CHAPTER 25 A Grand Debut
Small round tables with chairs had been laid out in the ball room near to the grand piano so that those enjoying the performance could also enjoy the beverage of their liking. Erik set Mama Aguilar at the front with Lisa, than he took up the adjacent table with Dr. Gilles. On the other side Gangle, Fleck and Squelch settled, while Kara and Madam Giry sat in the back.
When everyone was in place the hired servants came forward to provide everyone with drinks, but they didn't approach the head table. Instead the ladies were immediately supplied with a perfectly chilled bottle of Domaines Barons De Rothschild 1890.
Lisa immediately knew how it had happened and turned in her chair to see Erik's self-satisfied expression. Lisa had told him during one of their chats that she'd tasted it while in Paris and had loved it, but was unable to locate the rare vintage in the states.
Gustave waited patiently until the servers were done, but wasted no time once they withdrew. He immediately stepped to the front of the congregation to begin the night's entertainment.
"Thank you all so very much for coming. I'm so very excited to be playing for you tonight. I want to dedicate my first piece to my dear mother, whom I love and miss very much." Without further comment the boy took his place on the piano bench and rested his fingers on the ivory keys. The connection he felt with the instrument was as electric as it had always been, but tonight there was something more.
As Gustave began to push down on the keys and his music filled the air, it seemed another presence entered his spirit. It traveled through his body to his hands and out into the keys and filled every note that the tightly coiled strings made. It sang through the music giving it more depth and life than he'd even believed it could. It flowed like manna from heaven, and though there were no words it spoke of death and rebirth, despair and hope.
By the time the music winded down to its final chords, not one person present could deny it was truly a masterful work of art. At first Gustave thought the silence that followed his finale meant that he'd failed somehow, but then his father stood up and began giving him applause. Lisa immediately followed than everyone else. No one had managed to make it through the performance without shedding tears.
Gustave was thrilled. He ran forward and rushed to hug his father, then turned to Lisa and Mama Aguilar with the same treatment. After many congratulations and pats on the back Gustave surprised everyone by returning to the piano.
"Now my good friends, I think it's time this ballroom saw some dancing. It's been so many years and I long to see a waltz again." Mrs. Aguilar had stood and gestured for everyone to get up. Erik and Lisa sat as still as statues, but the others required no further coaxing. Dr. Gilles tried to get Mrs. Aguilar to the floor, but she complained that her knees just wouldn't have it, so he went to Madam Giry who politely took his hand and went to the floor with him.
Next Gangle approached Kara. Knowing where this was going and the older woman's intentions in arranging this little entertainment, she accepted and moved to the room's center with Frederick. Squelch picked up Ms. Fleck into his strong arms, and carrying her like a little girl proceeded to twirl around the floor with her.
Lisa could feel the moment Erik stood up behind her, but when he simply brushed past her heading towards the piano she couldn't help the frown that contorted her face. He bent low to whisper in Gustave's ear. It didn't seem the boy liked what he heard, but a moment later the man slid into place on the bench as his son slid off. He took up the same waltz Gustave had been playing without any pause.
Gustave came to where Lisa sat and offered her his hand. Lisa didn't know if she was relieved or frustrated, but she wasn't about to let the boy down. Smiling brightly she accepted his offer and together they joined the others.
Erik couldn't voice the emotion that began to grow in his chest as he watched Gustave dance around the empty ballroom with the strange Lisa. It came from seeing the fondness he saw in her eyes as she looked at the young man. It came from the adoring way Gustave looked back into her green eyes. But he felt it most when those emerald orbs would find his over the boys shoulder. The feeling would swell for the briefest of seconds as their eyes connected, and when she'd look away he felt bereft.
He was distracted by how the hem of her dress swept across the glossy floor. Every now and then it allowed one slippered foot to be seen as it stepped out in a wide circle. The shimmering silk of her dress accentuated the curves of her body, and even the most subtle movements of the waltz were alluring.
It woke him from the strange trance when the pair stumbled on a turn. Gustave's unpracticed feet had almost tripped the woman who giggled wholeheartedly at the misstep.
"Come here boy and play, let a man show you how it's done." Erik didn't know what compelled him to stand and approach them. He bowed as if they were at a proper ball and asked if he could cut in.
Gustave courteously offered him Lisa's hand then took his place at the piano. He continued the waltz his father had been playing. Erik pulled Lisa into his arms and began leading her effortlessly around the room. At first she resisted his guidance, feeling anxious at being so close to him. But the warmth of his body made her feel comfortable and soon they were gliding along the floor.
Neither was sure the moment it happened, when it stopped being a friendly dance and they became a man and a woman caught in a romance. Erik was trapped in her eyes and Lisa had melted into his embrace. They were so caught up in each other that they didn't notice as the others left the dance floor.
The first to depart was Madam Giry, looking fit to be tied as she stepped away from the doctor and headed for the door. Kara saw her moving to exit and went quickly to follow her into the hall. Gangle, Squelch, Ms. Fleck and Dr. Gilles decided than it would be a good time to leave, so they said their goodbyes to Mama Aguilar and withdrew after waving to Gustave.
The dancers saw none of it, and continued to make circuit after circuit around the ballroom. Even when Gustave stopped playing, they didn't stop dancing. The boy had seen the change between them and sat entranced as he watched them dance through silence. Mrs. Aguilar sat smugly eyeing them.
Slowly they came to a halt, but not from a lack of music. Although the effort of dancing had not been much, Lisa and Erik found they were both short of breath. They separated quickly when they realized the space was silent, looking around them shyly. Neither admitted it then, but both knew something had changed.
"It's late, perhaps it's time to call it a night." said Kara. Unable to find words, Erik only nodded.
Kara stayed behind and put the lights out while the others took Mrs. Aguilar to her room. Lisa then guided her guests to the front gate where the motorcar awaited with all their belongings. Gustave was eager enough to allow Lisa to embrace him in an affectionate hug, whereas Erik gave her only a proper kiss on the hand.
When the boys turned to file into the vehicle, Lisa lifted one hand and touched it to Erik's back. He instantly reacted by becoming tense and straightening. He didn't turn around to chastise her boldness. She spread her fingers, enticed to feel the muscle underneath his jacket.
Erik stood there a long moment after Gustave had settled into the car, relishing the sensation of her touch. For all its simplicity, it was for that moment while they stood connected a clearly erotic experience.
Lisa had spent the 15 years since Charles death neither expecting nor wanting the touch of another man, although her body had never stopped demanding the tender touch of her beloved. She'd always believed that with his passing any chance of loving like that again was impossible so she'd closed the door on that part of herself. Now, with this man standing only inches in front of her, her passion stirred for the first time since her husband.
Erik had only ever really desired one woman, a woman whose ghost still inhabited his almost every thought. Before Christine he'd expected to never be effected by the love he'd experienced, a love that blossomed for only one night, but whose effects had been the driving force of his life for nearly 20 years. Now, with this woman standing only inches behind him, touching him, his heart throbbed anew with a desire he'd thought dead to him. It both thrilled and horrified him.
Unknowing, Gustave broke the spell as he leaned out of the car door to see why his father had lingered. He couldn't see Lisa, or the tender caress happening between them. Erik finally broke the contact and stepped into the vehicle, closing the door and taking his seat by his son without looking at the woman who stood bewildered on the curb.
Gustave gave one last wave to the solemn Lisa as the vehicle pulled away. The boy saw the look of infinite sorrow on the unmasked side of the man's face and it struck his heart. Gustave was young, but he had no doubt that he cared deeply for the otherworldly Lisa. He also knew that before the accident his father had been dying slowly, and if Lisa could reignite the spark of life and inspiration in him she and she alone might be able to save him.
The night was silent as they pulled into the circular drive of their home. They were unhurried as they re-entered the home they'd made together, but there was an ever present emptiness that had accompanied them since leaving the mansion. Erik walked Gustave to his room and waited patiently for the child to prepare for sleep. Once the boy was situated in his bed, Erik gave him a small peck on the forehead and headed to the door. Gustave couldn't help but notice the far off look in his father's eyes.
"Is there something wrong father?" he asked.
"I should go check on the park. I want to be sure performances went smoothly." He lied, and Gustave knew what it meant. "You go ahead to bed. I'll be home by morning." Erik closed the door and stood in the dark hallway for a few minutes trying to organize his thoughts. The delicacy of the situation could not be denied. If things were to go badly the consequences could be disastrous for all.
Once his decision was made he wasted no time in heading back out the house and disappearing into the night on foot. Erik couldn't escape the inexplicable pull guiding him back to the mansion and to Lisa. There was something awakening in him that made the world around him infused with light, even in the depth of night, and his mind was stirring violently with the implications. There was music teasing the edge of his consciousness that would not give him rest.
"Never thought I'd find the light again
Become lost in the dark and rain
And those skies, they soon would clear
In my life, now you're here
Why am I falling, falling in love with you tonight?
Why am I dreaming, dreaming that we could turn out right
I can't even resist, feel I only exist in your arms, in your arms
Close the door on what I used to be
Make it all a distant memory
Lost myself in the night
But those wrongs you made right
Why am I falling, falling in love with you tonight?
Why am I dreaming, dreaming that we could turn out right
I can't even resist, feel I only exist in your arms, in your arms
You put your faith into my name
Healing me to love again
Why am I falling, falling in love with you tonight?
Why am I dreaming, dreaming that we could turn out right
I can't even resist
Feel I only exist in your arms, in your arms
Why am I falling
Why am I falling, falling in love with you tonight?"