Christine dans Deux
An Alternate Multiverse - A Phantom of the Opera Story
Nyasia A. Maire
© 2006
DISCLAIMER: See Chapter One
Chapter Thirty – A Formal Introduction
By the time I arrive in the foyer, I am panting not so much from running but from thoughts of my Christine and our lovemaking. I think, "I should have worn my coat." I stop just outside the last archway and make a vain attempt at calming my arousal. I breathe deep and try to relax and after a few moments, find that while my state is noticeable, it may pass a cursory inspection.
"It will just have to do."
I enter the foyer and wonder how on earth Christine got out of the house and to the other side of the drawbridge so quickly. "She'll have to tell me the trick of it later."
There she stands every inch of her looking the perfect picture of a lady. Everything about her is neat and clean, not a hair out of place. She stands with her hands demurely clasped before her looking up at a portrait hanging on the wall. She hears me enter, but does not turn. The little minx! My father walks to her and murmurs something into her ear. She nods and makes a short reply. He guides her away from the portrait by cupping her elbow with his hand and holding her wrist with the other. They turn and saunter towards me.
My father calls out to me.
"Erik! Look what I found ringing the bell at our gate? Is she not lovely? Oh! How silly of me! You two have met, have you not?"
I take hold of my beloved's hand, gaze into her eyes and then gently kiss her on the cheek. I gain strength and composure from her serenity. I release her hand and begin my introduction.
"Father, I would like to present to you the woman I intend to make my wife. I am most pleased to introduce you to Christine Jean-Marie Maire." My father gives Christine a slight nod of his head.
"Christine, I am most pleased to present to you my father, Jean-Paul le Comte de Mornay."
My father takes Christine's hand and kisses the back of it.
"Mademoiselle, may I say that I am certainly most pleased to make your acquaintance." He raises his eyes to meet hers as he lifts his head away from her hand. I notice how his eyes sparkle and his mouth curls into a rakish grin.
"Monsieur le Comte de Mornay, I am most pleased to meet you as well. And I thank you for the precious gift you have given me. The gift of your son." She performs a perfectly executed old court curtsy, which brings her within inches of the floor and spreads her skirt out in a wide circle about her. Her head remains erect, her mouth forms a joyous smile and her balance is perfect. Again, I think, "I had no idea."
My father glances at me and raises an eyebrow as a sign he is impressed.
My Christine rises from the curtsy and stands. She walks directly to me and kisses me chastely on the mouth while her eyes twinkle at me with mischief.
"I greet you my dearest. I have sorely missed you and I am so happy to be quit of traveling."
She turns her amazing eyes on my father who seems entranced by her.
"So, now I can see for myself. My Erik does take after you. And if I were a wagering sort of woman, which I most definitely am not I would take odds you two could be a set of matching bookends if the two of you were of an age."
She sweeps forward and takes his hands in hers and kisses him once on each cheek.
"I am so very pleased to make your acquaintance. I do not mean to be forward or put you out, but …."
She stammers with pretty embarrassment and I swear I can see a blush blooming on her cheeks.
She continues. "I have no wish to appear rude or uncouth, but I have been in the carriage since early this morning traveling here without a rest stop. I would very much appreciate it if someone could show me where I may freshen up a bit."
"Oh my dear girl! I beg your forgiveness! I have become quite unused to guests, so please excuse my lack of manners." He clears his throat and continues. "Would you please allow me the honor of escorting you to your room?"
Christine flashes a coquettish smile at my father as he whisks past me and takes her by the elbow and leads her up the stairs. I follow in their wake and smile as I see my lady working her charm on my father. She listens intently as he tells her anecdotes about the château as she occasionally pats playfully at the hand he has on her arm.
She stuns me with her ability to fit in anywhere she is and to make everyone around her feel important and comfortable. For a moment I feel a stab of jealousy, until I realize it is her way of protecting herself from the empathic cacophony in her head. She fits in because she feels what the other person feels and she responds. I marvel at how kind she is and wish I could be more like her. I never cared for the feelings of others as I had always thought only of myself. No one cared a whit for me, so why should I care for others? I expected their horror at my presence and always found it. I always found it until the moment Christine laid eyes on me. In her eyes I found the acceptance I had always wanted. Perhaps, if I had expected better of people I would have found it. Perhaps ….
I whisper a prayer of thanks deep within my soul, "Thank you, God. Thank you for allowing us to find one another. I will try every day to be worthy of her. Please do not let me fall into the fatal trap of taking her as something granted for she is not. Help me to remember that she is a treasure that I must earn every day for the rest of my life. God help me! I do love her so!"