CHAPTER 3—FAÇADE
August 1875, 3 Years Later...
The house was relatively quiet today. Most of the servants were outside or resting—it was too hot to do much else—and Raoul was, once again, away on business. Christine heaved a sigh and fanned herself as Meg entered with a glass of cool lemonade.
"You look ready to faint," Meg said. "Drink up."
Christine took a sip, and rested the glass at her side. Turning her head to look at Meg, she smiled. "Thank you for coming to stay with me. With my luck, this baby will come while Raoul is gone."
Meg nodded and smiled, although Christine could see that it did not reach her eyes. "He must be very busy to be away at such a time."
"Very busy." Rubbing a hand absently over her belly, Christine heaved a sigh. Truthfully, he was busy, but his family were the ones making sure it stayed that way. Over the last four years, Christine had become more and more sure that Raoul's family strongly disapproved of her. She was hoping for a boy, for she knew that a boy to carry on the family name would be welcome. However, she also hoped for a girl, for someone she could confide in, and for something of her own.
The last year had been particularly difficult. Raoul's mother, already frail, had passed away, putting more pressure on Raoul. A baby had been welcome news to him, but he had been away for most of her pregnancy. At the moment, he was in London with his brother, Philippe. She knew he loved her, but she felt that when Philippe called, he lost some of his ability to fight for their marriage.
Once, so many years ago, Jacqueline had asked her if she was happy, and she had answered truthfully. Now, three years later, if she asked that same question, she would have to consider her answer carefully. The thought of Jacqueline made her feel a stab of jealousy. In March, she had given birth to a healthy girl the couple had named Nadine. Jacqueline had written that the pregnancy and subsequent birth were very difficult, and that Nadine would likely be their only child. Christine tried to feel bad for Jacqueline and Erik, but she found it difficult when they were obviously very happy together. Erik worked, and she knew from Meg that he occasionally had to travel, but he never stayed away from home too long.
Forcing these thoughts from her mind, Christine felt a sharp kick from the child inside her and she grunted slightly, frowning down at her belly. "Was that necessary?" Another kick. "I suppose you just like to be a pain."
Meg smiled. "When are you due again?"
"Last week." Christine sighed heavily. "Raoul was supposed to be home then, but duty calls."
Meg sipped her lemonade thoughtfully. "Things will probably change after the baby is born," she said. "I can't see him being too willing to stay away so often when there are two people waiting for him at home, especially when one of them doesn't understand why he must leave so often."
"So the baby will understand why he's always gone?" Christine asked, bitterness lacing her voice. "I certainly don't." Rubbing her belly again, she said, "Can we please talk about something else? How is Luc?"
"He's fine." Meg finished her drink and set the glass down. "If it were up to him, we'd elope tomorrow, but maman would likely kill us both if we did not have a proper ceremony."
Christine laughed, grateful for a reason to do so. "I received the invitation last week. You're quite brave to have a December wedding."
"Christmas eve," Meg said happily. "We're each other's Christmas present. It's not going to be very big. Only about twenty guests. You, Raoul, maman, her new beau..." She trailed off mysteriously.
"'New beau?'" Christine sat up a bit straighter with a bit of difficulty. "Who?"
"Some old friend of Erik's," she said mischievously. "I've no idea how they met, but he's quite the character."
"What's he like?"
"Oh, you know, the usual. Handsome, devilishly funny, Persian."
"He's from Persia?"
"That is where Persians come from, yes." Meg laughed at the intrigued look on Christine's face. "He's a widower, and very polite. Swept maman right off her feet. He's quite the charmer—says he taught Erik everything he knows about wooing women."
"That's something to be proud of?"
"In some aspects." Laughing again, Meg slid off her slippers and curled her feet under her legs. "He's quite happy with Jacqueline, in any case."
"Good for them," Christine said softly. "I suppose I was an exception."
"I suppose." Meg's voice was soft, and Christine knew that Meg was back in the opera, where they had grown up. "You should see the new opera house—it's amazing. Jacqueline is quite proud of her uncle."
A small smile graced Christine's face. "She should be—I've heard it's quite the sight to see." Christine followed Meg's example and slid her shoes off. "My feet are killing me."
Meg stood up and moved in front of Christine. "Stick them out, please."
Frowning slightly, giving her an odd look, Christine did as she requested. Meg grasped Christine's ankles and turned her on the couch so that she was reclined, then seated herself so that Christine's feet were in her lap. She pulled off Christine's stockings and began massaging her aching feet.
"God." Christine's head fell back against the pillows. "If you ever have children, remind me to return the favor so that you can feel this glorious."
Meg laughed, digging her thumbs into the arches of Christine's foot. "They hurt that bad?"
Christine smiled wryly. "I'm supporting forty pounds more than usual on them—they scream in pain every time I walk."
"Hmm." Meg looked thoughtful as she switched feet. "Perhaps I'll just lay about on pillows all day and make Luc fetch me everything I need."
"Put him at your beck and call."
"Make him bring me juice and chocolates."
"And fan you with palm leaves."
"And bring me breakfast in bed!"
They were laughing now at the idea of Luc running up and down stairs with everything Meg could possibly need.
"I may have him running errands anyway," Meg said, grinning. "He'd do it, too."
"Luc adores you." Christine closed her eyes. "I can see it when he looks at you."
"How does he look at me?"
"Like you're the only woman in the room, maybe even in the world." A sigh escaped her lips. "The way Raoul used to look at me."
"I've never seen him look twice at another woman."
"I know. Still, he doesn't look at me the same anymore. It's like he's gotten used to me."
"You've been married four years, Christine." Meg's voice was soft, but there was a note of encouragement and understanding there. "It's hard to keep magic alive that long. He loves you, I know he does."
Christine opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. "I know." She thought for a moment about the last four years, of how she and Raoul had changed—of how much she'd grown up. Of how she'd been forced to...
"Tell me more about this beau of your mother's."
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Erik had no desire to get out of bed, but he knew the office would undoubtedly go awry if he did not make an appearance today. It was September, and the scramble was on to finish work on various sites before it became too cold. Arguments were coming halts, with hasty agreements filling their void, and more workers were being hired to finish laying foundations, putting up walls, and putting on finishing touches.
Today, he would be lucky if he did not fall asleep during breakfast.
Rolling over, he moved to throw an arm around Jacqueline, but she was already up. Certainly, she was down the hall with Nadine, who had found it necessary to scream for most of the night. She was not hungry, wet, sick—she simply wanted attention.
He heard Jacqueline's footsteps in the hall, quiet and sounding as if she were attempting to sneak down the hall before Nadine realized she was gone and woke.
Three, two, one.
A loud scream pierced the air, and Erik heard Jacqueline's cry of frustration. Quickly, Erik clambered from the bed and hurried into the hall, pulling on a robe and making it out the door before Jacqueline reached it.
"Go to breakfast," he said. "I'll see to Nadine."
Jacqueline smiled gratefully. "Thank you, darling."
Inside the nursery, the noise was louder than ever and Erik found it a wonder that his wife had not jumped from a window. Lifting Nadine from her crib, Erik bounced her up and down, making soft shushing noises against her dark hair. Softly, he sang some nonsense song he made up as he went, and soon, she was quiet, looking up at him with wonder.
"Shall we have a stare-off, my dear?"
Nadine's green eyes were wide as she stared up at her father. Erik stared back. She blinked.
"Ha!" He lifted her in the air over her head and she squealed with delight. "You lost!"
A toothless grin lit her tiny face, and Erik laughed along with her. "You really should apologize to your mother, you know. You've exhausted her yet again." Nadine cooed as she was lowered to rest in the familiar crook of Erik's arm. "Don't try getting cute. You know you're in trouble."
With surprising strength, Nadine grabbed hold of the white mask he had put on after waking and removed it before promptly dropping it on the floor. Rolling his eyes, Erik picked it up. He knew there was no use replacing it—it was becoming a favorite game of Nadine's to take it off, study it for a moment, then drop it so that he had to pick it up. He held it in his left hand and she made little grunting noises as she reached for it.
"You'll just drop it again." Her face began to crinkle, and Erik knew that a screech was on its way, just as soon as she had enough power to shatter glass. Quickly, he handed it back to her. She made a noise of wonder and chewed on the edge of it. Her face puckered up and she threw it on the floor again.
"I could have told you that leather is not tasty, my dear."
"I could have told you she's been putting everything she gets her hands on in her mouth, so I'd keep your blueprints well out of reach."
Looking up, Erik saw Jacqueline standing in the door, a breakfast tray in one hand and a crinkled piece of paper in the other. She set the tray down and handed him the paper. "Nothing important, I hope?"
Erik glanced at it and grimaced. He had just finished this one, and he would not have to redo it. Looking down at Nadine, he asked, "You happy now? You've ruined yet another piece of your papa's work."
Jacqueline laughed. "I brought you something to eat." Taking Nadine from Erik's arms, she put the baby on the floor and plopped down next to her. She held out her hand. "Coffee, please."
"I hope it's strong today."
"Oh, Candice said she heard the screaming and put in an extra scoop." She smiled at her husband. "I love her."
Erik reached for his mask, but before he could get to it, Nadine had rolled and was toying with it again.
"Don't worry about it," Jacqueline said, "it's just me, and she's too young to care."
It was a mark of the progress they had made in their marriage that Jacqueline cared less about his face. He had worn the mask night and day for the first six months of their marriage. One morning, he had woken to find that it had dislodged and as he frantically searched for it in the sheets, he had inadvertently woken his wife without realizing it.
"Jesus, Erik," she had said, startling him nearly out of his wits, "is that all you're hiding under there?"
He'd frozen, having just found his mask. "I'm sorry?"
"It's not that bad." She'd studied his face for a moment. "Looks like maybe you were a pyrotechnic in your younger days, though." She winked, and he had burst out laughing.
Now, years later, he lay bare faced in front of a five-month old child, making faces and blowing raspberries at her. She gurgled back at him, reaching for his nose.
"I've given up wearing earrings around her," Jacqueline said dryly. "It's painful. She thinks they're pretty, I suppose."
"I suppose she gets her love of beauty from her papa," Erik said, winking at her.
Jacqueline blushed slightly, but took another sip of her coffee. "You're not getting any morning loving. I'm too exhausted."
Erik leaned over, kissing her cheek. "Can't blame a man for trying." He stood up. "I've got to get ready for work."
"You didn't eat."
He grabbed a piece of toast on his way out the door, waving it at his wife and heading down the hall to dress for another day of grinding frustration.
Downstairs, the morning mail had arrived. He flipped through it as he walked back upstairs to give it to Jacqueline. In the nursery, Nadine was rolling about her playpen, grabbing toys and throwing them across the little area. Jacqueline was dozing in a rocking chair, and Erik shook her slightly. She woke with a jolt.
"Hmm?" She looked up at him sleepily.
"Mail call," he said, handing her the pile.
She began flipping through it until she found something of interest while Erik knelt in front of Nadine, who stared at him with wonder before holding out her arms and grunting. Rising, he lifted her up again while Jacqueline began telling him what was in the mail. Something about Meg picking a wedding dress, progress with Marie and Nadir, another postcard from Charles...
"Ooh!" Jacqueline made a noise of delight. "Christine had her baby!"
"What was it?" Erik was only half paying attention as he lay down on the floor, resting Nadine on his chest.
"A girl." She scanned over the letter. "The honorable Lady Emma Juliette Marie Danielle de Chagny. So far, looks like her mother." She set the letter down. "Why do nobility have to have such long names?"
"To annoy the rest of us that made our own money and are now forced to put up with them in polite company." Erik stuck his tongue out at at Nadine, and she copied him. Jacqueline laughed.
"She's beginning to look like you, you know."
"She's got your nose, though."
"Everything else is yours, though."
"If her hair's curly, it'll be yours."
Jacqueline smiled, sifting through the rest of her mail. "Not much interesting today." She set the pile on top of Christine's letter. "You'd better get going, or the office may burn to the ground in your absence, then you'd have one more thing to have to build."
Erik handed Nadine to Jacqueline. "I think she's hungry."
Sure enough, Nadine was reaching for her mother, making smacking noises with her mouth and whining softly. As Jacqueline prepared to feed her, Erik dropped a kiss on Nadine's head and gently kissed Jacqueline's cheek. "I'll be back for lunch."
"I'll make it good."
a/n Okay... A brief note about chapter titles. They're all going to be in French, I think, and you can look them up if you google "French phrases" and click on the first link—it'll take you to a lovely wikipedia page that is fun to look over. Just a time line of what's going on so far...
1871—opera house fire, Raoul and Christine marry
1872—Erik meets Jacqueline, gets married
March 1875—Nadine Laroche is born
August 1875—Emma blah-blah-blah de Chagny is born
Reviews, please!
