"How is she?"
Dr. Lebeau took a seat behind his desk and regarded the Comte across from him. "She's settling in. Her voice is slowly returning now that the bruises are fading."
Raoul leaned forward to stare at the doctor. "Does she remember... anything?"
"She refuses to say. But I have told her of her crime. No reaction."
He frowned, his hands curling around the ivory handle of his walking cane. Raoul didn't intend for his visit to last long; he sat on the edge of the simple wooden chair still wearing his hat and cloak. "Does she know how she got those bruises?"
"No. I did not tell her how you choked her to the point of passing out. That was not a wise decision, Monsieur le Comte. It can do more harm to the mind."
"She intended to kill me!" Raoul sighed. "I'd like to see her."
"That is not wise."
"And why is that?"
"A woman in her state of mind tends towards violence. Particularly when faced with those they believe have harmed them."
"Is she not restrained?"
"Yes."
Raoul grew irritated. "Then what is the issue at hand?"
Dr. Lebeau hid his own annoyance at the younger man. "Lunatics, when upset or enraged, tend to have a bizarre strength. They can cause harm to men three times their size if we aren't careful."
He sighed again. "Very well. You're giving her proper food and clean water?"
"Yes."
"And you've informed all your people that she isn't to be harmed, correct?"
"I have, Monsieur le Comte."
Raoul nodded. "Good." He set a few bills totaling a few hundred francs on the desk. "For anything she needs. She stays in a private room, do you understand? I may drop in someday soon without announcement. If I see her in those disgusting communal rooms with the other lunatics, I will shut down this entire asylum."
Dr. Lebeau's kind demeanor vanished and he regarded Raoul with something akin to distaste. "Is that a threat, Monsieur?"
"An arrangement."
"I would remind you, Monsieur de Chagny, that I am the current charge to a patient once known as the Vicomtess de Chagny. And that certain people in Paris might find that fact rather... intriguing."
A scowl covered Raoul's face and he shot to his feet. "A gross lie, Monsieur. There is no record of me ever being married to that... unfortunate woman."
"That didn't take long."
"I am not a noble merely in name, Doctor."
Dr. Lebeau breathed a heavy sigh and rose to his feet to try and match Raoul's height. He still came up several inches short. "Very well. She will remain in a private room. As long as you bring me more of this each week," he added with a gesture to the cash on his desk.
"Done."
"Monsieur, if I may ask you a question that has been nagging at me?"
"What is it?"
"I am flattered you brought the lady Daae to my care, but... why here? You, a Comte, could easily afford moral treatment for her. A private hospital with all the comforts she could desire, with other troubled ladies of nobility. And yet, she's here, in a sea of unfortunates, addicts, and lunatics. Why?"
Raoul stared at him. "Such luxuries I would reserve for my good wife, the mother of my children. But Ms. Daae is," he paused. "She is a troubled unfortunate. This is where she belongs."
Dr. Lebeau studied him with fascination. "And what of your new wife?"
"The lady Madeleine de Chagny is perfectly healthy. And expecting our first child," he added with a smug smile.
"My heartfelt congratulations to you both."