Chapter 4
The next evening the premier of The Marriage of Figaro took place. Erik watched from Dimitrij's box, where he met Anna and Michail. He greeted Anna quietly. They highly enjoyed the performance with Elisabeth as a delightful Susanna, Sonja as a charming Cherubin and Sergej as an imposing count. The duet between Susanna and the count was sparkling and when Elisabeth sang her beautiful area about roses Michail couldn't take his eyes from her. Erik tried to ignore him, Anna saw it and stroke his hand softly. When they went backstage Sergej had his arm around Elisabeth's shoulder. She was laughing and held out her hands for Michail and Erik to kiss. "Behold the primadonna" Anna said sarcastically. On the way home the party, which also included Maryshka, stopped at a small restaurant for a light supper. Elisabeth let Michail and Sergej attend on her and Erik sat quiet, looking at them. Sonja tried to cheer him up. When they got to the hotel Elisabeth said "You will forgive me for playing the primadonna sometimes? I love being praised." He took her hand. "I understand, as long as you can tell fantasy from reality."
Elisabeth and Sergej rehearsed Eugen Onegin. Mostly he was kind and helpful, but sometimes she could feel his temper. He could grab her hard by the arm or look at her intensely. At the same time they rehearsed Don Giovanni, where they had a duet together as Don Giovanni and Zerlina. He did not refrain from holding her tight and it felt dangerous. He was after all a strangely attractive man. She let go of these feelings walking in the Winter garden with Michail. They always had a good time and she didn't think that this could be dangerous too. He always looked at he tenderly. As time went by she felt these meetings more and more lika a need, she began to have a bad conscience but couldn't help coming. One day as they walked there a heavy flower pot fell to the floor just beside Michail. They were both scared.
Elisabeth played Tatiana for the first time. She was very nervous but she made great success. Sergej supported her in the difficult parts and they delivered a dramatic finale. Eugen pleaded his love and Tatiana had a hard time turning him down. "Now you have got your way" she said to him as he kissed her hand kneeling while the curtain raised and fell. "Not quite" he answered. After she show they went straight back to the hotel. Elisabeth slipped into Erik's arms. "I feel as if I have neglected you, always working." – "Yes. Next week Don Giovanni and then Tintomara – at last!"
Don Giovanni was a success too. Maryshka got applauses for her dramatic performance as Donna Anna, Sergej was a diabolic Don Giovanni and Elisabeth played just a little with him as Zerlina. Sonja watched the performance in the audience at Erik's side. Anna and Michail were not present. Afterwards they had supper backstage. Sergej monopolized Elisabeth most of the time. Erik sat by himself drinking vodka. Sonja sat down beside him. "If you have to look deep into something, why the glass? Look into my dimples instead – or perhaps somewhere else.." He touched her cheek. "These perhaps. That other thing I still refrain from. " She lifted her hand to softly caress his good cheek. Elisabeth had grown tired of her persistant admirer and came up to them. She felt a sting of jealousy as she saw them. "Can we go?" – "If you like. Goodbye Sonja, thanks for tonight." They went back to the hotel and she came to him by the bed "I have neglected you for too long."
The next week there was a new incident. Michail went down some stairs and they broke, causing him to fall. Luckily he wasn't hurt but he whole thing seemed suspicious. The rumour spread to the orchestra pit and soon there was talk. The old musician from Paris claimed that the Phantom of the Paris opera had come to haunt Bolsjoj. Maryshka heard it but hoped their guests would not hear about it, not until after the premier of Tintomara anyway. It took place the next evening and all went very well. Elisabeth, Sonja and Sergej were all singing, the music was new to the audience, and they appreciated it. When they bowed for the applauses Erik entered the stage together with the ensemble. "We made success again" Marysha said "all thanks to you, Erik. Enjoy this. You might need it." Erik didn't understand what she meant, but she didn't explain. Erik kissed his fiancée. Michail and Anna came backstage and he went straight up to Elisabeth and hugged her. She blushed. "Are you going out? We will accompany you." They walked to a nearby restaurant. Maryshka went side by side with Erik. "If Tintomara will be a success perhaps we could give a performance for the tsar. He sometimes come to visit us. It would be a compliment to your music." – "Yes" Erik said, but his thoughts were elsewhere. Perhaps it wasn't so good for the tsar to come to the opera. He wondered if Anna had heard the conversation. At the restaurant Michail sat by Elisabeth's side. Maryshka talked to Erik, but he barely listened to her. Elisabeth seemed to have a good time with her partner. Erik filled his glass. Dimitrij called for Maryshka and Anna slipped into the empty seat by his side. "Do you want me to have him assassinated?" she whispered. He played with his glass. "Better to let it happen" he said. She laid her hands on his and caressed them. They entwined their fingers but said nothing. "Have you written some music for me yet?" she then asked. "I have begun but I don't know what it will be yet." Sonja passed behind them, throwing malignants glances at Anna. She went up to Sergej. "What about you and me forming the union of the rejected?"
Maryshka rose and raised a glass for the their guests and the success of Tintomara. Erik cheered, thanking her for inviting them to Bosjoj. Later, on the way home, Elisabeth said "I'm so tired. Perhaps a little drunk, and also very pleased." – "Now we have accomplished what we came for" Erik said. "Are we going to leave soon?" Elisabeth felt the panic rise. "Not yet. We have to perform for a while too. Another month?" – "A month – yes perhaps that will be fine."
Tintomara received good reviews and Erik was satisfied. Elisabeth thought about why she had panicked when thinking of leaving Moscow. Which were her feelings towards Michail? She went to the Winter garden and stood to inhale the strong and intoxicating scent of the jasmins. She didn't notice him until he was right behind her and she felt his hands on her shoulders. She leaned against him and he buried his face in her hair. "Elisabeth, you are so splendid. I am very fond of you." She turned around in his arms. "You are splendid too." Her cheek touched his and then their lips met, first slowly, then more intense. She put her arms around his neck. She floated slowly among the clouds and wanted to remain there. He kissed her cheeks, her neck and held her tight, the jasmine scent reached her again. Then she withdraw from the embrace. "Oh Michail, I don't know why I'm doing this. I don't know my feelings." She leaned against his chest. "Don't fight, just let go. Give in to you feelings." They walked slowly with their arms around each other. She felt a strange happiness, but somehow she knew it would be a short one. They strolled in silence through the garden.
In the evening Elisabeth attended the ballet performance. Just before it started a side-scene fell down on the stage, just beside Michail. They were all scared, but continued the performance. Afterwards Elisabeth hurried up to him. Now there could be no doubt about somebody really wanted to scare the ensamble, and the management was informed about what had happened so far. The rumour about the Phantom began to spread. Erik was very uneasy. Should his past still haunt him? Maryshka came to see him. "I presume you have heard the rumours. You and I have never talked of this, but I, like many others, can make my own conclusions. But there is no proof of your identity, there are still only rumours. " – "The rumours can hurt me, and my work. Do you think this is my doing?" She looked at him, scrutinizing. "I don't think you would be that stupid, that you would expose yourself like this and put all your good work at stake. But perhaps not everone thinks like that." -"Someone must take advantage of my bad reputation. Who could be that mean?"
Elisabeth felt bad at ease. She didn't want to believe that Erik was behind this but she couldn't help nursing a small suspicion. He had once been an ill-tempered villain, what if his bad side had awoken again under pressure – caused by his jealousy towards Michail, the target of these attempts? In that case it was her fault. Erik looked at her. "Deep inside you think I did this" he said. "I don't want to, but I can't help it.." – "It is not me, I promise, and I will do everything I can to clear myself."
The performances continued, in spite of the rumours. One afternoon Erik left his composing to go visit the Winter garden which Elisabeth had spoken of. He told himself he would look for any suspicious stalker following Michail, but he also went to spy on Elisabeth – a base motive, he admitted – but he wanted to know and to fight for her. He sneaked quietly, being an expert on these things, and if anyone could see him they would rightly be suspicious. At a certain moment he thought he saw someone else sneak around behind the bushes, a dark shadow, but he couldn't see who it was. Then he spotted Elisabeth and Michail in the rose garden. They were tightly embraced and kissing among the roses, and the sight made him forget everything else. He stood for a while, then left in a hurry, his eyes blinded with tears. When Anna later passed the room with the organ she heard jarring music and wild sounds from within. She slipped in without him noticing and saw him playing the organ frenetically. In the middle of a chord he felt a body pressed against his back and he stopped playing. "So, so" she whispered "don't take it too hard." She streched out her hand as to take off his mask but he grabbed her hand firmly. "No" he said and began to play. She went out on the floor, took off her jacket and began to dance. She composed a dance of her own following his heartbreaking chords. Gradually his music was calmer and then he added some folk music from his latest work. Anna took a few folk dance steps and ended up doing the splits. Erik applaused. "Very good" he said. She rose, still out of breath, and sat on his lap. He let her do so. She saw that his eyes were red and said "Don't take it too hard. It will end up at nothing. He will soon grow tired of her, he doesn't want a foreign opera singer hanging around his neck when he heads for the sky." – "But I saw them.." – "Let them be. I hope she will not be too unhappy in the end. You will have her back." She stroke his right cheek. "There are rumours about you. Should I believe them?"- "Do you?" She put her hands on his arms. "I don't believe you want to hurt Michail. But that other thing, that you are the Phantom, this I can believe." Quickly, so he couldn't stop her, she took of his mask and then she kissed him. The kiss was intense and he gave in to it and took hold of her arms. Then she looked at his face. "Who are you?" – "I am the Phantom of the Paris opera, once feared. But that was a long time ago, I try to forget and lead a new life. Someone has used my story. Perhaps I soon will have to leave." She held his face against her chest. "I know it's wrong to take advantage of you when you are unhappy, but we might not see each other again when you leave. Do you like me a little?" – "Of course I do." She kissed him again, fervently. Then she gave him back his mask and rose. "I will help you look for the perpetrator. In the meantime – cheer up!" She left.