavenward, "…Lord, please send one quickly.' Nancy mumbled under her breath as she walked out.
The ad had been in the paper all week, and Erik needed to get to the site to oversee the project, but if he did not have a governess for Grace, he would not leave her. It was Thursday, he would give it until Saturday…then he would tell his client he needed more time.
OOOOOOOOOOOOO
Christine hadn't read the paper all week, for one reason or another. She finally took the time to do so, once she put Jean Luc down for his nap.
Reading the paper had become a joy of hers; Raoul had never allowed her the luxury of reading the paper…he had said it would depress her to read about the terrible things going on the world around them. What he had really meant, was that he did not want her finding out about Erik.
She had read it just about every day for the last four years. Hoping to find something in it that would indicate where Erik was. In her heart, she knew he wasn't dead…she felt certain a part of her, deep down inside, would know it if he were.
It was Friday morning, and she had almost read everything and was about to close the paper when a want ad caught her eye.
WANTED:
Live-in nanny for six-and-a-half-year-old daughter of recently relocated architect.
Applicants must be at least twenty-one-years-old with a child(ren) of their own.
Pay starts at 500 francs per week, plus room and board.
Other staff include live in maid, butler and chef.
Apply at 832 Davenshire Street, Paris.
Christine reread it to make sure she wasn't seeing things. It sounded perfect! She ran in and showed the ad to Madeline and Brigitte.
"I must go today and apply; I have a great feeling about this one." Christine chimed, as she ran off to ready herself.
She would take Jean Luc with her as proof that she had a child. She wore sensible clothing, a long skirt, petticoat, long-sleeved blouse and vest. She left her hair loose and flowing, allowing it to cover her shoulders and curl around her face.
Jean Luc awoke from his nap, happy and cheerful, as usual. She dressed him in long pants, suspenders and a white shirt. His brown curls twirled about his face, making him look even more like her. There was hardly any sign of Raoul in his features, thankfully.
They hailed a cab and she placed him in first and then climbed in after, Madeline and Brigitte saw her off, telling her that she looked fabulous and the job should be hers simply by the looks of her.
The ride seemed to take an eternity, when in fact, it only took twenty minutes. Davenshire Street was one of the richest areas in Paris, and Christine found that she was in awe of the houses around her.
The carriage pulled up to the largest house on the block, at the curve of the cul-de-sac and she stepped out of the carriage, she turned around and helped Jean Luc down. She paid the driver and stood staring agape at the house before her.
It was stunning. The house itself was not the largest she had ever seen, but the beauty was unsurpassed. She took Jean Luc's hand and they walked up the stone sidewalk and banged the knocker on the door.
Nancy pulled the door open and beheld the sight in front of her. God had indeed answered her prayer and sent the perfect woman for the governess position.
"Hello, I am Christine Daae, and this is my son, Jean Luc." Christine offered, "We are here about the nanny position."
"Come in my dears," Nancy stated, as she ushered them into the parlor. "Could I get you some tea?"
"Yes, that would be wonderful…thank you." Christine answered.
Nancy shuffled off to get the tea, smiling as she went. Christine pulled the bonnet from her head and sat down, moving Jean Luc into her lap.
Not much time went by before Nancy returned, carrying a teapot and cups. She poured the tea and sat down across from Christine. Nancy regarded the woman before her; she was quite lovely and not as young as some of the other applicants, but still young.
"Tell me dear, why do you want to apply for this position?" Nancy asked, handing Christine some paperwork to fill out.
Christine took a sip of tea and returned the cup to the coffee table. "Not long after I divorced, I found myself pregnant. I turned to a trusted friend. She helped me get back on my feet after my ex- husband and his family left me with nothing. I have been living with her and doing odd jobs to earn my stay, but I grow weary of not making my own way and supporting my son and me."
Christine stopped and looked at the features of the woman in front of her, she did not look shocked or judgmental, so she continued; she talked as she answered the questions on the papers she had been handed.
"I want the chance to prove to myself that I can do this…I doubt I will ever marry again… Christine smiled, lost in a memory…she snapped out of it to find the woman regarding her strangely, "…this is my opportunity to move on."
It was about this time that Grace skipped into the room, and upon hearing the voice of Christine, she moved forward. She stood beside Christine's chair and stared into the face of the most beautiful woman she had ever seen.
Christine, in turn, looked at the young girl. She was divine; her features were refined and dainty, but her eyes and hair were remarkable. Deep green eyes and raven hair were her most prominent features. She olive tone, perfect skin and a pink, full mouth.
"You're as pretty as angel, the ones they sing about in church." Grace whispered. "Can I touch your hair?"
Christine smiled, making the little girl smile again, "Of course, dear…what is your name?"
Grace reached up and softly touched a curl on Christine's shoulder. She answered in a dreamlike state, "My name is Grace Hannah, but Papa calls me Mon Chéri most of the time, or sometimes he calls me Mon Joli."
Christine marveled at the way this child talked. She was far above her age in language and articulation. Her father must have spent a great deal of money on tutors for her.
Christine pulled the girl into her lap, sitting her next to Jean Luc. The two examined each other for a minute and then they started smiling at each other.
Christine focused on Nancy once again. "She is highly intelligent…where has she been educated?"
Nancy smirked, then replied, "The master has educated her himself. He is a genius in his own right. He taught to her read and write, all of her school subjects, the piano and voice, and he has started her on the harp." The pride in Nancy's voice was quite evident.
Christine was truly impressed; most men took no interest in their offspring, let alone, acting as father, teacher, and musical mentor. She wanted to meet this man.
"The master's wife, when can I meet her?" Christine asked.
A look of sadness and loss rested on the older woman's countenance. "Grace's mother passed away giving birth to her…"
Christine felt the loss of this woman and she hadn't even known her. The older woman acted as though she wished to say more, but she refrained from doing so.
"Come, the master is in a meeting, but you may wait in the library until he is done." Nancy said.
Christine followed her into a large, ornately decorated, fully stocked library, and took a seat in a comfortable chair; getting more nervous with each passing moment.
TBC
