Hi everybody,
I am sorry for no update last week. I had thought I would be able to do one, but wasn't. :-(
I am once again thanking all my readers for reading, for adding to favorites and putting on alert, but mostly for those little reviews you leave me! (hug)
Anyway, here is finally the next chapter. I would advise to keep your tissues ready, just in case. And remember that I do not own those characters.
Chapter 24 – Sculpted Angels
Almost a year had gone by and the next visit of the de Chagnys was approaching. Amanda-Ann was looking forward to seeing her friend Christine again and was talking about nothing else but Christine and the concert the latter would give. Even though she had seen several operas by now – thanks to the exchange program with the Opéra Populaire "The Music House" was able to offer a greater variety of plays than most other theaters – she had enjoyed Christine's recital most. Christine's singing had touched her in a deeply emotional way like no other performer had done before or after.
Especially the last number, Elyssa's aria from "Hannibal", had moved her to tears. Amanda-Ann had seen "Hannibal" in the meantime, and understood the character's problem, but even though their own lead soprano had sung that particular aria with lots of emotions, Amanda-Ann felt as if Christine's rendition had had more depth, had been more heartfelt.
Amanda-Ann had her own theory of why Christine's singing sounded so much more inspired than that of other singers, and in a way Christine had confirmed at their last meeting that she was not happy in her marriage and had more or less revealed that she loved another man. That thought troubled Amanda-Ann. If Christine's deeply emotional singing was due to personal tragedy and a broken heart, was it then right to enjoy it so?
"I wish she were happy as well!" Amanda-Ann thought. "Maybe then she would not be able to imbue her songs with so much heartfelt emotion, but she would still be stupendous! Her voice is so beautiful, her technique so flawless, and she could sing happy songs then!"
When she brought up this topic with her husband, Erik frowned. Ever since he had discussed Christine with Nadir, he could not stop thinking that maybe he had judged her unfairly, that maybe she had been tricked or even forced to marry the Vicomte, that there was a chance that her heart still belonged to him. But as much as this thought warmed his heart and as much as he hoped that Nadir had been right in his assessment of Christine's situation, he also knew that for her sake he should hope that that was not the case. For if Nadir was right, if Christine still loved him, Erik, and had married the Vicomte in order to keep him safe, was enduring all those indignities and humiliations for his sake, had basically sold herself to the Vicomte for his sake, then he was in her debt forever.
"Are you so sure, your friend is suffering from a broken heart?" he therefore asked Amanda-Ann hesitantly. "Did she.. I mean have the two of you discussed this or is this just speculation?"
Amanda-Ann looked away uneasily. Her conversation with Christine had been a deeply personal one and it somehow did not feel right to relay her friend's secret to a third person, but Erik was her husband with whom she shared everything, and then, if she told him what had happened that last day, he hopefully would understand Mme. de Chagny better and not treat her like an eccentric noblewoman any more. Was it really a betrayal of her friend if she made sure her husband would not judge her unfairly any longer?
"When she came to say her good-byes before she left London,"Amanda-Ann therefore began uneasily, "we talked about her recital. I mentioned how deeply moved I had been by her rendition of Elyssa's aria, and I hinted that I thought... I mean, I knew I should not have touched such a sensitive topic, but I implied that I thought her own fate was similar to Elyssa's, that she had married the Vicomte only for security after she had lost the man she truly loved. She suddenly had tears in her eyes and said that I was very perceptive. She did not give me any details, nor did I ask, but I do know now that I was right. She is suffering from a broken heart. I do not know who he was and what happened, if he is dead, has abandoned her or there were other reasons that kept them apart, but I do know that she still loves that man and I wish she could be with him. But it seems that there really is no hope for that, or she would not have married that terrible Vicomte."
Erik closed his eyes. He was overwhelmed by emotions. Christine still loved him! She had not married the Vicomte because she wanted to and enjoyed his lewd behavior, but had sacrificed herself. And he had treated her so poorly! Had probably increased her pain and made her even more unhappy than she already was!
"What is it, Erik?" Amanda-Ann asked, interrupting his thoughts. "You are so quiet and you look so... I would almost say pained."
"I... I just thought... I mean I realized that my behavior towards Mme. de Chagny might have been totally inappropriate," he mumbled. "If she is carrying such a burden, if she is truly nothing like her vulgar husband and has only married him out of necessity..."
Amanda-Ann smiled. "I assure you that is the case," she told him. "Now that you know this, will you promise me to treat her in a more polite, civilized way when she and that husband of hers will return to London in a few weeks?"
Erik nodded. He quickly tried to compose himself, so that Amanda-Ann would nor realize just how much the things she had just told him affected him. "I do promise," he told her and kissed her tenderly on the forehead. It was not really a kiss of love, but one of gratitude. His dear wife had just given him back his faith in Christine.
"Now that I know the truth, I am glad that at least you treated her in a friendly, respectful way," he said, and he meant every bit of it. "But then, I have always known that you have the kindest, most loving heart in this world."
Amanda-Ann blushed under his compliment, and as she looked up to him, Erik could not help but kiss those pale-red lips of hers with more passion than usual, for what would he really do without her? She just had put some healing balm on his heart again.
Xxxx
After that day, Amanda-Ann's health began to decline. Somehow having rehabilitated her friend in her husband's eyes had weakened her. It was as if she had completed a task, as if whatever purpose her existence had served, had been fulfilled. Mr. Stanton and Erik both were very worried and consulted the doctor that had been monitoring Amanda-Ann's health ever since she had been born.
The doctor's face looked very serious when he talked to the two men after having examined the young woman. "I am sorry," he began, "I wish I had better news, but ..."
"The end?" Mr. Stanton asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Erik groaned, unable to speak. The end! Amanda-Ann was about to die. The woman whose love had helped him over the loss of Christine, who had healed his broken heart and given him a new purpose in life, his Amanda-Ann was going to leave him! Soon he would be alone again.
The doctor nodded. "Yes," he confirmed. "I am surprised she lasted as long as she did. There was a time about a year and a half ago, where I already thought … but then, she seemed to summon her last strength, as if her will to live had increased a thousand-fold..." He gave Erik a meaningful look. "It was love what invigorated her one last time, which renewed her energy for a few more months. Without you, Monsieur, and your devoted love, she would have passed away months ago."
"And now," Erik stammered, "I will double my efforts to show her my love, I will shower her with affection..."
The doctor sadly shook his head. "You may do so, Monsieur Givenould," he said, "since it will make her passing easier for her, will make her last few days or weeks happy ones, but save her? No. It won't do that. There is nothing that can be done for her anymore. The sickness has reached its last stage. I am sorry."
Mr. Stanton's face was as white as the wall, when he finally asked, "does she know?"
The doctor once again shook his head. "No," he said, "and she does not need to know. Just shower her with your love and devotion, show her how much she means to the two of you. That's all you can do for her. Keep her happy, if she utters a reasonable wish, try to fulfill it and hide your pain from her."
The two men nodded, but once the doctor had left, they both broke down crying. After a while, Erik remembered that Amanda-Ann was alone and probably nervously waiting for news about what the doctor had told them. He quickly dried his tears and went to his wife's side.
Amanda-Ann was so very pale, she was lying on her sofa, and looking at him uneasily. "Erik, finally!" she exclaimed. "What took so long? What did the doctor tell you and papa?"
Erik forced a smile on his face, although he felt his heart break at the thought that this poor young woman would be dead soon. "He said it is just a passing weakness," he lied, "probably caused by your anticipation of your friend's imminent visit. His recommendation is that you should try to rest as much as possible."
"So I do not have to worry?" Amanda-Ann asked, "I will get better soon?"
"Soon," Erik lied again. "And in the meantime, you can think about all the things you will want to do once you are stronger again."
Amanda-Ann smiled. "Oh, I know, I will be well again soon, and my friend Christine will be here in a few weeks and then I will be able to hear her sing again, oh Erik, that recital she did last year, that was the most wonderful of all the performances I have been to!"
"You will hear her sing again," Erik vowed. "But now you should rest, my dear, as the doctor recommended."
"Will papa come and see me before I rest?" Amanda-Ann asked.
"Papa will come to you as soon as he can," Erik promised, knowing that his father-in-law needed more time to deal with the fact that he would soon lose his beloved daughter. "An important business situation called him away. He asked me to tell you he loves you and will try to solve that problem as quickly as possible and then come and see you. And I promised him I would make sure that you get some rest."
Amanda-Ann smiled. "You two really coddle me," she said. "I do not think there has ever been a woman that was loved as much as I am by the two of you!"
When she finally closed her eyes and fell asleep, Erik wrote a letter to Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny, asking him to come to London a bit earlier than planned. As much as he hated that man and as much as he knew it would pain him to see Christine abused by the Vicomte again, he also knew now that Amanda-Ann did not have much time left. If he wanted to keep his promise that she would hear Christine sing again, there was no time to lose...
Xxxx
Two weeks later, the de Chagnys arrived in London. They found a note at their hotel that Mr. Stanton and Mr. Givenould would ask them to come to dinner.
"So your beast cannot wait to see you again," Raoul teased Christine, while unbuttoning his trousers and freeing his manhood. "First, he asks us to come sooner, now he even invites us to dinner this very evening. I will be generous and allow you to see him," he continued, "if you now please me properly." Christine obediently did as he asked.
Raoul moaned with pleasure. "You are so good at this, you little whore!" he said. "You can never tell me that you had no experience with such things. Did you suck your beast in such a deliciously pleasing way as well?"
Christine did not answer. She just continued to keep her husband happy, no matter how disgusted she was by what he made her do.
Xxxx
When the de Chagny couple arrived at the Stantons' residence later that evening, they only found Mr. Stanton and his son-in-law in the parlor.
"Where is Mme. Givenould?" Christine asked nervously, fearing the worst. "I had hoped I would be able to meet her and renew our friendship."
A dirty smile played around Raoul's lips as he imagined Christine and Amanda-Ann comparing notes about that thing's sexual prowess.
Nobody paid him any attention, though, as Erik gravely informed them that his wife was unwell, but that it was her greatest wish to see Mme. de Chagny and maybe hear her sing. That that was the main reason why he had asked them to come to London sooner and why he had invited them to dinner the very first evening.
Christine paled. "She has not much time left?" she asked, her own problems forgotten over the grief for this young woman that happened to love the same man she did.
Erik shook his head. "No," he whispered. "But she loves you and thinks of you as a friend. She was looking forward so much to seeing you again and hearing you sing again, and I promised her she would. Soon."
Christine nodded. "I will go to her immediately," she announced. "Where do I find her?"
"I will show you," Mr. Stanton offered. "Erik, if you would keep the Vicomte company for a few minutes? I am sure the two of you have important things to discuss regarding new production exchanges or maybe regarding Madame's concert as well?"
Mr. Stantoon quickly led Christine to his daughter's room. "She is very weak," he informed her on the way up, "and she looks terrible. But she does not know that her days are counted, please keep that in mind."
Christine nodded. "I will do nothing that could upset her," she promised. "I care deeply for Mme. Givenould, and I am very sorry about this development."
They had arrived at the door to Amanda-Ann's room. Mr. Stanton quickly forced a smile on his face as he entered. "Amanda-Ann, look who is here!" he said cheerfully. "I am sure you two ladies have a lot to discuss, so I will leave you alone for a while."
He turned to Christine. "Dinner will be served in about 20 minutes," he informed her, thus giving her a friendly reminder not to stay too long and tire his daughter too much.
"I wish I could go down and have dinner with you all as well," Amanda-Ann exclaimed. "I am sure I will be much better soon, now that Mme. de Chagny is here again."
"Not today, darling," Mr. Stanton said, tenderly kissing her on the forehead. "You must still rest, but hopefully when Madame and her husband will come for dinner again, you will be able to join us downstairs."
With that he left the two ladies alone.
"I am so happy that you are finally here!" Amanda-Ann informed Christine. "It seems like an eternity since your last stay in London. I have so wanted to hear you sing again!"
Christine looked at Amanda-Ann's ghostly pale face and knew that the young woman would not live many more days. She also remembered that Erik had already told her that Amanda-Ann wished to hear her sing again and she wondered if there ever would be another chance to sing for the sick woman again, if she did not do so right now.
"Would you want me to sing now?" she therefore offered. "Of course I will do a recital again, but it will be weeks before that, there will be rehearsals,... If you don't want to wait that long, I could sing a song for you now..."
"Oh, that would be wonderful!" Amanda-Ann exclaimed, feeling invigorated by the mere thought of hearing Christine's voice again.
Christine smiled. "Do you have a song in mind that you would like to hear?" she asked.
"Think of me," Amanda-Ann immediately replied. "That really was my favorite song of all those you sang last year!"
Christine nodded. "I like this song as well," she whispered and Amanda-Ann nodded.
"I know," she said. "Even though you never gave me details. And I wish so much that unlike Elyssa for you there could be a happy end one day."
Christine sighed. She felt tears forming in her eyes, but did not fight them, knowing that at the moment she was more crying about Amanda-Ann's fate than her own, but that Amanda-Ann would think she was crying about her lost love.
"I promised to sing for you," Christine finally tried to change the topic, and concentrating hard, she began to sing Elyssa's aria. Her heart broke as she sang the last words, thinking that they now could also be interpreted as a promise to Amanda-Ann, that she would never forget her and always think of her.
When she finished, Amanda-Ann smiled. "That was beautiful," she said. "Almost more touching than at the concert last year. I am so glad that you are here again. Will you come and see me often, now that you are back?"
Christine nodded. "As often as I can," she promised. "But I fear now I have to go down and join the gentlemen at dinner. And you should rest now."
Amanda-Ann knew that Christine was right. She felt exhausted and needed some sleep. "I will not keep you much longer," she said. "And I will see you soon!"
Xxxx
When Erik went to see his wife after dinner, Amanda-Ann had woken from her nap. She seemed even paler and weaker, though, than before and he knew that the end was approaching fast. Obviously only the hope of seeing her friend again and of hearing her sing had kept Amanda-Ann alive those past couple of weeks.
"So did you enjoy your friend's visit?" he asked softly.
Amanda-Ann smiled weakly. "Very much, Erik," she said. "I had waited so long and now she is finally here again and she sang for me and... I told her I hope that one day she will be happy as well, though of course she is married and I do not know what it was that kept her and the man she loves apart. See, that is the only thing now that I wish for, that I could somehow help her, make her as happy as I am."
Erik pulled her into his arms, making her head rest against his chest. "Unfortunately, we cannot help her," he said uneasily, his heart breaking for both women he loved, for the one in his arms that would be dead soon, as well as for the other, who had to endure the Vicomte's assaults on her body.
He tenderly kissed Amanda-Ann's hair. "You should rest now, my love," he cooed, "you are still weak and this visit was exhausting for you."
"I will rest soon," Amanda-Ann promised. "I just wish... she could be as happy and loved as I am..."
Her last words were barely intelligible, she suddenly went limp in Erik's arms, and as Erik shook her, alarmed, he realized he was holding only his wife's body. Amanda-Ann had died in his arms, under his kiss, after she had seen her friend again and heard her sing again.
