ALL I KNOW OF LOVE
Erik and Christine are the creation of Gaston Leroux; the reference to Persia and some of its customs are derived from Susan Kay's book, "Phantom". All other characters and the backdrop of the story are the creations and property of GerrysJackie.
Some places and all names are fictional.
PLAYERS:
Erik – Gerard Butler - Perfect
Christine – The face and coloring of Zooey Deschanel (Failure to Launch, Elf) – and the body of Marilyn Monroe, except 3 inches taller
Gustav - Billy Connelly – Because I really like him.
Patrick Connelly - Paul Bettany – (A Knights Tale, Firewall, A Beautiful Mind)
Pascal – Mel Gibson's looks (slightly older with graying hair) with the cunning and cruelty of J.R. Ewing from " Dallas".
Madam Marie Forsythe – Miranda Richardson
James Lumpkin (the butler) – Daniel Davis (the butler from the TV show "The Nanny")
Kamilla – Georgie Henley (Chronicles of Narnia)
Duke Sergei Beauvais – Derek Jacobi (Underworld:Evolution)
Kaveh Hushmand – Oded Fehr – (The Mummy, The Mummy Returns) Thanks Mlle.Fox!
Use your imagination on all others.
This story has taken a while to develop, but I hope it has been worth it. I have several chapters already written, but I am taking my time. There is humor, drama, and romance in this story, so I hope you will enjoy it.
This rendition of Erik is one of a man who has suffered greatly in his life, at the hands of just about everyone in his life, but his spirit is still intact. He is less self-loathing than others that I have written, but he is very much aware of his self-proclaimed faults. He is dangerous and ruthless, but has had enough of death and destruction. Women are still a mystery to him, and he needs a strong, independent woman who is his equal in every way.
This Christine is not a drop-dead gorgeous woman, but her beauty is less assuming and soft…Erik will see it.
I will try to update twice a week, depending on how quickly I write chapters. I don't anticipate this being a particularly long story, but we'll see.
Enjoy.
Thank you for the reviews and words of encouragement; I thrive on it. This chapter is really long. I hope you find it informative and uplifting.
CHAPTER 27
The following week found Erik, Christine, and Kamilla heading toward the town of Tretradia to see Christine's family.
Gustav was a bit apprehensive about the visit, he had only corresponded with Christine by letter; and, although her tone in the letters was uplifted and content, he knew that she could have been putting on a front for his sake.
"Gustav, will you please stop pacing the floor, they'll be here any minute and I don't need you wearing a hole in the carpet."
Teresa Delancy was a stout, strong, beautiful woman whose family turned to her for moral and spiritual support. She and Gustav had a love that transcended all obstacles and it showed in the way they interacted.
Gustav stopped in front of her and gently grasped her shoulders, "What if she's not happy…what are we going to do then?"
His eyes were pleading for answers and Teresa didn't have any; all she knew was that her daughter's letters had seemed to have a "happy" sound to them.
"Gustav, you are working yourself into a panic." She kissed the tip of his nose and led him over to the divan. "Calm down and take deep breaths."
He did as he was told, but he was not to happy about it. Teresa sat beside him, leaned into his broad chest, and curled up beside him. Her voice was soft and consoling as she spoke.
"Over the last seven months, this man has done everything he promised he would do…your business is thriving, we are wealthier than we have ever been; our lives are much more satisfying…"
Gustav began to wonder where she was going with this little speech.
"…he promised you that Christine would have anything she desired…he would give her anything and do anything to make her happy…what makes you think that he would fail to keep that promise if he has not failed to keep any of the others he as made?"
Gustav didn't get a chance to answer as the butler announced the arrival of the Marquis Erik Laroque and the Marchioness Christine Laroque.
There was a moment of trepidation as Christine rounded the corner, but she flew into her mothers arms and tears flowed fast and easy. Erik entered behind her with regal grace. His deep-set, perceptive eyes scanned the room and upon seeing that there were few people about, he allowed himself to relax.
He bowed toward Gustav and stated with drugging beauty, "Thank you for having us, Christine has been longing to see you."
He turned to Teresa, bowed, and drew her hand to his lips for a light kiss. "Madam, you have a lovely home."
Teresa found this man alarmingly charming and was impressed with his manners and quiet reserve.
"It is an honor to finally meet you, my lord." Teresa stated.
Erik smiled and the gesture filled his green gaze with sparks of light, "Please, call me Erik."
Christine hooked her arms around Erik's arm and wrapped her fingers through his. She smiled lovingly up at him as he kissed her forehead.
Neither Teresa nor Gustav missed the exchange, and Gustav finally had to clear his throat to get Christine's attention.
She went into her father's outstretched arms and hugged him tightly. Gustav held back the tears and smiled at the inner glow radiating from her.
"You look happy, my daughter."
Christine turned her eyes to Erik and tears filled them instantly, she turned back to her father and smiled, "I am Papa…I am very happy."
Erik missed the exchange because he was motioning toward the door for Kamilla to enter.
"This is our daughter from my first marriage, Lady Kamilla Juliet Laroque." Erik announced.
Kamilla entered the room and curtsied low and elegantly. Her curls danced about her shoulders and Teresa was immediately taken with the child.
"We also have a son from my first marriage, Lord Timotheus Philippe Laroque. He is sixteen months old and is recovering from a rather nasty cold – as we all have been doing over the last couple of weeks."
Erik went to stand beside Christine and drew into his embrace. He placed a kiss upon her upturned mouth and smiled down at her.
"We thought it best not to bring him."
Erik was fighting the unease in his stomach and doing his best not to feel like he was on display. Gustav's eyes scrutinized every move he made and Erik realized that he wanted to earn this man's respect and approval.
Gustav was trying to find some hint of ambiguous coldness in Erik; something that would indicate he was not the sincere man that he appeared to be; but there was nothing.
"Erik may I speak with you in my office please." Gustav asked, indicating the room adjacent to the one in which they stood.
"Certainly." Erik excused himself from the presence of the ladies and followed Gustav.
"How are Beth and that new husband of hers?" Teresa inquired, watching the men leave.
"They are both doing well, as is Giorgia." Christine stated.
ЖЖ
The door closed behind Erik and he watched Gustav go toward the bar and pour a drink.
"Would you care from some Brandy?"
Erik declined and took a seat in the leather chair across from Gustav's desk.
Gustav descended into the chair and warily eyed Erik from beneath a wrinkled brow.
"I never did thank you properly for taking them in…I could not help at the time, but you did wonders for them."
Erik cleared his throat and shifted in his chair, "It was my pleasure…Beth brought a smile to Christine's face and Giorgia befriended Kamilla – all is well."
"I am a man of few words and great convictions…" Gustav relayed, "…I don't like being indebted to anyone…especially you."
Erik sat up straight and his eyes grew dark, "It is I who am indebted to you, sir…the gift that you gave me in the person of your daughter has been the one source of light in my dark world."
Erik stood and walked over to the large window. The dark sky was dotted with bright stars and the silhouetted treetops waved in the night breeze; Erik had forgotten how much he loved the night and the silky black beauty that it possessed.
"Before her, I was a shell of a man existing in this world…life had held little beauty for me and even less love." He turned his body to face Gustav, leaning against the wall with his legs crossed and his hands clasped in front of him.
"In the last few months we have found a love for each other that I pray will be as strong and lasting as the love you share with your wife."
Gustav was speechless. He had been prepared to justly berate this young man for being an unworthy husband to his daughter; instead, he found that he was ready to embrace him as a son.
"I will do everything in my power to make and keep her happy."
Gustav finally stood and extended his hand toward Erik, offering his support and approval.
"From the glow she has about her and the radiant smile she wears, I'd say you have succeeded in doing that."
There was a light tap on the door as the two men shook hands.
"Come, you must be famished, my lord…" Teresa stated as she motioned for them to follow her.
Erik took Christine's hand and followed his newly acquired family down the hall toward the dining room.
The meal was hearty and hot and Erik couldn't remember hearing so much laughter around a dinner table; this was what a home should feel like.
'Thank you, Lord.' Gustav silently prayed as dinner ended and he showed Christine and Erik to their room.
Kamilla had been in bed for an hour already, Teresa having volunteered to tuck her in and read her a story.
"Tomorrow night is a ball in your honor, so brush up on those dancing steps."
Erik balked at the suggestion, but said nothing until he was alone with Christine, behind closed doors.
"I have never actually danced with a partner before." He admitted with unease.
Christine cuddled up to him and placed a kiss upon his lips, "With your musical instincts, you'll put everyone to shame, my love…I rather like the idea of being in your arms while the other women look on with envy."
"Envy…why would they be envious?" Erik asked, completely naive to her meaning.
She gave him a luminous smirk and her eyes smoldered, "Because I will be in the arms of the most handsome man there AND that man is a marquis AND, even more importantly, that man is my husband."
Erik shook his head and playfully scoffed at her words. He would never consider himself handsome, but as long as she did, that was all that mattered.
"Have I told you lately that I love you?" She cooed.
She was gently persuading him toward the bed and upon reaching the edge of it, she none to gently pushed him onto it.
"Don't get started without me, I must tend to something in the washroom….I'll return momentarily."
Erik watched her move into the washroom and close the door. He couldn't believe she was torturing him in such a manner. It had been over two weeks since they had made love. Timmy had been sick and then Kamilla – followed by just about everyone in the house, including Erik.
Erik had not been as affected as the others had been, but he had carried a slight fever, aches, and pains; now, his body was demanding other things and his luscious wife was busy behind a closed door…and it was driving him to the brink of insanity.
He removed himself from the bed and tapped lightly on the door.
"Christine, have you fallen in?" He teased. "Do I need to come in and fish you out?"
He heard a light giggle and felt its affects to the very tip of his toes.
"Are we slightly impatient?" She teased back.
"Come on, have mercy on me…it's been almost three weeks since I had the pleasure of making love to you." Erik pleaded, putting a seductive lilt in his already intoxicating voice.
He heard the door click and knew she was on her way out. He bounded from the door and landed on the bed, anxiously awaiting her companionship.
She looked radiant…as usual, but there was glow about her that Erik had never seen before; an inner glow that lit her entire being.
His body sprang to life with the anticipation of joining with hers. He stood up and raked his eyes over her curves, resting on the swell of her full breasts – which teased him above the lace of her chemise.
"You are so sexy…I can't get enough of just looking at you." He crooned standing up to wrap his arms around her.
Christine sauntered up to him and feathered her fingers up the taut, toned muscles of his abdomen; then teased the spattering of dark hair across his powerful chest.
A low, feral growl resounded in his chest and his eyes drifted shut at her erotic touch.
She teased his chest with her tongue and lips, making him tremble with need. His hands found the plump roundness of her derriere and grasped it firmly.
"Could we pretend that you are about to deflower me right under the watchful eye of my over protective father?" She purred as she ground her hips into his expanding groin. "Something about making love in my father's house is sooo…" She ran her tongue up the length of his neck and then whispered in his ear, "…naughty."
Erik groaned at the image in his head. When had she become such a temptress…a seducer gifted with the most enticing skills? She had never been this assertive before…he loved it!
She gently eased him back to the bed and he lay out before her hungry eyes. If God granted her another seventy years, Christine knew she would never see a man as beautiful of body as Erik…he was magnificent.
She slithered up his body and ran her hands over his hardness, making him whimper with pleasure and buck into her hand.
"Christine…you are being such a vixen tonight…"
He set up and found her warm, moist mouth. He kissed her so tenderly that tears crept down her cheeks; but his tenderness soon turned to heated passion.
His large hands found the plush swell of her breasts and he massaged the tight peaks through the material of her chemise. He didn't see nor feel the slight wince that Christine exerted at the pressure.
He lowered his mouth to one jutting button and circled it with his tongue. The sensation of his tongue and the feel of the gossamer silk chemise against her flesh was a powerful combination and she whimpered into his ear.
He began at her hips and folded the hem of her chemise into his hands; he slowly pulled it over her body and off, exposing her creamy, soft flesh to his eager eyes.
"I will never tire of touching you…you have completely conquered me with your love."
Erik's lulling words whispered softly in her ear caused ripples of desire to trickle through her.
"Erik, it seems like months since you touched me."
He eased her down to the mattress and stretched his long, lean frame over hers. His hands roamed over her breasts and he kneaded them with deft fingers.
She hissed at the contact and Erik's head jerked up; his eyes slammed into hers with an inquisitive, concerned gaze.
"Take me into your mouth, it will ease the soreness."
He frowned, but anxiously did as she instructed. Her hands wound into his thick hair, forcing his mouth against her more fully.
In the past few months, Erik had memorized Christine's curves; every soft inch of skin; every point that brought her the greatest pleasure…everything about her had been committed to memory.
She had never complained of soreness before, and he was immediately concerned.
He nuzzled her neck, kissing the pulse point and moving up toward her ear. Erik's fingers caressed the softness of her abdomen and Christine moved her hand to quiet his movements.
Her hand rested atop his, having settled just beneath her belly button.
"You can't feel him yet, my love…but your child is growing in my womb." Christine whispered; tears coming to her eyes as Erik went as still as stone.
His voice, soft and tear-filled, finally let her know he had heard her.
"You're pregnant?"
She smiled brightly and rested her palm against his blemished cheek.
Erik's hand began to gently massage the part of her body that housed his child. Tears were flowing freely as he kissed her with such tender acceptance and yearning.
His tongue skimmed the flesh of her lips and she opened to him, tasting the salty proof of his tears.
"Christine…"
He said nothing more as he put his lips to her abdomen and kissed the flesh. He rubbed his cheek against the softness and then kissed it again.
"When?" He finally asked, barely able to speak.
"The doctor said that I am about two months along; so, as best we can calculate, sometime in April."
Erik smiled so ethereally, catching Christine's breath with his eyes.
"Make love to me…." She begged, lighting a fire in his loins with the huskiness in her voice.
He gently placed his body between her long legs, laving his tongue over each perky tip of her breasts and gracing them with a slight suck, causing her to moan in sweet agony.
He moved down her body with this lips and tongue, not missing the swell of her abdomen.
He breathed in the musky scent of her arousal and then lowered his head to the moist curls of her womanly body.
Christine wound her fingers through his hair as he fed off her bounty. Her head moved back and forth in pure delight, feeling every sweep of his talented tongue and every subtle suck he bestowed upon her.
His long fingers entered her while his tongue danced over her heated center; her moans of pleasure were growing louder and louder and Erik smiled at the thought that her parents might know exactly what they were doing.
"Erik…stop this sweet madness and take me…." Christine pleaded. "I can bear it no more."
"Ah, but me thinks you can, fair maiden." Erik countered in a lustful, husky tone. "I shall have my way with you…"
He went down on her again and did not relent until she cried out with her release.
His body cried out for attention, yet he worried about his weight upon her. He placed his body beside her and kissed her tenderly.
"Erik…" Christine pleased, "…as wonderful as that felt…I need you inside me."
Erik pushed the damp her from her forehead. "I don't want to hurt you – or our baby."
His tone was so compassionate and so self-sacrificing that Christine felt tears spring into her eyes.
"You aren't going to hurt either one of us…it's perfectly natural."
Erik frowned at her, but she could feel his straining erection against her leg; she applied a subtle pressure against him that indicated her readiness.
He groaned and his eyes lids closed as the delightful waves of desire rolled through him.
"How do you know this?" He moaned.
Christine pulled his mouth to hers and ferociously fenced her tongue against his in a fiery kiss.
"I know because I asked the doctor."
His eyes grew dark with intense need and his low, sultry voice demanded, "Turn over, onto your stomach."
"Erik?" She asked with a hint of excited apprehension.
"Trust me." He whispered.
She placed her stomach against the soft quilt and felt Erik's hands pull at her hips, lifting her toward him.
He leaned over her back, guided his bulging staff into her still throbbing center with one hand, and with the other, he gently caressed the swollen nub at the core of her womanhood.
Christine felt every inch of him enter her and she could not remember a time when he felt so large and satisfying. Erik was well endowed in that area as it was…she hadn't thought there was a way for him to feel any larger – she had been mistaken.
His hips gently caressed hers at first, moving into her with slow, easy strokes, but as the passion between them grew, Christine bucked against him with fevered force and Erik met her thrusts in harmony.
Christine could feel her second climax approaching and Erik could feel the constricting pleasure of her muscles against him. He closed his eyes in sheer ecstasy as his release washed over him with such strong force. Christine rode the force with him and they both arrived together.
Erik lowered himself to the bed and pulled Christine into his embrace. Her hips rested against him and Erik pulled her hair back from her neck and placed a kiss just below her ear.
"Consider yourself deflowered, my sweet." Erik teased.
She smiled and pushed further into his warm embrace. Her eyes were closed and sleep descended quickly.
"You wicked, decadent man…we'll have to do this again sometime…" She sighed contentedly, "…soon."
Erik slept and the smile never left his face. His dreams that night were of tiny hands, a baby's laugh, and a mother's warm voice; he was home.
TBC