Ch 26

The marigold dropped from Erik's fingers.

"My what?"

An easy smile graced Anisha's face. "Your time in Persia," she said as she pushed her chair back and rose smoothly. "I've had enough illusions for one night. Would you care to walk me to my room?"

"Who said I was in Persia?"

Anisha shrugged and glanced at Corinna, who had turned to speak with Ursula.

"Corinna, will you and Ursula be alright here?"

"Are you coming back?" Corinna asked.

"In a moment. Most likely before our supper comes."

Corinna glanced at Anisha, who returned a glared. "We will stay here. If our food arrives and we are gone they're likely to throw it out to the dogs and charge us for it still."

"Fine. Don't go anywhere. I'll be back in a moment.

As Erik stood he saw a familiar face enter the courtyard through a wooden gate at the far end. Joseph leaned against the short stone fence and held the door for Lilian and the two other European women. Lilian saw Erik first and waved.

"Looking forward to tomorrow?" she asked.

"La Boheme?" Erik questioned. He kissed her on both cheeks and looked past her at the gate where she had entered. Joseph had stopped to chat with a man Erik didn't recognize.

Lilian shook her head. "Our guide told us it was La Boheme but he had the wrong opera. It's still a Verdi, but it's Rigoletto. I do hope you'll still join us. I don't care what the critics say. Verdi is a genius."

Erik glanced at Joseph, who had started toward the table, while Lilian spoke. Joseph didn't notice that his wife was speaking to Erik. His eyes were on Anisha.

"That would be fine. I was just going to escort Anisha to her room—"

"Mr. DeChantel offered," Anisha replied before Erik could finish. "He forgot his pocket watch."

"Oh, darling," Lilian frowned. "Would you like me to accompany you?"

"No, no, dear. I will only be a moment."

Lilian laughed. "Well, go on then lest you want me to run away with Monsieur Levesque."

Erik looked away for a moment as the two jested. Lilian had no idea what a lecherous creature she had married. Joseph disgusted him.

Joseph managed to pull his lips up into a smile. "Wouldn't want that, dear."

Anisha accepted Joseph's arm as she looked over her shoulder at Corinna. She smiled sweetly and went on her way with Lilian's husband.

Lilian glanced at the vacated seat. "Would you mind if I sat for a moment? I've been meaning to tell you about my cousin. She's in the ballet in Paris. I forget what company she works for these days. It seems there's always something new back home."

Erik helped Lilian into her chair and sat down across from Corinna.

"So I've heard," Erik lied. He hadn't heard anything from home in three years.

"She just married a few months ago, so I imagine she might take a year's leave for family. But I suspect she'll try to sneak back on that stage as soon as the midwife leaves the home. She loves dancing but she wants a large family," Lilian continued. She smiled and played with her jewelry. "I'll write her a letter and tell her I met a musician."

"How did you know I was a musician?"

"Joseph's father told me all about you. He played part of something you wrote ages ago on his violin. Don Juan, I believe."

Erik felt himself blush. "A childish endeavor. One that will never be completed—not until the day I die."

"Now that you're an architect perhaps you wouldn't be so interested in writing operas or playing the violin, but Brigitte could help you find employment."

"Brigitte is your cousin?"

"Yes, Brigitte de Pierre—oh, my apologies. Her married name is Giry. Brigitte Giry."

Erik found himself half-listening to Lilian. He was still concerned about what Anisha had said. No one was supposed to know he had been in Persia. Mr. Desai had sworn to keep Erik's secret for fear of him being returned to the shah-of-shahs.

"I'll have to remember her name," Erik replied.

"You would like her. I'll be certain to send her a letter before we leave for Africa. I'll give her your name and a forwarding address if you have one."

"I would appreciate that, Madame DeChantel."

"Call me Lily. With everything Joseph's father said about you I feel like I've known you for years. He has always been fond of you. Why, he even said he would take you in as a son since your father worked for his."

Erik nodded. His gut felt twisted, his insides tight with warning. He had a feeling that Joseph's father had known he was in Persia. If Joseph knew, he may have told Anisha during their affair. Erik started to scoot his chair back from the table.

"Did your father live long enough to hear of your accomplishments?"

Her words froze him in his seat. "Excuse me?"

Lilian nervously looked away. "Joseph told me about your father's sinful passing. I'm sorry to bring it up. I was only wondering if he knew about you building the palace for Sultan Resbaar. It's quite an accomplishment. Mr. DeChantel called you a whelp that used ten percent of his talent and ninety percent of his luck. He simply adored you. I'm sure your father felt the same way, even if he did watch you build from…heaven."

Lilian fanned herself after she finished speaking. She searched the café courtyard until she found the two women she had come in with sitting beside their husbands.

"I should return to our friends. I apologize for disturbing your dinner. I'll send the letter to my cousin in the morning." She turned toward Corinna and Ursula and exchanged brief words with the two of them. She waited for Corinna to translate her words before she told Erik good-night and walked to her table.

Erik stared at the table and the crushed flower touching the knuckles of his left hand. His father was dead. By the sound of it he had committed suicide. While the wind blew the flower off the table Erik sat in quiet devastation. He wasn't sure if he mourned the death or not.

Designing a palace would not have pleased his father. Erik knew without a doubt that his father would have called it dumb luck. Everything he did, in his father's eyes, was beginner's luck or undeserved fortune. They had not been on good terms since Erik began spending more time with the DeChantels.

Erik wondered if his mother was still alive. He knew it didn't matter. She would never forgive him for staying away from home following his father's death. If he went to her, he expected she would turn him away.

When Erik looked up from the table, he found Corinna staring at him. She attempted a smile but failed and looked away.

Their food was brought to the table before Erik could say anything. He was glad for the distraction as he had nothing to tell Corinna. He didn't feel like speaking. He didn't feel like doing anything at all.

Gooseflesh rose along his arms as he thought about his father. Even though they hadn't been close when Erik left, he still felt a rising ache of loneliness. He hadn't seen his father in three years. There would never be an opportunity to see him again.

"Eck," Ursula snapped suddenly.

The sound of his name drew his eyes from his cold dinner plate. He hadn't touched his leg of lamb in wine sauce or the consommé the waiter had brought and taken back to the kitchen.

"You eat?" Ursula asked.

He nodded slowly and reached for his fork but stopped himself. He had to know what happened. Though he knew in his heart what the answer would be, Erik still had to hear the words aloud.

He wanted to know when he had killed his father.