Chapter Nineteen
Erik and I stayed firmly grasped in each other's arms for the entirety of the next day. Our time apart had made us realize how precious our time together was. What had died of us as individuals on our own was born anew into a shared bond, connecting us as a single being.
Helen was supposed to be arriving later that afternoon of the second day and I was anxious for her to get there. I missed her dearly. Erik promised me that she was being well taken care of, but I was still uneasy. We waited for lunch until she got there, but there was a delay of her arrival and the cook was sent back the food uneaten.
I distracted myself by giving into Erik's insistence at my pampering. I took a luxuriously long salt and rosewater bath. After which, my hair was put up in the latest style and topped with a small hat that pulled slightly to the right side of my forehead. The maid picked out a light lavender gown, with small yellow and green roses. My face was painted to look like a china doll. My normally pale skin had become tanned in the time outside, yet when they were done, I looked as if I had not seen the sun in a full year.
When I looked in the mirror I did not recognize myself. I was slightly worried that Helen would not recognize me either. I had still not heard the carriage that held her pull up in the time I was getting ready. Erik had planned on the three of us eating at his favorite restaurant that night and I wanted to dress her up as I had been dressed up.
Yet the minutes ticked into hours and the clock chimes began to make my heartbeat increase. Erik tried to console my nerves, but I could tell by the way his eyes would unfocus and snap back to attention at the shift of any noise.
Finally, unable to stand waiting for Helen any longer, I asked Erik if we could go in search for them. Maybe they had trouble on the road, or with the carriage and needed help. Erik finally broke down and acquiesced. He was just getting ready to head out to the stables when the dark carriage pulled into view.
I dashed out of the house and started to run towards the carriage, but Erik's arm was around my waist in an instant, holding me to him. His lips came to my ear from behind me.
"Be calm. There is someone in the carriage with them that does not belong there."
"What?" I turned to him, a horrified expression on my face.
"Do not panic. We do not want to arouse suspicion."
Erik wrapped his other arm across my trembling shoulders, hugging me too him as we waited for the carriage to pull in front of the house.
As the horse stopped with a snort and dug his hoof into the gravel, I could feel Erik stiffen behind me as we waited for the door to open and the occupants emerge. A man in a purple coat stepped out and I judged by Erik's lack of reaction that he was supposed to be there. He held out his hand, palm out, waiting for the next person to come out.
I recognized the tiny hand as soon as it appeared out of the darkened interior of the black carriage. Not even Erik's grasp could hold me back as I dashed forward and scooped Helen into my arms before her feet could even touch the ground. I carried her back to Erik who provided a shield with his body.
The third and final person was a man in a black and grey suit with a bowler hat that he took off and held in front of him.
"Inspector Risconi," Erik greeted tightly with the slightest tilt of his head.
"Count, forgive me for this unexpected intrusion, but I am here on formal matters."
"I see." Erik's entire body was tensed and ready to strike. I pressed Helen's face into my shoulder so that she wouldn't have witness the quick death of the inspector if Erik was unable to keep calm, but he was doing a remarkable job and I relaxed a miniscule amount when I forced myself to remember that Erik had changed from that man that I had known at the opera.
"It appears," began the inspector, "that there was a kidnapping last week. A woman took a small child and fled. We have been setting up road blocks all over and just chanced to meet your carriage. I was informed by your steward that he was taking this young girl shopping in the towns for a new dress. She fit the description we were given and, forgive me again, but I was unaware that you had any children. Naturally, I thought it only right that I investigate the matter a little further."
"Of course," Erik said, stepping back to put his arm formally around my shoulder. "Inspector, you have been wonderful in your assistance to find my Christine, I am please to introduce you to her."
Inspector Risconi gave a small, astonished bow.
"Inspector," I said, softly. "It's a pleasure to meet you." I gave a slight curtsey, trying to respond in accordance with Erik's words.
"What I did not make public was the fact that we had a child," Erik continued. "It might have made it easier to find them, but I am certain you will understand that I wanted to protect my daughter's identity, seeing as how her mother and I are only engaged. We found them just yesterday and were going out to celebrate. Naturally that required new attire. You are more than welcome to join us this evening if you would like to, inspector."
"No no. I have my own wife and children to get home to. Forgive the mistake. I see that this girl could not possibly be the one that was wrongfully taken. For one thing, her kidnapper was a mute, and your fiancée most certainly is not. And the resemblance between the child and the two of you leaves no room for doubt. If you would be so gracious to allow me to borrow a horse, I will return to my search."
"Nonsense, I will have you delivered back in the manner that you came. Please, borrow my carriage and driver. I insist."
"Thank you, count. Congratulations on finding your fiancée and daughter. I wish you the best in your lives together."
I was already taking Helen inside the house when Erik said his own goodbyes and the carriage carried the inspector away.
Only when the carriage was safely out of sight did I release my hold on Helen.
"The resemblance is uncanny," the stewed, Nicolas said, the first to speak out of the gathered ensemble of servants.
I looked at Helen and then at Erik. Their matching stormy grey eyes were examining each other closely. Erik knelt on one knee in front of her to look better in her face. Helen had the same raven black hair as Erik, but my tight ringlets.
Nicolas cleared his throat and motioned everyone to leave the three of us alone.
Helen turned to me, her eyes quizzical. "Is he the one you call to at night when you sleep? Is he the one you think of when you daydream? Is he the one you lost?"
Tears choked my words away and I could only nod. I thought I had hidden my pain from her, but she saw through me just the same.
"You called me your daughter," she said factually, turning back to Erik. "That man now believes that you are my father and Christine is my mother."
"Yes," Erik said unapologetically.
Helen took a breath before speaking again. "Can we be? Can we be a family? I promise I'll never tell anyone. I'm very good at keeping secrets."
Erik had a smile in his eyes when he stood and looked at me. "What do you think, Christine?"
The church bells had just started ringing as Helen finished the last of the pearl buttons on my wedding dress. There was a knock at the door and a pretty blonde head poked in.
"Meg! You made it! I thought I was going to have to walk down the aisle without flowers."
Meg and Madame Giry had been helping with the wedding preparations ever since they had received Erik's letter and hurried over from Milan to be with them. All the preparations but the flowers that had somehow been forgotten.
"Well, that's what happens when you only give us a week to plan the most spectacular last-minute part ever seen."
"Thank you, Meg. For everything you have done."
We embraced tightly for along moment until another knock sounded at the door.
"Christine?" the voice called through the door.
"Go away, go away," Meg shooed. "The groom can't see the bride before she walks down the aisle, it's not allowed."
"It's alright, Meg," I said with a laugh. "I asked him to come up."
Meg's mouth fell open, causing Helen to laugh. "Well, if you're going to let him see you, at least put on your dressing robe so he doesn't see all of the dress."
I agreed and Meg securely tied the pale green fabric around my waist, giving me a critical glance over before allowing Erik to enter.
"Come on, Helen," Meg called. "They don't want us bridesmaids getting in the way. We'll go tell them it'll be a few more minutes."
Just before Meg shut the door she gave a patronizing look, shaking her head and sending her blond curls bouncing.
"What's wrong?" Erik asked anxiously as soon as the door clicked shut.
"I just needed to see you," I confessed.
"Are you having second thoughts?" He tried to hide his worry, but it was plain on his face.
"Are you?"
"Of course not. I have known that I wanted you to be my bride for a very long time now. But if you need more time, I understand. We don't have to be married today if you do not wish it, mon ange."
"Nothing would make me happier than to be able to call myself your wife today."
"Then what is it? Has Helen said something?" he asked, so sure that something would happen to delay our happiness once again.
"No, she has said nothing but how excited she is to have a family."
Erik breathed a sigh of relief. We were both thinking of the week before when we had been sitting in the study while Erik read to Helen and me. Helen had turned unexpectedly and asked Erik directly, "Why do you wear a mask?"
"Because God saw fit to give me the face of demon."
"May I see?"
I sucked in a breath and bit my lip. "Helen dear," I began but Erik held up a finger to stop me.
"If she wants to be my daughter than perhaps it is best that she knows."
I was not sure who I wanted to shield more, Helen or Erik from what was sure to be her reaction to him.
Her small fingers traced the outline of his mask, innocent and curious. She peeled it back just a small bit, looking at where the deformity transformed his beautiful white skin to a twisted, red mass. She paused, realizing that the rest of his face must match. Erik sat with perfect stillness as Helen pulled more and more away, until she held the mask in her hands, completely exposing his face. I could see Erik's hands clenched until the tight skin turned milk-white. His eyes were closed as we waited for her inevitable scream.
But no scream came. Instead she seemed to slowly accept what she was seeing as reality. Without a word, she had walked back to my side, mask still in hand, and asked Erik to read us another story. No one was paying any attention to the story Erik chose to read, not even Erik. Helen was turning the mask over and over again in her hands while Erik and I watched her breathlessly.
When the story was done, Helen handed Erik back the mask and that was that. The subject was never spoken of again and it did not seem to matter to her whether Erik wore the mask or not, for she had no noticeable reaction upon seeing him either way after that.
It was still something that Erik and I waited for though. A scream from a nightmare to wake us up, or even a wince at seeing him without the mask, but so far, no reaction had come.
"Christine," Erik said, drawing me back to the present. "Why did you want to see me?"
"Just to tell you I can't wait to marry you," I said with a smile.
"Well, then if you're sure you don't want to wait, I'll go down and tell them we're ready?"
I nodded and he placed a kiss on my cheek. His hand was on the doorknob when I finally spoke what I needed to say.
"We really shouldn't wait anyway,"
He turned back towards me, confused. "Why is that?" he asked, guessing that there was something more that I wanted to say.
"Well, we've already made Helen an illegitimate child. It would be a shame if news got out that we had made a second."
I could see Erik work through what I had. When he finally realized my meaning, his eyes widened and a smile pulled at his lips.
"Do you mean?"
"Yes."
"You're pregnant?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"Well now, Erik, I image that you could figure that out." A fire burned inside me as I remembered how we had spent every night for the last two weeks together, and most days at various times and conspicuous places. All our pent up passions had unfurled with a desperate need that we had yet to even begin to satiate.
"Now, hurry up and marry me so we can blame it on the honeymoon."
He crushed his lips to mine, holding me up and twirling me around. "I want you right now," he whispered in my ear.
I seriously debated letting him taken me, relishing the irony of being in my wedding dress, but I wanted to marry him already so we could have the whole next week to make it up to each other.
The organ sounded with the Wedding March as the doors to the chapel opened. Everyone stood and turned as I entered. At the end of the aisle, Erik waited impatiently. Our eyes caught instantly and he smiled, his eyes sliding down to my stomach and back up. Meg and Helen stood in their matching, deep, purple dresses.
My heart felt a moment of pain that my father was not there to walk me down the aisle, but I knew that he was watching me from heaven and that he was always with me.
Most of the faces that I passed as I made my way down the aisle strewn with rose petals with unfamiliar to me seeing as I had so few friends. Most of the girls I knew from the opera were long gone, though even then I had not been very close with many of them.
The few faces that I did recognize smiled at me with surprise at my changed appearance. James was the first that I spotted, his shock of red hair standing out among all the others. Next to him, with her arm linked closely around his was Isabella who gave a small wave, revealing an engagement ring on her left hand. Patrice stood next to her and gave me a small shrug and a smile at my surprised expression. Richard was nowhere to be seen, but I expected that. I was thankful for that even, though I wondered if it was because Erik did not invite him, or if he just didn't want to come. Janette was crying into a handkerchief while her husband looked awkwardly around, clearly hoping that no one was noticing her antics. Inspector Risconi gave a nod as I passed him.
Once my eyes locked again with Erik's, they saw nothing but him until they closed as we sealed our marriage vows with a kiss, and they saw nothing after but the beautiful life that Erik gave me and our children.
The end.
A/N: Well, my lovely readers, thank you for taking this journey with me and indulging my creative outlet. I hope that you enjoyed reading it as much as enjoyed writing it. I am honored that you would take time to read this and I hope to hear from you all in the future.
God bless!