Chapter 31 –
The next morning Erik found Elizabeth making plans for something new. "What are you doing, the year is over and we have all summer to plan for the musical season of next year?" Erik asked looking over her shoulder.
"Planning the picnic."
"Picnic?" He asked in a monotone voice.
"Yes, every year a week after the show the whole school and all the staff, even the maids, cooks and overnight workers, all go on a picnic to this little lagoon type place on my property."
"Lagoons are in the ocean."
"I know but it is this little pool of water that is crystal clear all year long, I love it. And we spend the day there. We set up a big picnic with all kinds of food and all the students go swimming, it is a huge amount of fun."
"I'm sure it is."
"What is it Erik, you don't like picnics?"
"No, they would not be my most worthwhile way of spending an afternoon." He replied.
"But it is fun." Elizabeth quietly objected.
"But because you ask it of me I plan on attending, but I will not swim." He added. Elizabeth turned back to her work and his her smile from Erik."
On the Monday when all the teachers returned to school, Erik and Elizabeth arrived late and found the students already with their academic teachers. "So I assume the next few weeks are boring?" Erik asked.
"Yes, as soon as the show is over even I find it boring to attend the school. However, you do not have to. I don't expect my teachers to be at school when they have no need to be there. Now I have to go make plans for this picnic of ours."
"Wait." Erik called after her to find she had already made it a fair distance in two seconds. "I have something for you." He held out his hand and when he opened it she saw the ring he had bought. It wasn't a huge diamond monstrosity as you saw many woman wearing, but it was still beautiful. The silver band wrapped around the diamond in a flowing pattern that ended before the two ends touched and the diamond sat beautifully in the middle.
Her hand went to her mouth. "Erik it's beautiful."
"I am afraid it is not the type of ring I would like to have bought you, but I thought it was nice all the same."
"I love it, and anything bigger would be too big for my liking." They stood there for a minute. "Put it on Erik." She said almost laughing at their silence. He did, and Elizabeth headed towards the kitchens to get the food organized for the picnic.
When the classes were on a short midmorning break Erik and Elizabeth went to visit the students.
"I know you're lying about this Aurora, it's not true." It was Jennifer.
"I don't lie about anything, I saw him go in."
"No you didn't, it was someone else." Jimmy replied.
"I think I would be able to tell my own teacher from someone I didn't know."
"Apparently not."
Elizabeth and Erik came into the room and everyone became quiet. Aurora's face brightened up. "See look, I told you, she's wearing a ring. I knew it was Mr. Erik who went into the jewelry store." Everyone's mouths dropped but then gradually smiled.
"Oh, you're getting married that's so romantic." Caroline hurried over to Miss Bennet and gave her a big hug, and she looked to Erik begging for help. "The ring is so pretty. I knew from the start that you were perfect for each other."
The entire class wanted to see the ring and hug Miss Bennet; Erik just stood to the side of the chaos and watched, smirking at his fiancé. When everyone had hugged and crowded around their headmistress for a sufficient amount of time they attacked Erik next and it was Elizabeth's turn to give him a smirk.
"So when is the wedding going to be, we all get to attend right?" Jennifer asked hopefully.
"Of course, but we have only been engaged for twelve hours, we haven't made plans just yet." Elizabeth replied. "But you all have to promise to keep this quiet, no one can know just yet. When the time is right we will tell everyone, but for now it is our secret." The whole class agreed and both adults hoped they would be able to hold true to their promise.
After the midmorning break Elizabeth had more work to take care of in her office and Erik went to go visit with Madam Giry who he heard was at the school with Meg today.
The week flew by and soon enough it was the Friday of the picnic. To be safe, a select group of parents as well as the staff came along for extra care, fifty was a large number after all. They traveled by foot into the little pond in the tiny forest off of Elizabeth's land. The students who had been there before lead the way.
The little pool, rather than being muddy was crystal clear because there were rocks rather than mud lining the hole. Next to the pool over a few large rocks was the river. Elizabeth wanted no one to try and swim in the river. Almost immediately some of the older students got ready to get into the water wearing their proper swimming attire. Elizabeth made sure all the students had swimwear in order for them to go, some of the students had to borrow from others.
After a little while of sitting on a blanket the students finally got Elizabeth to join them in the pool. Erik offered to keep some of the younger students, who weren't ready to swim yet, amused. Elizabeth jumped in. Erik watched as she did she looked so happy to be where she was and it made Erik smile. She was not wearing the ring anymore because they wanted everything to be secret and if a classroom of children had noticed it, anyone else in the world could have as well.
Erik was brought out of his near trance when he saw Andrew de Changy wandering around near the rocks at the side if the river. "Andrew, stay away from the river."
"I will sir, I just want to look at these rocks here. There's gold on them." Erik who had gotten up when he saw the boy over there could see what the boy saw.
"Unfortunately, It's only iron pyrite." Erik replied; the boy looked confused. "Fools gold." He added and Andrew looked disappointed.
"Its still pretty." Andrew replied and continued looking at it. "I think my mum would really like it, I should save a couple for her." Erik though of the fact that mention of Christine should have had more of an effect on him, but it didn't.
Erik turned his head to watch the other young students who he'd been sitting with.
"Andrew get down from there you'll…" Elizabeth began.
"AHHHH!" The boy screamed and slipped on loose rocks and fell in. In an instant Erik removed his cloak and was in the water after the boy.
"Erik!" Elizabeth called. She got out of the pool as fast as she could, but instead of hurrying to where they fell she ran the other way, passed the rocks and down the river where they would be in seconds. She was barefoot and could feel herself getting scratched on her arms and legs but she continued running.
She watched as Erik reached Andrew and held his head up, then he struggled to get the boy to the side of the river. For a split second they both went under, but soon Elizabeth saw Andrew grab a rock at the edge of the river. She had him out in an instant then looked for Erik.
Some of the crowd watched and caught up to the trouble just as Elizabeth waded into some shallow water to catch Erik as he floated by. He was not moving, and she saw that he had hit his head hard on something. Andrew was standing next to her instantly and she knew the boy was okay, but she motioned for someone else to get him away from Erik because he would surly be traumatized.
The mask had come off in the water and from the redness, and a cut that had formed she assumed the mask may have saved him, but she was not a doctor and she couldn't say for sure. "Erik?" She said quietly to him as she lifted his head into her lap. She could feel his pulse and he was breathing lightly. "Please don't do this, not now."
"Miss Bennet?"
"We need to get him to my house, now." Elizabeth commanded as she fought back tears. "He's breathing, but he hit his head hard."
Between Mr. Jacobs, Mr. Colvin, and Elizabeth they were able to get Erik to the small handcar they had brought to carry food. The two male teachers could see that she was shivering and they refused to let her pull the cart.
"Miss Bennet, you get back to the pond and get the students back to the school, we'll get him to your house and send for the doctor, the students need you to get them under control and back to the house. And get a towel or something to wrap yourself in, you're freezing."
"I just want to make sure he is okay."
"We know, but the students are terrified, you need to talk to them." Elizabeth didn't want to leave him, but she rationalized that Erik would want her to make sure Andrew and everyone else was doing okay.
She went back to the pond area where she found some of the students gathering their things quickly and quietly while others just sat silently. She noticed that most of the singing students were among those sitting silently.
Everyone looked to her hopefully. She wished she could give them anything other than what she knew. She didn't believe she could make them feel any better because she felt as if her heart had been ripped from her chest.
Emily ran to her when she saw her. "Miss Bennet tell me he'll be okay?" Everyone stopped to watch Elizabeth reaction. She couldn't say anything so she just bent down and gave the girl a big hug.
"I'm sorry Miss Bennet." A voice behind her said. She knew who it was even before she saw him. Andrew.
She stood up, still trying to comfort Emily and looked to the little boy, he was wrapped in a big thick blanket and tear streamed down his face. "It is not your fault Andrew…"
"It is though, I was too close to the river looking at the fake gold."
"Andrew, pointing fingers is not going to make Mr. Erik better." This was Caroline, "he would be happy to know that you are alright, we should get all of our things and go to Miss Bennet's house."
"I don't know if you should be going to…"
"Miss Bennet, he is our teacher, we love him, and even you cannot keep us away from where he is. When I was little, and my friend was sick, my governess always told me that people who are ill and injured need to be with people who love them. We all want to be there for him." Elizabeth didn't believe she could ever be as proud of the girl as she was in that moment, all she could do was nod.
"Miss Bennet?" It was one of the ballerina's "We found it by the water." The girl held up Erik's white mask in two pieces. Elizabeth took it in one hand and sh finally set the weeping girl down.
"Emily sweetheart, why don't you go and get all your things and then we can go get warm at my house as soon as possible." She nodded, sniffed, and then went to her things.
Meg came up beside Elizabeth. "I know you'll want to get back to your home as soon as possible, so the kitchen staff and I will get the dancers and music students back to the school." Elizabeth just nodded again as she felt Meg wrap her in something warm and comforting.
"Meg?" She turned. "Thank you."
"You would do the same for me if it were the man I loved." Elizabeth didn't reply, she just snuggled deeper into whatever it was that was wrapped around her. When she looked down at the broken mask in her hands she couldn't help but fear that the man it belonged to would face a similar fate.
"Dear lord, don't let anything happen to him, he needs to be alive and well. I would give anything for it."
She took deep breaths and tried to get even a slight grasp on herself, it was then that she realized she was wrapped in Erik's cloak.
Hey guys, don't hate me, I promise that he will be okay, I couldn't kill him, but I'm sort of sick of reading stories where Erik is there to nurse the one he loves back to health, blah blah blah, so I decided to go for a different route, don't worry it will work out.
So this story is nearing a close as you may tell from the climactic series of events we have had recently, but I am considering a sequel…what do you all think?