Chapter Forty-Four
Erik and Christine escorted the Persian and his servant back to their flat on the Rue de Rivoli after several hours of conversation. "Erik, Mademoiselle Christine--I am thrilled for you both. Darius and I will plan to attend your nuptials tomorrow evening." He smiled and kissed Christine's knuckles lightly.
"Thank you," she smiled at him. "I am so glad to have met you…you have obviously been a devoted friend to Erik for many years, and I would be honored to have you there."
The Persian turned to Erik. "Should you need me, you know where to find me. Enjoy the last several hours of your bachelor's life, my friend," he teased him. Darius opened the outer building door for his master and the two disappeared inside.
"You had best take me home now, as well," Christine grinned, snuggling close to lean her back against Erik's chest. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a squeeze. "But I wanted you all to myself," he grumbled.
"You shall have me all to yourself after tomorrow night," she reminded him softly. "Until then, you really should not see your bride…it's considered bad luck."
"Well, then, that is one thing I certainly do not need," he snorted. "Alright, I will take you to the shop. We both have much to do tomorrow to prepare. Do you think that Madame Dubois will allow you to go with Meg to find a gown?"
"She won't have a choice, frankly," she said with a hint of determination in her voice. "If she refuses, then I shall simply have to quit."
Erik laughed aloud, shocked by her statement. "Christine, you continue to surprise me! You are one determined woman when you want to be!"
"Of course I am…especially when it comes to you." She turned slightly, reaching back to caress his cheek. He grasped her hand and kissed her open palm.
"I love you," he whispered into her left ear, reveling in thesensation of her silken curls against his face.
"And I love you," she replied, leaning her head back upon his shoulder. They rode in silence the rest of the way to the shop, both of them secretly smiling to themselves in anticipation of their special day.
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"Good evening…I hope you don't mind that I dropped in unannounced like this," Father Michel smiled as Guillaume escorted him to the Laurents' parlor.
Madame Suzette rose from her armchair and smiled. "Not at all, Father. You are most welcome here anytime."
"Thank you," he bowed. "Madame, I have come to ask a favor of you, and I hope that I am not overstepping my bounds." He hesitated, looking down at his worn black shoes. "I…I am wondering if you have heard about Monsieur Erik's engagement."
"Yes, I have. He informed us early this morning. We plan to attend his wedding to Mademoiselle Daae tomorrow evening." She smiled at him, and Father Michel detected no malice in her voice. He was relieved.
"Madame, I am so glad that you plan to attend…but I wish to ask you if you might consider providing a wedding meal—for after the ceremony. I know that it is short notice, but Erik is…well, Erik is like a son to me, and I want his special day to be a blessing to him and his new wife. I do not have the facilities to provide for his guests—there would be…let's see…ten of us in all, I believe—and I certainly do not have a woman's touch for these sorts of things," he shrugged, a slight blush creeping upward to his cheeks.
Madame Laurent laughed and clapped her hands. "Of course! I would love to! Oh, thank you for asking me…it has been so long since I have been able to plan anything of this sort! Amêlie and I will have great fun choosing the menu and the decorations!"
The old priest was pleasantly surprised by her exuberant reaction. "Yes…and about Amêlie…I was wondering if she might be willing to sing the wedding processional…we have no organist, and certainly Erik should not have to play at his own wedding! She would have to sing unaccompanied…how would you feel about that?"
Madame Laurent blinked in surprise and smiled. "I think it's a marvelous idea! I am sure that she would love to sing…she will be terribly nervous, of course…but for Monsieur Erik, I am certain that she would do it."
"Thank you so much, Madame…you are certain that your husband will find all of this agreeable as well?"
"Oh, Gregoire can be a bit of a stick in the mud at times, but he has always enjoyed social events with new people—after all, they have never heard his stories before," she laughed lightly. "And as for Amêlie…well, he is very proud of his daughter." She winked at him and began to escort him from the room. "We ladies will handle this whole affair. Do not worry about a thing. The only thing the guests need concern themselves with is bringing gifts for the happy couple, of course…and transportation. We have but two carriages, and one is surely to be occupied by the bride and groom, yes?"
"I assume so, Madame. I will leave you to your planning, then." Father Michel smiled happily at her and left for the church, brainstorming different ways that he could help to make Erik's wedding memorable and beautiful.
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Morning came quickly, and Christine woke with a tingling feeling in her chest and stomach. Today is the day! She nearly leapt from her bed and dressed hurriedly, knowing that Madame Dubois had not come to rouse her for work. Perhaps she isn't here yet, she thought. Oh, I do hope that she will understand and let me call on Meg today. I need her help! Then she gasped. How on earth could I forget something like this? I will need a considerable amount of time off for our honeymoon! Wait a moment…is there to be a honeymoon? Surely there will be…. Well, as I said before, if I must quit, then so be it. Nothing will spoil my joy on this day! She looked around her as she dressed. Sighing with relief, she said aloud, "This is the last day that I shall spend in this tiny room. Goodbye, little closet," she giggled, twirling her dress around her in a circle. "Goodbye, yellowed ceiling! Goodbye creaky floor and bed! Good-" Christine stopped short as there was a knock upon her door. "Yes?" she responded, trying to sound serious.
"Mademoiselle Christine, it's me…Annette."
"Of course…good morning, Madame. You've come to wake me for work, I assume?"
"Actually, may I come in please?"
Christine's face reflected her confusion. "Yes…" she said slowly, going to the door to open it. Madame Dubois stood there before her, a broad smile on her face.
"Come in, if you can find the space…or, perhaps it would be better to talk in the hall or downstairs?" Christine suggested.
"No…it won't take long. I wanted to give you this." Madame Dubois held out a white sealed envelope to Christine. She took it and opened it. Inside she found her first paycheck from a job completely unrelated to the Opera. She was overjoyed. "This is wonderful! Thank you so much, Madame!"
Madame Dubois chuckled. "Don't thank me, dearie…it's you that did all of the work to earn that. Oh, and by the way," she smiled a half-smile, "I heard from Madame Giry early this morning…it seems that you are to be married tonight, yes?"
"Yes," Christine blushed.
"And will you be needing time off to go on your honeymoon?"
"Actually, yes, I think so," Christine replied, shocked that the woman had seemingly read her mind.
"Take as much time as you need. You are to be married to that handsome young Viscomte, I assume?"
Christine cringed at the toothy grin on the woman's face. "No, Madame, to someone entirely different. Would you mind giving me the day off so that I might find an appropriate gown?" Goodness, that was abrupt, wasn't it? she laughed to herself.
"Oh, certainly, dearie…go, go!" Madame Dubois waved her thin hand and arm at Christine, who retrieved her cloak and headed outside to hail a cab, shaking her head in amazement.
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Erik had sent out a wedding announcement by messenger to the Girys, who were surprised and pleased to receive it. Meg was a bit sad, however, because the wedding was so soon, and she had hoped to be part of the planning for Christine's special day. She had barely slept the night before, feeling as though she was losing her sister. She sat on her bed that morning, moping when there was a knock at her bedroom door. "Come in," she sighed. Her mother entered, smiling secretively. "Meg, someone is here to see you."
"Me?" Meg questioned her in surprise. She stood and followed her mother out to the sitting room, where Christine stood, beaming at her. "Oh, Meg! I am so excited! I need your help! You don't have plans this morning, do you?" She gazed at her with a worried expression, and Meg couldn't resist giggling.
"You are speaking so quickly, Christine! And no, I don't have any plans…but why do you ask?"
"Because…I need to go and find a bridal gown, and I want my maid of honor to come with me," she smiled slyly at her.
Meg's eyes widened in surprise. "Maid of honor? Oh, Christine! Thank you!" She rushed to her and embraced her tightly. "Your wedding is tonight, yes?" Christine pulled away and nodded. Meg smiled. "I would be honored. Maman? Do you mind?"
"No, of course not. You two have a good time…perhaps you might like to meet me somewhere for lunch?" Madame Giry inquired casually.
They all agreed and made arrangements to meet at the small café where they had been before. The girls left and entered their cab, chattering excitedly as they headed in turn to six different bridal boutiques. "I think I preferred the one at…uh…which boutique was it, Meg?" Christine giggled.
"Oh, it was the one two blocks down on the left, remember? Was it the gown with the matching gloves?"
"No," Christine shook her head. "Erik doesn't like for me to cover my arms," she laughed. "It was the one that draped off the shoulders. And the veil with the wreath of faux flowers and pearls on top, I believe." I have looked at too many dresses today, she thought with a sigh of exhaustion. And it isn't even lunchtime yet!
"Yes, that one was lovely!" Meg exclaimed. "Oh, Christine, I've just realized…we haven't chosen any flowers! You do want to carry flowers, don't you?"
Christine smiled. "Of course I do…and I'm fairly certain of what kind I will want to purchase." She thought for a moment and continued. "Perhaps I should alsogetone for Erik to wear in his suit. Yes, I think I shall!"
The young women walked arm in arm back to the boutique where Christine tried on the dress again. Luckily, it needed very little adjusting. It was only the hem that needed to be taken up slightly, but Christine was certain that she could do it herself. She made her purchases with some money that Erik had given her and headed to the florist to purchase a bouquet of flowers—plus one, made into a boutonniere for Erik. For his flower, she chose to use a small amount of her own earnings rather than Erik's money.
"Meg, I'd like to find a gift for Erik. Could we go into that book shop there?" Christine pointed across the street, squinting.
"Well, if we don't stay long. It is nearly lunchtime, and we must meet Maman at the café, remember?"
"Oh, yes, of course!" Christine laughed merrily. "I nearly forgot about that. I suppose that I am just focused on…other things."
Fifteen minutes later, Christine left the book shop quite satisfied with her purchase…a copy of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. She was quite sure that Erik did not already own it, as he had cared little in the past for anything regarding Christmas or of 'good will' toward men. They had several copies for sale, as it was nearing the Christmas season. She hoped that he would like it…she had enjoyed the story, but Erik was much more particular about the literature he chose to read. Oh, well, no matter. If he hates it, then I will simply keep the copy for myself! Meg and Christine decided to head back to the Girys' flat before meeting Meg's mother for lunch, to leave their expensive and very important parcels someplace safe.
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Erik agonized over which suit to wear to his own wedding. He thought about purchasing a white tuxedo, but decided that the white color would likely detract from his beautiful bride. He considered a pin-striped suit, but decided that it would not be formal enough. At last, he settled his mind on the usual black. He sighed, choosing his silvery-gray colored cravat, laying out his garments on the bed. I just want to be married to the woman I love, he thought sullenly. Why must everything be so complicated? He prayed silently that their wedding day would be special and that God would help them to weather any storms that may come in the course of life. He was not so foolish as to think that married life would be easy…but he knew that their love had overcome so many things already, and he had confidence that it would overcome whatever may lie ahead. He entered the small front room and sat down on the settee to read his Bible, unable to keep his mind focused on the passage that he had chosen. Flipping through the pages in frustration, he decided to re-read a section of poetry that was of particular interest to him. He reached for a pen and paper and began to jot down several notes. After committing them to memory, he was exhausted, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.