[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.He grinned to himself as heput on his white silk mask.He would leave tonight.Right now, he hadto get back to Christine and tell her he d be outof town for a while.He rang for the maid again. When Darius returns, tell him I d like him to~ 187 ~- An Wallace -pack my valise for a week, he told her.Hedidn t expect it to take that long; Rouen wasn tthat far, but it was best to be certain. Yes, sir, and there s been a message foryou, she replied.She held out a tray with anote on it. Thank you, Erik said, taking the note andwaving a dismissal.My dear Erik,At the risk of seeming too forward, wouldyou like to come to supper again this evening?My son has been asking about you ever since Iinformed him of our engagement.Our engagement.What a lovely thought that is!Much love,ChristineErik s eyes softened as he read the note.Hetucked it into his pocket and went to get hiscloak.When he got to Christine s flat and rang thebell, Anneke opened the door. Oh, come in, mon-sieur! she greeted brightly. I ll just go and tellmadame that you re here.And, monsieur if Imay be so bold may I offer congratulations?~ 188 ~- Letters to Erik - Thank you, Anneke. Erik was pleased thatChristine had already told her staff.He hadsomewhat feared that she would want to makethis a secret engagement.The maid took hiscloak and showed him into the drawing room,where he immediately sat down at the pianoand began to play one of the melodies from Don Juan Triumphant, that he had beenworking on last night. Erik! Christine appeared at the door lookingradiant, and approached the piano.Erik rose andmet her halfway across the room; she came into hisarms and embraced him for a few moments. I am glad you got my note, she said, step-ping away. Shall you stay to supper then? Unfortunately, no, he replied, regret color-ing his voice. I must make preparations for ashort trip.I shall have to leave Paris for a fewdays, I m afraid. Oh. Christine s face fell. Where will yougo? I have some business to take care of, up inRouen, before we shall be able to marry.I hopeto only be gone a few days. What business is that?Erik shifted uncomfortably.He didn t reallywant to tell her, but on the other hand he d al-~ 189 ~- An Wallace -ready told her everything else about him whynot this as well? I must go to the place I was born, and try tofind out what my name is, he finally said.Hewas glad of the white mask; he was sure that hewas blushing horribly beneath it. I knowwhere my parents lived, but I have no idea ofwhat their surname was; my mother never toldme.It will be hard to find a priest to marry us ifI have no name to give you. Oh, I see. Evidently she hadn t thought ofthat.She sank down on the divan.Erik sat down beside her, holding her handin both of his. I also wanted to give you sometime to reconsider, if you wish. He shushedher immediate protest and went on. Rightnow, your son will be the Comte de Chagny,and as such, he will have power, money, andprestige.If his mother marries a no-name, face-less vagabond especially if she then goesback onto the stage, he added with a twinklein his eye,   then Erik-Daaé s situation maychange.The other Chagnys could easily try toclaim his title or even disinherit him.These arethings you must consider.Christine nodded, giving Erik s hand asqueeze. I did consider them, Erik, before I~ 190 ~- Letters to Erik -even told my staff of our engagement.I couldhardly sleep last night for thinking! My sonmight be the Comte de Chagny when he turnstwenty-one and I would certainly not wish todeny him the prestige that comes with the ti-tle but Bonaparte s titles are fairly meaning-less nowadays anyway.He s also the son of anopera singer and the grandson of a Swedishpeasant.He will never be accorded the respectof someone whose parents were both noble.Heshall have to learn to earn a living anyway.Having a stepfather who is a world-class musi-cian, architect, and any number of other thingsas well, will not do his status any harm.Erik stiffened.He hadn t actually thoughtahead enough to realize that he would be youngErik-Daaé s stepfather.It would be almost likehaving a child himself! What a terrifyingthought.He liked the boy, though, and he would havea special place in Erik s heart as Christine s sonanyway.The fact that young Erik-Daaé wasn tfrightened of his face was such an unexpectedblessing that it made his heart swell with relief.He kissed Christine gratefully and settleddown to enjoy the rest of his brief visit.~ 191 ~Chapter 12Discovering the Pastrik got on the night train from Paris, andEby dawn he was in Rouen.He thought heremembered how to get to the house he dknown as a child it had been more than thirtyyears, but his memory for detail had alwaysbeen sharp.First thing he did was check in at a local inn.He gave them a false name, trying not to smileat the thought of Kaveh s reaction.He made ar-rangements to hire a horse, and then went upand unpacked his bags.He pulled out an oldPersian-style uniform and looked at it wistfully,but ended up setting it aside [ Pobierz caÅ‚ość w formacie PDF ]