Chapter 14 -Three Months Later April, 1893
Erik walked along the small lake in the back of his house with his somewhat obvious pregnant wife. He held her hand and stared out into the sunset taking in all of the wonders of his life and how beautiful it had become. Being in love with two people who both loved him and now he was to have a child from each of them.
Now that Gabrielle was pregnant, Erik did everything in his power to make sure she was comfortable, just as he had with Christine. This behavior angered Adrienne. Before Gabrielle was going to have a baby, Adrienne had also been the center of attention when she came over and now this had changed.
Adrienne stared at her father through her bedroom window overlooking the backyard. She was here to spend the weekend with him and she wasn't outside being a part of his life. She quickly ran out of the room and down the stairs. She rushed to the backdoor off the kitchen and slammed it behind her. She ran as fast as she could to Erik screaming,
"Papa! Papa!" She ran all the way up to him and Gabrielle and came crashing into him wrapping her arms around his waist. Erik was surprised to see his daughter running at him like that and when she crashed into him he put his arms around her and pulled her away from him by her arms.
"Adrienne, what is the matter?" He asked staring at her face. Adrienne decided this would be a good time to get attention; she quickly whipped up some tears and hugged him again. Gabrielle also stared at Adrienne wondering what was wrong with her.
"Oh Papa, I couldn't find you and I was terribly worried. I thought that you and Gabrielle went off and left me." Adrienne sobbed into his waist. Erik looked at Gabrielle who was staring at Adrienne in a confused look. Gabrielle also knew that Adrienne had been terribly jealous lately ever since the announcement of the baby and she figured this was one of her jealous plots.
"Well, don't you worry, we didn't leave you." Erik said pulling Adrienne off his waist and lifting her in his arms. Erik continued to carry Adrienne back to the house with Gabrielle next to him and he talked about how it was almost her bedtime. When they opened the back door, Michele was there to greet them.
"Madame, the evening mail coach just arrived with this letter for you." Michele said handing a letter to Gabrielle. Erik put Adrienne down and told her to go upstairs and get ready for a bath and bed. Adrienne went upstairs knowing that her father would be upstairs soon to read to her.
Gabrielle stared at the letter turning it over and over again. She looked up at Erik with a worried look. Erik stared at his wife and wondered what the letter was all about.
"What is it?" Erik asked.
"My mother, she is sick and needs me to come be with her for a few days."
"Is it serious?" Erik asked.
"She says that it isn't serious. But I don't know."
"You must leave first thing in the morning." Erik said pulling her into an embrace.
"Do not worry; if it was serious, then I am sure she would have said something or your sisters would have written you. The only thing I am worried about is you going out there in your condition."
"Oh Erik, I am only five months along, I am sure that everything will be fine." Gabrielle kissed him lightly and rushed upstairs to her bedroom. Erik stood there for a moment in the kitchen and decided that his wife should not be doing anything strenuous. He walked down the hall to the main room to see Michele dusting the furniture.
"Michele, my wife has to go on a trip in the morning; can you stop all of your cleaning duties tonight and pack her bags for her?"
"Certainly Monsieur." Michele said curtsying and went upstairs to Gabrielle's bedroom. Erik poured himself a glass of cognac, chugged it down and went upstairs to Adrienne's room. He stopped in the bedroom and heard his daughter chatting on with Lucie the other maid in the bathroom. He sat down on the bed and waited while Adrienne dressed in her pajamas and came out of the bathroom.
Adrienne finally emerged from the bathroom with Lucie and yelled,
"Papa!" She jumped on the bed. She climbed over to her pillow and pulled a large book out from underneath the pillow. She handed it to Erik and climbed underneath the blankets and got comfortable. Erik opened the book and asked,
"What fairy tale do you want to hear tonight?"
"Rapunzel." Adrienne asked.
"Again?"
"That's my favorite one!" Adrienne replied.
"All right." Erik said thumbing through the book until he found the right story and began to read.
Gabrielle tried to help Michele pack her suitcase as much as possible.
"Do not worry about it Madame, you have enough worries of your own." Michele told Gabrielle. Gabrielle let out a sigh of relief and sat down in a nearby chair.
"Thank you Michele."
"Besides, I don't want to anger the Master. He told me I was to pack for you." Gabrielle smiled a small smile and replied,
"Don't be afraid of Erik, when he gets angry I just let him get angry and I ignore it. He's yelled at me a number of times, but he doesn't frighten me, nor should he frighten you. He would never hurt a woman, man, maybe, woman, no." Michele sighed and continued packing Gabrielle's suitcase.
"And they lived happily ever after." Erik finished. Adrienne looked up at him,
"Another story Papa?"
"Not tonight. Adrienne, listen, tomorrow morning I have to take Gabrielle to the train station. She has to go see her mother. I am going to leave you here with Lucie and Michele, but I will be back, probably right after you wake up. I just don't want you to worry if you wake up and we're not here."
"All right Papa." Adrienne said. She was happy that Gabrielle would be leaving so she would have Papa to herself for a few days. She loved Gabrielle, but she liked having alone time with Erik as well. Erik leaned over, hugged and kissed Adrienne.
"Goodnight Papa. I love you." Adrienne said.
"Goodnight love, I love you too." Erik replied turning down the gas lamp and closing the door leaving Adrienne in the dark.
Erik walked down the hall to his bedroom and found Gabrielle sitting in a chair while Michele finished closing the packed suitcase.
"Are you all ready to go?" Erik asked.
"I am now." Gabrielle replied. Michele sat the suitcase on the floor and left the room, grateful to be finally going to bed. Erik walked over to where Gabrielle was sitting and pulled her out of her chair. He helped her get into a nightgown and into bed. Erik began to undress and got into bed alongside his wife. He moved close to her and wrapped his arms around her.
"Do not worry about your mother, she is probably feeling a little under the weather and requests a visit. Besides, she hasn't seen you in awhile and she probably wants to see you now that she knows we are expecting a child." Gabrielle's mind eased up a tiny bit at his words and she hoped that Erik was right.
Erik's alarm clock rang and he sleepily looked at it and slammed his hand upon it turning it off. Damn clock! He thought to himself. He reached for his mask, put it in place and rolled over to see that Gabrielle was not in bed. He looked toward the bathroom and saw a light underneath the door. Without getting out of bed, he yelled,
"Gabe?"
"I'll be out in a minute!" She responded from behind the bathroom door. Erik got out of bed and got dressed. When he finished tying his tie, Gabrielle emerged from the bathroom fully dressed and ready to go.
At the train station, Erik helped Gabrielle get her bag on the train and made sure she got in her seat. He kissed her passionately and left her on the train. As he left the train, he talked to the conductor,
"That little blonde there, you make sure my wife gets special attention." The conductor glanced at Gabrielle and saw her condition. Erik shoved some bills of money into the man's pocket.
"Oui, Monsieur." He answered.
"Merci." Erik replied, tipped his a hat a little but not enough so the man could see a full glimpse of his mask and walked away. He walked over to where Gabrielle's window was and she opened it.
"You make sure you send a letter as soon as you get there and you tell me how long you are going to stay." Erik told her.
"I will darling." She replied.
"I love you." Erik told her.
"I love you too." She replied.
"All Aboard!" The conductor called.
"Goodbye my love!" Gabrielle yelled out as the train started to move.
"I love you!" Erik yelled after her and watched as her train disappeared into the distance.
Later that evening after dinner, Erik decided it would be a good time to take Adrienne home. It was Sunday night and he knew that she needed to get to bed so she could get up early to go to dance school at the opera populaire.
On the way to her house, Adrienne began to cry.
"What is the matter Adrienne?" Erik asked.
"Oh, it's just now that Jacques and Momma are so close, everything is so different. I would rather be with you. Jacques drinks a lot and gets angry. He smashes things and yells at Momma. But yet she still continues to see him, I don't know why."
"Adrienne, I know it's tough, but you just have to deal with it. If your Momma thought that you or she was in any real danger, she wouldn't see him anymore. I know she wouldn't. Your Momma is very smart."
They arrived at Christine's flat and got out of the carriage. Erik and Adrienne made their way to the door of the building when Christine came rushing out.
"Christine! What is the matter?" Erik asked concerned as Christine screamed his name hysterically. Christine wiped at her cheek over and over and said something about being in danger in hysterical words. Erik pulled her over to the street light and pulled her hands down from her face revealing a bloody mess. He allowed her to cover her face up and turned to Adrienne who was scared and confused.
"Go sit in the carriage Adrienne!"
"But Papa, what is going on?"
"Do as I say, NOW!" Erik boomed at his daughter and she quickly ran to the carriage and sat inside wondering and worried about her mother. Christine buried her face into Erik's chest and continued to cry. He walked her over to his carriage and before she got in, he asked,
"Is he going to come back here?"
"He always does when he is finished getting drunk." Erik opened the carriage door and told Christine to get inside. He closed the door behind her and ran into the apartment. He ran to Christine's room and grabbed some of her clothes and shoved them into a bag. He extinguished all of the gas lamps and ran out of the apartment and into the carriage. Christine was now calmer and could talk easier.
"What did you do?" She asked eyeing the bag Erik had in his hand.
"You can't stay here tonight." He replied.
"But I have to work tomorrow and Adrienne has school."
"Not tomorrow you don't. Remember I am the Patron, and you don't have to go to work tomorrow." Christine let out a sigh of relief and allowed herself to lean back onto the cushions pulling Adrienne closer to her.
"Don't worry Adrienne; we're going to be safe tonight." She reassured her daughter. Adrienne snuggled closer to her mother and closed her eyes.
The carriage pulled up to Erik's house and stopped at the front door. Erik looked at Christine and whispered,
"Is she sleeping?" Christine nodded in response and Erik grabbed Adrienne as gently as he could and carried inside the house and up to her room with Christine following. He laid her down on her bed while Christine proceeded to undress the girl. Erik went to the bureau and pulled out a purple nightgown. Christine slowly put it on Adrienne and Erik lifted her under the blankets. They both tucked her in and kissed her goodnight while she continued to sleep. Erik led Christine out of Adrienne's bedroom and closed the door behind her. They stood there for a moment trying to take in what was happening when they were approached by the butler.
"Master, this bag was left in the carriage. I thought that you might need it." He said handing Erik Christine's bag.
"Thank you Christophe." Erik replied and Erik left.
"Come on, I'll lead you to a room." Erik said walking down the hall with Christine following. He opened a door and led Christine into a beautiful guest bedroom. He placed the bag down on the bed and said,
"Why don't you get dressed in a nightgown and meet me in my library where we can have a drink and talk."
"I need that more than anything." Christine replied gratefully. She watched as Erik left the room. She made her way into the bathroom and examined her reflection in the mirror. She looked terrible! Her right cheek was swollen and red right beneath her eye. It also had a small cut with dried up blood. Her curly brown hair ran wild and she ran her hands on top of it to smooth it down. She looked at the marble bathtub and bent over to draw some water from the faucet. She undressed and stepped into the steamy water. She soaked and cleaned her face and hair.
Erik put on some pajamas and a dressing robe along with his leather slippers. He put his mask back on and left the room heading for the library. He opened the double doors to the library and lit some gas lamps. He walked over to a small table in the corner and poured himself another glass of cognac. He drank it fast and poured himself another one. He turned around and saw Christine standing in the doorway with a nightgown and robe over top of it.
"Come in." Erik gestured as she crossed the room to where he was standing.
"Would you like some wine or some tea?" He asked.
"I'll have some cognac." She replied. Erik was surprised.
"You never liked that before." He said confused.
"I do now." She replied. Obediently he poured another glass and handed it to her. She drank it slowly and made a face.
"Will you stop it? You know you don't like it. Typical Christine pretending to please someone else." Erik kidded her taking her glass.
"I didn't want you to have to go through the trouble to get me something I liked." Christine meekly replied. Erik scoffed at this remark.
"You think my wife drinks this stuff?" He walked over to the desk and picked up a bell and rang it. In a minute, Michele appeared in the doorway.
"You rang Monsieur?" She asked.
"Yes, please bring Mademoiselle some wine."
"Yes Master." Michele curtseyed and left the room.
"Oh I forgot how Erik always has the power." Christine said walking over to him. She sat down in a chair and waited for her wine. Erik continued to stand and stared at her. Oh how beautiful she looks. I want to get to the bottom of her problem and protect her from Jacques, just like I have always protected her. She is mine to protect and I still love her. He sat down in another chair next to Christine.
"Christine, tell me what happened tonight. Are you in danger? Is Adrienne in danger?" Erik asked in a serious, concerned voice.
"Oh Erik, I wanted to break up with Jacques for so long as he continued to hit me and get drunk. He'd threaten me that if I broke up with him he would have me, you and Adrienne killed. I had to protect Adrienne and you so I continued to be with him. But tonight, he told me that when he came back to the apartment Adrienne was to be dead and I was to remain alive. He was drunk again." Erik's eyes remained open in amazement.
"Oh Christine, if I would have known anything about his behavior I would have never introduced you to him. Did he ever do anything to Adrienne?"
Christine shook her head and began to cry. Erik rushed over to her chair and hugged her. She clutched onto him and remained sobbing. Michele appeared in the doorway and was shocked at what she saw, but knew that as a household staff member it was none of her business. She silently placed the glass of wine along with the bottle down on the table that held the cognac and left the room.
Two hours later Erik lay in bed tossing and turning. He knew that he had to get rid of Jacques by destroying him. He glanced over at the clock and read 2:37. He turned on his other side and closed his eyes. He then heard a soft knock on the door. He rubbed his eyes and put on his mask. He got out of bed and stumbled over to the door wondering who it was. He opened the door to see Christine standing there. Her eyes were red and swollen.
"I-I couldn't sleep. Can I come in?" She asked quietly. Erik opened the door all the way allowing her to enter. He turned his back to her and went over to the bed where he lit a gas lamp and sat down on the bed.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"I'm so scared." She said. He motioned for her to sit next to him and she reluctantly sat down. She leaned against him and he put his arms around her. He couldn't stand being this close to her without kissing her. She was the love of his life and now that she was vulnerable he would be stupid not to take advantage of the situation, but he disobeyed his thoughts and remained still in his position.
Christine remained in his arms and then lifted her face to see his. She suddenly pulled off his mask and kissed him with all the passion in her. She opened her mouth as he opened his and slid her tongue inside playing with his. Erik easily kissed her back knowing that he could no longer fan out the flame that was burning inside of him. They continued to kiss one another as hands soon started to roam on one another until their clothes were discarded. Erik stopped and looked at Christine. After all of these years she still was as beautiful as she was the first time they did this. He couldn't wait any longer. He pushed her body onto the bed and climbed on top of her. He kissed her face, neck, chest and stomach. She moaned in pleasure as he continued his way down her body and in between her legs. When he couldn't handle his urge anymore he pushed his way inside of her and thrust until he relieved himself and Christine screamed out in pleasure. Erik rolled off of her and lay next to her. This time he knew it wasn't a mistake. He loved her and he believed that no one could make a mistake twice.
Erik pulled the covers over top of them and held her head on his chest. He stroked her face and loved every minute they lay there together. Christine loved what happened and waited for this moment her whole life. She held onto Erik desperate not to let him go this time and slowly fell asleep in his arms. Erik remained awake staring at his sleeping angel wishing that they had been together forever. He moved his hand and caught a glimpse of a shine in the moonlight. It was his wedding ring. He looked at it and wondered what he was going to do about Gabrielle. She was having his baby and he loved her, but not anywhere near as much as he loved Christine. He hated himself for being unfaithful to her, but would never regret being with Christine. Oh his life was a tangled mess, he wished it would just turn out right, he wished that he could be in love with just one person. He then realized what he made Christine go through when he tried to dominate her at the Opera House so many years ago. He looked over at her and brushed her swollen cheek gently with his hand.
"I am so sorry my love." He whispered to the sleeping angel in his arms.