The Opera House Chapter 26 to 28

26.

“Pay me, Monsieur.” The lady displayed her right palm. The man took it and laid his kiss on it.

“It’s paid.” The man reached for the lady but she drew away. He stood up from the grass covered ground and frowned at her.

“Why, Christine? I thought you will be happy to see me? It’s me Raoul.” The man turned to look at the pond that he once painted many times over.

“Yes, I am ever glad to see you but if you are to treat me like a whore, then pay me first.” Christine sat up and then reached for the buttons on her blouse. She buttoned it up before looking at him.

“I am a lady and will like to be shown one. Don’t come to me and pawed me like an animal in heat. I will not stand for it.”  Christine pulled her legs up and covered it with her skirt. “You are not the man I used to ….know.”

“Know? Christine, we were in love before I left for the Academy. And I have returned to find you so …cold and distant.” Raoul looked at her. “What did happen in the year that I was gone? Was there another one?”

Christine looked away from him towards the pond. Yes, she has changed. She had become a woman. A free spirited one.

“Maybe I should call myself Carmen.” Christine muttered out.

“And I will be Jose.” Raoul smiled trying to win back her love.

“No, Jose was a fool. He killed her for believing the love that was never there. He should have stayed with his fiancé.” Christine replied.

“So was Faust not be with the Devil but it’s ordained in their life.” Raoul defended the fate of those two. “Mine was to be with you. Why have you changed?”

Christine approached the pond and stood there at the edge. Raoul joined her but he stood at her side. He made no move to touch her but his stare was with her to the pond.

“We were happier then. Why did….”

“Was there others, Raoul? I sensed that in you.” Christine asked.

“Others? Sensed? Did I carry any other smell on me?” Raoul grabbed the hem of his tunic to smell. “I smell only myself.”

Christine moved away a few steps and then looked at Raoul.

“I do…like you. I was elated that you were coming back but when you did, I don’t know why but I needed to start again with you. I am sorry, Raoul.” Christine spoke up. “I need time. I need to achieve my dream to be the singer. The new Opera Singer. The upcoming Diva.”

“If it’s time and space you need, I will respect that.” Raoul replied. “If it’s your desire to be the Diva then I shall ….respect that.”

With that Raoul took his leave of her. Christine turned to look at the man she thought she loved once more. Maybe then but somehow in her, her new love was the Opera House. She will be the Diva and changed her life forever.

So did Emil while he sat there in the dim light reading the musical notes that he took from the pianist table. He had seen the scribbled over chords to make the music more distinct and to suit the singer. He saw the chords to be sung by the older one, and then the younger one. He likes the younger one. He recalled her name was Christine.

She may seem older than him but with him, he has lost the count of time. He lived his days and nights as they come with no regard to when he will need to count the dates. He knew he was older then for he was taller and the body grown in size. He still could not read but his understanding of the tones was more acute. He does not know how to read the words that were written on the paper but he knew the sounds that it made. He then related the sounds to the chords.

Emil used his ears to manage the sounds that he wanted to hear.

Emil then took up the notes and scribbled in his own.

The scribbled notes then became the new score.

Not all knew of it but Jean Valeria stopped his fingers from tapping the keys. His sudden stop disrupted the others and the Conductor signalled the symphony to cease playing.

“Monsieur Valeria, why have you stop playing?” The Conductor held his respect for the elderly pianist. He has accommodated the other to get the best sounds out of the singer. His notes amended to cater to both the pianist and singer.

“Well, are you okay? Can we continue?” Jean Valeria heard the Conductor and nodded. He then told the Conductor on some suggested changes.

“It will give more prominence to the Diva’s voice.” The Conductor looked at the new changes in the notes and nodded.

It worked and the symphony was elated to rehearsal more on the new approach.

Madame Carlotta felt more at ease and went with the changes but she did not notice the emergence of Christine then. The younger singer was also seen to be more prominent then but Christine was to play second fiddle.

27.

Christine found the package on her table inside her room that evening three days to the opening. The rehearsal was over that day but it ended on a gloomy mode. The dancers were the first to hear and they told the others.

“The opening night tickets are slow in sales. The Parisians are not keen on the Diva. They have heard of her before and without the lure of the Phantom, the Opera House is no different from the others.”

“We have lost our Diva.”

Those words soon reached the reigning Diva and she was upset. She took to the Ritz to rest hence the rehearsal ended up earlier. She was also upset the Comte had not come to see her rehearse and ignore her invitations. Everyone knew then for the Diva was lamenting on it at every occasion she had.

The final nail was the dropped in the ticket sales.

“Fuck the show. And the Comte.” That was what the Diva said before she stormed off.

Christine looked at the package. It was light in the weight and yet it was bigger than her hands. She shook it and heard the tinkering sound.

 “Well, it won’t be a red apple.” Christine muttered to herself. She thought it may be Raoul’s gift to rekindle their love but she was not tempted to rush into it. It was funny how love sometime works. Some weeks ago she was keen to see him come back and when he told she was elated but when she met him, she felt as if she was facing some stranger. She could not find herself to say the words she once mentioned but did hug him. She felt his hands and then the feeling to get away. She however took his invitation to meet at the pond but when the meeting went amorous in nature, she got turned off.

And then the gift was there. Would it change her feelings? Christine then saw her mother have approached her.

“A gift? Would you not open it?” Madame Giry looked at her daughter. “It did not come from me.”

That was an uncalled call but their relationship been stormy for some days then. Christine looked at her mother. She smiled and then replaced the package on the table.

“It’s not important.” Christine then asked of her mother. “I am so sorry for my earlier behaviours. You are old enough to do whatever you want.”

“Thank you, Christine.” Both mother and daughter hugged each other without knowing they were watched by Lenier. He smiled from his peeking spot behind the wall, and then left the two together. He has a bigger task to do. The rumours reached him and he needed to make some remedies for it. He climbed the steps to reach the ramparts at the roof. He stood there and waited. He could find the boy up here but the other will find him.

Soon then Emil appeared.

“Boy, you have a new task.” Lenier told the boy. He had given the boy then an overall with the belt that hung his tools needed for the work. The boy carried a bag over his back containing the needed supplies for the task.

“Meet at the steps tonight.” That was all Lenier told the boy.

It was late evening when Christine looked at the gift on her table. She reached for it and then slowly unwrap it open. It was badly wrapped but the gift was inside. It was a monkey playing the drum toy. The toy have a key behind it which when wind up will get the monkey to play the drum. The tune was unknown but it resembled some marching bands music. The set was old and looked rusted.

“I have not seen one like that for a long time.” Christine looked to see her mother there. “Who gave you that?”

“I don’t know. I think it’s from some admirer.” Christine smiled. She had received gifts before from the admirers in the form of flowers or sweets but never a monkey. She thought it could be from Raoul as his way of reliving their love. She recalled their better times but his gifts were mostly dinner and the smooches after it. He had never gave her any gifts.

“So you did not come from Raoul.” Christine spoke to the toy. She then hummed to herself the chorus of Carmen.

Avec la garde montante,
nous arrivons, nous voilà.
Sonne, trompette éclatante !
Taratata, taratata !
Nous marchons la tête haute
comme de petits soldats,
marquant sans faire de faute,
une, deux, marquant le pas.
Les épaules en arrière
et la poitrine en dehors,
les bras de cette manière
tombant tout le long du corps.
Avec la garde montante, etc.

Maybe their love will rekindle.

Christine smiled.

28.

Raoul lowered his fork onto the dinner plate while his brother lament on his failure at the Academy. That was their first dinner since he returned.

“Raoul, I got the informal report from the Commandant. You were expelled for discipline issues and that include your flirting affair with his daughter. Do you know how many officers have been expelled by her behaviour? Five and you were the last one.”

“So I fucked her and her father tried to have me killed in the last exercise.” Roaul replied. “Did he miss that out? I bludgeon the Major for trying to kill me.”

“You did what…” The Comte sighed. “The Major and myself went back a long way. Why …Never mind. I will be direct. Why are you back here?”

“Why should I not be back?” Raoul asked. He glared at his brother. “Did you send me there so I could be send on to somewhere further or maybe die there? Was that your intention? Why?”

“So many questions from you, brother. I was talking about your Academy expulsion. So now what do you want to do.”

“The family have business I can take care of…” Raoul was cut off.

“The family held not anymore of the business. I sold them or traded them to keep the food on our table. Raoul, my dear brother, we are as poor as the mice except for the name and the clothes on our back.” The Comte told him. “You were to be an officer and earned your keep there but you have to come back here.”

“To be with your slut..” The Comte spat those words.

“You will not insult Christine She is my…” Raoul displated his anger but his brother was ahead.

“Shout not at me, Raoul de Chagny. I am still your brother and in rank. Respect me or leave the family.”

Raoul looked to his brother and then stormed off. He did not leave but returned to his room at the manor. He was angry then with his family and at everyone including Christine. He came back expecting love to be spurned by all. He wished he was on the roads then but he knew that he would not survive. He had no coins to live on his own. He sat there in his room and then his mind started working,

He will sell out his brother.

He was not stupid not to know of his brother smuggling activities. He can always get his brother to pay for the insult that night. He will speak to the one he knew have handling the investigation.

Chief Inspector Joseph Bouquet.

A knock on the room door shook him off his dream. The servant brought him an invitation from the Diva herself.

“Thank you for seeing me at such late hours.” The Diva greeted the young Viscomte at her suite in the Ritz. The lady was dressed in the peignoir there covered decently by the satin gown. The lady had prepared for the occasion the wine that will enhance the evening atmosphere.

“I think it was a wrong time for me to meet you.” Raoul stood near the doorway staring at the lady. He was uncomfortable and it was his anger that made him took the invitation. He had heard of the lady’s reputation as a seductress and a black widow as next. She does not take their lives but their wealth and dignity. She was also her brother’s lover or one of his.

“You may need to rest with the rehearsals for the play. I best be leaving.” Raoul turned to leave but the lady stopped him.

“I hear you like Christine. Do you want her to sing as lead for my play?” The lady laid the choice to Raoul. “I can be persuaded.”

“Forget Christine.” Raoul muttered out. “She does not matter to me. I want though is payment in Francs or whatever. I want it now.”

“The Viscomte in need of money? I am surprised. What did your brother do to you? Did he strike your name out of the DeChagny fortune?” The lady laughed.

“Forget it. I am leaving.” Raoul took hold of the door knob but the lady was persuasive.

“I can give you your payment if you do something for me.” Raoul turned to look at the lady. She had disrobed the gown and stood there with her peignoir.

“Are you worth it? I will pay you for the performance. Be my Diva tonight.”

Across the city of lights, Chief Inspector Buquet sat at his desk pondering over the stack of reports that he had yet to file. He had read those reports and all of it was related to the smuggling activities on the river. He had listed down the names of people that were suspects. They ranged from the dignitaries to the low level scums but a few names stayed in his mind.

Comte DeChagny; ex soldier and wealthy in the funds.

Armand Moncharmin; trader from his own backyard who left the colonies and created a reputation as the arms dealer.

Firmin Richard; a colonist and revolutionary for the independence of Haiti.

“Chief Inspector, the report is here. The Opera House had changed hands to Firmin and Associates.”

“So our new scent will give us the new trail. Hopefully we will find the closure to our case. Please pray with me that the Opera House will be our God sent gift.”