Chapter 5 La Medicea
The apartment in La Medicea was perfect for them. On the ground floor, there was a spacious, elegant sitting room with a large antique family stem hanging over the enormous fireplace. On the same floor and with direct access through a large arch window in the kitchen, there was a covered loggia. Perfect for lunches any day. An impressive staircase lead to the first floor where there was the master bedroom with windows on every side, allowing them to enjoy the view of the Chianti hillside directly from the bedroom.
A second double bedroom and spacious bathroom, with exposed pietra Serena stone and large triangular bathtub, completed the apartment. It had its own section of the garden enclosed by a hedge of bay trees. Cypresses, oleanders and lavender enclosed the well maintained garden, shaded by the various trees of ginkgo biloba, lime and tall honey locust.
After a somewhat heated discussion, Meg had made Erik stay on the master bedroom. She wanted him to have the room with all the windows, so he could see the sunrise and sunset every day. She knew that in all his life down in the lair the probabilities of him watching a sunrise were very low. So now she wanted him to have a sunrise every day. La Medicea was a beautiful villa really close to the center of Florence. It had 4 apartments, 3 of them were occupied. One by Arabelle and Federico, another by a family with one son and the other one by Erik and Meg. They both had met already Arabelle and Federico, which owned the villa. The day they arrived they also met the Palazzi family.
Gisella was a dance teacher, and together with her husband Fabrizio they owned a dance studio near to the Piazza della Repubblica. They came from a little town from the south of Italy, dreaming of having a place where they could teach what the loved the most. Erik and Meg had had a little chat with them in the garden, where they narrated their long journey to there. Gisella had bright golden hair, a little darker than Meg's but still gold. Her skin was tanned from her daily walks to the academy. Her eyes were bright blue, matching the color of her skin. She was taller than Meg was, but still didn't reached her husband's shoulder. Fabrizio on the other hand had hair as black as Erik's wig was, dark chocolate eyes and a bright dazzling smile. His skin was as tanned as Gisella's.
The Palazzi's had one son named Lorenzo. They had seen him running across the immense garden playing with his dog. He had the same hair as his father, but the eyes of her mother. Lorenzo was seven years old, but still smarter than most kids of his age. He took piano lessons from his father, and wherever you were in the villa, you could always listen to Lorenzo´s laugh, clear as crystal.
Two weeks had passed since their arrival to La Medicea and Erik and Meg felt already at home. Every morning Meg would go to get fresh fruits and flowers, they would eat the breakfast she prepared and then they spent the whole day out exploring Florence. So far they had visited Piazza Michelangelo, Santa Maria Novella Church and two other places which names were too complicated for Meg. The first week had been really interesting for both of them, discovering and learning from each other. Usually they parted from dawn to sunset, and that routine continued until the first Saturday when Gisella had offered Meg a job at the Palazzi's music and dance studio as a ballet teacher.
Apparently Arabelle had said Gisella about her past in the Populaire and also how she had always been a candidate to be the Prima Ballerina. In the studio, Federico was a piano teacher, but also he taught guitar and the piccolo. Gisella on the other hand, was the ballet mistress. But as the studio gained popularity, more girls desired to assist to the class, soon beeing more than Gisella herself could handle. It had been a month since she had been looking for a partner to teach during the last 2 classes, but no teacher had been appropriate at Gisella's point of view.
After an hour in which Erik tried to convince Meg to go in for a try out, Meg finally accepted. A part of her didn't wanted to, because she knew that it meant going away since evening, leaving Erik alone all those 4 hours. She knew he was capable of beeing on his own, since he had been an independent man all his life, but that was exactly the reason why she didn't wanted to leave him. She wanted to be sure that he would never fall into loneliness or despair again. But somehow, Erik managed to convince Meg and the next day, she was known as Signorina Meg, ballet teacher of the Palazzi's music and dance studio.
To say she didn't loved the job would be an utter lie. To have the opportunity to wear her slippers again and dance, even if it were simple moves, was a joy she couldn't describe. The first week had been a complete success, and all the girls seemed to love Signorina Meg's classes. Meg would tell her stories of her childhood at the Opera Populaire and all the girls would listen to her with fascination written upon their adorable young faces. Meg always practiced ballet from the point of view of a student, with her mother always behind her trying to teach her how to do it perfectly. But to be a teacher was a complete new experience. She would look at each girl individually, trying to find mistakes on their techniques, how did they raised a hand, settled a foot, not to arch their backs and always walk erect.
The ballet made her feel even closer to her mother, feeling that somehow her mother would be proud of what she was doing. She had sent her a letter, telling her where she was and that she had luckily found Arabelle. She spoke of Erik, never mentioning his name, what if the letter ended up in the wrong hands? Meg was happy, slowly becoming accustomed to her new life as a teacher.
Meg still put on the bandages to Erik every morning, and had become a daily activity, which both of them enjoyed, but none of them admitted it. Meg had noticed the last day of their adventures in Florence that Erik was much more comfortable in the crowds than he had been on their first night, quickly getting used to not lose Meg out of sight. Most of the times, Erik would drag Meg from one store to another, buying drawing supplies, such as chalk, different types of papers, watercolors, charcoal, pencils and a lot of things that Meg couldn't identify. He also had an amazing interest in bookshops, a place which both of them enjoyed. All the times they left a bookshop, they would do it with their arms full of books. But on their fourth day of discovering the city, Erik had persuaded Meg to go into a clothing store. They had argued, well, mostly only Meg. At the end Erik had dragged Meg into the store and made her choose several new dresses. The dresses were gorgeous, the most beautiful dresses Meg had ever had. But the main worry of Meg was that Erik spent all of his money on her.
Erik calmed her down by explaining that the managers had given him quite a big salary all those years, so she didn't have to worry about any monetary issues.
Meanwhile, Erik would spend his evenings enjoying the arts. He would read the books he had bought their first week at Florence, or maybe do some drawings of the nature that surrounded the villa. Somehow, the nightmares of darkness were disappearing, and he knew that it was mostly because of Meg's presence. Her morning humming, the warm smiles, the breakfast…he had never had the opportunity of sharing a meal or a conversation with anyone. Some nights, he would wake up, expecting to find himself in the damp cavern of his lair, but then he would see the moon shining brightly in the sky. Meg was right; having a room with a lot of windows was good for him. He was glad Meg was doing something she loved, he knew, even though she had never said it, she feared not dancing again.
On the living room, there was an old piano, which Erik had only touched twice during the time he had had on his own. He knew he needed the kind of release only music would've been able to give him, but still he didn't felt ready to touch the ivory keys more than just fifteen minutes. Erik was enjoying his new life, and even Meg could notice it. The changes in him were quite visible. Smiles appeared more often upon his face, such as teasing Meg would make him laugh. He was surprised at how his life was changing. He had begun loving the feeling of the light of the sun or a cool breeze upon his face. He had missed so much of life, and now he felt somehow that he was changing too.
Meg had already gone to her daily lesson to the studio. Erik had been drawing sketches of the flowers Meg had brought that very morning, making them of different shapes and colors. Maybe he could give it later to Meg, as apparently she was amazed by every drawing he made, even if it was just a simple chair or a cup of coffee. Suddenly feeling the urge to go outside, Erik put away his materials and walked outside the villa into the well preserved garden Arabelle took care of. He followed the path towards the area where the biggest trees were, marveling at the different scents he could smell and the different kinds of flowers that grew on the meadow. The path leveled off as he passed the villa that belonged to Arabelle and Federico. Walking a little bit faster, he tried eagerly to take in every detail of the surroundings. Finally he arrived to where he wanted to and to where the path ended. In front of him was a little rock wall which reached his waist. Walking ever closer, he breathed in the fragrance of nature and observed the view he had in front of him.
La Medicea was up over a hill, which provided a great view to the surroundings of the Florentine country. Downhill he could see a huge meadow with a few old trees, even further you could see the buildings of the city itself. He closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of fresh air hitting his face.
"A beautiful place, isn't it?"
With a jolt, Erik woke from his daydream and turned around to see Arabelle smiling, standing a few steps behind him.
"Yes, indeed it is" he answered. She walked to stand beside him and let out a deep sigh.
"That's why Federico and I chose this place" she walked closer to the rock wall "The nature in here it's much more beautiful than in any other place"
He listened quietly, watching as emotions flooder her pacific face. Suddenly, as if remembering she wasn't alone, she turned his gaze towards him.
"Have you been on the Palazzi's studio?" she asked casually.
"No, I haven't yet" He had listened to Meg as she explained every little detail to Erik of the studio, but he had never went to the place. Meg had told him several times to go with her, but in a very polite manner he had declined, and she had understood him, as she always did.
"You would enjoy the place, they have quite a beautiful pianoforte" and leaning closer to him she added "You play beautifully"
And with that she winked at him and walked up the hill to the direction of her villa. Maybe he could go for a while, to visit Meg and get to know where she taught.
Though it was only an hour or less until Meg returned, Erik walked the path that took straight to the Piazza della Repubblica. The day had become colder compared to other nights, so Erik tightened his coat around him. Walking swiftly through the crowd, he thought it was the first time he walked alone in the city, for he had always been accompanied by Meg. Feeling a little proud of himself, he walked a little bit faster, slowing his pace until he saw the sign which read "Palazzi's music and dance studio" in bright golden letters. Going inside the modest studio, the soft voice of Meg marking the pace reached his ears, and turning to one side, he moved to the room from where it came.
Slowing as he approached the open door, he listened the sound her footsteps made on the wooden floor, and he could recognize that there was someone else with her. He leaned forward, only enough to peek inside.
The room was large and well illuminated, with mirrors at the far end and shining wooden floor. At the opposite corner there was a large black pianoforte. Meg stood in the center of the room, her back turned to him. Her golden locks were tied with a green ribbon in a messy bun. She wore a simple olive dress that reached her ankles. She was wearing the ballet slippers she had brought from Paris, her most valuable possession, or so she had explained. Next to her was a little girl dancing along with her.
Meg's voice was husky, tired after the lesson. Her voice echoed in the room as she counted several times the pace, starting again whenever the girl's little feet stumbled and failed to do the right position. Suddenly the girl stopped and turned to face Meg with a pout in her lips, complaining about not beeing able to do it like Meg did.
"You will in time, Clara" Meg turned and kneeled to the level of the little girl "Do you know how long it took me to do a proper pirouette?"
Clara looked to the floor with shame and answered a simple "No"
Meg brushed her hand over the blonde hair of the girl "It took me five months, even more" the girl looked up with curiosity in her gaze
"Really?" slowly a smile began to spread on her lips
Meg nodded and stood up "And do you know how did I did it?" She took one little hand between hers and made Clara spin while both giggled "Practice!"
Both of them continued the practice, but suddenly the girl turned around to glance over her shoulder and right at him. She had bright green eyes and white skin, the girl was beautiful, reminding him a lot to a much younger Meg, except for the eyes. She giggled and turned back, glancing up at Meg before she began to dance again.
"I think your friend is here" she said with a giggle, continuing her dance moves.
Meg stopped with a halt, lowering from her tiptoes and looking her with a confused expression. She turned her head towards the door, her expression brightening with joy as she spotted him. Erik was momentarily unbalanced by the power of a simple smile of hers.
She patted Clara's head and turned to walk towards him. He moved inside the large room, surprised by how illuminated it was.
"What a surprise" she said with a big smile
"Maybe I should have asked if I could come-"he gave a step back with shame, but Meg laughed and took him gently by the arm.
"You are always welcomed and you know that" something sparkled in her eyes as she looked up at him. How did she did that? She have left him once again speechless "Come, someone is eager to meet you"
Meg held his arm and walked Erik to where Clara was already waiting expectantly to see him.
"Clara I would like-"Meg began, but stopped when Clara squeaked and ran towards the piano bench and dragged it towards them. Clara stepped up and looked at Meg happily.
"Papa always says you have to see people to the eyes" she said, as if that was memorized by heart "But Signore is too tall for me"
Meg giggled and looked up at Erik giving him a look of mocked sadness as she nodded "Well then, Clara, this is Signore Erik Destler"
"A pleasure, Signore" Clara stretched her hand to shake his, but Erik did the opposite. He took her tiny hand in his and kissed the back of her palm gently.
"The pleasure is mine, Signorina" Erik laughed silently at the surprised expression in the girl's face. Meg stared at Erik, moved by the sweet gesture with the little girl. Now she was sure that Erik had changed, and it was about time. She giggled when Clara bowed slightly and grinned.
She leaned forward and placed a hand on his cheek, stunning him momentarily. Meg looked surprised first to Clara and then to Erik, expecting him to react somehow. He only stiffened slightly as the girl looked at him into his eyes. Two days ago Meg had offered to put the bandages only a fraction of his face, leaving both of his eyes discovered and only covering less than the half of his face. He had agreed…but only after Meg had made him observe the man who sold apples.
One half of his face was normal, but when he turned around, the deformity extended over his head and reached his neck. But what was different in this man was the smile. He always smiled, no matter where or with whom he was. His deformity was far worse than Erik's, affecting his eye too. Arabelle had said that there was a big probability than in less than 3 years he would be blind.
Erik was moved by the man, and decided to listen to Meg. But slowly. It was a big step, the both knew, and he didn't wanted to leave the bandages all in one day. Meg had agreed, understanding how he felt and beeing at the same time proud that Erik was accepting the fact that he was a perfectly normal person.
Clare stared into his eyes for minutes, until he leaned back again.
"His eyes are not exactly green" she declared "There's a little blue and gold there too"
Meg giggled silently "Sorry, I didn't described it well enough"
"And Signore Erik?" she asked. Erik looked down at her "You are a very handsome man, you do not have to wear those bandages with us"
Erik stared shocked at her, but at the same time, moved by the words of the little girl. Erik felt her tiny hand leave his face, still stunned by the emotions inside of him. Clara jumped off the bench and ran past Erik and Meg.
"Papa!"
Meg looked up at him, moisture in her eyes. She understood.
A tall man, no older than Erik was, came into the room. He had brown hair with the same eyes than little Clara had. With one arm he took Clara and lift her up the floor as she hugged him tightly.
"Sorry I'm late" he apologized to Meg, turning to face Erik. But before Meg could speak, Clara squeaked excitedly.
"Papa this is Signore Erik Destler" he shook Erik's hand as Clara whispered excitedly in his ear "He's from Paris as Signorina Meg!"
"A pleasure, I'm Marco Antoniazzi" he looked at Clara and then back at Meg and Erik "Sorry I'm late, the hospital held me longer than I expected"
Meg smiled warmly and looked up at Erik "Signore Marco is a doctor specialized in…" she looked at Marco biting her lip, ashamed of not remembering exactly what his specialty was.
"Reconstructive surgery" he smiled and looked at Erik "It's a new area that medicine is testing and I'm one of the few allowed to study and practice it"
Erik nodded and felt Meg grip his arm "He's helping Giovanni, the man who sells apples"
Clara grinned "He's going to be better soon" she whispered "Papa will take care of him"
"Not that soon, sweetheart" answered Marco smiling at her "But Signore Giovanni will be better"
Meg smiled sweetly at them and walked to the corner of the room where Clara's bag was "What you are doing is very nice, Marco" she gave the bag to Marco as he shrugged.
"Well we must go Mama is waiting" said Marco to his daughter as she hopped off his arms and ran towards Meg.
She hugged her tightly while Meg returned the hug giggling "Thank you for the lesson, Signorina Meg"
She then moved towards Erik and tugged him from his jacket until he leaned down "Nice to finally meet you, Signore Erik" and then she kissed him soundly on his ruined cheek.
Marco and Clara said goodbye and walked out of the room, leaving a stunned Erik behind. Meg kept her hand on his arm until he glanced down at her. Her fingers loosened as she to stand before him. He watched the light glint upon slightly gold spots in her eyes he had never noticed before.
"She's a very special little girl, isn't she?" said Meg softly, a smile forming in her lips.
"Indeed she is" ne nodded, a smile slowly forming in his lips "You are shorter with the ballet slippers"
"Oh yes?" she answered raising an eyebrow. Slowly she rose up onto the toes of her ballet shoes and held up her hands keeping balance. Her face was the same level at his; suddenly she leaned forward, his breath catching in his throat. Meg faltered and stumbled towards him, falling into his chest as he caught her expertly. She stood up straight again and fixed her skirts blushing furiously.
He chuckled "Yes you are"
Meg looked up indignantly at him and walked past him, dragging the bench again in front of the pianoforte.
"Would you mind waiting a few minutes until I do my final warm up?" she asked, an apologetically look on her face, walking to stand in the middle of the room and raising an arm over her head.
"Not at all" he answered without stop looking at her. He moved silently towards the pianoforte and sat comfortably on the bench as he watched Meg began moving slowly around the room, doing the same exercises he had seen all the ballerinas do all those years at the opera, only that there was something about Meg that made it look much more graceful.
Her long, lean arms moving around her head, rising and falling in perfect harmony with her legs. Her eyes were closed, lost in a melody she hummed silently for herself. Erik smiled as he realized what Meg reminded him. She looked like a swan. Her long arms beeing the wings who allowed her to fly and elevate from the ground in big leaps. Her endless neck moving from one side to another.
Something inside of him stirred. His fingers began to itch and slowly he raised a hand and placed it atop the ivory keys of the pianoforte. It had been a long time since he had had that feeling. The need to create and express through music, but Meg's dancing had awakened those feelings.
Gently, he pressed the first key. After that, his hands began to move for themselves, playing a song he had never listened and probably wouldn't remember after he was finished. Soon, the song reached its crescendo, and from the corner of his eye Erik could see that Meg's dancing had been following the music he was playing. Smoothly, the song became slower and soft, like a lullaby, and so did Meg's moves did.
Erik touched the final key and let the sound fade slowly. He moved in the seat to face Meg and was instantly awestruck. Meg was seated with one leg bent under her and the other stretched, her hand touching her foot slightly. She looked breathtaking, her long slender neck showing behind her hair, which had fell freely after her intense dancing. Both awoke from their trance at the sound of clapping at the entrance of the room.
Erik stood up and Meg did the same. Her faces was beaming, her cheeks with a tint of pink; her breathing quick as she tried to steady her pace. Fabrizio was standing on the door with a huge smile while he clapped enthusiastically.
"¡Brava! ¡Bellisimo! ¡Mio Dio che era incredibile!" He walked towards them still smiling "Should I knew you played that well the piano, Erik, I would have asked sooner!"
Erik gave him a questioning look as Meg smiled ashamed "Asked what?"
"To be the piano maestro to this class!" he said as if it was obvious.
Erik's expression grimaced. He couldn't be a teacher again…not after what had happened the first time. He noted Meg's surprised face, but quickly it turned to happiness.
"It seems you both arrived just when we needed you" Fabrizio continued "Please Erik, say yes, your only job will be to play while Signorina Meg teaches, and maybe when I can't, you could give a lesson or two"
Meg looked at him excitedly. He would be able to do what he loved the most and would be able to spend time with Meg. But the fear of beeing a teacher was bigger than he thought…there was a difference this time: he had Meg. Meg wouldn't let him fall into despair again, he knew that. She would be there, with him, giving him support and making him smile…
Erik gave a weak smile and nodded "I'll do it"
The night had become much colder and Erik and Meg walked very close to each other trying to keep each other warm. Fabrizio had been ecstatic that Erik had said yes, and Meg was also excited, as she had showed the minute the left the studio.
"Now I have a question…" said Erik in a pondering tone.
Meg looked up at him confused "Go ahead"
"How did Clara knew we were friends?" the little girl had shown quite a familiarity with him and she had even described the color of his eyes.
Meg laughed softly, a sound which made Erik's heart skip a beat "They wanted to know why I had left the Populaire and came here…"
He listened quietly, his eyes never leaving her trembling form. They were both covered with his own cape, but even that couldn't stop her from shivering.
"I told I had a friend, a great musician, magician, architect…" she laughed, but stopped as her expression became gentle "I told them you were a great man, but that you had been hurt…so that was why you lived in the Opera, hidden. But one day you decide to look for adventure and asked me to be your loyal companion"
He looked at her bright smile and couldn't help but to chuckle "I asked you? Probably you omitted the part where you fell into one trap and I had no choice but to take you with me"
She looked up, mocked offense in her face "Excuse me, but a lady never tells those dark secrets"
He leaned into her ear and gave a low laugh "So we have our secrets, don't we?"
She shivered, but it was not because of the cold air "Yes" she lifted her chin defiantly.
"Well I'm glad we have something that only us know, my dearest loyal companion"
Their laughs echoed in the night as they continue to walk to their home, the promise of a job they'll both enjoy making both of them beyond happy. Life was great at that moment for them both. Nothing could ruin it. Not that time.