Ch 89

"Will you teach us how to swim?" Alex asked as he walked, unannounced, into the bedroom. He tugged on my arm when I didn't immediately answer his question.

"What time is it?"

"Three minutes past six."

"In the morning?"

"Yes!"

"Absolutely not," I groaned into my pillow. I yawned and turned onto my side, finding my son's face inches from mine. "Why are you awake at this hour?"

"Swimming early in the morning is good for you."

"Who told you this?"

"Uncle Charles."

"Swimming is not much different at six in the morning as it is at noon."

Alex appeared unconvinced. He sighed in disappointment, turned on his heel, and quietly exited the bedroom. I yawned again and closed my eyes, hearing Alex give Bessie commands before I managed to fall asleep again.

The sound of thunder woke me a brief time later. Fitful sleep throughout the night had made me restless and more than once I woke with a start as I dreamed of my uncle being taken to prison. In the dream I had been at his side and he was ripped away and placed in chains. Although I never saw his face, I knew that Garouche came for me, but at the very last moment, another entity intervened: my brother. I woke with a sense of relief rather than panic.

"Now we will never learn to swim," Alex complained. "It will probably rain forever."

"How dramatic," I heard my brother say. "I wonder who you inherited that from?"

I rolled over in bed and grabbed my watch from the nightstand, finding that it was not quite nine in the morning.

"Are you sure you don't want more to eat?" Julia asked.

Alex, Lisette and my brother collectively said, "No, thank you," at the same time while I pulled on a robe and tied the sash. I ran my hand over my hairpiece and gently combed it into place before feeling satisfied with my appearance.

"Papa!" Lisette exclaimed the moment I walked out of the bedroom. "Look who is here to visit!"

"You're here much earlier than I expected," I said to my brother.

Phelan was seated on the settee with Alex beside him. His hair was tied back and beard neatly trimmed while his waistcoat and shirt were splattered in rain.

"What time did you wish for me to arrive?" he asked as he took a sip from his cup of coffee, the smell of which permeated the room.

"I assumed after twelve."

"And waste half of the day? Nonsense. Early to rise, little brother."

"Uncle Phelan said we can still learn to swim in the rain," Alex said.

"Is he teaching you?" I asked.

"No," Alex said on my brother's behalf. "He detests sand and would prefer staying indoors."

Phelan nodded once in agreement before he finished his coffee.

I looked out the window and saw that the darkest clouds seemed to have passed while the sky to our west appeared brighter.

"Twenty minutes," I said. "That should give you ample time to change into your swimwear?"

Alex gasped in delight and jumped off the sette, causing Phelan to juggle his cup to prevent dropping his coffee onto the rug. Lisette quietly walked behind her brother and waved before she dashed out the door and after him to their cottage where their trunk was stored.

"Yours is in our trunk," Julia said before she trotted after our exuberant children and told them to wait a moment.

"You still remember how to swim?" Phelan asked when we were alone.

"I do."

"I'm amazed you've retained such a skill."

I shrugged. "I've had access to water suitable for swimming most of my life."

"In the canals of Paris?"

I rummaged through the kitchen, finding a plate of pastries beneath a glass dome lid. Briefly I glanced at him. "Beneath the Opera House."

Phelan stared back at me, his eyes narrowed as though he attempted to gauge my tone and decide whether my words were spoken in jest.

"The Opera House had its own private pool?"

"No," I answered.

I removed one of the pastries and placed it onto a separate plate. It was strange to speak to my brother of the Opera House. He had known me last as a small child and I feared what he would think of my highly publicized mistakes as well as the life I had lived in secret.

"There was a secluded lake fed by hot springs beneath the Opera House in the cellar," I explained. "Few were aware of its existence, let alone the vastness of the lake."

Phelan continued to stare at me in the same skeptical fashion.

"I lived beside the lake," I said at last. "Where there were numerous springs that bubbled and warmed the water no different than the temperature of a bath."

His silence became truly unnerving. I took a bite of my breakfast and stared at the edge of the plate, waiting for my brother to question me further.

The lake itself had been a place of comfort and distraction. With hours that often spanned into days spent in solitude, I entertained myself by swimming or simply floating above the bubbles of hot water rolling up to the surface. I became a strong swimmer and prided myself in excellent lung capacity.

But then eventually, my home had been ransacked after the disaster, the details of my life exposed in every newspaper for weeks on end. Everything from the amount of suits I owned and my measurements to how many sheets of paper and instruments I possessed was committed to ink and paper in the daily news. Word by word, I was destroyed again, criticized and picked apart for something as trivial as the size of my shoes to the sketches I had left behind. My quiet lakeside abode became a dumping ground for my life's work. My private life became a spectacle.

"There was a lake beneath the Opera House," Phelan said carefully.

"There is a lake," I corrected. "I would imagine that will not change."

"That was your home beneath the Opera House?"

"Correct."

"For how long?"

My breath caught as I considered the amount of time I had spent there. "Almost twenty years."

When I glanced up to meet his eye, I could tell by his expression that he still didn't believe me.

"Why?" he asked.

I blinked at him. "I'm not sure what you mean by your question."

"Why did you live in a cellar? After the time you spent in Conforeit?"

I glanced toward the door to make certain Alex and Lisette didn't burst into the room. "Because I had escaped from the traveling fair and there were dozens of people searching for me," I said quietly. "Only one person knew where I hid."

My chest felt like a vice around my rapidly beating heart, same as it always did when I thought of the night I had gained my freedom from Garouche. Month after month of being enslaved in order to fill his coffers and I had finally managed to escape.

"You stayed in hiding for twenty years?"

"More or less." I'd left the comfort and safety of the home I built and gained more nightmares and scars than I had anticipated. The thought of what had transpired in my time spent in Persia made me shudder.

"And in all of that time you didn't search for me or Valgarde?" Phelan asked. His voice was quite even, but I heard the underlying frustration in his tone.

"I did," I said defensively.

"Did you?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"The first few weeks I was in Paris. Once I had my bearings, it was on the forefront of my mind."

"How did you search for us?"

"Madeline assisted my efforts," I answered. "She thought she knew of a patron by the name of Kimmer, but there was never a lead. It's been so long that I don't remember the details."

"And that was the extent of your search? Relying on an unfamiliar woman?" he pressed.

I stared back at Phelan, unsure of what to say that would appease him. His interrogation left me rattled to the core, my answers seemingly unsuitable. "She was not a stranger whom I relied upon. She was..." Everything, I thought. "She was more family than friend and at the time it didn't feel as though I had much of a choice but to stay."

"Why?" he asked.

Before I could answer, I heard Alex shout, "I'll tell him we will be outside waiting!" A moment later, he opened the front door and repeated his words, adding that I needed to make haste.

Once we saw Alex dash toward the water with Lisette and Julia, Phelan stood and walked toward me. He silently placed his empty cup into the sink and turned to face me.

"I apologize," I said. "I was not prepared for an interrogation regarding my actions at the age of thirteen."

Phelan gave a remorseful frown. "Were you content there?" he asked, his tone more sympathetic than demanding. "In a cellar beneath the Opera House?"

"I was."

"Truly?"

"It's not as distressing as it sounds," I said.

"Then what was it like?"

"Peaceful," I said. It was the first word that came to mind. My skin prickled and I fought against the shiver I felt threatening to rattle up my spine. "After ten months in the fair," I said quietly, feeling deeply ashamed to admit to him what I had been. "I wanted to be left alone."

Phelan momentarily searched my gaze. "We will speak of this later," he said. "I will see you outside."

OoO

Unbeknownst to me, Julia had sewn matching swim attire for all four of us; she and Lisette had dark blue swim dresses with white vertical stripes while Alex and I had horizontal striped swimwear. Madeline would have been beside herself with glee at the sight of us.

"Your legs are so white!" Alex exclaimed the moment he saw me.

Beside him, Phelan snickered as I looked down at my shins, which were indeed pale as the belly of a fish.

I sighed to myself, assuming the four of us looked like a family of tumblers off for a day at the beach to practice our acrobatics in the sand.

"Mother, are you going to swim too?" Lisette asked.

"Not today." She patted the folded towels in her arms and nodded toward a set of wooden chairs beneath a white canvas umbrella that flapped in the breeze. "Those chairs look quite nice to me."

"Do you know how to swim?" Alex asked.

Julia shook her head. "Not well. I think I'll sit with your uncle and watch the three of you. How does that sound?"

"You won't be able to tell us apart from the fish!" Alex said.

Lisette immediately took my hand and squeezed tightly. "I think I'm ready."

Alex fearlessly walked into the water on his own, pausing once the waves hit past his ankles to grin and look back at Julia and Phelan. He waved furiously at them before turning to me.

"It's cold!" he said. "Good cold!"

There could have been ice floating in the water and Alex would have been thrilled for the opportunity to swim.

I stood beside him, still holding Lisette's hand as she walked on the tips of her toes. Alex trudged forward, hopping into the waves that were slowly lapping up from his ankles to his knees. He kicked one knee up, then the other and jogged forward in high hops, his arms moving like blades at his sides.

"Alex, slow down," I warned. The water wasn't particularly deep, but the waves were still strong after the passing storm and I feared him losing his footing with a sudden drop of the terrain unseen below the water.

Several more steps forward and Alex was nearly waist deep in the ocean. He widened his stance and surveyed our surroundings, an uncontainable smile on his face.

"I can almost see Dover!" he shouted over the waves. "Almost!"

I followed his gaze, seeing nothing but clouds and fog from the earlier weather. The sky to the west looked darker once more and I assumed another storm would pass through soon, cutting our excursion short.

"How do I swim?" Alex asked.

"You'll want to take a deep breath and fill your lungs with air."

"Lissy, like this!" Alex said. He sucked in a breath and puffed out his cheeks.

I looked from him to Lisette, who had both hands around my arm and a look of terror in her eyes as she stared out into the water. "It's so...endless."

"Do you want to go back to your mother?" I asked.

Wide-eyed, she swallowed and shook her head. "I'm fine."

I waited a moment for her to change her mind while Alex crouched against the waves and attempted to catch the water in his arms. The sea splashed up to his chin and he made a face as he tasted the salty contents and sputtered.

"Lissy, taste it! The water is awful!" Alex yelled.

As soon as he spoke, a wave knocked him off-balance and he teetered backwards into the sea. His head disappeared beneath the water, feet kicking up momentarily.

"Alex!" I shouted.

Lisette released the most blood-curdling scream I'd ever heard before she let go of my arm and dove after him. In the mix of waves and white foam, I lost sight of both children and felt my stomach drop.

Alex popped up first, spitting out water as he continued to laugh. Lisette managed to find the bottom and knelt, eyes squeezed shut and mouth wide open and she took a breath. She flailed around, gasping for her next breath while water dripped down her face. Immediately I grabbed her arm and hoisted her up, which made her grip my shoulder and scramble up my torso, one foot lodged against my hip and the other wrapped around my back.

"Where is Alex?" she asked. "Did he drown?"

"I'm fine!" Alex yelled. He dropped to his knees and allowed the water to push him back again, this time keeping his balance. "My eyes sting, but I'm fine! Everything is so quiet underwater."

"Alex, stand up!" I snapped.

"I thought you were going to die," Lisette said, her voice tight with emotion. She managed to wipe her eyes with one hand and finally blinked at her surroundings.

"Lisette-" I started to say.

"Don't put me down yet," she quickly replied. Her bottom lip quivered, her eyes swimming with tears I knew were not from the salt water. Her fingers dug into my shoulder, heel pressing further into my hip. "Please, Papa."

"You have my word no harm will come to you," I said.

I looked over my shoulder at her and saw Phelan several steps behind where we stood. He was still fully dressed, his eyes wide with concern, heedless to the waves lapping up to his knees.

"Lisette, are you injured?" Phelan asked.

"No," she meekly answered.

"Good. Alexandre, I implore you to never do that again," Phelan sternly said.

Alex turned and looked at his uncle, unfazed by my brother's tone. "Are you coming to teach us how to swim, Uncle Phelan?"

My brother looked down at his soaked trousers and scowled. "I suppose it doesn't matter at this point, does it?"

I glanced behind us at the beach and saw Julia ankle-deep in water clutching the arm of a woman holding a large pastel parasol. I waved to my wife, who shook her head and held her hand over her heart.

Alex appeared thrilled that his newest uncle decided to accompany us. He waded toward Phelan and looked up at him. "Did you teach my father to swim?"

"Of course I did."

"Will you teach me too?"

Phelan guided Alex deeper into the water and issued instructions while Alex gazed up, a look of admiration on his face that was similar to how Bessie often looked at me.

Lisette gently tapped me on the shoulder in order to garner my attention. "Papa? Will you teach me?" she asked.

"I will do my best."

I was confident in my ability to teach Lisette and Alex to play an instrument and learn to sing, however, I didn't know the first thing about teaching someone how to swim.

"Will you hold onto me?" Lisette asked. "And not let go," she added quickly.

"At all times," I promised. "You know I will never let anyone or anything harm you."

The terror in her eyes lessened and she nodded. "I know."

We both looked toward Alex, who took a deep breath and then flopped into the water where he began furiously kicking his legs while he paddled with his arms, Phelan had a hold of a fistful of my son's swim suit while he turned his head to the side to avoid being splashed directly in the face.

"Am I doing it, Uncle...oh! The water tastes terrible when I speak," Alex said.

"Then I suggest not speaking."

Alex had his feet back on the sand, but he continued to paddle with his arms. "Am I swimming?" he asked.

"Not quite, Nephew."

Lisette squinted up at me. "I think I'm ready," she said.

She leaned forward and I held onto the back of her suit where the decorative ribbons tied with one hand while putting my palm against her stomach to prevent her from sinking. Carefully she dipped her hands into the water and gave several half-hearted kicks of her feet before righting herself and stood again.

"Strong kicks," I said to her.

"But what if I kick you?"

"You won't," I assured her.

Lisette pursed her lips and nodded, a look of determination in her eyes. She gave a nod, took in a deep breath, and pinched her eyes shut as she jumped and put herself into motion while I held on and helped move her forward.

"Kick!" I commanded.

Lisette surprisingly kicked with the power of a racehorse and furiously moved her arms like a windmill, which sent water everywhere. Rather than walk deeper, we moved horizontally with the beach until we were beside Alex and Phelan.

"Lissy, you did it!" Alex said when she came up for air. He waited for his sister to wipe her eyes before he engulfed her in a hug and jumped up and down.

"Well done," I said.

Lisette smiled and looked toward her mother, who waved and blew her daughter kisses.

"Did I really swim this far?" Lisette asked me.

"You did, and with minimal assistance."

"Shall we switch?" Alex asked. "I want to show Father what Uncle Phelan taught me. He said I am a natural."

Lisette looked at my brother and immediately shook her head as she clutched my arm again. "I want to stay with Papa."

Phelan appeared taken aback by her reply, but he nodded and turned his attention to Alex, whose teeth were chattering. "You've had enough practice for now," he said.

To my surprise, Alex made no attempt to stay in the water longer. He nodded and reached for his sister's hand and together the two of them waded back toward the beach.

"I appreciate you coming to our aid," I said to my brother. "However, they were never in danger."

"It was difficult to tell from where we were seated. And besides, I can't have you drowning my niece and nephew before they've had a chance to appreciate their uncle. Alex has told me extensively about Charles. I do think I have some competition."

"Competition?" I questioned.

"For favorite uncle."

"Ah, of course," I said dryly.

"Besides, I do believe I looked quite heroic in front of your wife's friend," he said, nodding toward the two chairs where Julia and the woman with the parasol sat together in the shade of a large umbrella.

"I've no idea who she is," I replied.

"She introduced herself as Mademoiselle Leach."

I looked again at the woman, certain it wasn't the infamous singing and dancing Hermine Leach. As far as I was aware, Archie did not have other siblings aside from Hermine and the woman was far too old to be his daughter, which led me to the only possible conclusion: there was yet another Leach and she had found my family on holiday.

Alex met us on the beach with a towel for me and two for my brother, who looked quite miserably drenched.

"Your shoes and watch are under the umbrella," Alex announced. "Shall I bring them to you?"

"As much as I appreciate the service, that will not be necessary," Phelan answered.

Alex dashed across the sand and slid onto his knees several paces from the beach chairs, which elicited a scream of surprise that quickly turned to laughter from Julia and the Leach woman when he sprayed them with sand. Phelan and I dried ourselves as much as possible before we walked across the sand to join the others.

"Erik, I simply must introduce you to an old friend of mine," Julia said as she stood and shielded her eyes with her hand. "This is Gertie Leach."

"What an honor to meet the famous composer and hero saving children," the Leach woman said as she also climbed to her feet. Her blue eyes shifted from me to my brother and she smiled. "I believe I am in the company of two heroic gentlemen."

"Forgive me, Gertie, everything happened so quickly and I didn't have an opportunity to properly introduce you to my brother-in-law. This is Phelan Kimmer."

Gertie, who was barely taller than Lisette, batted her eyelashes at my brother, who swiftly stepped forward and offered his hand. He towered over her, which made the Leach woman giggle as she tilted her head back to look at him.

"Kimmer? I've heard the name before."

"Renowned painter," Julia said.

"Julia is far too generous in her description," my brother said. He carefully tucked his injured hand behind his back and turned toward the Leach woman. "A pleasure to meet you, Madame. Your name is familiar to me as well."

"Mademoiselle," she corrected, blushing profusely as if on cue. Her voice was quite high like the squeak of a mouse, which I found highly irritating but quite typical of a Leach. They were all irritating on one aspect or another; why should this one be any different? "You have perhaps heard of Gertrude Leach's Fashion for Ladies?"

"I believe some of my students have discussed your line at University."

Gertie's eyes widened. "Oh my, a professor and an artist?"

Phelan looked away from her, his cheeks turning crimson as he finally released her hand. "Yes, Mademoiselle," he said. "I teach art history and fine art. It is a blessing to see young, enthusiastic new minds each year at the Free University."

To that, I snorted.

"What brings you to the beach?" Phelan answered.

"My cousins," she answered. Her nervous smile was followed by another giggle. "Archie and Meanie must be running late. I suspect I misread the note Archie sent me with where to meet them this afternoon."

"You're Archie's cousin?" I asked. She had dark hair like Archie and Hermine, but with a flawlessly pale complexion and quite delicate features.

"Yes," she proudly replied, turning her attention to me. "I had no idea the cottages would be occupied and by an old friend and her family at that." She squeezed Julia's hand and the two of them looked positively delighted to be in each other's company.

"I told Gertie if she needed a place to stay for the night that we would be more than happy to give her the second cottage," Julia said.

"Oh, I wouldn't ask it of you, Julie!" Gertie said in her high-pitched tone. "I'm sure Archie has suitable arrangements in Calais or Conforeit."

"You're familiar with Conforeit?" Phelan asked.

Gertie shyly met my brother's eye. "I've passed through a time or two. There isn't much to see, I'm afraid."

"And each time you have graced Conforeit with your presence, you add unequaled beauty and grace. It pains me that our paths did not cross there. Conforeit could use improving."

Their eyes met again and Julia grabbed my arm tight enough to draw my attention. My wife stood with her lips pursed as she gazed at my brother and the Leach woman, who were staring at each other in a way I found quite disturbing and unnecessary.

"Perhaps we can spare you the great inconvenience of being trapped here and have someone deliver you to Calais," I suggested.

Julia turned and jabbed me in the ribs with her elbow while issuing me a warning look.

"That isn't necessary," Gertie answered without peeling her eyes from Phelan. "I think I'll wait on my cousins a while longer. I am quite enjoying the company."

"If I may be of assistance, Mademoiselle, by all means say the word," my brother said, offering a deep bow.

"Please, Monsieur, call me Gertie."

"I insist that you call me Phelan."

I fought the urge to roll my eyes, certain they would become lodged in the back of my skull. Instead, I winced at the most obnoxious sound in all of the world: Hermine Leach's piercing voice disrupting our otherwise pleasant surroundings.

"Hello there! Hello!" She whistled high enough to call every dog in the vicinity to her side and scare the hell out of the gulls. As it was, Bessie tilted her head to the side before scratching her neck while all of the gulls near us took flight at once. I had never wanted wings so greatly in my life as the birds so effortlessly liberated themselves from the plight of more Leaches.

Behind Hermine, Archie waved furiously before he and his sister trotted down toward where we stood on the beach. Gertie picked up her skirts and ran toward her cousins, parasol with its many embellishments and tassels bouncing against her shoulder with each step. I sighed to myself and shook my head. The Leaches, it seemed, had invaded.

"Can you believe it, Father? Everyone is here!" Alex exclaimed.

"Indeed," I said through my teeth.

Phelan clapped me on the back. "What is the matter, little brother?"

"Nothing," I answered, praying that their flirtations would not come to some unfortunate fruition.