Immortal Darkness (Phantom Diaries #3) (20 page)

Added to all that were the damages caused to the Opera House.  In addition to the obvious damage, inside and out, there was significant structural damage that now rendered the Opera House unsafe and completely closed off to anyone other than authorized workers.

I feel exhausted, weak, sad, confused and exasperated.  One day I had a beautiful opera in my hand and the affection of three strong and good hearted men.  I was healthy, and despite all the confusion, quite happy.

Now it feels like everything has been ripped from my hands.

As I sat brooding in my bedroom, I heard a distant knock at the door.  I’d just left Eric as he drifted off to sleep and was in no mood for company.  I hadn’t been for days.

The knock was insistent, however, and I eventually pulled myself out of bed and headed to the door.

“Annette,” Aaron called from behind the door.  “It’s me.  Open up.  I have good news for you.”

I reached for the doorknob, though I doubted he could really have news that would cheer me up.

“Aaron,” I said, not even bothering to force a smile.  “I’m really tired and just want to shut out the world today.  This better be good.”

A beaming smile on his handsome face, Aaron came in, tossed his coat on a kitchen chair and headed to the living room to sit back in the easy chair.

“Would a trip to Paris cheer you up?”

I snorted.  “I’m not really in the mood for a vacation, Aaron.  You know Eric isn’t doing well.  I don’t want to just pull up and leave on some whirlwind…”

“How about to work?”

“Work?  In Paris?”  I didn’t want to let my excitement show prematurely, but I had to admit I was intrigued by his proposition.

“There is a great demand for
The Masquerade
in Paris.  Word has gotten around and people want to see what this Annette is all about.  I thought you might want to take this opportunity to show them.  We won’t be ready to put on anything here for a while… probably a few months.  I’m sure you don’t want to just sit around and pout for months on end.  There’s also the matter of keeping your voice fine-tuned and toned.  If you just sit back and do nothing for a few months, your voice will get weaker.”

I knew he was right.  I’d thought of that possibility myself, even considered looking for other jobs, something that wasn’t so easy.  Even though I’d built a strong reputation as a good and hard-working performer, competition for any part was always stiff.

“Okay,” I said. I sat on the sofa and faced him.  “So what are you proposing, exactly?”

“First off, I know you're worried and concerned for Eric.  I’d like to put your concerns to rest.  I’ve arranged for a team of private physicians to tend to him.  He’ll have around the clock care.  I know you’ve spent the past few days at his side, and I also know the demands of that time with him.  You’re not sleeping as you should and you're not eating as you should.  You’ve lost weight since that night at the Opera House and you now have dark circles under your eyes.”

My hand automatically went to the skin under my eyes, willing the dark circles to magically disappear.  I’d noticed them a few days earlier and knew it wasn’t becoming.  I’d also noted the slight weight loss.

“You can’t keep going on like this, Annette.  Life goes on.  Give Eric a chance to build up his strength, with the help of people who are trained to help him, and give yourself a chance to get back in control of your life… and career.”

“I won’t lie, Aaron.  You’re proposal sounds very interesting.  I’ve missed the stage.  I’ve missed singing.”

“You might also be interested to know that it wouldn’t be just you hopping over to Paris.  The whole company would go.  Cast, crew, seamstress, musicians… everyone.”

My eyes lit up.  Bringing the whole Opera House family to Paris made the prospect of starting the show there even more enticing.

“Have I sold you on the idea yet?”

I nodded.  “I think you have.”  I thought once again of Eric.  Could I really leave him behind?  “Will I have constant updates on Eric’s condition?”

“I’ll arrange it.  You’ll have calls, e-mails, faxes… whatever you want.  We can even set up a Skype account so you can talk to him and see how he’s doing.  How’s that sound?”

Again I nodded as I bit my lip.  I really did want to go.  Singing in Paris… it would be the perfect antidote for the despair of the past days.

“All right,” I said, smiling for the first time in days.  “Sign me up.”

A few days later I received the airline tickets.  At the airport, I was happy to see Chace there.  After all we’d been through, I felt an added sense of comfort and security knowing he’d be in Paris with me.

“From what I’ve heard, all of Paris is buzzing with anticipation,” Chace said as we boarded the plane. 

He sat beside me, his hand over mine the whole way over the Atlantic.  The plane was exclusively filled with members of the Opera House company.  The only one missing was Aaron who’d had to hop the pond a few days earlier in order to prepare for our arrival.

The moment the plane touched down in Paris, Chace gripped my hand, pulled it to his lips a brief moment and looked me in the eye.  “Ready to take over Paris?”

With a series of cabs to take us from the airport to our respective hotels, we all found our new and temporary homes in Paris.  Though Chace wouldn’t be staying in the same hotel as I was, he did come to help me settle in.

The moment he left, Aaron arrived.

“Bonjour, Mademoiselle,” he said as he entered with a dozen red roses and a magnum of champagne.

“Bonjour, Monsieur.”

He gave me a professional kiss on the cheek as he handed me the flowers.  “I hope you had a pleasant flight.”

“Everything went well, but I am worried about Eric.  Is there any way you can hook me up tonight so I can get an update?”

Aaron pulled a leather satchel from his shoulder and set it on the kitchen table.  “I had a feeling that would be your first questions so…”  He opened the satchel and pulled out a laptop.  “Here is your connection, as promised, to Eric.  I can’t guarantee the strength of the internet connection you’ll have here so, if you can’t hook up…”  He pulled a phone from his pocket.  “You should be able to call him with this.  And if all this fails, they’ve assured me you can have a guaranteed internet connection down in the lobby.  It was a condition to booking here.”

“Thank you.  I really appreciate you putting all this effort into making sure…”

“Making sure you're happy?  It’s my main priority.  Everything else is a distant second to your happiness.”

There was nothing manipulative or conniving in his way with me.  It was pure friendship, pure admiration and pure delight.  I liked this new side of him, so much so, I wanted to ask him to stay when he announced he’d leave to return to his own room… three floors up.

“I want you to get your rest… get used to the time zone and have a good meal.  Tomorrow we’ll head out to the Opera House and get you acquainted with the few Parisians you’ll be working with.”

He left me and I took a few moments to examine the large hotel room he’d rented for me.  It was far more than just a room. It was an exquisite suite.  The décor was rich and elegant with shimmering fabrics in deep tones of green and tasteful touches of gold.  The bedroom was larger than the one in my apartment back home and the kitchen better equipped.

When I walked to the large window in the living space, I stared out at the Paris skyline.  Immediately I felt a longing to see Eric.  It had been just two days since I’d last seen him and already I felt the difficulty of being so far away from him.

For a sagging moment I wondered if I’d be able to go through with the show here without him.  Not only was he instrumental in preparing me for the stage, but I felt I needed his support, his encouragement… No, all I really needed was his love and his presence, and that was the one thing I couldn’t have at the moment.

Despite Aaron’s advice to get some rest and get a meal, I felt too restless for either.  I quickly opened the laptop only to find I’d not yet received any news about Eric.  Frustrated I decided to stroll the streets of Paris and integrate myself in the culture and language.  I wanted to immerse myself in all that was Paris.  Somehow it seemed it would bring me closer to Eric.

The sun was going down, but the streets were still alive with shoppers, tourist and Parisians who went around picking up a bottle of wine here, a baguette there and a chunk of cheese somewhere else.  Life seemed so easy, so laid back.  I thought of the hectic pace of New York.  Though things moved quickly here, there was something different in the purpose, in the mood exuded.

Without realizing it, and without consciously preparing for it, I found my way to the Paris Opera House.  I knew I should wait and go in the next day with Aaron and the rest of the company, but I felt a pull that was irresistible.

The Opera House was calling to me and I didn’t want to turn it down.  I pushed opened the door, momentarily surprised to find it unlocked, but then not surprised at all.

Once inside, however, I found the true surprise. Standing in the marbled lobby was a tall figure, his shoulders held straight and his head raised high, looking healthier and more handsome than I’ve seen him in weeks.

“Eric,” I whispered.  “What are you doing here?”

He held out his arms to me, and I ran into them, pulling him tight close to me, as I kissed his face over and over again.

“Don’t you know, Annette?” he smiled, his bright blue eyes shining with pride and adoration. “I love you Annette. I’ll follow you anywhere.” He touched my nose with his fingertip. “And I’ll be darned if I don’t see you perform
The Masquerade
where it started.”

Dark Victory

2012

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