Christine sent word that she'd take dinner in her room, so I was forced to suffer Reza's fretting.
"Oh, dear; I hope she isn't ill."
"She's not ill," I grumbled. "I don't know, maybe she is." Dinner looked vaguely inedible. It was too…green. "What is this slop? Is Anci trying to cook?"
The daroga frowned at me quizzically. "It's Moroccan; greens and grains, a cold salad. What's happened to your mood, Erik?"
I let my fork drop, disgusted. "I don't want some goddam cold salad; this isn't the desert, for God's sake!" I hollered for the benefit of the kitchen staff. "THIS IS FRANCE, AND WE EAT REAL, HOT FOOD HERE! THIS IS CAMEL RATIONS!"
"Erik!" Reza was scandalized.
Silke rushed out, curtseying continually. "I'm sorry, Sir. There isn't much available immediately, but there's bread and cheese and pickled onions." She had slathered the onions on the plate pretty thickly, which mollified me.
"That's quite alright, Silke. Thank you very much. And, may I have some wine, please? I don't know what this is, either." I eyed the orangey concoction in my glass suspiciously.
"It's fruit and yogurt, Sir, it's very refreshing, and good for the blood, I'm told."
"My blood is quite fine, thank you. I will not chug anything this color and consistency. Wine."
Silke filled a fresh glass with a pleasant Merlot, curtseyed for the thousandth time and scurried away.
"Erik, what the devil is wrong with you?" Reza demanded.
"This is a very poor time for Darius to go native on us."
Reza puzzled for a moment. Then a flash of inspiration lit his face. "You and Christine aren't arguing, are you?"
"No; I asked her a simple question and she refused to answer me. She's sulking because her husband had the temerity to call attention to her disloyalty."
"Disloyalty…that's impossible, I can't believe it," he grumbled. "Not Christine."
"You think not?"
"What have you done, Erik?"
"I? I've done nothing—except catch her crying over Raoul! Yes, I did, and when I demanded that she tell me otherwise, she refused. What do you make of that?" I was confident that with these facts at his disposal, Reza would be firmly on my side; I was so obviously the aggrieved party.
The daroga closed his eyes, shook his head slowly. "You didn't really accuse her, did you, Erik? Tell me you didn't."
"Well, what do you think? She admitted she'd miss them—'them', she said. But I'm no bloody fool."
"Oh, you're not, hm?"
"See here, Reza, what the devil is this about? What do you expect; that I'll stand by and be made a fool of in my own home?"
"Sadly, my friend, no one has to make you a fool. You do an exemplary job of it on your own," Reza sighed. "What ever would give you the idea that there's something wrong in Christine's missing them? Even if she was crying over Raoul, where's the harm in that? It doesn't mean anything!"
"Of course it means something, man! You've seen how he operates! He flashes a smile, puts a twinkle in the eyes, and the women fall all over themselves!"
"Erik, he's been there since childhood, for God's sake! If you want to know, I suspect the marriage didn't work because she looks on him as a brother! Anyway, that's beside the point. Can you really have so little faith in the two of them?"
"Yes! I know a thing or two about human nature, by God."
"Christine had ample opportunity to do as she pleased with Raoul--or anyone else--when you ran off to Budapest, if that was the case," he pointed out.
"She was still grieving for me then," I explained.
"And she's happy with you now! Erik, do yourself a favor. Go; tell her you know she's always been a good wife to you." Reza pleaded.
"I'll do nothing of the kind. I'm surprised at you, Reza." I excused myself and went downstairs.
I knew I wouldn't be permitted to sleep in the sanctuary, so after kisses and stories I returned to my cellar. I wrote and played until I was exhausted, then rolled into my coffin.
-0-0-0-0-
"Mah! Mah!" My baby diva thought hot cereal was marvelous. She kicked her feet and slapped the table. We did a bite, and a kiss, and a bite, and a kiss, and so on.
"Papa, you said we would go to the beeeeeeeech," Masson whined.
"Right after breakfast, Son."
"Miri-ange is too slooooooow."
"You were slow when you were a baby, too," I reminded him. "Why don't you and Christine go and collect your toys while you wait?"
"Come on, Christine!"
Reza'd been sipping his coffee, waiting to pounce. "Have you spoken to Christine?"
"No. And she hasn't spoken to me either. Why don't you go pester her?" Miri-ange made a swipe for the spoon. "Papa's Diva wants to feed herself, hm? What a big girl!"
"You've got the most pronounced tendency toward self-destruction of anyone I've ever known," he remarked.
"Mm. Part of my charm, don't you think?"
"I hadn't noticed."
"So you're breaking it to me gently then? It's over?"
"I'm afraid so," he admitted. "You just don't move me anymore."
"What's to become of me, Daroga? You've spoiled me for everyone else."
-0-0-0-0-
After lunch, we put the babies down for a nap and Christine said she wanted to talk to me. About time you've come to your senses, I thought. She indicated we should go to the cellar in case it got loud. I should have realized I was for it right then and there.
She took the chair, and I dragged the piano bench over. Christine's jaw was set the way it would do when she got one of her 'Rights for Women' tears on. She studied her hands for a moment.
"Erik, I don't know what came over you to make you blurt that out yesterday. I realize it was just an impulse, but what could make you think such a thing?"
"What do you expect me to think, Woman? He's not just anybody; he was your husband. It's no secret he wanted you back!"
"But I didn't want it, you know that. He was my husband for four months, Erik. Four months and a lifetime ago," she insisted.
"You were crying for him," I accused.
"And what if I was? He's all I have left of my father! It's got nothing to do with you!"
"It's got everything to do with me if I'm your husband!"
"And on what basis do you distrust your wife? Erik, you were the one in the next room with Josette. I know you would have done your business with her if I hadn't interrupted. You were the one who found consolation in Budapest, and she's here in this very house!"
"That's not fair, Christine, you're the one who said it was alright. You made that decision!"
"I know that. I trust you; do you hear me, Erik? I trust you. I know that you could talk you way back into Anci's bed if you wanted to. I know that you could charm any woman who'd bother to look past the mask. You don't believe it, but I know it."
She's always been convinced that I could have any woman I wanted, ridiculous girl. I had nothing to say; I just shook my head.
"Erik, if you don't trust me, we have no marriage," she murmured.
"What? What are you saying?" I snapped.
"I'm saying that you're Masson and Miri-ange's father, and I would never want to deprive you of each other. But I've had enough, Erik. I know it seems like a trivial thing after all we've come through together, but who says love has to make sense?" Her eyes were flooded. I felt there must be some mistake; I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"Christine—"
"No more, Erik. I want you to get your things—" she whimpered into a handkerchief "—out of our—my room. I can't take any more rage, or jealousy, or violence…"
She darted past me—I was stunned—and was locked in the bedroom before I made the landing. I pounded on the door, hollered, demanded she speak to me. The children woke up wailing, and Christine screamed at me to go away. I heard my big boy say 'I'm scared, Mama.' Reza appeared to persuade me away from the door, but it was no good. Finally Darius joined him and they dragged me down to the cellar.