I sadly don't own the Phantom or any other characters created by G. Leroux, S. Kay and A. L. Webber, but they always have a place in my heart. Luthien, thanks for your support!
Nadir
Sunday evening came, and as Joséphine left her room, she was surprised to find Erik waiting for her, so they could go down together. She blushed almost immediately, remembering the heated kisses they had exchanged the day before. Erik took her hand and brought it to his lips for a gentle kiss, regarding her intently as he did so, and silently offered her his arm to accompany her down.
Since it was an informal dinner, they had opted for a simple setting, leaving out the reception in the living room, so they sat down at the dining table, waiting for their guest to arrive. Clara was still upstairs when the doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of Nadir. Erik went to the parlour to welcome his friend, while Joséphine remained in the dining room, nervously smoothing down non existent wrinkles on her simple mauve coloured dress.
Moments later, Erik re-entered the room, followed by a man of medium height and clad in western clothes, though his dark complexion indicated his oriental origin. He seemed a bit older than Erik, but the wrinkles he wore around his mouth and eyes showed him as a person of great warmth and humour. Before Erik could make the official presentation, Nadir shot forward and took both of Joséphine's hand is his, greeting her warmly.
"Forgive my forwardness, Madame, but I was most curious to meet you since Erik told me about you. I see now he was not truthful to me," Nadir said, his dark eyes glittering with mirth. "You are even more beautiful than he told me."
Joséphine graced him with a big smile upon this compliment, taking a glance at Erik, who had already positioned himself in front of his chair and eyed his friend suspiciously, as if he was not sure what to think of the outgoing behaviour of his friend.
"I am honoured to meet a friend of my husband at last, you are most welcome in this house, Monsieur Khan," Joséphine said.
A voice from the doorframe stopped the exchange of niceties.
"Oh yes, most welcome indeed," Clara said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Contrary to Joséphine, she wore a very elegant and expensive looking ice blue coloured dress with pearls attached to the fabric. She also had pearls woven into her blond hair, giving the impression of an ice princess. She waltzed into the room, making clear that she thought herself the lady of the house and the foreign guest anything else but welcome.
Erik shot daggers at her, gripping the back of his chair tightly, while Joséphine thought a quick prayer, begging the heavens to get them unharmed through this dinner.
Ignoring the growing tension, Nadir walked up to Clara and bowed formally. "I should be sorry for disturbing your peaceful Sunday evening by coming here for dinner," he paused a moment, observing Clara's face closely," but I cannot truthfully say I am, for I would not have had the chance to be in the company of such beautiful women as you and your daughter, Madame la Marquise."
Clara looked momentarily appeased by the compliment Nadir had made, though she would have preferred him to not extend it towards Joséphine out of courtesy, for she thought herself to be much prettier than her stepdaughter, even though she was older than her. Graciously, she offered him her hand, and after formal introductions, the four sat down to dinner.
It was Joséphine who immediately started the conversation, not able to contain her curiosity. "How long will you be in town, Monsieur Khan?"
"Quite some time, I think," Nadir replied. "Erik and I have a lot of catching up to do."
"Were you in Persia before coming here?" Joséphine continued.
Nadir waited with his answer until the first course was served and the maids had left the room. "No, I was travelling across Europe for the last months," he answered somewhat sadly.
Erik knew his friend missed his homeland, and that he had not had the chance to return there for some time now. "But I am looking forward going home in the near future."
Erik could swear he saw the images his wife conjured before her inner eye, imagining all the places and things the Daroga had seen. Maybe, if everything worked out between them, he would take her on a long journey to see everything with her own eyes, sort of a belated honeymoon.
"What is your profession, Monsieur Khan, are you an architect as well?" Clara chided in.
Smirking, Nadir turned his head to answer her. "No, I am lacking the imagination for an artistic profession such as Erik's. I am now retired, but in Persia I worked at the Court of the Shah, the Persian King, as a law enforcement agent. But I have also some medical expertise," he added, remebering what Erik had told him the day earlier about him posing as a doctor from abroad, should anyone ask.
"Why is that?" Joséphine asked immediately, nearly forgetting her soup over the interesting topic.
"Poisoning is a very common crime in the Middle East," Erik explained before Nadir had the chance to do so, forcing himself not to shoot an accusing look at Clara that would tell her they were knowledgeable of her plans.
Nadir nodded, playing along even though he did not know why Erik had brought this particular example up. "Yes, knowing the workings of the body and the elements that can be used to influence it or do it any harm makes inquiries more efficient," he explained a wondrous Joséphine.
"My knowledge often helped me catch the criminal very quickly." His trained eyes did not fail to notice the faint paleness that had crossed Clara's face for a split second. He chose to keep a closer eye on her reactions on the topics they engaged, and also to ask Erik if anything had happened since they had parted ways yesterday.
Joséphine shot question after question at Nadir, only giving him the time to swallow before pressing for the next answer. She inquired about Persia, the animals, plants and people of the Middle East, their customs and how they differed from European traditions. Nadir answered each and every question with the utmost patience, while Clara and Erik remained mostly quiet during this time, each of them lost in their own thoughts.
When the main course was served, Joséphine gave her guest a short pause, relishing in the taste of the delicious meat and side dishes. It was then that Clara spoke up.
"You told us so much of your origins, Monsieur Khan, but how is it you met Erik in Persia?"
"We were both working for the Court, I as an agent, and Erik as the Court architect. He designed various buildings for the Shah and his mother, the Khanum." Joséphine noticed Erik twitch as Nadir mentioned the Khanum, but she remained silent, wanting to ask him in private about it.
"Some of them were not very liked by the Shah's enemies, and it was among my duties to protect him," Nadir continued. "By the way, I got a message from a friend at the Court, informing me that the Khanum has died," he addressed Erik, trying to appear nonchalantly, but Joséphine instantly sensed that this was a delicate subject.
Erik's normally stoic face showed a myriad of emotions for a few seconds, before he got himself back under control. His golden eyes glowed almost amber as he spoke but one word. "How?"
"One of her slaves stabbed her with the shard of a broken vase after she inflicted one of her usual punishments on him," the Daroga replied in a flat tone. Both Clara and Joséphine gasped. "You should know that she was not the nicest of persons," he informed the women.
"What an understatement," Erik murmured, making it clear that he would not mourn the death of the Khanum. Joséphine reached out and put her hand on his, showing him her support, and was rewarded with a grateful look.
Nadir could not refrain from commenting on this simple gesture of affection. "It makes me happy to see my friend finally finding happiness," he said, smiling fondly at both of them.
"Truth be told, I never thought I would see Erik married, but it seems to become him well, both of you." His statement was rewarded with a small snort coming out of Clara's mouth. She threw her napkin on the table and looked at them with disdain.
"The future has yet to prove how well this union will become each of you," she said, unable to keep the underlying threat out of her voice. "If you will excuse me now, I don't seem to feel very well and I prefer the silence of my room to recover." Before the gentlemen had the chance to get up, she stood and left the room.
"My, my, what an exit," Nadir stated, while Joséphine still looked at the door through with her stepmother had disappeared, a thoughtful look on her face. "She does not seem to enjoy our company very much. Or maybe something I said upset her?" he challenged Erik.
"I wouldn't know what," Erik replied, a strange glint coming to his eyes. "Apart from you telling her of your talent in detecting poisonings just the day that Joséphine's maid falls ill." Nadir's face lit up and he nodded understandingly.
"I see. With someone so close to you striving to drive you apart, you will have to be very careful."
"We will, and I appreciate your concern," Joséphine answered. "Let us have coffee and dessert in the winter garden, we will be less exposed to prying eyes and ears there," she proposed.
The winter garden was towards the back of the house, and separated from the back parlour through a big glass front, making it unable for anyone to approach it without being seen. Joséphine's father had always brought back plants from his many journeys, teaching his daughter about the vegetation in other places of the world.
Throughout the years, the winter garden had become more and more of an exotic jungle, since his last expeditions had let Stanislas d'Escayrac mostly into inner Africa. Clara always complained about the high humidity the botanic collection required, stating it was giving her a head ache, so the garden had become one of Joséphine's most cherished places in the house, knowing she would be at peace, surrounded by her father's souvenirs.
Nadir was very impressed by the garden, telling his host that plants stood in high regard in the Islamic culture.
"We come from the dessert, so plants signify water, and without water, there is no life," he explained, following her to a white seating arrangement in the centre of the room.
One of the kitchen maids had followed them and put two pots, sugar, some fruits and cake on the table, curtsied and then left quietly. Erik closed and locked the glass door after she had left, then chose a seat that would allow him to observe the door and the whole parlour behind it. He opened the top button of his shirt and loosened the nod of his tie, then reached behind him and gave Joséphine her fan, which she put to use immediately against the warm humid air, since it was not appropriate for a woman of her standing to undo parts of her clothing in company.
"Feel free to get more comfortable," Joséphine told the Persian. "I love this place, but even I appreciate the cooling breeze my fan produces." Nadir did as recommended, then nodded as Joséphine poured him some coffee. Taking a small piece of the almond tart, he leaned back in his chair and looked at the couple.
"It seems your life will never lack interest or diversion, my boy," the Daroga said smiling. "Though it appears to have greatly improved in the last months," he added, looking at Joséphine, who blushed slightly.
"Still, there are things left to accomplish," Erik replied pensively, glancing at his wife, whose blush deepened.
"Yes, we need to make sure Clara stops her interfering," she added.
"Do you have a plan?" Nadir asked. Erik nodded, but the blush that now crept onto Joséphine's face made it clear to Nadir to not inquire further about the makings of said plan.
The conversation returned once more to Nadir's homeland, and with Clara absent, Erik felt at ease enough to tell a bit about his time in Persia as well. Joséphine listened intently, loving to hear more about her husband's past. Time flew by as they covered various topics, from places Joséphine had only ever dreamed about, but both men already had been to, to politics or modern arts.
Erik knew his wife to be smart, but was once more impressed by how much she knew. Being the daughter of a scientist, she never contented herself with the knowledge common of her standing and sex, always thriving for more. The library and her father's office had always been some of her favourite places, his accounts and her many books portals to the world she was denied to discover on her own, being a woman.
Nadir took a look at his pocket watch, surprised by the late hour, and stood up from his chair.
"I have overstrained your hospitality, my dear friends. It is time for me to leave."
Joséphine assured him that he would always be welcome in their home, then walked him together with Erik to the front door. At this late hour, the house was silent; most of the servants had already gone to bed. When they arrived at the front parlour, Nadir asked if he could have a private word with Erik. Joséphine said her goodbyes and turned towards the stairs, but was stopped by Erik's hand on her arm.
"Do you still want to spend the night with me, Joséphine?" he whispered into her ear. She gave him a reassuring smile.
"I will wait for you upstairs," she simply said, then left the two men alone.
The parlour suddenly felt warmer than only seconds before, and Erik had trouble concentrating on what his friend was trying to tell him. His thoughts travelled upstairs, where his wife was waiting for him, and Nadir had to wave his hand in front of his eyes to regain Erik's attention.
"One would say that's the first time she's waiting for you to come to her, Erik," Nadir said in good humour, unaware of how close he was to the truth. Erik shook his head to clear himself of his carnal thoughts, and motioned for the Persian to continue.
"I am meeting Madame Giry in a few days. Do you want me to tell her about your whereabouts?"
Erik answered almost immediately. "No, please don't. If she asks, tell her I am well, but that we only had written correspondence since your return to Paris. I want everyone to believe that I am either dead or have left for good."
"I understand, my friend. Now, up you go to your beautiful wife. Enjoy the rest of the night." With that, he walked through the door, closing it behind him.
Erik looked after his friend for a second, then turned towards the stairs. Whereas only moments before he couldn't wait to join Joséphine in her room, he now was worried of what would happen once he got there.
Letting out a deep breath, he mounted the stairs, turned and knocked on his wife's door. He could only hope that whatever he was going to do would be adequate.